Re: Shapeshift Town - CHAPTER 2
It didn't take a lot of effort to find Asmodeus. Even without asking for directions, the fact that a lot of people dressed in cooking wear were running towards the dining room, accompanied by a very familiar shouting, told Palonis all he needed to know about the angel's current location. What he'd be doing in the kitchen wasn't the ninja's concern. All he needed to do was come in, give the angel a status report, and get out. Simple, right?
Shoving open the doors, Palonis grinned when he saw the angel standing over a stovetop. At first, it looked like he was cooking something, but then he realized that the angel was just looking down at the Sheathe. "Being vain over your weapons hardly becomes you, angel," Palonis said.
"If you're here to taunt me, ninja, then go away," Asmodeus replied, not looking up.
"Far from it, my friend. This happens to be your lucky day, as my apprentice has ordered me to leave you alone."
"I'm delighted to hear that," the angel said mockingly. "That threat of refusing to work with me wore off quickly, didn't it?"
"Hey, it wasn't my idea," spoke the ninja as he paced around the room to get a better look of Asmodeus's face. "My apprentice seems to be uncontrollable these days."
Turning towards Palonis to give him a sharp look, the angel replied, "Perhaps he just prefers my company to yours these days. And who can blame him? What with you prancing about and pissing all over any idea that doesn't match yours from A to Zed."
"That's a good one. Who is it that sat out on a battle, drinking tea, while thousands of soldiers died and Jack Shade got nearly killed?"
"...That wasn't me."
"Oh really? And I suppose it was also not you who nearly destroyed the world last war either? I'll bet that the people in this castle especially have the memories of THAT one fresh in their minds."
"THAT WASN'T ME!" Grabbing a meat cleaver discarded on a nearby countertop, the angel turned around and swung it in a horizontal arc. The ninja reflexively ducked the attack, but still winced as the tip of his hood flew through the air, landing in a corner. But there was no time to mourn the loss of a part of his outfit, as the angel had taken hold of another cleaver and had brought them together in a cross slash, which Palonis barely dodged by leaping to the side.
"Son of a...Asmodeus, what are you doing?" It was a little odd to feel surprised about this, but a little bit of Palonis had been wondering if Asmodeus had truly been changed. Evidently, not completely. Reaching for the sword on his back, the ninja hesitated, remembering Turd's request, just long enough for the angel to throw both cleavers straight for his head. Moving his upper torso to the side, he watched as the cleavers flew past him and embedded themselves into a wall. Asmodeus was playing for keeps.
"Alright!" the ninja said with clenched teeth (not that anyone could see), "If that's what you really want, then come on!" Raising his fists, the ninja ran straight at the angel, who himself had settled into a casual fighting stance, both hands held palm forwards in front of him. With a small focus of will, the ninja suddenly closed the distance in one light-speed dash, zoomed past the angel, and aimed a karate chop at the back of his neck.
Asmodeus had already started turning by the time Palonis's arm had risen. Catching the chop on the edge of his arm, the angel reached with the other, grabbing the ninja's wrist, and aimed a precise kick at his knee. Unprepared, the ninja buckled, and as he fell onto one knee, the angel spun him around and put his arm into a nelson. At least, that was the intention. As Palonis saw what was happening, he quickly concentrated, and just as Asmodeus was applying pressure, the ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Reappearing on one of the stove tops, Palonis said, "You'll have to do better-" before quickly ducking again as a kitchen knife slammed into the wall behind him. Asmodeus had grabbed hold of a knife block and was now systematically throwing out blade after deadly blade. Soon, there was a nice assortment in the wall. This gave Palonis an idea. Grabbing hold of two of them, he tossed them back just shortly before he leapt off the stove himself.
The angel reacted appropriately, grabbing hold of a frying pan and deflecting both knives handily. However, before he could lower it again and find something new to come after the ninja with, the pan was suddenly slammed into his nose by a flying kick, staggering Asmodeus back. Standing in a defensive stance, Palonis gave a small chuckle and said under his breath, "First blood."
(Summary: Palonis and Asmodeus meet up in the kitchen and immediately start insulting each other, with the ninja hitting too close to home. A fight breaks out, involving use of the handy kitchenware and close quarters combat.)