originally posted in:The New Dojo
Can’t wake up in sweat
‘Cause it ain’t over yet
Still dancing with your demons
Victim of your own creation
-Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare.
Dojoville VR: Simulation (Craft) - Belltown
Tuesday Mar. 15, 1864, 7:03 PM
John “JT” Truman, Marshal
His duster was coated in more dirt than normal, this time. Belltown was a cruel mistress and she intended to send a sandstorm through the town, forcing a coarse and gritty material through the small crevices of JT’s duster where they would rest, though the big issue for him was the fact that it obscured his vision, among other things. Whatever, he thought, he only needed to get into the nearby bar. But wait… Why? He didn’t even know, really, it was just some strange urge that was driving him into the tavern for him to fill his cup and spend his night with some sleazy waitress who couldn’t make enough in a night to buy herself a drink. JT cherished the thought, knowing it was usually him buying the rounds.
Then out of the blue, a creature would find itself jumping onto the back of the Marshal, biting deep into his shoulder. The metallic flesh on his body tore like paper with the puncture, which prompted JT to reach back and grab the creature. His index finger and thumb dug an iron grip inside the eyes, where he pulled whatever was biting him off and in front of him via the space between its eyes. The thing was revealed then, a steel grey-furred would that stared down the cowboy with missing eyes. It lunged up, but JT grasped it by its neck and choked it into unconsciousness. More howls were behind him, though when he turned back to see what made the noise, it wasn’t a beast - It was something worse.
A figure walked towards him, wrapped in rags of crimson and brown, with not a piece of flesh in sight. The tattered clothing blew in the sandstorm behind him, though the figure was eerily clear - From the revolvers on his hips to the oversized knife in his hand, and the lack of armour on his visage. It strutted through the sandstorm on its way to the armoured cowboy, who drew his revolver and took shots. The first fell in the figure’s chest and the second followed suit, though he kept walking forwards like nothing happened. One aimed for the head, which it passed through, though this time it drew blood. A seeping black colour, like the nanomachines of JT’s body.
It reached for its back and pulled out a long, red bar with silver tips. JT recognized it was a magnet, and the blood running down its forehead and trailing down its cheeks started to solidify into drops of stiffened clusters, the nanomachines having condensed and moved into more of a liquidish state. JT could feel the nanites in his body do the same, each acting more like blood than a quick wound solvent like he usually had them being. The last three shots of his sidearm quickly rang out, this time aimed for the chest again, though each shot was simply swatted away by the green knife in the hand of the monstrosity - The one who had finally arrived to JT.
The Marshal’s gun found its place in his holster as the bandaged man swung his blade for the throat of the cowboy, though he quickly brought the blade down halfway through its swing. JT had leaned back to avoid the initial movement though it found itself now cutting through his lower abdomen, leaving a searing red cut along him. JT quickly bursted forwards and delivered a savagely thrown punch to the jaw of the creature, who reared its head back in pain and stepped back. It lunged forwards as JT was returning to a combative stance, though he barely managed to extend a foot forwards and kick the chest of the strange figure, knocking him back a few feet.
“Eyes up Marshal,” the figure coldly said to JT, catching the augged cowboy looking at the weapon he was no drawing. While JT reached down to the bowie knife at his own hip, the figure dashed forwards and made an attempt to slash across the arm of JT as it was on his hilt. The marshal quickly ripped his dagger from its slot and dragged it up across the bandaged man’s own, sending his arm flying into the air as he knocked it away. The figure spun in a circle and drew a second weapon from its back, driving it into JT’s chest as he came back around with the second knife. JT brought his weapon up to the chest of the BM, who pulled the dagger up JT’s chest and carved a path along his useless trachea and jawline. JT was dripping black onto the ground now, though he made one more move by grasping the throat of the bandaged figure and withdrew the knife from its chest, driving it instead up the bottom of his jawline and rooting it up into the creature’s brainless head.
The bandages dissolved into nothingness as the figure dropped its weapons, and JT’s Nanocyte wisped away with the sandstorm. It subsided and JT would feel his wounds slowly fade, all the while he waited on another challenger.
((Open))
English
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[i]"Oh yeah, her. What's she need?" JT asked, entering the ship. [/i]
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“Nothing much, really.” She replies.
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[i]"Why'd she contact us then?" [/i]
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“Just wanted to say hi.” She replied, shrugging. The sound of JT’s ship hummed in the background outside.
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[i]"Oh. Well, good to hear she's at least keepin' us in memory," JT said as he went to the cockpit, sitting in a second seat. [/i]
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Shila say in the primary seat, smiling toward JT. “Anywhere you want to go? Heard that the Black Market’s selling stuff for the tourney.” She tells JT.
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[i]"Let's head over, maybe there'll be something good." [/i]
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“Yeah; that’ll be alright.” She says, moving the ship toward the Tatakai Plains, a small nine and a few flags being shown. Other aliens and ships were there, a shield dome surrounding them. Krogan, humans, and Asari similar to Liara were seen entering the mine.
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[i]"Well, looks like the right place." [/i]
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“I think so; come on, don’t want to exactly get lost around here.” She says, walking through the various aliens, until they eventually arrived in a line, two Krogan guarding what seemed to be an elevator. “You can pass.” Was heard from one of the Krogan.
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[i]Normally JT would just make an alien joke, though if he was being real, he wasn't about to piss off the race that had been a collective bro towards him. He entered the elevator with Shila and rode it to the market. [/i]
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The Krogan guards stopped him before he could enter. “Wait...aren’t you one of those in the tourney? Cowboy, right?” The Krogan asked.
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[i]"Yeah, sup?" [/i]
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“Oy; good luck man. Galaxy’s watching you guys beat the ever loving shit on each other. Most of them Krogan are betting on you.” He says, lightly punching his shoulder, allowing him toward the elevator.
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[i]"Lotta people," JT muttered under his breath[/i]
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As the two went down, a massive portal surrounding them as they did so, the VI in the elevator said the same thing with its monotone voice, about itnroducing the market. Shila shut it up with the mute button, and proceeded to look out toward the market...which looked a lot more festive. Lots of yelling was heard, various species mingling; some with T-Shirts, gun camos, and other merchandise belonging to the various contestants. A few humans, and people from the Cetus colony wore cowboy outfits, some Asari and female humans walked around in what seemed to be a cosplay attempt at Victoria, and Rai. Others dressed as that of Nate, or Zane, especially the Mandalorian and the Turians. “Get your merchandise here; damn tourney’s happening soon!” Various people yelled. “So...where do you want to go first?” Shila asked JT, a massive TV Screen in the heart of the Black Market, most likely counting down until the tourney began.
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[i]"Shila this is your trip, let's head over t' where you wanna go first." [/i]
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“Well, I do my know where I want to go.” She says, smiling as she spotted someone selling merchandise...based on the cowboy himself. It was beyond all the cosplayers and unconscious people.
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[i]"I've got a cosplay and there's several people knocked out in front of th' stands. Fitting." JT followed Shila. It was her trip for the moment, he was curious as to what she was doing. [/i]
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She walked up to the stand, an Asari (fitting, at least for JT) at the stand, a cowboy hat and makeshift revolver in her hands. “What can I get you, partner?” She asked, looking to JT. “Nice cosplay, by the way.” She states, Shila pointing to the hat sitting there looking almost identical to JT’s own.
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[i]"How y'all get this shit to be so accurate is beyond me. Y'all selling replicas or real guns and shit 'ere?" JT was... Well, let's just say a convention back at his old home only lasted about three hours and involved SWAT teams. So he didn't know what they sold exactly. [/i]
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“You can Thank a lot of dedicated fans out there. People across the multiverse look up to the Dojo. Amoridia. Other places; they see everyday people and idolize them, wanting to be like them. Not everyone’s heard of you guys; but a good number, if I do say so myself. Also, the guns are toy laser guns. For the kids, mostly.” The Asari explained, motioning Shila into a dressing room, where she changed.
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[i]"I'm tellin' ya, ain't none of the guys back home would believe this. Me, in a tournament with Dojo people? Etana would shit a brick..." JT said the second part to himself, trailing off into his own memories as he looked amongst the various things and awaited Shila. [/i]
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There were little plush dolls based off him, and even entire custom posters. This was the same on other stands across the market, each representing a different fighter. “Just a minute!” Shila Yelled form the fitting room...right before a bunch of [url=https://cosplayhouse.s3.amazonaws.com/images/product/Borderlands-2-Psycho-Cosplay-Costume-Version-01002.jpg]Psychos[/url] ran around the corner, dressed as various fighters, including JT. Said Psycho dressed as the cowboy grabbed him by the collar, a toy gun on him. “WHEN THE COWBOY KILLS FLESH-MAN, FLESH-MAN GO BOOM! FLESH-MAN GOES BOOM FROM COWBOY- MAN!” The Psycho screamed in front of JT, another one yelling. “WE’LL SEE IN A BATTLE FOR THE DEATH ON MEAT-TOWN!” One of the other Psychos dressed as Zane told the Psycho dressed as JT, the cowboy-Psycho staring toward JT. “GOODBYE, COWBOY-MAN!” He tells, running along with his other psychos toward their elevator out.
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[i]JT straightened his shirt collar and looked at the group with confusion, the dominant expression displayed proudly on his face. He didn't know if he should throw a grenade and hope for the best or let them be, so he did the latter and just watched them walk off. [/i]