Post by ArtyJayWolf on Dec 31, 2015 9:43:32 GMT -5
Welp, gonna get one more in before the New Year... Definitely not going to finish it today, but it'll be a start. Belchic , Hi!!
WARNING!: Can get graphic and brutal. Blood will be shed, you have been warned.
--------------------------------------------
"The Rematch: Arcane and the Heroes vs. Stealth: The Oracular Shadow-Walker vs. The Relentless Executioner"
Arcane Blackmore Dearly was sitting next to Nicoletta, who lay resting on a bed in the barn. Arcane had made his recovery, but it seemed that his place was quickly taken by Nicoletta herself. Atlas, Nike, and Nicoletta are all out of commission for a while, though Atlas will soon be up and ready. One thing is for certain, if Arcane has healed, then Stealth would certainly have made her full recovery by now.
"You doing okay?" Arcane asked his girlfriend. Nicoletta leaned up and looked at Arcane while smiling. Arcane was confused, why is she smiling after all she's been through, and her current condition now?
"I'll be fine." She answered. "Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"
Nike rolled his eyes and commented, "Ha-ha, very funny... A reference to the failure Nike at every sentence..."
"You're crabby this morning, aren't ya?" Arcane smirked.
"You'd be too, in my position." Nike answered.
"I don't know about you guys..." said Atlas as he stood up and walked past the recovering pups and Arcane. "But I'm getting breakfast..." Atlas still has bandages wrapped around his abdomen, and he also has no shirt on because of that... It wasn't long until a piercing shriek filled the air! The scream nearly shattered Nike's sensitive ears!
"Missy!!" Nike hollered. He scrambled to his feet, wincing against the pain of his injured spine and limped as fast as he could down off the second floor of the barn and outside. Arcane quickly followed him. The two pups stared in utter shock as there were Heroes and Templars fighting one lone enemy... A Heartbreaker... Stealth.
"Nike, how the hell can you walk already?!" Amoura asked, with anger and concern in her voice. "Are you using your Adrenaline? Nike, that ability isn't a toy!"
Nike rolled his eyes again, and rushed over to Missy, who lay weak and injured on the ground. He knelt to the ground and said, "It's okay... I'm here now!"
Missy slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to see Nike. "Nike..." She muttered. "Wh-What are you doing? You need rest..." Nike swung Missy's arm around his shoulder and helped her onto her feet and began to escort her into the barn, until he took a dreaded look back... What Arcane and Nike saw were the injured bodies of other Heroes and Templars... Winter... Kendra... Slayer... Cadpig... Doc... Noggin... Raine... And more... Even Atlas, who was almost fully healed, was bloody and wounded yet again!! He just wanted breakfast!!
"D**n you, Stealth!!!" Raiden screamed as he rushed from his girlfriend Sonya's side towards the Heartbreaker, a sword in hand. He swung at her left shoulder, but Stealth quickly blocked with her arm bracer. She was too fast to clearly see, but a large red gash filled Raiden's abdomen... Stealth had stabbed him once, and he fell back onto his back a few seconds later.
"Arcane!!" Belchic called as he ran over to the shadow-faced pup. Belchic's armour and shield were clearly battle-scarred, but Belchic continued to fight... "Stealth is going on a rampage!!"
"I can see that!" Arcane exclaimed as he drew his daggers. "What is she using?"
"Artificial Adrenaline..." Belchic reluctantly muttered. "My guess is, Rob must've somehow acquired it when he fought Nike..."
"The jerk weaponized my Adrenaline?!" Nike hollered. "Oh, he's gonna pay!!"
"Darnit! We're not doing our job! How could this happen?! We're supposed to protect you guys!!" Arcane question and yelled...
"That doesn't matter, there's no way any of us could've known about this until it happened!" Clayton responded. "You Templars are doing your jobs just fine, and what matters now is that we beat her! Where's Fidget?"
Stealth cracked her neck, and glared intensely at the Heroes. "Up there..." She said with a stern and threatening voice. The Heroes looked up at the flag pole on top of the Food Trough, and there he was, struggling to set himself loose, Fidget; hanging by the neck on the flag pole. The Heroes looked on at this in absolute horror.
"Beat her!!!" Fidget yelled in complete agony. While the sight was horrific, it was comforting to know that Fidget can still breathe.
"This is just like what happened when the Heartbreakers first formed! Stealth beatin' the heck out of every single one of us!" exclaimed Lucky. Stealth went for him next, cutting his arm with the claws on her bracer. Lucky quickly turned around and blocked a downward sword strike with his shield. He parried Stealth's attacks and drove his own head into her's. Stealth just kicked Lucky down, forcing him onto his back. Before he even got up again, Stealth slashed her clawed-bracer across Lucky's chest, creating a Wolverine-esque claw shape on the pup. Lucky hollered in pain as Stealth glared at her next victim: Arcane. The two pups' eyes met, and they charged directly towards each other for their Rematch... Not exactly how Arcane planned it, but the opportunity was sufficient enough!
"You're dead!!" Stealth screeched. She lunged and thrust her clawed bracer towards Arcane, however he simply disappeared! Arcane reappeared, and dragged his daggers along the front of Stealth's body, then disappeared again! This is the Templars' signature attack. Encircling their opponent and attacking from all directions. Arcane repeated this pattern of vanishing in one place and reappearing in another location surrounding Stealth in order to strike quickly and efficiently. Stealth's body was riddled with cuts and wounds, as if someone had showered her in shards of glass. The pain was agonizing, albeit Stealth let loose no scream. She simply swung her sword violently though her immediate vicinity, catching Arcane's shoulder. The blade sunk deep into his flesh...
"AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!" He shouted. The pain felt unbearable! As if he were a tree and was being hacked away at over and over again, but the axe could not break through! The shadow-faced pup brought his hand up and hammered his steel down on Stealth's arm multiple times, releasing a guttural snarl each time he did so. Blood and flesh flowed from the fresh wound, staining Arcane's fur and white Templar tunic. Stealth's right arm was being salted with more wounds, increasing the pain, and rate of bleeding. The crimson liquid dripped from Stealth's body like underground water from million year-old stalactites. "That's it..." Arcane muttered angrily as he turned and clamped his jaws into the wrist of Stealth! She finally let out a ferocious cry!
Out of what seemed like nowhere, three other Templars joined the fray. The male kicked Stealth directly in the center of the spine. He wore white pants, a black long-sleeved jacket and a white v-neck underneath. Spirit! "We got you, Arcane!" He exclaimed. The females were wearing Templar tunics and skirts. One wore a pair of capris in place of a skirt. Felicity and Aura! As Spirit drove his foot into Stealth's back, she withdrew her sword from Arcane's shoulder; Arcane relinquished his tight, clamping jaws from Stealth's wrist. Blood flowed from Arcane's mouth, giving him the look of a vampire. The four pups surrounded Stealth, directing their weapons at the Heartbreaker. The other Heroes cheered as the four Templars sent glares of intense hatred and anger at Stealth that shone through their eyes. Their very souls burned with ferocity as they slowly circled Stealth; she radiated a dim red color that was caused by the artificial Adrenaline that Rob had stolen from Nike.
"Now!!" Arcane yelled as he, Spirit, Aura, Felicity, and all able Heroes simultaneously dove inwards to attack Stealth! Alas for Stealth, there's not the slightest possibility of escaping this attack unscathed! However, whatever the Heartbreakers did with Nike's Adrenaline in their experiments, the Heroes know naught of it...
"No, wait, don't!!" screeched Nike, wide-eyed and terrified. He knew that Stealth saw this coming. Stealth's eyes widened as she went directly for Clayton, tearing through his abdomen with one strike of her clawed bracer. She pivoted and sundered Belchic's shield with her sword, then scorpion-kicked his shoulder, forcing him to collapse. From above, Tippy was going to avenge her boyfriend, and began to dive bomb towards the Heartbreaker.
Tippy dove towards Stealth, ready to bombard her with metal and revenge... "I'm takin' you down, Stealth!" The Heartbreaker leaped, letting the Heroes dive into each other. Stealth jumped towards Tippy, and stabbed her abdomen, and hurtled her to the ground. Tippy landed on her back with an "Ow!" She laid there motionless... She's not dead, but she's beaten... "I'm sorry, Belchic..." She said. The other Heroes scrambled to their feet, and charged at Stealth one by one. Stealth simply spun and evade the Heroes, striking them once as they passed by her. On occasion, she and another Hero clashed weapons, but she quickly overpowered and annihilated her opponents.
Stealth turned around slowly and glanced at her shoulder blade. Charred fur and bare skin covered the area. Stealth's shoulder looked as if someone had blown up a stick of dynamite, and the wound was the residue and mark left behind. She glared at her assailant, Aura. "Your reign of terror ends now, Heartbreaker!" Aura shouted. "Face the might of the Templars!" With a fierce cry, Aura charged at Stealth. Suddenly, Aura went horizontal. She tripped! Stealth had quickly dropped and spun around on the tips of her toes and twirled around like a spinning top. While Aura was still off the ground, Stealth drove her knee into Aura's gut, and slashed her sword along the Templar's back. Stealth hurled her left fist into Aura's chest and forced the Dalmatian onto the ground.
"What was that?" Stealth asked angrily as Aura tumbled like a log along the ground. Stealth propelled herself into the air, trailing behind Aura. When Aura stopped rolling, she looked up and saw four metal claws blur past her eyes as she watched her body get torn open. "Did you say 'Might'? What 'might'? You're all weak! I've taken down over a dozen Heroes here today!" Stealth looked up at the other Heroes... and the three able Templars there at the moment. "Like I told you all before, Mercy is for the weak! Nike's Adrenaline was only one part of the plan..."
"What do you need my Adrenaline for?!" Nike shouted. "Answer me!!"
"You want answers... You won't get them. Templar, Hero, Sweetheart, it doesn't matter." Stealth replied. She lifted her arms above the other defeated Heroes. Her body language practically shouted, 'Look at this. Look at what awaits you...' She growled, "All on this farm will fall before the Heartbreakers..."
Felicity drew her bow, but Stealth lunged towards her, and before she could even knock an arrow, Felicity fell back, looking like she was mauled by wolves. Her body was covered in wounds from a ferocious animal... "Ow..." Felicity muttered. She shivered and shook as she remained silent and gasping for breath as she continued to bleed... With a spare cloth and bleeding greatly from her abdomen, Felicity pressed hard against her side, trying to stop the bleeding. The other cuts around her body were narrow, and while they still dripped the red fluid, it wasn't oozing as much as the heavily-bleeding wounds on her stomach. Felicity didn't even feel the other wounds as they were made so fast and so cleanly... The clawed hook on the tip of Stealth's weapon had most likely caused the larger wound.
"I... I barely blinked..." Spirit muttered. "We gotta take her down, guys!" He began to yell orders back to the other Heroes, but the were on the ground... Their blood stained the ground where they either drifted into unconsciousness to recover strength, shuddered and shivered out of fear and pain, or ignoring their wounds to help someone else who was losing blood faster than themselves. Over twenty Heroes lay injured. Far from dead, but injured and afraid nonetheless. Spirit and Arcane were the only two left standing. Spirit had lost hope and dropped down to help Felicity stop her bleeding.
"No, Spirit..." Felicity winced as she tried to push Spirit's arms away. "Go... I can do this... Just beat her...!"
Spirit stood up and turned around slowly. With a truly grim expression on his face, scrunched up into a snarl, the most ferocious that could be mustered from the silence-loving pup. "Let's do this, Arcane..." This is the climax. Assassin Arcane the Oracular Shadow-Walker and Aerialist-Assassin Spirit the Whispering Sentinel make a final stand against High-Eviscerater Stealth the Relentless Executioner... Two cunning and decisive pups versus a merciless warrior...
"We're both Assassins, Arcane." Spirit said as he and Arcane glared intensely at Stealth. They walked with confidence and moxie towards their opponent. "Make her bleed, drive her crazy."
"Exploit absolutely every weakness..." Arcane added. "Remember you also have the power and agility of an Aerialist... Remember to use your Wind magic... And remember your bleeding skills, and the follow-ups. Coup de Grace, Flashing Blades..."
"Oh, you can count on that! Keep in mind the Gamble principle and Trick Removals!" Spirit exclaimed. "Now, let's vanish!" Spirit and Arcane ran full-speed toward Stealth, who ran for them as well. Arcane began to slide across the ground, and Spirit jumped into the air and appeared to perform a flip, but the two disappeared!
"I was wrong... You two won't fall..." Stealth muttered. "You'll die." She sprang into the air and grabbed Spirit's neck, forcing him out of his vanishing! Spirit gagged as Stealth threw him on the ground and unleashed a fury of strikes upon Spirit... He bled, gushing blood as he drove his short sword into Stealth's abdomen, and forced her off of him.
"As if!" Spirit commented. "You're already bleeding!" Spirit slashed Stealth six times. She backed up a few steps and before she could react, Spirit disappeared! He reappeared behind her and Stealth blocked a strike and threw him over her shoulders! Arcane jumped off the roof of the barn and sliced his daggers down along Stealth's back. While releasing a battle-cry, she turned around and repeatedly stabbed Arcane's chest whilst grasping his collar with the other hand. Arcane blocked one of said stabs and grabbed Stealth's other hand. He twisted Stealth's wrist outward with such force that she tumbled out. She was airborne for a moment before she landed hard on her shoulders. While she was airborne, Arcane slashed Stealth three times, causing her wounds to be salted, increasing pain and rate of blood loss. Arcane went to stab her, but she brought her leg up, thrusting her foot into Arcane's head.
Arcane stumbled back a few steps whilst grunting and moaning at receiving that powerful kick to the face. A blast of air flanked Stealth as she was blown into the wall of the barn. The winds conjured by Spirit were send racing towards Stealth in razor-sharp shock waves. Stealth waved her sword and bracer, and deflected the winds. A lightbulb went off in her head. She can deflect his attacks. Spirit froze in astonishment, as he knew the exact same thing. Stealth chuckled a bit and began to advance. "Oh shoot..." Spirit muttered.
"That's the best you guys can do?" Stealth smirked. She began to radiate immense power... Her weapons began to vibrate and shake violently and her muscles throbbed with strength and raw power...
"D***it!" Arcane yelled. "She's focusing all her energy into her swords..."
"How?!" asked Spirit. "Won't that drain her of all her magic?"
"She's a warrior..." Arcane explained. "She can replenish her power as fast as she expels it! A technique like that requires rigorous training..."
Stealth began to laugh maniacally. Spirit and Arcane were surely going to fall at Stealth's hands! Out of the shadows, a figure approached Stealth from behind, but her attention was fixed upon the Templars. A knife was driven into Stealth's collar... A red aura emitted from the dagger. The shadowy figure revealed his face, white ears with spots forming a crucifix on the right ear... Nike.
"You pathetic Heartbreakers..." Nike snarled. "Using my Adrenaline... Rob stole it, and distributed it... Now I'm taking it back..." Stealth was screaming in agonizing pain as Nike drained and absorbed the Artificial Adrenaline from Stealth's body. When Nike extracted his dagger, his arm glowed red and white, and Stealth collapsed onto one knee. "Finish her, now!!!" Arcane walked up to Stealth and was about to defeat her. Stealth, with the last bit of strength in her, drove her clawed bracer into Arcane's chest. Arcane almost gagged on his own blood as Stealth stood up and kicked Nike back as he went to strike her... With her right hand, she threw her sword at Spirit as he leaped into the air, nailing his right shoulder. Stealth basically shot him out of the sky!
"If I'm goin' down..." muttered Stealth. "I'm taking you with me..."
"Good..." Arcane replied, blood dripping from his mouth and the multiple wounds across his body. Arcane drove his daggers into Stealth's solar plexis. Same way he beat her the first time... Both pups fell to the side, still grasping their blood-stained blades. Exhausted, in excruciating pain, and riddled in wounds, the two warriors lay next to each other. Once again, the end-result was a stalemate.
"You know..." Stealth exhaled. "You're still a fine warrior..."
"Yeah..." Arcane replied, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "You, too..." Stealth stood up, and then helped Arcane onto his feet.
"I still hate you." Stealth said. "You're all still gonna fall before the Heartbreakers. Like I said... Nike's Adrenaline is only one part of the plan..."
"I hate you, too, Stealth." Arcane smirked. Stealth smirked back, and she turned around and limped away. As Stealth left, Spirit travelled to the top of the barn to get Fidget down. By some miracle, Fidget was still breathing, but he had rope burns on his neck. When Arcane entered the barn, there were twenty four pups that were injured. Twenty four pups that can't fight. Twenty four pups that needed medical attention. Arcane walked in and collapsed. He just made it twenty five.
As his wounds were being bandaged, Arcane wondered one thing... What was the Heartbreakers' plan? Other than a power boost, what use did they have for Nike's Adrenaline? With so many casualties, the Heroes can only sit and wait...
WARNING!: Can get graphic and brutal. Blood will be shed, you have been warned.
--------------------------------------------
"The Rematch: Arcane and the Heroes vs. Stealth: The Oracular Shadow-Walker vs. The Relentless Executioner"
Arcane Blackmore Dearly was sitting next to Nicoletta, who lay resting on a bed in the barn. Arcane had made his recovery, but it seemed that his place was quickly taken by Nicoletta herself. Atlas, Nike, and Nicoletta are all out of commission for a while, though Atlas will soon be up and ready. One thing is for certain, if Arcane has healed, then Stealth would certainly have made her full recovery by now.
"You doing okay?" Arcane asked his girlfriend. Nicoletta leaned up and looked at Arcane while smiling. Arcane was confused, why is she smiling after all she's been through, and her current condition now?
"I'll be fine." She answered. "Just don't do anything stupid, alright?"
Nike rolled his eyes and commented, "Ha-ha, very funny... A reference to the failure Nike at every sentence..."
"You're crabby this morning, aren't ya?" Arcane smirked.
"You'd be too, in my position." Nike answered.
"I don't know about you guys..." said Atlas as he stood up and walked past the recovering pups and Arcane. "But I'm getting breakfast..." Atlas still has bandages wrapped around his abdomen, and he also has no shirt on because of that... It wasn't long until a piercing shriek filled the air! The scream nearly shattered Nike's sensitive ears!
"Missy!!" Nike hollered. He scrambled to his feet, wincing against the pain of his injured spine and limped as fast as he could down off the second floor of the barn and outside. Arcane quickly followed him. The two pups stared in utter shock as there were Heroes and Templars fighting one lone enemy... A Heartbreaker... Stealth.
"Nike, how the hell can you walk already?!" Amoura asked, with anger and concern in her voice. "Are you using your Adrenaline? Nike, that ability isn't a toy!"
Nike rolled his eyes again, and rushed over to Missy, who lay weak and injured on the ground. He knelt to the ground and said, "It's okay... I'm here now!"
Missy slowly opened her eyes and turned her head to see Nike. "Nike..." She muttered. "Wh-What are you doing? You need rest..." Nike swung Missy's arm around his shoulder and helped her onto her feet and began to escort her into the barn, until he took a dreaded look back... What Arcane and Nike saw were the injured bodies of other Heroes and Templars... Winter... Kendra... Slayer... Cadpig... Doc... Noggin... Raine... And more... Even Atlas, who was almost fully healed, was bloody and wounded yet again!! He just wanted breakfast!!
"D**n you, Stealth!!!" Raiden screamed as he rushed from his girlfriend Sonya's side towards the Heartbreaker, a sword in hand. He swung at her left shoulder, but Stealth quickly blocked with her arm bracer. She was too fast to clearly see, but a large red gash filled Raiden's abdomen... Stealth had stabbed him once, and he fell back onto his back a few seconds later.
"Arcane!!" Belchic called as he ran over to the shadow-faced pup. Belchic's armour and shield were clearly battle-scarred, but Belchic continued to fight... "Stealth is going on a rampage!!"
"I can see that!" Arcane exclaimed as he drew his daggers. "What is she using?"
"Artificial Adrenaline..." Belchic reluctantly muttered. "My guess is, Rob must've somehow acquired it when he fought Nike..."
"The jerk weaponized my Adrenaline?!" Nike hollered. "Oh, he's gonna pay!!"
"Darnit! We're not doing our job! How could this happen?! We're supposed to protect you guys!!" Arcane question and yelled...
"That doesn't matter, there's no way any of us could've known about this until it happened!" Clayton responded. "You Templars are doing your jobs just fine, and what matters now is that we beat her! Where's Fidget?"
Stealth cracked her neck, and glared intensely at the Heroes. "Up there..." She said with a stern and threatening voice. The Heroes looked up at the flag pole on top of the Food Trough, and there he was, struggling to set himself loose, Fidget; hanging by the neck on the flag pole. The Heroes looked on at this in absolute horror.
"Beat her!!!" Fidget yelled in complete agony. While the sight was horrific, it was comforting to know that Fidget can still breathe.
"This is just like what happened when the Heartbreakers first formed! Stealth beatin' the heck out of every single one of us!" exclaimed Lucky. Stealth went for him next, cutting his arm with the claws on her bracer. Lucky quickly turned around and blocked a downward sword strike with his shield. He parried Stealth's attacks and drove his own head into her's. Stealth just kicked Lucky down, forcing him onto his back. Before he even got up again, Stealth slashed her clawed-bracer across Lucky's chest, creating a Wolverine-esque claw shape on the pup. Lucky hollered in pain as Stealth glared at her next victim: Arcane. The two pups' eyes met, and they charged directly towards each other for their Rematch... Not exactly how Arcane planned it, but the opportunity was sufficient enough!
"You're dead!!" Stealth screeched. She lunged and thrust her clawed bracer towards Arcane, however he simply disappeared! Arcane reappeared, and dragged his daggers along the front of Stealth's body, then disappeared again! This is the Templars' signature attack. Encircling their opponent and attacking from all directions. Arcane repeated this pattern of vanishing in one place and reappearing in another location surrounding Stealth in order to strike quickly and efficiently. Stealth's body was riddled with cuts and wounds, as if someone had showered her in shards of glass. The pain was agonizing, albeit Stealth let loose no scream. She simply swung her sword violently though her immediate vicinity, catching Arcane's shoulder. The blade sunk deep into his flesh...
"AAAAGGGHHHHH!!!" He shouted. The pain felt unbearable! As if he were a tree and was being hacked away at over and over again, but the axe could not break through! The shadow-faced pup brought his hand up and hammered his steel down on Stealth's arm multiple times, releasing a guttural snarl each time he did so. Blood and flesh flowed from the fresh wound, staining Arcane's fur and white Templar tunic. Stealth's right arm was being salted with more wounds, increasing the pain, and rate of bleeding. The crimson liquid dripped from Stealth's body like underground water from million year-old stalactites. "That's it..." Arcane muttered angrily as he turned and clamped his jaws into the wrist of Stealth! She finally let out a ferocious cry!
Out of what seemed like nowhere, three other Templars joined the fray. The male kicked Stealth directly in the center of the spine. He wore white pants, a black long-sleeved jacket and a white v-neck underneath. Spirit! "We got you, Arcane!" He exclaimed. The females were wearing Templar tunics and skirts. One wore a pair of capris in place of a skirt. Felicity and Aura! As Spirit drove his foot into Stealth's back, she withdrew her sword from Arcane's shoulder; Arcane relinquished his tight, clamping jaws from Stealth's wrist. Blood flowed from Arcane's mouth, giving him the look of a vampire. The four pups surrounded Stealth, directing their weapons at the Heartbreaker. The other Heroes cheered as the four Templars sent glares of intense hatred and anger at Stealth that shone through their eyes. Their very souls burned with ferocity as they slowly circled Stealth; she radiated a dim red color that was caused by the artificial Adrenaline that Rob had stolen from Nike.
"Now!!" Arcane yelled as he, Spirit, Aura, Felicity, and all able Heroes simultaneously dove inwards to attack Stealth! Alas for Stealth, there's not the slightest possibility of escaping this attack unscathed! However, whatever the Heartbreakers did with Nike's Adrenaline in their experiments, the Heroes know naught of it...
"No, wait, don't!!" screeched Nike, wide-eyed and terrified. He knew that Stealth saw this coming. Stealth's eyes widened as she went directly for Clayton, tearing through his abdomen with one strike of her clawed bracer. She pivoted and sundered Belchic's shield with her sword, then scorpion-kicked his shoulder, forcing him to collapse. From above, Tippy was going to avenge her boyfriend, and began to dive bomb towards the Heartbreaker.
Tippy dove towards Stealth, ready to bombard her with metal and revenge... "I'm takin' you down, Stealth!" The Heartbreaker leaped, letting the Heroes dive into each other. Stealth jumped towards Tippy, and stabbed her abdomen, and hurtled her to the ground. Tippy landed on her back with an "Ow!" She laid there motionless... She's not dead, but she's beaten... "I'm sorry, Belchic..." She said. The other Heroes scrambled to their feet, and charged at Stealth one by one. Stealth simply spun and evade the Heroes, striking them once as they passed by her. On occasion, she and another Hero clashed weapons, but she quickly overpowered and annihilated her opponents.
Stealth turned around slowly and glanced at her shoulder blade. Charred fur and bare skin covered the area. Stealth's shoulder looked as if someone had blown up a stick of dynamite, and the wound was the residue and mark left behind. She glared at her assailant, Aura. "Your reign of terror ends now, Heartbreaker!" Aura shouted. "Face the might of the Templars!" With a fierce cry, Aura charged at Stealth. Suddenly, Aura went horizontal. She tripped! Stealth had quickly dropped and spun around on the tips of her toes and twirled around like a spinning top. While Aura was still off the ground, Stealth drove her knee into Aura's gut, and slashed her sword along the Templar's back. Stealth hurled her left fist into Aura's chest and forced the Dalmatian onto the ground.
"What was that?" Stealth asked angrily as Aura tumbled like a log along the ground. Stealth propelled herself into the air, trailing behind Aura. When Aura stopped rolling, she looked up and saw four metal claws blur past her eyes as she watched her body get torn open. "Did you say 'Might'? What 'might'? You're all weak! I've taken down over a dozen Heroes here today!" Stealth looked up at the other Heroes... and the three able Templars there at the moment. "Like I told you all before, Mercy is for the weak! Nike's Adrenaline was only one part of the plan..."
"What do you need my Adrenaline for?!" Nike shouted. "Answer me!!"
"You want answers... You won't get them. Templar, Hero, Sweetheart, it doesn't matter." Stealth replied. She lifted her arms above the other defeated Heroes. Her body language practically shouted, 'Look at this. Look at what awaits you...' She growled, "All on this farm will fall before the Heartbreakers..."
Felicity drew her bow, but Stealth lunged towards her, and before she could even knock an arrow, Felicity fell back, looking like she was mauled by wolves. Her body was covered in wounds from a ferocious animal... "Ow..." Felicity muttered. She shivered and shook as she remained silent and gasping for breath as she continued to bleed... With a spare cloth and bleeding greatly from her abdomen, Felicity pressed hard against her side, trying to stop the bleeding. The other cuts around her body were narrow, and while they still dripped the red fluid, it wasn't oozing as much as the heavily-bleeding wounds on her stomach. Felicity didn't even feel the other wounds as they were made so fast and so cleanly... The clawed hook on the tip of Stealth's weapon had most likely caused the larger wound.
"I... I barely blinked..." Spirit muttered. "We gotta take her down, guys!" He began to yell orders back to the other Heroes, but the were on the ground... Their blood stained the ground where they either drifted into unconsciousness to recover strength, shuddered and shivered out of fear and pain, or ignoring their wounds to help someone else who was losing blood faster than themselves. Over twenty Heroes lay injured. Far from dead, but injured and afraid nonetheless. Spirit and Arcane were the only two left standing. Spirit had lost hope and dropped down to help Felicity stop her bleeding.
"No, Spirit..." Felicity winced as she tried to push Spirit's arms away. "Go... I can do this... Just beat her...!"
Spirit stood up and turned around slowly. With a truly grim expression on his face, scrunched up into a snarl, the most ferocious that could be mustered from the silence-loving pup. "Let's do this, Arcane..." This is the climax. Assassin Arcane the Oracular Shadow-Walker and Aerialist-Assassin Spirit the Whispering Sentinel make a final stand against High-Eviscerater Stealth the Relentless Executioner... Two cunning and decisive pups versus a merciless warrior...
"We're both Assassins, Arcane." Spirit said as he and Arcane glared intensely at Stealth. They walked with confidence and moxie towards their opponent. "Make her bleed, drive her crazy."
"Exploit absolutely every weakness..." Arcane added. "Remember you also have the power and agility of an Aerialist... Remember to use your Wind magic... And remember your bleeding skills, and the follow-ups. Coup de Grace, Flashing Blades..."
"Oh, you can count on that! Keep in mind the Gamble principle and Trick Removals!" Spirit exclaimed. "Now, let's vanish!" Spirit and Arcane ran full-speed toward Stealth, who ran for them as well. Arcane began to slide across the ground, and Spirit jumped into the air and appeared to perform a flip, but the two disappeared!
"I was wrong... You two won't fall..." Stealth muttered. "You'll die." She sprang into the air and grabbed Spirit's neck, forcing him out of his vanishing! Spirit gagged as Stealth threw him on the ground and unleashed a fury of strikes upon Spirit... He bled, gushing blood as he drove his short sword into Stealth's abdomen, and forced her off of him.
"As if!" Spirit commented. "You're already bleeding!" Spirit slashed Stealth six times. She backed up a few steps and before she could react, Spirit disappeared! He reappeared behind her and Stealth blocked a strike and threw him over her shoulders! Arcane jumped off the roof of the barn and sliced his daggers down along Stealth's back. While releasing a battle-cry, she turned around and repeatedly stabbed Arcane's chest whilst grasping his collar with the other hand. Arcane blocked one of said stabs and grabbed Stealth's other hand. He twisted Stealth's wrist outward with such force that she tumbled out. She was airborne for a moment before she landed hard on her shoulders. While she was airborne, Arcane slashed Stealth three times, causing her wounds to be salted, increasing pain and rate of blood loss. Arcane went to stab her, but she brought her leg up, thrusting her foot into Arcane's head.
Arcane stumbled back a few steps whilst grunting and moaning at receiving that powerful kick to the face. A blast of air flanked Stealth as she was blown into the wall of the barn. The winds conjured by Spirit were send racing towards Stealth in razor-sharp shock waves. Stealth waved her sword and bracer, and deflected the winds. A lightbulb went off in her head. She can deflect his attacks. Spirit froze in astonishment, as he knew the exact same thing. Stealth chuckled a bit and began to advance. "Oh shoot..." Spirit muttered.
"That's the best you guys can do?" Stealth smirked. She began to radiate immense power... Her weapons began to vibrate and shake violently and her muscles throbbed with strength and raw power...
"D***it!" Arcane yelled. "She's focusing all her energy into her swords..."
"How?!" asked Spirit. "Won't that drain her of all her magic?"
"She's a warrior..." Arcane explained. "She can replenish her power as fast as she expels it! A technique like that requires rigorous training..."
Stealth began to laugh maniacally. Spirit and Arcane were surely going to fall at Stealth's hands! Out of the shadows, a figure approached Stealth from behind, but her attention was fixed upon the Templars. A knife was driven into Stealth's collar... A red aura emitted from the dagger. The shadowy figure revealed his face, white ears with spots forming a crucifix on the right ear... Nike.
"You pathetic Heartbreakers..." Nike snarled. "Using my Adrenaline... Rob stole it, and distributed it... Now I'm taking it back..." Stealth was screaming in agonizing pain as Nike drained and absorbed the Artificial Adrenaline from Stealth's body. When Nike extracted his dagger, his arm glowed red and white, and Stealth collapsed onto one knee. "Finish her, now!!!" Arcane walked up to Stealth and was about to defeat her. Stealth, with the last bit of strength in her, drove her clawed bracer into Arcane's chest. Arcane almost gagged on his own blood as Stealth stood up and kicked Nike back as he went to strike her... With her right hand, she threw her sword at Spirit as he leaped into the air, nailing his right shoulder. Stealth basically shot him out of the sky!
"If I'm goin' down..." muttered Stealth. "I'm taking you with me..."
"Good..." Arcane replied, blood dripping from his mouth and the multiple wounds across his body. Arcane drove his daggers into Stealth's solar plexis. Same way he beat her the first time... Both pups fell to the side, still grasping their blood-stained blades. Exhausted, in excruciating pain, and riddled in wounds, the two warriors lay next to each other. Once again, the end-result was a stalemate.
"You know..." Stealth exhaled. "You're still a fine warrior..."
"Yeah..." Arcane replied, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "You, too..." Stealth stood up, and then helped Arcane onto his feet.
"I still hate you." Stealth said. "You're all still gonna fall before the Heartbreakers. Like I said... Nike's Adrenaline is only one part of the plan..."
"I hate you, too, Stealth." Arcane smirked. Stealth smirked back, and she turned around and limped away. As Stealth left, Spirit travelled to the top of the barn to get Fidget down. By some miracle, Fidget was still breathing, but he had rope burns on his neck. When Arcane entered the barn, there were twenty four pups that were injured. Twenty four pups that can't fight. Twenty four pups that needed medical attention. Arcane walked in and collapsed. He just made it twenty five.
As his wounds were being bandaged, Arcane wondered one thing... What was the Heartbreakers' plan? Other than a power boost, what use did they have for Nike's Adrenaline? With so many casualties, the Heroes can only sit and wait...