-> • • •**For better enjoyment of the songs, try not to read it too fast.**<-
[Nikki was *not* happy.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD-w1quslcw)
She had a hard time hiding her new identity from her family already - and it was certainly harder when she had to sneak out of her home in the *middle of the night* when her pager rung with an apparent "emergency call" from the Protectorate all the way in the seedier portions of the Docks, with no explanation other than a 'Imminent Threat'. Worse yet was when this 'Threat' proved to be completely nonexistant! She had half a mind to call them up right there and give them a piece of her mind! She'd have to talk with Rooster when she met him again. She'd be free to go home soon anyway...with any luck. She had barely seen a *soul* out this late, save for the eventual homeless vagrant sleeping in the sidewalks.
**"Hmph...guess not even capes are free from slow days..."** she muttered, kicking a can as she slowly made her way down the sidewalk of that awfully long street. The night sky was dark, covered by clouds, and she could already feel some droplets of rain. This had been nothing but a waste of her time, surveying the street around her. Traffic sign, scattered trash, red tentacle, more scattered trash...the only 'threat' here was her good night's sleep!
[*"Wait...Red Tentacle?!"*](https://youtu.be/WD-w1quslcw?t=36)
Jumping backwards, the young heroine immediately put up her knuckles and entered a fighting pose! **"Whoever you are...I am Triumph, of the Brockton Bay Protectorate! Come out Immediately!**" she demanded, her boredom and weariness vanishing as her more heroic identity fully assumed control, tension immediately overtaking the air. She felt something shiver at the back of her spine...her instincts could feel a ["presence"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI5V_8RErzI) - and it was not a good one. *"Just what in the hell is this..?"*
Her questions were soon answered as a viscuous, red mass began to flow from a dimly lit alleyway, rolling into the streets like a pile of slime possessed. Triumph watched as, piece by piece, *something* emerged from the mass - first the feet, like a pair of high heels with the width of a boot - then the legs, boney yet muscular. The torso, made of a singular spine, made of a material that looked more like steel than bone and three sets of ribs, each as thick as a normal person's torso, and at last, the "arms" - like a thick wire, spreading across the street. It was some manner of *monster* - thin lines across its red skin faintly glowing in the night like a beast come out of a story.
**"Well met, Triumph. I have been waiting for you. You may call me...Arsenal King!"** chittered the thing in a guttural voice, its 'ribs' arching upwards as if in a crooked smile. **"And without further delay...**, it continued...
[**"Let us fight."**](https://youtu.be/cI5V_8RErzI?t=47)
Immediately, the creatue surged forward! Unable to process this bizarre turnabout of events, Triumph was barely able to dodge as the creature brought down it's long limb, cracking air from it's speed as it hit the concrete road with inhuman power, cracking it apart! And then, yet another came down as she jumped sideways yet again, narrowly evading the whip by a hair's breadth! Again and again, the monster flailed its limbs around. *"This thing is fast! I can't stay on the defensive anymore.* Clenching her fist, Triumph planted her feet on the ground, waiting for the next blow! As the air cracked yet again and the whip flew towards her in a blur, she opened her arms! As the tentacle hit the young girl, she was thrown backwards, the blunt force striking a pain deep within her torso...but it was enough! Looking at the newly grabbed appendage, the girl hero smirked. Finally pumped up, she yelled. **"Alright, let's see how you like this!"** and called upon the strength of her shard, pulling hard the appendage she held and sending Arsenal King flying in her direction! With her other hand, she wound up her fist, before delivering a mighty swing on the beast, redirecting him into a full crash with the nearby wall!
Watching as the unfortunate building received many a crack under contact with the large body, Triumph jumped back, entering a fighting pose yet again. **"Alright! You're gonna tell me just who you are and what the hell you want with me, or i'll beat you into a pulp!"** *That oughta scare him!*
Across the street, the beast fell from the wall, seemingly undeterred by the grand attack. **"I see, now! You ought to be new to the 'game', are you not? You would'a known about me otherwise...** replied the creature, as it began to stand up straight, his long legs dwarfing over the small heroine. [**"Very well then."**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhEnjxYLBYo) continued the Arsenal King, as he leaned forwards, his tentacles curling up in an angle as if attempting to bow with it. **"You may call me, Arsenal King.** he stated, as his right limb began to morph into the shape of a blade, its coloration turning into a gleaming white. **"And my goal is to crush you utterly!"**
The two parahumans surged forward, intent on doing battle. Arsenal took the first swing, a wide gash flying across Triumph's arm as she shielded herself from the blade. Pushing herself forward, Nikki jumped forward into another swing, intent on beating the miscreant into a pulp! Yet as her fist was about to make contact, the amorphous flesh of Martin Gigant pulled backwards, and she struck air! *Again!*, she thought, as she threw another punch! And another! With every swing, Nikki fought ever faster, her body pumped up by her shard with every second of fight! Yet punch after punch, Triumph nearly missed, the King's body contorting itself out of harm's way every time! Their flight, fought at the speed of a blur, had taken the shape of a fatal tango as the two combatants spun and weaved across the street! Nikki, undeterred by her misses, knew that every attack brought her ever more strength, ever more closer to victory! It was because of this assurance, this fact, that she underestimated her foe. For a split moment alone, she was fully immersed in the fight, and yet this moment alone was enough! As she heard the sound of moving air, she had but a moment to watch as Martin's other arm - the one he had hidden behind his back in that mere moment - had engorged to the size of a monstruous club! With the speed of a truck and the strength of a mammoth, the limb hit its mark, crushing the young girl beneath its strength!
Pain flooded the mind of Triumph as she found herself trapped beneath the grand mass. *"Crap...what the hell's up with this guy?* she thought, as she began to push against the arm, slowly lifting it. *Every time i'm about to hit him, he morphs away! If i can't land a blow, i won't be able to heal...* with a grunt, she at last threw the arm forward, rolling backward as she wiped the blood from her now surely broken nose. Giving her no time to rest, Arsenal King surged forward, his armblade scraping against the ground as he ran towards her. Her power and agility ever growing, Triumph quickly jumped forward, avoiding the attack as she delivered another mighty blow to what appeared to be the miscreant's head. The soothing feeling of her body healing covered her for a second. Yet as she prepared to strike another punch, the Arsenal King struck back! Morphing with great speed forward, his head plunged at the heroine like a battering ram, throwing her several dozen feet back yet again.
Nikki, however, raised up again! Although her heroism pushed her forward, the feeling of danger gnawed at her heart as her body, even as it became ever stronger, continued to deteriorate. As the creature slowly walked forwards, as if taunting her, she looked around in search of any ideas...and found one! Sprinting to the sidewalk, she put her arms around her idea of choice: a large roadsign. With great ease, she ripped it off the ground, concrete chunks spilling around as she pointed her new weapon towards her enemy. **"Alright, *Arsehole King! Let's see if you like being turned into a pancake!*"**
Across the street, the two fighters stood in complete silence, as the beast stopped it's slow walk. The tension that had filled, once diminished by the heat of battle, returned thousandfold, now so thick as to be cut with a knife.
[**"An interesting choice of weapon."**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG5L-1pI8bI) muttered the Arsenal King, his inhuman voice layered as if in duet. **"Allow me to show you mine.**" he said, and his ribs smirked yet again. Suddenly, his amorphous body began to expand, his limbs bursting in size as the already tall monster grew to the height of a bus. His limbs, previously wielded as weapons, changed to the shape of human arms, monstruous and long. Leaning sideways, the King looked at his grand response - a lightpole. Triumph could do naught but stare as the monster slowly pulled the long lightpole, sparks flowing into the street as it was ripped off from its watch, the street that had become their battleground falling to darkness. She watched, as the pole was consumed in the being's biomass, turning into a metallic grey much similar to his spine, flowing forward into its arching arm.
At last, it was complete, a grim visage that struck despair: the horrible sight of the reaper's scythe!
It's blade, long and cruel, gleamed under the moonlight. Holding it cruelly, stood the villain, twirling the weapon in his hands. And thus it was that the young once heroine relearned the meaning of that human condition she had perhaps hoped to surpass: *Fear*
**"And [now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep7Ni6dtQaA), for the climax of our little show!""** Martin bellowed in a proud tone, curving his legs. **"Your utter doom!"** he said, and jumped! Several meters above the air, he flew forward, raising his scythe with killing intent! Abandoning her now flimsy tool, Triumph threw herself backwards as the King brought down the gigantic weapon, sparkles flying as he drove it deep within the concrete streets. Laughing madly, he continued his stampede, each stomp of his feet leaving small craters as his swing cleaved the street from side to side! If their battle had gone undiscovered by then, it certainly would not be now. Desperately moving backwards with all the agility her shard had granted her, Triumph avoided the deadly blade in its frenzy. If she had any intention of surviving such an encounter, she would have to think of something fast! Opportunity came when the King, ceasing his mad barrage of swings brought his mighty weapon backwards, burying it inside the concrete. Charging forward like a warhorse he swung his arms in an upward motion, his scythe rising from the ground as it launched chunks of stone against the heroine. Yet triumph stood her ground, shielding herself even as the debris pelted her body. Gathering her courage, she raised her fist, and yelled forth. **"Is that all you have? [Give me your best shot!](https://youtu.be/Ep7Ni6dtQaA?t=83)"**
Happy to oblige her request, the Arsenal King raised his scythe above his head, ready for one last great attack. And as the scythe began to swing down, the air whistling as it was split in twain, Triumph closed her eyes, and then was no more...yet Nikkita Arete efused to die! As droplets of blood fell to her forehead, she opened her eyes again, and watched as her plan had worked! Standing but a few centimeters away from her face was the reaper's blood, and behind it her hand, sporting a new opening. Ignoring the pain reverberating throughout her body, Triumph gripped the long blade with her two hands, calling upon all her willpower for one last feat of strength. Her fingers digging into the long blade, Nikki heaved the large blade upwards, lifting the great beast with it! With every ounce of strenght in her body, she threw the large blade over her shoulders, slamming the Arsenal King and his scythe into the ground with a resounding crash! At last holding the large polescythe within her hands, the heroine burst out a triumphant yell as she swung the blade downwards, burying it into the being's mass!
Blood-covered rain droplets rolling down her face, Triumph at last stopped, and fell on her butt, in the middle of the street. Breathing heavily, she looked at the seemingly unmooving mass that had tried to kill her. Her mind, still pumped up by the heat of battle, ignored whatever feelings she may have been harboring. **"You certainly took a lot to go down..."**, she stated. Taking the small pager from her pocket, she began to type away. Help would be here soon - but alas, such a moment had taken her concentration. Perhaps if she had awaited a little longer, Triumph would have seeen the tentacle slowly moving towards her. She felt a cold, slimy presence wrapping around her leg. [**"Wh-**](https://youtu.be/I-cUVheDPBY) she began, too late. Suddenly, her vision became a blur as Triumph was thrown towards the nearby wall like a ragdoll, cracks spreading around her zone of impact. She attempted to think, but again, far too quickly, the presence, which had not yet let off her leg, moved itself like a whip, and her vision was but a blur again before impacting another house, breaking through a window, showering her skin with glass. Again and again and again she was whipped around, thrown against wall and ground, window and fence. Unable to heal herself through violence, this feat, at last, proved to be too much, and as she found herself breaking through a concrete barrier, her vision turned to darkness.
[[...]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNmC_XsEMdU&list=PL3IUXJYn3UtEb1HEyOTLTH_QORRSJ1gi1&index=5)
It was over. The heroine had finally gone cold in their grip - and the victor was thus declared. His body oozing forward as it reconstituted itself with ease, Martin giggled. **"What a grand fight, that was!"** he announced. *"Grandly Idiotic, perhaps.* answered a presence, in the back of his mind. He scowled - or at least attempted to, in his inhuman form. **"What will we complain of now? We held back against the pitiful creature."** he answered. *"Indeed, we drew it out with our wasteful displays! We could have finished such a fight in a mere minute, attacked when she had not yet seen you!"* **"That would not have been fun.**" *"Neither it shall be when our necessity for showing off dooms us."* **"We complain too much. It was a good fight. We are improving, are we not?"** *"In our abilities, perhaps. But hunting aperitiffs such as this one will not truly test us. If we wish to defeat that damnable Rooster one day, we must be more effective.* **"We know we will not stop until we are able to settle our previous defeat and crush him. He will certainly not like it when he finds his fellow cape unconscious in such a state."** the man says, rainwater gently showering now wrecked street. They are certain that the Protectorate shall be here soon - it is time for the King to make his exit. Avoiding the craters and cracks, he returns to the alleyway whence he had staged his ambush, and finds his emergency door - a faucet, long abandoned. He looks around, and assures none are present, and grins. ***"Yet another fighter down."***, the duo states, their form slowly melting as it enters the thin pipe.
***"Many, many more to go."***