Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Sept 28, 2020 20:17:52 GMT -6
BURNING DAYLIGHT
Drake's PL: 160,000 (x4P Ignition) | Items: Devil Lamp
'Sunny Juice!', a new product on the market put into circulation at the behest of a former chemist and currently outselling nearly every other similar drink across all age ranges. The slogan for it went along the lines of: "A drop of sunshine in every sip". It wasn't entirely misleading... provided you know the context when the infamous Sunshine Flower was mentioned. The crop was cultivated en-masse at a plantation just East of the Southern Earth borders where it was crushed, mixed with a "special ingredient", and sprinkled liberally into bottles of otherwise normal fruit juice. The problem therein lay with the effects of this additive, and that being purposeful addiction and euphoria release. Such a product wouldn't normally be a problem to Drake given you slapped a proper label and sold it to dimwitted adults who knew the risks. This crap? It was marketed at kids. And the archaic laws in place for regulation in drinks made certain that this whole chicanery for profit was one-hundred percent legal.
The influence of the Tatsuryu family might've been big, but it wasn't enough to threaten or coerce every major chain to suddenly drop this top-selling item. Some knew the truth behind Sunny, others didn't. At the end of the day, their decisions wouldn't matter, as Drake saw fit to take this into his own hands. Well, his and the hands of some associates. "Boss, if you could not burn a hole into the upholstery that'd be greatly appreciated," Nichols said calmly, eyes focused on the road ahead as their nondescript silver van ambled down the miles of dirt ahead. "I know you're pissed. I am too, trust me, but keep it bottled up right until we get there." The Tatsuryus were criminals. That was a fact. Another fact pertaining to them was that they did not under ANY circumstance sanction or indulge in the exploitation of children. "I understand, chief." Drake growled, forcing his hands to sit idly in his lap as the boy stared out the window. This little expedition served a two-fold purpose. One to take this slimy bastard's product off the market, and two to secure whatever valuables aren't nailed down... burning whatever they can't take.
Sunshine Flower was a plant that required very careful and attentive cultivation, as well as a near-perfect mixture of soil to grow effectively. Turning entire fields of it to ash would be a major, if not permanent, setback for whoever masterminded the creation of the drink. Vern had undoubtedly seen past the feeble excuse of simply money, but if the Crime Boss was unhappy with Drake's request he didn't show it. The detachment was small. Drake, Nichols, and four extras in a van a few miles behind them to collect the loot. The boy's flames were more than enough to melt away any resistance and complete the job in a near literal flash. This was the first time in quite a while that unrestricted use of his powers had been sanctioned, and Drake was more than eager to test out his abilities. This of course came with the risk of attracting unwanted, powerful visitors but the mansion was far enough out from civilization that the gangster hoped it wouldn't be an issue. Besides, this was almost vigilante work of sorts and any aspiring Heroes could certainly be convinced to piss off if the situation was explained properly.
"We're here," The veteran grumbled, swerving to a halt just outside the fortified walls of the mansion boundary. "And they definitely know it if the guards mobilizing is any sign." Tucking away his sunglasses, Nichols moved to unlock the passenger side door. "Stage is yours, bossman. Light em' up." With no further need for encouragement, Drake stepped out onto the dirt path and stared up at the assortment or regular goons levying assault rifles and submachine guns. "You get one chance to run away with your piss-soaked pants dragging you down. If you ignore that offer, you die." Their answer was clear as a storm of lead soon came Drake's way, the boy's aura flaring dangerously as it rippled immense waves of heat. "Fine then," On cue, Nichols tossed out a small incendiary accelerator, the Tatsuryu crushing it beneath his booth as a veil of flames enveloped him. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
And with that, the inferno began. |
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Post by Vangreth on Sept 30, 2020 9:05:01 GMT -6
Current Pl: 152,000 / Anti-sense: Active
The last sunny days of summer had passed, and with them, the harvesting season had begun. Of course, it was the second time Vangreth had seen such a season on Earth, and while it did mean most of the vegetation was about to die, it was also a moment of celebration as the farmers of the world prepared to sell their last production, essentially flooding the markets with seasonal items.
Vangreth was in East City, right next to the biggest farmlands on Earth, and actually just came back from buying groceries, taking advantage of such a season to try many new things to add to his meals, diversity is Earth's greatest quality in his eyes after all so he would never pass up the chance of trying some more for himself! His capsule contained so much food that it almost did not fit, which mean he would have plenty for a long time, and that would also help the alien's case, as he was planning on not going out for a while after that one trip, for reasons he should keep to himself.
While he was on his way to exit the city, he sensed a very high power level not far away from there... it was flaring, and very agressive in nature. He had to get involved, even if he could feel this was a power beyond his own base, and if that individual was not transformed yet, it could very well mean another beating... but he was not one to quit in front of adversity, so he flared his aura and threw himself into the air, quickly catching up to where the van had stopped to see sort of a stand-off between two armed group... and the powered individual being with one of them.
As fast as he could, Vangreth would land inbetween the two group and would throw an uppercut with all his might, not hitting anyone, but rather creating a massive shockwave upward, sending the guns flying and knocking prone anyone with not enough power level to resist it... of course, that would not include the flaming demon.
'' Someone better explain to me calmy what's going on here, or next punch will not be just for show.''
He would then turn toward the demon, standing between him and the fields he so desperately wanted to destroy. Of course Vangreth was not aware of the actual reasons and was aware of it, but he couldn't do much more than to ask for context. A voice behind him, of a man that just got back up from the shockwave, spoke up.
'' T-they're from organinzed crime! We had to defend our land and crop! Please mister, do not listen to their lies!'' The man shouted, and while his words were heard, there was something wrong about this whole thing... if Vangreth knew something about farmer, it was that they usually don't carry machineguns and assault rifles... and if crime lords were involved... then this whole affair was messier than he'd expected.
The tension was slowly building up, the purple aura of the alien still flared around him, although it could not be sensed, as he awaited for the demon's answer... he knew better than to judge someone for being a demon alone, but he was clearly on edge about the situation, hoping the flaming demon would not turn into a bigger, meaner versison of himself... or perhaps an half-centaur giant that creates fake cities?
'' So? What say you, flaming one? ''
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Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Sept 30, 2020 9:31:55 GMT -6
Drake's PL: 160,000 (x4P Smolder)
Drake had been moments away from incinerating the initial wave of goons trying ever so fruitlessly to shoot him... when someone decided to stick their nose where it didn't belong. The boy was angry enough that he hadn't bothered to even try and keep a lookout for any other power signatures nearby, but even if he had it wouldn't have mattered. With a start and a flicker of surprise, it became known that this strange Alien didn't even have a signature for him to detect. Their sudden appearance and display of power did little besides aggravate him, the blast from the purposefully whiffed attack blowing Drake's jacket a bit but doing little else. "It's always the same with you Samaritan types," He spat bitterly, aura of flames roaring in protest as Vangreth stood between him and his goal. "Sticking yourself ass-first into situations that were already handled because you just can't help but think you're being the good guy here. Do you know what these bastards are responsible for? You don't."Of course, Heroes always showed up to muddy his business, even if it was ultimately well-intentioned. They were the justiciars, the judges of situations who determined you righteousness and threw around their weight based on decisions. Where were the Heroes when Drake's sibling was murdered!? What about when his mother, an ultimately good woman, clung to life at the edge of a horrible disease?! And now before him stood one such person. "Oh I'd tell you all about the murders perpetrated by these thugs, or perhaps even how their latest 'product' is just a ploy to develop addictions in children but you wouldn't believe me anyway. So I have a simple suggestion, stand aside or you become their co-conspirator. And anyone willing to help these scumbags will burn." With a flourish of Ki, a bullet of flame shot out towards Vangreth. The attack was intended to show Drake was serious and hopefully get this Alien to back down. The attack and raging flames surrounding the hybrid was also enough to set some of the surrounding walls and fields alight, smoke wafting high into the sky as the fire began to spread. If Vangreth didn't act quick, the entire field of flowers would soon be up in flames! |
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Post by Vangreth on Sept 30, 2020 9:52:13 GMT -6
Now Vangreth was not the one to jump to conclusion very fast, but the demon, who was already kind of suspicious in his actions, seemed to let anger get the best of him really fast considering that the alien had asked him for the reasons he was attacking this field. The demon was visibly not going to cooperate with Vangreth's little investigation, and his accusation, while grave, were about as convincing as the one opposite saying he was from the mob... the alien would have no choice but to try and take down that demon before figuring this whole thing out... hopefully the guns were damaged enough for the gunfight to stop while they fought.
The first attack, of course, came from the demon in the form of small projectiles of flame. Nothing Vangreth hadn't seen before. Vangreth was about to put his threat to action, since it seemed he was not being listened to quite well. He charged his energy as fast as his body could take and would charge up two energy-filled punches, and would then stare down at Drake with fiery eyes, the demon was not the only one here with fight in him, and the alien was about to display exactly that.
'' Not for show it is. Alright, let's see if you have guts.'' Vangreth would shout with a grin forming on his face, a fight where he could try out some of his moves without having to hold back too much or being pummeled, now that was a good use of his time! '' Now, watch and learn.'' Were his final words before going into action.
His first aura-charged punch would be used in a similar way his first attack was, he would punch in Drake's direction and unleashed his energy, creating a massive showwave concentrated toward the demon, which would extinguish the flames and throw the flaming bullets out of the air, harmlesss.
Then, Vangreth would get into position and launch himself towards the demon with all the speed he could muster and attemp to throw the second punch he charged up with his technique right for him! If it connected, the punch would land in Drake's guts, which Vangreth would then use to throw the demon into the air and follow him, throwing a flurry of blows all the way until the demon caugh himself back.
However, in the possibility that Vangreth's attack would be stopped, he would back off and prepare for the next exchange.
Dual Comet[UP2] used for 101,333 power, clashing with Spitfire and resulting in 48,533 damage sent Drake's way!
KP: 1/3 (-2)
Damage: 0%
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Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Sept 30, 2020 10:59:22 GMT -6
Drake's PL: 160,000 (x4P Smolder)
"...Why can't our job ever be easy." Nichols rubbed his forehead in exasperation, watching the ensuing fight from a safe distance away in the tinted-window vehicle he and Drake had arrived in. The gangster was normal in terms of power, so at best he'd be background noise to the dangerous Alien. Why bother focusing on a normal person when there was a fiery demon-blooded hybrid trying to melt your face off? Holstering his revolver-type pistol, the man slid out the driver's side door and moved to skirt around the sidewall of the compound to avoid detection by the duo currently throwing hands. Drake would be able to stall the mysterious Alien Hero, and with that time Nichols had devised a plan to continue their mission here. Using Drake's powers was originally the fastest way to accomplish it, but no competent crime syndicate got very far without gaining a habit of making backup plans. Most of the thugs guarding the place were busy with the fight in the entryway, so the outer perimeter was all but abandoned. Perfectly suited to allowing Nichols to slip past without detection. Of course, being that he was a regular person he had to find a regular way into the damn place. No fancy powers or gadgets were at his disposal, but using this time wisely was of his top priority. "Hey!" Ah damn. Looks like his luck couldn't last forever. In the moments that the exclamation left the lips of a surprised guard above, Nichols had drawn his weapon and started to take aim. The rifle the other man was carrying had started to lift as well, but he'd be far too late. "Int-" With a crack and a bang that probably got deafened by Drake's roaring flames, the crook above toppled off the wall. Dead. Grimacing slightly as he fed another bullet into his gun's chamber, Nichols continued. They were criminals, sure, but having to kill wasn't a preferred method of doing things. That had been a matter of self-defense but even so, it left a bad taste in the man's mouth. "What have we here?" An access door crafted of heavyset steel. And it was currently propped open with a few bricks. "Lazy bastards..." Nichols sighed, shaking his head and slipping through the doorway. Now to find the main building and hopefully the boss of the operation. Extracting or eliminating him should be enough to disrupt their operations on the business side and hopefully fulfill Drake's desire. As angry as he was, Drake wasn't stupid. A worried look flickered across his face for but a moment as Vangreth easily dealt with his initial attack, barreling towards him with a second one that would more than likely hurt like Hell if it hit. With a literal snap of his fingers, a palm-sized perfectly shaped orb of flames spawned. Crushing it in his palm the gathered energy exploded in a fury of energy, cloaking his arm in fire as he thrust it forward to meet the Alien's punch head-on. There had been a bad pun in there somewhere on Vangreth's end, but Drake was more concerned with defending himself than quipping back at the moment. The two attacks met and for a brief second, they struggled. The hybrid's sputtered for a moment and then proceeded on, drained of some energy as it entirely snuffed out Vangreth's offense. The tables were turned as his foe would find himself on the receiving end of a close-ranged fiery punch straight to his jaw! "You're pretty tough," He'd growl afterward regardless of his attack's success. "A shame your using it for stupid reasons. What, you want me to calm down and present evidence over a cup of tea, Hero? You do realize that as we fight the higher-ups are probably disposing of anything incriminating in that safehouse while you demand patience and answers." This guy was truly a fool. A caped crusader trying to play mediator in a realm of life that had no place for them. If these guys managed to make themselves look innocent and Vangreth prevented him from destroying their little operation... no. That wasn't an acceptable outcome. |
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Post by Vangreth on Sept 30, 2020 12:53:29 GMT -6
Nothing could escape Vangreth's vigilant eye in a fight, not even some other guy running in the background towards the warehouse of this farm... no, he had noticed the man coming from Drake's side, and this more level-headed person was there to either erase, find or plant evidence for the demon... either way, the alien would get the answer he needed to call the shots on this little ordeal, he did not care how much time it would take, especially with such a strong thug right in front of him. Their fight had stopped the preceding shooting, so really, he had already done some good today and did not plan on stopping so soon.
At first, he totally believed his attack was going through, but when he felt Drake powering up again, a flash of doubt crossed Vangreth, he did not have enough force behind this punch! He had to use quick thinking, or rather, instinctively react to this withoug losing too much time figuring out what the strategy should be. Before the clash, Vangreth sprung two additional arms from his back with a plan in mind, which hopefully would work, as it was quite evident this was not going his way.
The clash happened, and surely enough, his Dual Comet was defeated. However, Vangreth had charged a third attack in reaction, and as his own fist got thrown out of the way by the Flashpoint Fireball, a third Void Strike would come from his newly formed ethereal arms and end this clash at once, creating an explosion on contact as both attack would fizzle and nullify each-other.
Vangreth stared at his opponent, he had some guts, and quite the will to fight... the alien could even see that he was not a monster, but there was somethign wrong about it all, and when he spoke, it became a little more clear.
'' Don't play smart with me demon. Your guy back there just passed us and went into the warehouse, so if there are evidence to be found, he should be taking care of that, assuming of course he's not there to PLANT evidence. ''
The alien would frown, clearly annoyed at how hot-headed and sporadic this guy was, which was probably by design, since fire seemed to be his thing.
'' They accused you of being a mob, and with a quick glance at your guys, I can figure out that they're not law enforcement or heroes, which mean you are an unofficial organization, at the very least. So don't even pretend like destroying evidence would even work on stopping you and your methods. If you cared about evidence, you could of fly right through the roof of that warehouse and grab it, then, of course still keeping in mind that you care about anything beside destroying that crop.''
He would lay one hand on his hip and tilt his head on the side, still looking at Drake with confident eyes.
'' I don't care for evidence, if you must know. What I care about is life, and protecting the people of Earth. You came here, flared your power and prepared to annihilate this whole building. I won't question how you opperate, it's pretty obvious that I am not acting on the law right now. Neither will I question your methods, because I am not shy of killing the bad guys when it's needed... but.''
Vangreth paused for a moment and motionned down to the goons that tried to protect the field.
'' If you are correct, and there is something shady about these plants. Then just going on a murder spree, killing those guards, then the people in that warehouse, then burning the whole field? That would make a pretty good case for anyone you work against to ask someone like me for protection. So you better stand down, and EXPLAIN with WORDS what you are doing here, because if I am convinced, then you won't get us, HEROES, on the back of either you or your damn organisation. Who knows, if you're actually working FOR the people, you might actually get some help.''
With that, Vangreth would show the first sign of trying to reach peace with the demon by lowering his guard and tuning down his aura.
Void Strike[A1] used for 50,160, fizzling with the remains of Flashpoint Fireball
Damage: 0%
KP: 0/3 (-1)
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Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Sept 30, 2020 14:24:57 GMT -6
Drake's PL: 40,000
"And that changes what exactly you egotistical sack of Alien shit? Keep parading the word 'Demon' around as much as you want, but it won't change the fact that you're the outsider here." He spat in return. Drake was born a human and raised a human. His power came from the drop of an ancient bloodline that was demonic in origin, nothing more. "Just because Nichols decided now was the right time to go and fetch the shit that YOU would want to properly judge these people doesn't mean it won't get torn up or doused by then." And then he started berating him for misleading statements and not caring about evidence. "No fucking SHIT. The only reason it was brought up was to appease your 'just and rigid moral compass', chuckleschmuck. So kind of you to come outta space and protect us poor defenseless squishy humans with your almighty Alien god powers! I'm sure everyone appreciates your unwanted help and lectures as much as I do." Earth as a whole had been more stable before all these extra-terrestrials started showing in droves. It was only when people like this guy arrived that things started really going to Hell. "My goal was to burn the fields and any of the bastards who tried stopping me with a gun. I would've spared non-combatants so long as they didn't get any funny ideas, that's how I operate." Always with the exchange of words and talking, talking, talking, justifications with these idiots. 'Stand down' he said, 'convince me' he said. "You shouldn't even be sticking your nose into Earth's affairs in the first place." Whatever. It wasn't like that train of conversation would get them very far. With great reluctance, Drake allowed his powers to slip away into nothingness. Even in base form, regular bullets couldn't harm him, but that didn't stop the gangster from feeling any more comfortable because: "And how do I know now that you don't plan on sucker-punching me with my guard down, huh? Can't exactly sense your energy to tell." Of course, when he was the one acting suspicious it'd be OK because he was the good guy. He'd probably shill out some lame excuse or promise and expect it to hold water. "So here, let me use my big boy words. Murderers and racketeering men with guns get hired by a chemist gone rogue. They make a special drink with a hard-to-grow flower that is specifically targeted at developing addictions in the drinker, the primary target audience of which is children. They get heaps of money out of an exploit in the law, and use their power to silence anyone who stands in their way." Explanation finished, Drake crossed his arms and gave Vangreth a hostile glare. "Is that good enough your righteousness, or do you want me to go an fill out a justiciar's warrant for the horrible action of passing judgement on these criminals?" |
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Post by Vangreth on Oct 5, 2020 15:42:53 GMT -6
That human was pushing it... Vangreht was able to take in a lot of those insult, but Drake has managed to get through to Vangreth by using some pressure points were the alien was sensible, especially his appartenance to Earth. This planet is his home, and nobody was going to question it and just be left unanswered, especially not some hot-headed murdering idiot with no moral.
'' Listen here you 'OG' Earthling. My 'Alien God Powers' come from both my own work and perseverance and the experience I gained by becoming an Earthling. I did not came to Earth an 'Alien God' like you say, I was sent here as a weakling, and I adapted to Earth, became part of its population and decided to protect it. You have NO right to claim anything about me. So you better calm down before I lose my temper and actually decide that knocking you out of this discussion is a valid way to conclude everything here.''
When the demon began to try and justify his actions, saying he would 'spare' those not fighting, Vangreth would have an ironic laugh and shake his head.
'' You expect me to believe that your FIRE powers would have spared those working in those fields? Do you take me for that much of an idiot? Earth's affair are mine as well, as it is my home.''
When Drake mentionned the possiblity of getting sucker-punched right after powering down, the alien would smirk. While he could have done that, it was a little funny to think that this loud, annoying hot-head of a human being was absolutely unaware that Vangreth could have simply incapacitated him without any effort if his wish had really been to do so... the alien was being really polite at this point to even allow him to talk still.
'' If I wanted you silenced, I would have not used under-handed tactics to stab you in the back, I would have over-powered you and drag you in the dust. I asked you to power down because I could have wounded you, and trust me, you are no match here.''
At this point, Vangreth was done playing games, it was either cooperation or he would get involved more than he already did.
Hearing the accusation Drake was throwing at this place, Vangreth would turn his gaze for a moment at the field... there was nothing out of the ordinary about those flowers... but then again, he had seen much more weird around here.
However, even Vangreth was aware that this kind of manipulation was plenty in Earth society, and if the plant, while adictive, was not harmful, then there was nothing more to it than any fast food.
'' So? Do you have any idea how addictive anything you eat is? Fast food? Sugar drinks? In big cities, there are countless produce just like these, why is this one worst? Fast foods have adds targeted at children, why don't you go ahead and destroy every single one in East City?''
Vangreth would frown, he was not exactly expecting the demon to change his mind, but there was a gap in logic he could not see there.
'' I don't understand everything about Earth just yet, but I am aware that these kind of 'exploit' are allowed, and thus, judged by Earth to be morally grey at best. If the plan is not harmful, then you have no argument for its destruction. Unless of course you have personnal gains to obtain with the gap that destroying this field would create.''
As far as the muko-jin was concerned, the gloves were off, and he was not going to hold back on accusation, especially after being assaulted like he was.
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Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Oct 5, 2020 17:23:09 GMT -6
"How magnanimous of you," The boy said dryly. Apparently, the pest thought it was a contradiction that Drake intended to spare non-fighters. "Not sure if I'm the first guy to break this to you, xeno, but we humans have something called 'legs' which are quite effective at removing us from situations such as a flaming angry dude busting through the main gate while you're standing next to flammable plants." If he had bothered to focus on his energy-sensing instead of trying to be smarmy, Vangreth would've been able to tell any regular human was far from the blast zone of the fields by now. "Yet I find myself totally unsurprised that a boisterous obstinate super-strong good guy like you wouldn't bother to fully assess the situation before immediately attempting to throw your weight around where it doesn't belong." It'd be better for 'Earth' and its people as a whole if people like him on both sides of the aisle up and disappeared. Drake's power was still manageable to an extent, and certainly not planet-destroying tier.
And then the Alien said possibly the stupidest thing Drake had ever heard. For a moment, all he could do was stare in disbelief, trying to see if Vangreth was trying to crack a joke or not. "Are you for real?" Even the hostility had dropped from the gangster's tone for a moment. "...Oh my gods you're being serious." Blinking, realizing that their tough-guy persona had faltered, Drake coughed and ruffled his jacket. "Listen. That's called habitual addiction and can happen to literally anything you do except for breathing. Since you're obviously ignorant of the subject, let me tell you about chemical addiction. Products or atomic bonds that specifically release nasty shit in your brain that makes you so dependent on the substance that people will literally fall ill and go to any lengths to get a fix. Regular humans die on a regular basis when it comes to objects that revolve around chemical addiction, did you know that? Course' not, why am I asking."
Of all things, Vangreth had the gall to call himself an Earthling. "You might have lived on our planet for what, a year? That doesn't make you an Earthling. You know nothing about our culture, our biology, or wants or needs. You insert yourself as a protector because you thought it'd be a nice thing to do. Yet at the same time, you don't bother to learn anything about us. Maybe you should sit down and read a few books before you go around and try and insert yourself into situations like these." Sure, at the end of the day, Drake was a bad dude. Yet his bad actions were made will full knowledge and hardly had terrible ramifications for the planet as a whole. Aliens like this with the power to level cities wandering around freely because they claimed to be 'helping' were dangerous. "By all means, if you want to stop me here and now, feel free to be the one explaining to parents why you continued to leave a product on the market that ended up harming hundreds of thousands of people. You stopped the real bad guy, right?"
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Post by Vangreth on Oct 5, 2020 17:46:15 GMT -6
Oh sure, now Drake cared about the people in the field... it was absolutely certain that someone as unstable as him had totally checked with his ki-sensing if there was anyone in the field at the moment he would blast to ash the fire he was about to create with that whole crop field. Vangreth was not buying for a second that this demonic butthead had did the slightest amount of care in all his operation.
'' Oh sure, because a gigantic fire created by setting a whole crop field on fire will only affect people in it. People are being paid to work both at making and selling that stuff, that's not even considering the massive effect a huge fire like this would have on the air, and spreading to the other fields nearby... it is you who haven't bothered to think about this situation. I belong here, between you and chaos, and nothing you say will change this.''
For a brief moment, although struck maybe by lucidity or reason, the demon's facade dropped for a moment, which surprised Vangreth a little, he had not heard his voice outside of shouting yet, and it was quite the oddity at that point.
But not, of course not, at the very moment the alien thought this guy was making some sense, he began to ramble again at how wrong Vangreth was... which from a certain point of view he was, but he was indeed talking about chemical addiction in the beginning. He would shake his head lightly, not even able to take the demon seriously from that point foward.
'' If you really think there are no chemical in your daily life on Earth that makes you addict to produce, then you have absolutely no idea what is going on in your world, and that is saddening.''
Were the only words he could say after such a display of ignorance.
Then, Drake came back with the attack on Vangreth's Earthling status... and while he almost made a point, the demon ended up confirming that he knew nothing about Vangreth's situation, which only tired the alien even more.
'' Look, I don't care that you do no consider me an Earthling. Even if I told you how wrong you are,you would not see it, this is not a debate.''
He sighed deeply after his sentence, unable to even grasp at where the 'Earthling''s mind was. The parent argument was even less valid in the alien's eyes, because if they were aware of the danger the drink was bringing, they wouldn't buy any and prevent their kids from doing so...
'' Okay. Your guy is fetching those 'proofs' of yours right? If, and ONLY if, they indicate that what you say is correct, that it is all done with malicious and ill intent, then I will destroy this field myself. Claim you did it and bring to honor to you, I don't care, but I won't let you destroy this for any OTHER shady reasons you might have. Meanwhile, keep that attitude of yours nicely tucked into your facade-breaking maneurism of yours, because if you get me to thrown another punch at you, I'll mean it this time.''
With that, the alien would turn his back to the demon and towards the building where his assistant had gone, half-expecting the building to have caught flames by now, as there was no reason to think his associates where more clear minded than he was.
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Drake
Newcomer
PL: 60,000
Smolder (x2P) Ignition (x4P)
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Post by Drake on Oct 5, 2020 20:06:07 GMT -6
"Oh sure, like we should care about the livelihoods of criminal-hired workers. They have a nest egg saved up. Not having enough cash to sustain for a year or two before you bounce to your next job is unheard of. And YOUR assumption is not even considering this!" With a snap, Drake summoned a small amount of fire that swirled around his finger idly. "I can control my own flames and anything that catches fire because of it. No blazing out of control and no smoke. So please, keep trying to find ways to make my plan seem incorrigibly evil." What kind of pyromancer couldn't control fire? That was their main gig. 'Oh no your fire will spread so you're the dumb one!'. It seemed they were both fond of making baseless accusations to some extent, though at least on Drake's side the veracity of Vangreth's repeated claims to have a grip on Earth as a whole was questionable at best.
"That's not the chemicals I mean, jackass. I know our produce and fast food has 'chemicals' in it no matter how 'boo-hoo sad' you think my knowledge of my own damn planet is. This is serious chemical addiction. Physical dependency and withdrawals that give you physical pain without it aren't the fucking same as a hamburger from McBaos. This whole conversation is just a constant back and forth of 'ooh you are ignorant, ha I win' and honestly it mostly seems that way because you can't be bothered to actually infer anything from my words. Must I truly go into such extrapolating detail to get it through your skull? And, before you bring it up, this is a slow-burn product. You won't immediately see negative effects for weeks or even months after consumption when you start. That conceals it from being immediately ousted legally or found out by its users. They sell this shit up until the breaking point and then the company magically vanishes only to wait quietly with its earnings while the outrage simmers down to go at it again."
Not that it'd matter. Drake was wrong and Vangreth was right. And Vangreth was stronger, so his opinion won. That's how the world worked nowadays. So lucky that Earth had these overpowered bozos flying around. "I don't need 'honor' from it," Drake said stonily. "And glad to know the one-hundred percent real Earthling is nice enough to threaten Lil' old me." The Alien could throw his punch for all he cared. It wasn't like Nichols was bound to find enough incriminating shit to convince the dipshit otherwise. The fields would go free and the company would pull their strings to cause a crisis, all because this guy decided that his intuition was flawless and that Drake was lying through his teeth. He could tolerate taking a punch or two, but Nichols didn't deserve this idiot's misplaced wrath if things went to shit. He was honestly concerned for the older man on multiple levels, but letting such emotions shine through to Vangreth would only cost him dignity and his position.
Nichols straightened his suit with a delicate hand, grumbling at the lack of a single button upon the upper torso. A relic due to the brawling he'd had to do with the remaining guards holed up in the main building, but luckily no blood was spilled. When taken unaware, most people crumpled like a paper bag when hit in the temple with the handle of a magnum. A few burning scraps of paper and manila folders had evaded him, showing that at least some of their records had been torched, but the man had been lucky enough to recover a large amount of the data. Enough data to prove the negative effects of the plant they were peddling, and the eventual business strategy of dissolution and relocation. Hopefully, Drake had managed to keep himself... well, alive. Injuries could be healed, but death was an ailment that simple gangsters like them couldn't cure. And the magic dragon most of Earth relied on to keep them in the living plane was closely guarded. Casually taking out his phone, the man dialed in three distinct numbers and put the device to his ear. "Emergency services? There is a fire and some gunshots down at the Sunny Juice Ranch."
Dropping it to the floor, the throwaway device met the end of Nichols' boot. He moved towards the front door, duffel bag of evidence slung around his shoulder as he threw the wide double doors open to see Vangreth and Drake not at each other's throats. The man didn't say anything at first, giving a curious, nonaggressive glance to the Alien. "Cops are en route. I plan to leave the evidence as a present for them at the front door. If the burning crop part of the plan has been canceled, then I believe we're done." Nichols strolled towards the pain, shrugging off the bag and hanging it next to the compound doors where the pair were. "You can take a look if you think anythings been doctored or forged... though it's of my opinion that the forensics team our police have would do a much better job at that." If Vangreth decided to check, he'd see the incriminating documents Nichols had recovered. More than enough to pressure Sunny Juice beyond a reasonable doubt into the realm of heinous criminality. "Either way I'll be waiting in the car. We have five minutes to take off before the oncoming cop cars cut off our route."
The issue of the fields or not could be left to the two fighting over it. As far as Nichols was concerned, the main goal had been accomplished. It would certainly be nice to torch the mass crop Sunny Juice had to prevent any sort of revival of the formula, but that would ultimately be decided on Vangreth's whim.
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Post by Vangreth on Oct 7, 2020 13:46:04 GMT -6
This back and forth with Drake had gotten Vangreth in a position of not caring. At this point, and to his eyes, the demon had lost every bit of credibility, and whatever he might have said simply bounced off the alien's indifference. Even the sarcastic comment about his 'one-hundred-percent Earthling' self threatening the demon failed to make him flinch, if the Earth-based demon wanted to pretend being natively Earthling gave him protection against the consequences of his acts, then the illusions were not Vangreth's job to clarify, he would eventually take a good old reality check, one way or another.
Something more interesting happened when the doors of the ranch opened, and the more traditionally dressed ganster came out, dropping what Vangreth assumed to be evidence on the porch. The alien took a quick glance at the bag, then back at the man, throwing a polite nod to him.
'' I will let the authority figure this out, I am not formed to detect forgery or any other kind of falsification. If you indeed found what you were looking for, then be on your way, and I shall do the same.''
It seemed that, at the very least, someone on Drake's side had a cooler temper and was able to act in a way that did not assure unecessary casualities, perhaps there was something more behind this group of whatever they were... mob did not seem appropriate, considering a regular mob would have simply ceased this whole operation and made it their own...
The man's attention then turned back to Drake, and with sigh, would try to converse again with the demon. Not that he needed to, and it was highly likely that he would get no answer or even be listened to, but he there were things to be said.
'' I recognize that my assumption that you had no control over flame was unfounded. It is the first time I see someone have that kind of control over it, and I've seen my fair share of people only able to produce flame directly. Apologizes about that. Also, it seems you have your heart in the right place, even if your methods are questionnable at best. ''
Vangreth would then slightly frown with a more serious look.
'' However, your visible hate and deducable inferiority complex towards aliens is deplorable. Earth's greatest defenders are not even natively human, and I am not speakingn of myself in any way here. Being born here does not allow you legitimacy over any other inhabitant of this planet, neither does being weaker justify your outrage. Today, you set out to stop an organization preying on children's addiction, and I personally made today about preventing deaths. Regardless of what you think, I firmly believe that this outcome is the best possible, and it is the result of our cooperation. ''
Vangreth took a deep breath and then gave half a smile to the demon.
'' I won't tell you to think over this, but your power is great. What you make with it will be important at time. Personally, I would rather see it as an ally, rather than an opponent.''
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