Showdown

"Work Hard, Live Well" This article, Showdown, is the sole property of Phantom and cannot be used, edited, or referenced without his permission, with the exception of collaboration articles, whereas terms listed above are unserviceable.

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Discovery of Chaos

The next day the group made their way to the next town and found it to be alot bigger than the last with many mroe stores and alot more people walking around.

"This place will be intresting...." Said Markus glancing around noticing the number of law enforcers around the streets and back alleys. "Keep your eyes open."

"For what?" Asked Alice?

"Vega always has a special group of cultists following him around....Can't miss them thy tattoos their faces to look like skulls." Said Zero looking at some beautiful women. "Hmmm i could get used to here."

Cynteria looked around, trying to figure out which person was which as she noticed some of the people looked scared, "Something has them terrifed, you think Vega has something in store for this place if things go down hill?"

"No clue....Vega doesn't make plans he just does things....Thats why he's so dangerous." Said Markus leading the group into a bar and sitting at the back watching the entire room. "Ok we'll see what we can find out before we make a move...If we move too early we'll have issues."

"Hmmm ok..." Said Alice sitting next to her brother pulling Cyn into her lap.

Cynteria leaned back on Alice as she felt her hands wrap around her stomach, "In any case, we need to be careful, we don't know if anyone is an ally or a friend". 

"Then we make friends.....Make allies, build strength." Said Yamatora. "Simple tactics....If we can find some people we can trust we'll build our force to puch Vega out of here....And maybe find out WHY he's here."

"He's right...." Said Zero sighing alittle at the prospect at staying here for awhile. "Lets hope we do this fast....We gonna have to work fast."

"Why?" Asked Alice looking confused.

"Simple if Vega screws around long enough Daimon will send Dark over to fix the problem.....Dark and Daimon are the only two in their guild that can control him." Said Markus watching everyone that walks through the door. "Worst case scenario....He'll show up himself."

Cynteria looked at them, then back at the crowd, trying to spot anyone who she thought would help them in any way, "I think it I'll leave it to you three, I'm not the street wise person" She said with a sad tone in her voice. 

"Not something thats easy to learn....I keep an eye out for certain tells and signs.....For example that guy in the white hat and black jacket...He has a faint blood stain on his right hand from where he beat a man to death." Said Markus with a smirk. "But i think i've just spotted our....new friend."

Markus pointed to a man wearing a black hooded jacket and wearing red gloves. The man quickly ran out upon seeing Markus pointing to him. Zero along with MArkus chased him at top speed tackling him on the edge of town.

"Afternoon...." Growled Markus pinning the man down with his foot.

"This is making friend?" Cynteria had a sweat drop go down her face. 

"Was sarcasm...." Said Alice with two sweatdrops going down her face.

"Now my friend little sociopath...Your gonna tell me why and your buddies are running around attacking my family!" Said MArkus his tone getting increasingly angry as he spoke his sentance.

"I won't talk!" Smiled the cultist before Markus punching him in the face with considerable force. "I won't talk to you dog!"

"Mind if i have a go MArkus?" Asked Zero tapping MArkus on the shoulder.

"Go for it...." Said MArkus punching the cultist again. "Play nice...."

"I'm more worried they're gonna kill the guy more than get information out of him" She said with a sigh. 

Zero simply placed his hand on the cultists head causing him to violently convulse before passing out. "Got the infomation....This guy won't be doing anything like this again." Said Zero whiping his hands.

"What ya show him?" Asked Markus looking at the comatose cultist.

"Infinity....." Said Zero picking up his bag. "Follow me i know were Vega is at right now."

Cynteria was confused at what exactly Zero was refering to, but decided to ignore it, and move on with her group as they made their way somewhere with Zero leading them. 

They arrived at a canyon with many caves scattered across the sheer drops. Zero pointed down at a cave near the base with a dirt path leading to it and totems with skulls adorning them. "He' in there....From what i found out from our friend back there it's an old native cave....Vega slaughtered everyone int here and now uses it as a base....Seems he's been here for awhile and uses this region as a hideout when he messes up....Not even Daimon has an exact idea where he is." Said Zero looking back to Markus who was thinking of a plan.

"I have an idea!" Said Markus smiling alot bigger than normal. "We'll need Cyn's mastery of earth for this."

"So I just use the vibration to see what's going on?" Cynteria said looking over to Zero. 

"Don't think so...." Said Zero as he watch Markus leap across the 500-600 foot gap like it was nothing.

"You guys coming?!" Called Markus fromt he other side of the gap. "Or you just gonna stand there like a group of trees?"

Cynteria grew wings as she had Alice climb on her back before she jumped and easily flew over the gap. 

The others joined them and waited while Markus explained the plan.

"Ok Cyn can you create a tunnel or something to get us down there quickly?" Asked MArkus putting his hand on Cyn's shoulder. "Going through the front door is so boring....Wanna try something new."

"So we're doing the Morkina Job part 2 huh?" Asked Yamatora leaning on his staff. "Lets not do a repeat of that though.....The landing lasttime was.....painful...."

"Relax i'm sure you won't land on a spear like last time." Smiled Markus looking at Yamatora. "Worst case senario stalagmite..."

Cynteria simply looked at them with confusion and decided to ignore it as she summoned her magic, transforming her hand into a wing as she suddenly made it twist, before releasing it as it spun into a drill. "Here we go"

She slammed her fist right into the wall as the drill began pushing it's way down into the cave. 

MArkus and the others followed her as she drilled deep down into the cave but kept going for 10 feet more. "Whao hold it we missed our stop!" Said MArkus clambering out of the hole and acting liek nothing happened while the others did the same. "Well that wasn't embarrising."

"Well there no Stalagmites here which is good...." Said Yamatora spinning his staff around.

"Me or Cyn can always make some for ya!" Chuckled Zero as Yamatora glared at her.

"So what next?" She said as Alice went next to her. 

"We have soem fun with them...." Said Alice pointing to the small army of cultists just finishing their dinner.

"Some behind us as well...." Said MArkus requiping his armour and mask. "Lets show them the true meaning of pain and suffering, guys and gals."

"Death to the blasphemers!" Said Yamatora touching some rocks and turning them into man sized golems. "Animation Magic: Golem Support!"

"Hmm what magic to pick!" Said Zero having trouble picking what magic to use.

"Oh come on Rising Sun....Just go with whatever!" Said Alice taking out a talisman for her rune magic.

Cynteria summoned her wings as she focused them, then created her individual feathers before sending them flying towards her enemies, "We gotta find a more open space, if we try and fight in this small cave, we'll end up being buried" She said sending another barrage of feathers. 

"Give us some credit sis!" Said Markus throwing several Lightning Darts at the cultists before charging into them unleashing a barrage of brutal kicks, punches and various other attacks. "Try my Red Earth Form!"

"Yeah lighten up babe! These guys are push overs!" Said Alcie launching a fire ball from her talisman followed by a brutal flying kick that evolved into a series of brutal and direct punches and kick knocking cultists down with fatal injuries left and right.

Yama didn't comment too focused on beating the cultists down with his golem friends. Zero mixed up his magic going from fire infused punches to ice infused kicks and so on. "Look on the bright side!" Said Zero freezing two of the cultists with a round house kick. "Dark or Sasuke could be here!"

"I swear if they show u, you're on your own Zero." Said Markus as he landed a powerful axe kick onto a cultist's head.

Cynteria slammed down her fist into the ground, causing a tremor to open up as the remaining troops were sent deeper under ground. "We can't waste time on these guys, we need to find Vega" She said looking over to Markus. 

"I assume you've never been hunting Cyn." Said Markus examping the ground at the back of the cave. "We will find him.....Just don't expect it to be easy....Vega is erratic and very hard to predict, he was here a couple of hours ago but moved on deeper into the canyon."

"Atleast we took out these cultists....Better to get rid of a problem before it becomes one." Said Zero finishing off one last surviver. "Any idea where he exactly went?"

"I think i could find where he went....." Said Markus walking towards the exit. "Lets move."

Cynteria followed the group as she looked around to make sure that no one else would try to sneak up on them, "Where would he be?" 

"Follow me and you shall see....For he be ahead but where i do not know....That is where we shall see where he be." Said Markus trying to make a funny little poem.

"He probably knows we're coming....So keep and eye out...Especially you Slayers." Said Zero readying two blade made of ice. "You can see the magic in mages."

Cynteria looked at Zero and nodded as she got her wings ready, if Zero told them to be prepared, then she knew he meant buisness.

The eventually found a huge space with hundreds of caves dotted around the canyon walls. "Looks like an old native city......" Said Markus looking around and examining the floor.

"How do you know that?" Asked Alice looking at him like he's just guessing things.

"I do something called reading.....It's an amazing talent that most humans learn....Might want to try it when we get back." Said Markus sarcasticly as he examined a skull he found.

"Strange, Markus, take a look at this" Cynteria said walking towards one of the small areas, she could sense some kind of energy eminiating from there as she used her wing to slice a chuck of the rock from the ground. Suddenly the energy began to glow as what appeared to be a fossilized feather was seen, "I... I don't believe it, it's a Phoenix Feather" She said as Markus quickly went to check it out for himself. 

"Now this is rare...normally a phoenix feather vanishes after a day.....This must've been from a mid-shifted Phoenix....Ya know when they shift from human to phoenix, they're feathers are solid and tangible at that time." Said Markus examining it. "This must be a old gathering point or atleast close to one...."

"Gathering point?" Said Zero confused. "Whats that?"

"Back when the Phoenix-Demon war was raging and PHoenix Slayers were almost as common as regular mages the Phoenix Nobles and they're top Slayers would gather in certain lcoations to talk about the war's flow....They changed it every meeting to avoid getting ambushed by the demons and their cults......" Said Markus sitting on a rock to explain. "They're not sacred or anything they were jsut random locations one of the nobles picked out at the time.....They also held tournements during the cool down periods during the war to test and train their Slayers....This was before the single 2nd gen per Slayer rule came into effect......and finding a Phoenix Slayer was easy...They became a special army."

"Yet another thing dear old dad forgot to mention to me, I never even knew that there were locations like this at all" She said with an irritated tone as she gave Markus the fossil before moving to look around for anything else. 

"Ahh don't worry about it i'll give ya a book so you cna find out all you want to find out about the phoenixes and their culture." Said Markus taking the fossil and putting it in his pack. "Ok lets search the area and find him..."

"On it..." Said Zero walking towards some caves to their left, while Ellena went west and Alice took Cyn to search the caves to the south.

"Guess i got the north then...." Said Markus heading to the northern caves.

Both Cynteria and Alice were walking through the cave, Cynteria leading with a torch she found as she used her sensing to try and find another opening, "Ugh, I wish Vega would show his face already, I'm tired of being here". 

Alice hugged Cyn. "We'll finish this soon...Personally i find this place amazing....i've not met a phoenix yet and to be in a palce where they gathered and talked is amazing!" She smiled kissing her on the cheek. "Maybe your dad wanted you to find these things out yourself...."

"The guy was a jerk, but maybe, I don't know" Cynteria said sighing before she gave Alice a kiss.

"We'll learn all we can about the phoenixes together ok?" Said Alice returning the kiss before pushing Cyn away as a huge spike of rock landing between them. "Hey no fair! I was enjoying that moment!"

"Who be you...." Said a voice formt he shadow. "You step on Hybotchi Lands......."

"Who are you?!" Replied Alice readying her magic.

"I be Red Wing....Warrior of the Hybotchi People and Guardian of the Phoenix Canyon." Said the vocie as a skinny and starved young man appeared sporting numerous tattoos and wearing native clothing consisting of a pair of arms bands animal hide trousers and shoes. "Who be you...."

"My name is Cynteria, this is Alice, we apologize about tresspassing on your land, but there is an evil man here that we are looking for" She said as they looked at him. 

"Vega....." Said Red Wing. "He came here and attacked my people, me and afew warriors stayed here to allow our people to escape him.....We got trapped and ran out of food......"

"My brother and some friends are here as well....We need to tell them your all here." Said Alice looking a little worried.

Cynteria punched the ground as the vibration's were sent out, locating both Markus and Zero, "Well seems Markus is close by, we can catch up to him pretty easily". 

Markus had found more warriors and was waiting for the others to appear. "Wow they're taking their time....my sister and her wife are probably having some "alone time" knowing those two." He said laying back on a rock with the remaining warriors eating some supplies he brought.

More footsteps could be heard as Markus at up and saw Cynteria with Alice walking with some more natives as they were eating some food that Cynteria managed to give to them. "You too it seems" She said. 

"Yeah they managed to skewer me with those rock spears they were throwing.....Scared them half to death by getting up again." chuckled Markus as Zero appeared with two female warriors. "Found some new friends huh Zero?"

"Of course!" He said smiling. "Ok so whats the plan?"

"I'm guessing these guys will wanna lend us a hand in fighting Vega." Said Markus as the warriors sat down in a circle. "I think we can allow that right?"

"I just hope they don't get hurt in anyway" Cynteria said as she was holding one of the babies that was left behind while her mother got some food to eat in order to feed her. 

"Too be honest i don't think i can stop the warriors nor do i want to....." Said Markus examining the spear of one of the warriors. "These guys are ready to fight and looks like they will...."

"Yeah they seem ready to get pay back for their homes and families.....I'm planning to help them." Said Alice cracking her knuckles.

"We all are, and I'm not saying we don't let them, but we all know what Vega is capable of" Cynteria said as she bounced the baby a bit before her mother returned and took it from her hands, going to nurse it near her clan.

"We'll deal with Vega....I think they'll be happy fighting the fakers and cultists." Smirked Markus as the head warrior nodded. "I'm curious to know who else is here....Don't you feel that power?"

Cynteria slammed her fist into the ground, feeling the virbations ripple through the area, landing on two individual's, "We got company!" She said standing up as she looked up at one of the caves nearby, "Come on out whoever you are!". 

"My my what a surprise...I thought Vega said he wiped out this tribe..." Said a seductive female voice from the top of the canyon.

"He obviously didn't...." Said a familiar voice to Markus, a voice that sounded similar to his own. "And they followed him....The master won't be happy..."

"Dark Storm....and his girlfriend Sakura Koshida...The Deadly Rose." Said Markus standing up with a smirk on his face. "Have to say you have good taste Dark."

"Yeah it's surprising...." Said Yamatora looking at Sakura. "Shame she's the enemy."

Cynteria glared at them, "Why are you here?" She asked before beginning to absorb rock through her shoe's. 

"Afew reasons....Working a tan, escaping boring places like Blackwood Island." Said Sakura stretching abit. "Oh and helping my lover beat the hell out of you lot!"

"Enough talking....Lets get this over with....We need to reprimand Vega for his failure." Said Dark before firing a bolt of black lightning at the warriors only to be coutnered by a lightning bolt from Markus' Phoenix Slayer Magic.

"Fine lets have ourselves some fun....Yama, Zero you go with the warriors just incase Dark brought some back up of his own.....Alice, Cyn think you can deal with Sakura?" Said Markus taking up a fighting stance. "i'll deal with Dark."

Cynteria nodded and went with Alice as Sakura was seening moving to another part of the area to fight the woman as she landed in front of them. 

Markus stepped forward requiping his armor and mask charging his lightnign up his arm and unleashing a barrage of lightnign darts and he charged forward to land a powerful spinning back kick at Dark who coutnered with grabbing Markus' leg and swinging his hand at him like a claw.

The girls arrived at what seemed to be a flat piece of land, "So, another slut is showing her ugly face it seems" Cynteria said absorbing more rock to her arms and released her signature wings. 

"I dunno babe she is kinda cute....In a sinester psychotic way." Said Alice cracking her knuckles and taking the iconic stance of the Red Fist style. "Why not show her your skill in our martial art babe?"

"Haha so we how two ugly witches face me...." Laugthed Sakura as she took a stance similar to Alice's but her hands were open instead of clenched and her feet with closer together. "Come let me make those faces worse..."

"Ohhh thats it i'm gonna rip her face off!" Said Alice now seriously angry.

Cynteria stood in her red fist style, glaring at the woman as she quickly jumped upward to rush towards Sakura, doing a drop axe kick on her. 

Alice attacked as well going low with a sweep kick. Sakura however avoided the attacks with amazing elegance cartwheeling away while landing a kick to the chins of both women, she then stood straight crossing her amrs under her breasts. "Aww did you girls get hurt?" She said sarcasticly with a prideful smirk. "Your gonna have to be more fluid to hit beat me."

Alice pulled out one of her talismans and used it to create a series of earth spike around Sakura to hold her in place for a bolt of lightning aimed at her face. "Eat it b*tch!!" She shouted as she launched the bolt outwards.

Cynteria grew her wings as she flapped, flying upward to get a good view of the land below her as she used her feather barrage to sent out multiple daggers of  rock feathers at her with high speeds. 

Sakura managed to wriggle her body down to duck under both attacks and counter with her black lightning magic at them both. Alice used another Earth Talisman to block the attack and fired her own lightning to counter the one aimed at Cyn. "Yeah ncie try ugly!" She said with a smirk.

Cynteria felt the electric shock as she blocked it with her wings and was slammed into the wall, "Not bad for an old hag, but try this on for size!" She started flapping harder and harder until a sudden twister of rubble and rock swarmed around Sakura. 

"Earth Wall!" Said Sakura blocking the attack with her own wall of earth jsut enough to  allow herself to dig under ground to anew position. She then lept up out of the earth and grabbed Cyn slamming her into the ground and pinning her down. "Gotta do better than that.....I've been trained personally by Daimon and Dark."

"Get off her you ugly rat!!" Said Alice as she landed a powerful side kick to Sakura's side. "Your not fit enough to touch my wife."

"Thanks honey" Cynteria said getting up before dusting herself off. 

Alice kissed Cyn on the lips. "Anytime babe!" she said before turning her attention to Sakura. "Now it's your turn."

"Bring it horse face." Said Sakura with a arrogant smirk only annoying Alice more.

Cynteria got angry and wanted to wipe that smirk off of her face, glaring before channeling her magic, "Earth Phoenix Weaponsmith!" the rock around her hands began to shift into what appeared to be two small swords as she jumped towards Sakura and attempted to slice her face off. 

Alice took a different stance than before deflecting and avoiding the attacks unleashed by Cyn and Alice effortlessly as if she was in a trance. "The angrier you get the more i avoid." She chuckled dancing around the attacks and causing the two to crash into eachother several times.

Cynteria slammed her fist into the rock, realizing this was similar to a training method her father once told her, Earth's stubborness often needs one's own stubborness to be even stronger, but when one is calm and strong, they can move it easily

She calmed herself and placed her palm into the earth, in an instant, rock spikes went towards Sakura in a wave. 

Sakura avoided by spinning to the left but stepped on a trap set by Alice. "Gotcha!" Said Alice jsut before Sakura is electrocuted by a lightning talisman on the ground. "Don't doubt me when i'm angry!"

"Damn it you little skunks!" Said Sakura as she got serious launching a barrage of fire at the two which managed to catch Alice on the leg and arm. "Burn!!"

Cynteria gave a evil look at Sakura as she slammed her fist into the ground, causing the group to warp upward as suddenly a creature was beginning to take shape into a minature phoenix, which shireked and sent out a powerful shock wave at Sakura. 

Sakura tried to block the attack but still got sent back causing her to crashing to a rock. "Ow...." She said getting up.

"Cyn relax i'm fine.....I've had alot worse than this." Said Alice getting up. "Man she's a total b*tch aint' she?"

"One I'll be happy to help get rid of" Cynteria said using her magic to put a protection around the burn, "Let's finish her off". 

Twin Storms Meet

The fight between Markus and his clone Dark Storm was already ranging over the top of the canyon. The two were matching eachother in martial skill and magical power, Dark's advantage being his animalistic nature and Markus' advantage of knowing how Dark thinks. Each move they made the other coutnered knowing the tactics eachother uses, the two had barely any injuries save for like burns and cuts from the magic and their physical blows.

"You've gotten better Dark....Still wild and undiciplined though." Said Markus unleashing a series of brutal kicks and clawing techniques on Dark who countered with his own throwing in some joint locks. "But still powerful..."

Markus twisted out the last arm lock landing a powerful back kick to Dark's stomach knocking him back onto his face. "I'm not here to fight you for once Markus....I'm here to punish Vega for his idiotic plan." Said Dark as he lunged forward to clawin Markus' face but his target dropped to his knees leaning back to slip under the attack. Markus quickly got up and landed a staggering yet powerful punch. "Switching to your Drunken Tiger form?"

"Might be." Smirked Markus as he kept his hands in a claw formation but staggered alittle as if drunk. "Come on let me show you anew form."

Dark charged forward as Markus waited for the perfect moment before unleashing a series of strikes, throwing out kicks, punches and elbows as if sober. The kicks lashed out striking with amazing power as did his fists and elbows. Dark recovered and tried to counter with his own kicks but MArkus suddenly decame drunk again using wild staggering clawing techniques with brutal and powerful kicks.

"Not bad whats it called?" Asked Dark stepping back abit to recover. "It's intresting to say the least."

"Divine Tiger Steals God's Wine." Said Markus as he unleashed another barrage of drunken clawing and powerful kicks. "Made especially for you and Daimon."