TPK (Pt. 3): Give Me Victory or A Dance With Death

--- Joshua ---

He told Avery, “Keep that bottle, ready I’m not losing no matter what.” before downing the shot of Madness and feeling as if he was being dunked into a vat of cold water.

---

He gasped, as his entire body lurched forward and he found himself once more pinned to the arena wall by the sword through his arm.

“Oh, that’s good I was half-scared I’d killed you with the way you passed out.” TPK admitted with that (infuriating) smirk of hers. “I guess that means you’re just one of those guys who falls asleep before the girl is done.”

He gave her a dark look as he reached into his jacket and pulled out another vial of Malice before pulling the cap off with his teeth and proceeding to down the vial as fast as he would a shot of Madness.

All around him he began to hear music filling the air, and hearing that (sweet sadistic symphony of sound and swing) as he grabbed the blade pinning his arm to the wall he couldn’t help but smile as he ripped the sword out of both in a spray of blood and ink.

“Oh, darlin’ you’ve no idea what kind of demon you’re bringing out of me.” He grinned, swinging the ink stained sword through the air as if it weighed nothing at all.

TPK shook her head, “You’ve been making some big promises kid and you’ve yet to-”

An oversized toon hand shot at the guild lieutenant, his arm stretching several meters as his hand slapped against the ground, and his opponent just barely avoided getting squashed as she leapt backwards.

Rather than just retracting his hand he dug his fingers into the ground and pulled himself to his hand, before using his momentum to swing the oversized sword enough force that the only reason it didn’t cleave TPK in two was because she bent over backwards to avoid the slash. Which unfortunately meant she was in no position to avoid the toonified backhand he threw back as he pulled his hand from the dirt.

The guild lieutenant went flying before flipping in the air and hitting the ground in a three point slide.

“Alright, that’s what I’m-” TPK leaned to the side to avoid being impaled to the arena wall by her sword, much as he had been just a moment prior. Something that kept her from noticing as he wrapped his Ink Whip around her arm, before pulling her towards him.

Shifting his ink through his hand he was about to use his Toon Hand to slam her into the ground, when much like he had with her sword TPK used the momentum of his pull to swing her axe at him with enough force that he could see the air splitting in its wake.

Reacting more on reflex than any thought, he slid his feet across the ground as he spun his body around, somehow managing to both avoid being cleaved in two by TPK’s axe and end up behind the older woman with an arm around her and an Ink Knife to her throat.

“I hope you don’t mind beautiful, but I feel it’s my turn to lead this dance.” He warned her, some part of him able to think beyond the hot older woman currently pressed up against his body.

(Trust me, you’ll get more than used to it, kid.)

“I’ll admit, that was some fancy footwork.” TPK told him, as he felt several parts of her begin to tense.

(Don’t let her turn this around.)

Rather than letting her do whatever she was going to to break free, he instead spun her around to face him and took a step closer making it impossible for her to get the leverage to swing her axe at him as he took her free hand in his and held it up.

“If we’re going to dance, then shouldn’t we dance?” He asked by way of explanation, purposely spinning the two of them to keep her from getting her feet underneath her.

“I, uh, what?” The older woman blinked, as he continued to move them in a way that he hoped would force her to drop the axe, so that he could drop the act, and her in turn.

“What? Can’t you hear the music in the air?” He wondered aloud, beginning to hum to the tune in his head as he sped their movements up.

“That, uh, that doesn’t sound like this kind of dance.” TPK pointed out after a few moments (of still holding onto that stupid axe.)

“True.” He admitted with a nod, before giving her a grin as his patience began to wear out. “It’s more this kind of dance.”

He pulled back a step as leaned backwards, before stepping forward and swinging his head straight into hers.

“Fuck!” TPK cursed as she stumbled back.

“Oh, we haven’t gotten to that part yet.” He warned her, as he once more pulled her towards him before swinging them in another circle in one last attempt to get her to lose her weapon.

Feeling her beginning to tense as she tried to lift her axe, he went ahead and called this a bad bet and let go of her on their next swing causing her to stumble back a step. Leaving her open for a toon hand to her face.

Or so he thought as she instead caught his hand in hers.

“You know what?” The redhead asked with a grin as she licked a bit of blood from her lip. “I think this dance is more my pace.”

The gang lieutenant released his oversized hand before grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him in close as she swung them both around with her axe raised into the air, chasing after him to split him in-

---

“Fuck!” He gasped shooting up from the cabaret floor before grabbing onto a nearby table and pulling himself to his feet, where he found another glass of spirit raising spirits waiting for him.

Grabbing the glass he raised it into the air and said, “Third times the charm.” before downing it and feeling a wave of hot water rush over him.

---

He pushed himself off of the ground where he’d landed and saw as a massive gash in his side stitched itself shut with a series of black and red tendrils. Ink, blood, and Madness doing all they could to keep him alive and in one piece.

“Getting up for a third round.” TPK whistled as he climbed to his feet. “Not many guys can do that.”

“What can I say? I’ve got grit and gumption.” He told her, trying very hard to cover up the fact that he was having trouble breathing and could taste blood in his mouth. (Think she hit a lung with that last one.)

Refusing to show blood in the water he gave the redhead a once over, and admitted, “Then again it might just be the woman I’m with, being too hot to stop.”

“Yeah, who knows when the next time you’ll get a girl like me.” TPK nodded as she hefted her axe over her shoulder before blurring out of existence. “You should enjoy it while you can.”

The moment he heard her voice, he rolled forward; just barely avoiding a repeat of his last two performances as the gang lieutenant’s blade cleaved through the air above him.

“Same to you. Most guys probably don’t last this long, with a woman as feisty as you.” He pointed out, stalling as he got to his feet. “So what do you say, we enjoy this chance and have another round of fun, eh?”

The redhead giggled before giving him a vicious grin. “Let’s.”

She moved before him, but he moved more smoothly, as TPK rushed forward and slammed her axe down in a skull splitting strike that he stepped around, spinning his knife for a retaliatory slash. One that failed to connect as his opponent used her axe to leverage herself at an angle she couldn’t naturally make before lashing out with a kick to his stomach, sending him sliding back a couple of meters.

He tried very hard not to think about how many ribs that single blow must’ve cracked if not outright broken.

(I can’t keep taking hits… My healing factor is barely keeping up… I’m barely keeping up…) He was forced to admit, feeling a faint exhaustion throughout his mind and body as TPK rushed him once more.

(Need something big to put her down.) He decided, as he avoided another flurry of swings, only managing because of the size and heft of the weapon she was twirling about slowing her down.

(Madness field it out, I’ve got one maybe two toon hands left, and I’m just about out of ink.) He listed, running an inventory of his situation.

(Quit thinking about what we can’t do, and focus on what we can.)

He blinked, before shaking his head as he caught sight of something as he weaved between TPK’s onslaught.

(Yeah, might be able to make something work with that…)

Manipulating his ink he ducked beneath one another one of the gang lieutenant’s swings, before throwing an Ink Blot at her face.

“Frak, what is this shit?!” TPK cursed as she leapt back, swiping at her eyes.

Aware that this was likely his only chance he rushed forward, twirling his ink whip around his hand as he did so before leaping at the guild boss with a superman punch.

He didn’t know how she knew, but even blinded TPK stepped to her side avoiding the blow to her head, that between his weight, increased strength, and toon hands could’ve done some serious damage to her.

Luckily that blow would’ve just been a bonus to give an opening, as instead he threw his hand out and sent his Ink Whip to grab the ink stained broadsword he’d left in the arena wall before pulling it towards him with a spin.

As he pulled the blade shot out of the wall and whistled through the air towards him, before giving into the momentum of his spin and swinging into a heavy strike across TPK’s torso sending her flying back as he retracted the blade towards him.

Not letting up he chased after her blade in hand before raising it for an overhead strike on his blinded foe.

The redhead stilled for a split second before letting go of her axe and rolling to the side, somehow managing to once more avoid his attack despite her impairment.

(Well… At least I got her axe away from her…) He noted, attempting to stay positive despite his practically empty reserves.

“Gah, that was a dirty trick.” TPK told him as she finally cleared her eyes of his ink.

“Really? You seem to be… enjoying it.” He pointed out with a glance to her grinning face, hoping to keep her talking so he could catch his breath and figure out his next move.

“Oh, I am.” The redhead admitted with a sinful smirk. “Though I hope you know you’re not the only one who can be dirty.”

He gave her a grin and a shrug. “Don’t worry, I don’t kink shame.”

“Good then just let me pull out a few more toys.” TPK smiled as she pushed both of her hands through the holes in the air before pulling out another pair of weapons.

“Kinky.”

---

“Oh, she is fucking me… up…” He coughed, having to roll over rather than being able to actually pick himself off the ground.

“Are you okay?” Avery asked, helping him up to his feet.

“No, I’m too tired to pull out the big moves, I can barely focus, and my Ink Well is just about empty.” He explained to the cabaret manager, before grabbing the glass of spirit raising spirits off of the table. “At this point I’m just going to have to brute force it until I beat her.”

“Can you beat her?” Avery frowned with a fair bit of concern. “You’ve already burned through two of our resources trying to beat her.”

“Well you know the saying… give me victory or give me death.” He told the Boss Dream before downing his glass and being thrown back into the cold of reality.