A Heart to Fist Talk [Amara]

Thread PL: 180,000 | Items: Blood Ruby Pendant, Scouter, Battle Armor

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Reminiscing helps nobody. Amara stared across the sheets of ice-coated stone and blue-hued grass with disinterest. Not many people came out this far to the North, and that sort of solitude was exactly what the Saiyan was looking for. She needed time to collect her thoughts after the mess in Central City, and it would be very hard for anyone to track or stumble across her very easily. The constant inane drivel of the Heroes and their goodie speeches was wearing her patience thin. Always the same thing, the same arguments, and they felt the need to regurgitate it over and over. Did they think that Amara... didn't fully comprehend what she was doing? 'Taking life'... right. Like the giant resort-furnished soul penitentiary is such a bad fate. If you were born without a chance of going to Heaven, might as well go for gold in Hell. The lukewarm do-gooders of this world didn't get special prizes or praise. They were lumped in with real 'criminals' like her all the same.

Her eyes fluttered open, blinking as the first of many snowflakes to come landed daintily on her eyelid. Amara looked up and sighed. It would be child's play to relocate to an alcove within one of the cliff faces... but it wasn't like the cold or snow bothered her enhanced body now anyway. Laying on the grass of a cold foreign tundra and looking up into the muted gray sky... it was peaceful. Peace like this never lasted though. Not in life, and not even in death. There was no 'good outcome' for souls. They worked and fought and clawed until the day came where they got recycled. And then an innocent, naive new person formed from that soul learns the same lessons again. Pointless. Maybe... maybe Mumbo and his old master Maple had a point. A point about how Shinjin, the supposed protectors and gods of the realm, looked at them like nothing more than caged animals. Mortals truly were trapped, after all, and nothing they could do would ever help.

Her head rolled to the side, gaze wandering to a rocky plateau not far from her. ...That was where she had sparred with Ochra after trying to piece together the puzzle of Super Saiyan. Then Namek and Kitiana happened, and well, now both of them had access to the legendary power... though it didn't really feel very legendary anymore. "..." Did she miss those bygone days? The days of peace, of neutrality, where she dragged herself through life in a constant apathetic haze of out solemn duty to her son? No. No... she didn't. This was her life now, her revenge against the Gods and their cruel game. Ignorance was bliss, but Amara could hardly go back to ignorance. For now... all she wanted to do was sit alone in silence.

"...A shame. I was just getting comfortable, too." Amara ran a hand along her brow, wiping off the gentle layer of snow that had settled atop her. She made no move to stand yet, simply cracking an eye open to stare at her unwanted visitor. "Skipping pleasantries... what do you want? Surely you didn't track me down all the way out here just to make idle talk." The woman's lips twisted into a slight frown. "If its anything to do with Central City, then I'm pleased to say you're stuck upriver without a paddle. I've nothing to talk about regarding it." Besides, it wasn't like she really caused irreversible damage. That stupid loudmouthed ghost had done more damage than she had by a long shot. They could try to shift blame onto her for taking the 'fight' into the city, but it wasn't Amara that fired the blasts that possibly ended lives that day. 

"Thinking about the past won't make the present any different." The words came from her lips, yet Amara was a hypocrite at best. Ochra should be one of the Heroes she detested - perpetrators of this damnable cycle of power that plagued the galaxy at large due to the whims of the Gods. Past attachments wouldn't let her move on. The same had happened with her late son, Scallio. Sure she ended up killing him by her own hand, but how many times had he gone free? Received her support in his foolish quest? Sentimentality was one of her weaknesses, and Amara knew damn well Ochra could exploit it if he played his cards right. "I'm not the same pitiful woman who stumbled upon you in a forest. I'm not the same warrior that stood by her friend on Namek to gain revenge in his name. I'm a Stargoon now, one who embraces 'evil' in whatever form that may be." 

As Yogu had so eloquently put it: an 'irredeemable scumbag'. "'Sides, even if I wanted to change and see the 'error of my ways', I couldn't. Wanna know why? Because a 'redemption'... nobody wants to see it. They'll believe in it, say they stand for it, reach out arms to offer it - but to do it? Might as well sign your own death warrant. These folks don't want to see an evil bastard like you 'redeemed' and living what they consider to be a good life. They'll never truly forgive you for your flaws and actions for as long as you draw breath. We are monsters to them, the opposite of people - just forces of evil that deserve to be culled without mercy. And Hell, maybe they're right. Why not just kill us all so our souls can get sucked right into a recycler and shat out again into a poor unwitting bastard that'll discover life the hard way again. The status quo of good is 'good' and should never change, and anyone who goes against the grain is a dissident that needs to be silenced."

"Ha! An active imagination if I've ever seen one, Ochra," She forced a laugh at his deductions, staring at him openly with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Though you're wholly wrong. If I wanted to die there'd be a million easier ways to do it than aggravating a response from some self-righteous pricks and then defending myself afterward. I wanted a fight, not an execution. A fight that you interrupted, may I add." Whether or not she was telling the truth was for her to know and Ochra to not find out. He'd have to live with his deductions on assumptions on that topic as it was clear the woman wouldn't give even an inch of ground up. "And sure, I'm not a total lunatic or genocidal freak. That doesn't mean I'm not bad to an unforgivable degree. I might not have been there on Namek when it kicked the bucket... but rest assured I'd have pulled that trigger to detonate the planet if the Stargoons had asked it of me. Why? Because death and morality... they're worthless. They don't fucking matter in this broken world." Amara stood, arms folding across one another.

"All people care about is the 'big' picture. There is no justice for the individual. There was no justice for me, my murdered baby son, and certainly no justice for the millions that suffer everyday from petty crime and poor living conditions. All these 'Heroes' are just poster boys bent on building up an affable reputation." With a flash of gold, Amara powered up - pointing a finger at the Saiyan opposite of her. "And if you're quite done, I owe you no answers. Now you either leave me be or you fight for your right to stay. I will not hesitate to kick your ass all the way back to Central City if that's what it takes."

The Saiyan snarled, wasting no time in beginning her assault. A flurry of punches, swipes, and kicks were sent Ochra's way in reckless abandon, Amara holding no punches as she truly went all-out on her opponent. This was no spar. It was a no-holds barred battle for her, and one she intended to win. "I'm catching up to you," She said tauntingly, sensing revealing just how close the gap had become. "While before you were double my strength, this is a near-even battle. Or it would be, if I didn't have some special gear to back me up." Ochra, as far as she knew, also hadn't yet attained complete control over Super Saiyan. He couldn't maintain the form for long periods of time, or utilize a power surge to gain intense offensive might. Both were tricks Amara had under her belt, and could prove to be the tipping point in her favor the longer this battle went on.

"This isn't like last time. I will hurt you, and it will be on purpose. I won't kill you in accordance to our promises... but I cannot reply to your defiance with a half-assed battle." Pulling back for a moment, she stretched out her palm as a shockwave of energy burst forth from it, pouring out in a magnificent stream of Ki aimed directly at Ochra. The melee barrage was but a simple warm-up. This? This was a dangerous attack, one that would do more than just sting if it landed directly. In Amara's mind, she had the energy advantage here and could afford to be the aggressor despite Ochra's higher base power level. "So why don't you just be a good boy and STAY DOWN!" If the other Saiyan had any fight in him, this beam would be far from the last shot, but Amara had no interest for dragging out this fight any longer than necessary. 

As predicted Ochra had a relatively easy time deflecting or avoiding the majority of her assault, dodging and weaving with ease. Amara growled in response, energy surging even higher as her muscles began to bulge, body growing larger as she snarled in tandem. This altered state of Super Saiyan gave her an offensive kick at the cost of durability, but Amara was confident that Ochra wouldn't be able to make use of its drawback. "You'll be a dead bounty hunter if you keep this shit up-!" The Stargoon matched blow for blow, opting to use her now superior offensive capabilities to negate Ochra's attempted strikes. After all, the best defense is a great offense. "Don't mock my resolve, Saiyan. You keep on doubting in my ability to go all out and your trip back home will be in a casket!" Arms crackling with energy, Amara roared as she unleashed a barrage of blasts at her foe.

"I do have to thank you for at least giving me some practice for later," She grinned even as she continued to sling orbs of explosive golden energy. "Since that stupid-ass wish was made, I suppose you all got the victory you were looking for. That's a good thing, right? That us villains are kowtowing since you resurrected an armada of your best fighters over a planet." Amara's energy grew more volatile, hissing and crackling as she prepared for another powerful attack. "At best you're stalling for time! All I have to do is wear you down." Another wave of golden Ki was launched Ochra's way, the blast intended to pummel him straight into the cliff faces below if it hit. "And this time I'm not gonna expend all of my energy early on in a single burst attack." ...Such a mistake had been made enough times before that the Saiyan could learn from it.

"That so?" If anything Amara didn't react in surprise to Ochra's admission, but rather a simple resignation. "And yet you continue to bind yourself to misery and the chains of 'heroism', for what?" There was no time to respond as the Stargoon had fired off another powerful attack, prompting a response from the man currently cloaked in smoke from her previous attacks. The Saiyan's eyes widened, senses screaming at her something that couldn't possibly be true. Her opponent's power increased... and not just by a minor amount either. It was as if he was drawing from an unseen well of energy - now both his destruction and defense outpaced hers by a large margin. Amara's fists clenched, teeth gnashing together in frustration. "Nothing I ever do is enough, I swear..." The sentence was delivered with a joking edge to it, but the message behind the words was clear. She finally had the advantage in a fight and then 'poof' it was gone. 

Ochra swung the momentum back in his favor, forcing Amara to defend herself from his own set of attacks as her anger boiled up. "It doesn't matter that you're so much stronger than me! I'm sick and tired of running away from shit like this. So let's get serious, boy." This was less about making Ochra leave now and more about her own personal pride and skill. Every fight she was in Amara seemed to be outclassed. One she finally gained the power to surpass one enemy, another came along that was stronger than her. In a blinding flash of light, Amara rocketed back in the air to gain distance, entire body crackling with energy as the light snow picked up into a howling blizzard. Distance rumblings of thunder rang out across the empty tundra, even as Amara began to violently pulse with energy.

"I'm not gonna hold anything back! So take it all, Ochra! If you wanted my true feelings and thoughts then I have all of them all incarnate in this next move." Amara's Ki exploded like a bomb, the Saiyan roaring at the top of her lungs as she initiated an all-out assault. Blasts and beams of golden energy were sent towards Ochra in tandem, creating a veritable warzone of energy intended to cause serious damage if the other Saiyan couldn't block it. "PERISH!!" 

Amara's breaths were heavy, a drop of sweat rolling down the Saiyan's forehead from the exertion she'd just endured. A haze of smoke clouded her sight, but her sensing told her that the storm of bolts had struck true... though to what effect was still up in the air. It had to have done some sort of important damage at the least, right? For the longest time she was stuck hanging midair, staring at the dispersing black cloud in some sort of hope that Ochra had been caught off guard and knocked unconscious. Yet a few moments later those hopes were dashed, Amara clenching her fist together so tightly that the armored plating began to crack. "No..." She hissed, seeing a battered but still standing Ochra. "God... damnit." That was her best shot to take him out early on. Both of their immediate energy stores were running low and she'd have to recharge to have any hope of scratching him. Perhaps she could still leverage her mastery over the form as an advantage? Force him to expend his remaining power and end it all at once?

Ochra was having none of it. With practiced ease the bounty hunter surged forth, and although the visual effects of this attack weren't quite as flashy as hers, she could sense it to be overwhelmingly powerful. Far too strong to hope to block in her defensively culled state. With a grunt of effort, her muscles receded once more back into her body, armor stretching out and locking back in place. The golden sheer in her hair dimmed ever so slightly to a pale yellow, violent aura dimming as the Stargoon pooled all of her remaining power into simply weathering the oncoming storm. Right as Ochra's fist was about to connect, both of Amara's arms shot out to intercept it, forming a yellow hexagonal grid shield in a desperate attempt to block his attack. Predictably, it wasn't all that effective - and the remaining energy after her failure surged through her arms, eliciting a sharp bloodcurdling scream of agony from the woman. The sheer force was enough to send her flying back, tumbling out of the air and smashing into the Earth below into a newly formed crater. All fell silent for a moment as she made no audible noise after, no attempt to counter-attack or push the offensive. 

Just simple, eerie silence.