Bad Turns Worse [Finished]

[Kari Muffin]

The Highlands, again. He had once again been struggling to convince himself to revisit the house of e'Devya. The little Highlander girl had been so nice to him, but the fear of that scary old lady was a strong one. Even if she was probably dead, there was no point in taking chances.

Tonight he took the form of a lovely young lady. A Highlander of course, who had a few little scars here and there. One eye was a brightly colored gold while the other was his normal color. Not many people seemed to focus on his eyes though.

He really couldn't help but wonder how women could wear bras all the time. They were bloody uncomfortable but sometimes it was a bit worse without one. As he contemplated pointless matters he sipped on a brightly pink colored drink. Conway didn't bother to look around at the crowd, if he did he was sure that would cause suspicion. He played the part of a wallflower rather well.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It was a lovely outing with Xiven.

At least, it was supposed to be, but pregnancy did weird things to a woman. Xiven didn't seem to take kindly to Apocalypse's continued doubts that she was, in fact, carrying his children. He couldn't find the words to explain that after two pregnancies that weren't his and one miscarriage, he didn't have the emotional fortitude to deal with the letdown that would result if they weren't. Or, rather, he could find the words, just not in time. So he was left sitting there, waiting for her to finish whatever it was that she wanted to do.

Just him and a bar of bimbos.

Frankly, he wouldn't have noticed the one woman if it weren't for her enormous chest, but once he did, his eyes were focused. He watched her closer than he should have, his fascination clear on his face. It was a purely physical fascination until he caught her eyes.

Then he froze.

That wasn't usual. In fact, it brought back memories of something he'd seen once before - on the face of the person who was to blame for all of the wounds on his body. His muscles tensed. He couldn't let this slide.

So he stood, walked over to the table, wiping all evidence of familiarity off his face, instead giving the whorish Joker a rakish smile, his eyebrows arched. "Hey there, gorgeous," he purred. "Is this seat taken?"

[Kari Muffin]

Conway didn't notice the pale man. Not until he was right there, besides him. The Joker froze for one long moment as he stared up at the man, wide eyes. The face was impossible to forget, everything about him was just impossible to forget.

This was the man who had taken a nice chunk out of his ear, and who he had almost killed. Wonderful.

Conway gave the man a bright smile. "Of course you can, It's not every day I get to have the company of a handsome man like you," his voice was a smooth feminine one that he had heard not too long ago. There wasn't a hint of panic in it as he motioned to the chair.

Crap. CRAP. Had the King of Hearts figured it out? Conway's eyes remained locked on the man. Please let this just be a horrible mistake.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Oh, Apocalypse had thoughts about what this beautiful women really was. Frankly, there was no way for him to be absolutely certain that it was the same Joker, but the eyes... He just couldn't forget those damn eyes, especially not the pure black one. No matter what form that person had taken, that eye just hadn't changed. It had been unnerving. There was one last test.

Apocalypse had one last test to be sure, and that was to unleash his pain ability on the woman. Nothing would happen. That meant one of two things - either the woman was a Queen, and the bright red "K" upon her heaving breast disagreed heartily with that, or she was a Joker.

His expression remained utterly placid, betraying nothing more than interest in her beauty. "You're too kind," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand. Once he had it, he gripped it rather tightly. His prey was in his hands now. The man leaned in, whispering in the woman's ear, eyes locked on her. "I'd very much like to speak with you. In private." The word was hissed, leaving no room for question. He knew. He very much knew.

And he intended to fully repent for the beating he'd taken last time. This time, he wouldn't be the one shipped off to the hospital, a dagger in his gut. No, this time, the Joker would be leaving, and assuming no one stopped him, it would be in a bodybag. Apocalypse had been waiting a very long time for this opportunity, and he wasn't about to let it slip out of his hands.

[Kari Muffin]

For a moment Conway thought he was safe. Then the King had taken hold of his hand and squeezed. When he leaned forward to hiss in his ear the man almost jumped.

Oh no. No. No. NO. This wasn't happening. He couldn't run. Not now. He didn't have a chance. Maybe if he screamed someone would think the man was threatening an innocent woman? That was unlikely with the rank he was wearing.

Conway snorted as he slowly shifted so he could stand. "Very well then," he said quietly. Why had he shown mercy to the bastard? It had only caused this unfortunate problem. Conway could feel his heart pounding in his chest. There was no running from everything now.

He just had to win the fight again. But it wasn't going to be easy. He was already at the disadvantage of the man touching him, and knowing what he was capable of.

I don't want to die...

[carcinoGeneticist]

Panic was a beautiful expression on most people. It was simply the connotations of having someone you cared about panic that made it so disliked. In this moment, Apocalypse had never seen something as beautiful as the expression on the beautiful woman's face. He could see the recognition in her - his? - eyes, the realization of what his words had meant, the mental calculation of ways to get out of the situation.

Then there was the resignation, the understanding that there wasn't escape, not this time. He stood with the woman, shifting his grip so he was holding her slender wrist tightly. When he lead his captive out the door, he stood behind her, forcing her arm back slightly.

As soon as they were outside, Apocalypse forced her behind the building. It was quiet there, and there was no one around. He gave her a rough shove, snarling as he did. "Come on, Joker, I'm going to fucking kill you this time." Without any other pomp, the scythe was in his hands, and he was lunging for his intended prey.

[Kari Muffin]

Shit. What was he going to do? The man gave a panicked glance towards the terrifying King that was leading him outdoors. No escape. Everything had finally come back to bite him in the ass. He wasn't going to make it out of this one alive, was he? The hint of tears were in his eyes as he was roughly shoved away.

His eyes widened in a panic as his head snapped around to see the axe appear in the man's hands. "No! Please!"

He didn't have enough time to react properly. Conway found himself falling backwards as he shifted into the form of a cat. Feline grace should have at least helped him somewhat! A shrieking hiss escaped him, the man was going to make contact with him. There was no avoiding a hit at this range.

Shit. Shit!

Meanwhile Xiven had finally decided to be on her way. Pale really was pissing her off. Of course they were his. She was careful when it came to the few other people she slept with. He was the only one who could be!

Suits. This walk was longer than she remembered.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The strike wasn't as precise as it should have been, the strength behind the blow a little unfocused simply because of the rage that was fueling Apocalypse's movements. The blade cut a wide arc, aiming for the other man's neck in what he'd anticipated would be a wonderfully clean decapitation and the end of a torment that had gone on for far, far too long. The shifting of forms, though he'd seen it once before, still caught him somewhat by surprise and he overbalanced, almost stumbling.

The blade would catch Conway's shoulder, cutting across his flesh before catching against his collarbone. Apocalypse yanked hard, forcing the blade free again, his pulse quickening at the sight of blood.

He wouldn't be beaten this time. He had the upper hand, and he wasn't afraid of his new body anymore. He knew it, knew its limits, understood the magic he now possessed. He knew that Rhiannon had barely touched what she was capable of, that she wasn't half the fighter he was. He'd been training, and now... He had something for ranged combat, too, something that could save his ass even if Rhi wasn't going to help him.

He bared his teeth as he shifted his balance, thrusting forward with the weapon, intending to smash the flat top into Conway's midsection and force the man back into what would be a much more convenient range for attacking with his scythe.

[Kari Muffin]

That was the most horrible pain he had ever had the pleasure of experiencing at the the point of someone's blade. The sudden slicing into him had caught him completely off guard, and it wasn't until the mental hit his collar bone did the pain fully realize.

He screamed bloody murder as the blade was yanked out of him. He stumbled backwards frantically. No he wasn't going to die. His hear was pounding in his ears as he focused on the man in front of him, struggling to ignore the pain. It hurt so bad his vision was blurry.

But he couldn't die. He had to see June. He had to see her again. He shifted again, suddenly shrinking in size considerably. A mouse. A squeak escaped him as the weapon came towards him. He took to an animal form and ducked. In the motion he hoped to not only escape the trust but the general rage of the blade as he scurried backwards.

Every little movement hurt as he struggled to move.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Even though he was expecting it, the constant ability to shift certainly made things more difficult for Apocalypse. How could he aim for an enemy who could suddenly be much shorter or taller, that could grow or lose limbs as they saw fit? A wordless cry of frustration was ripped from his lips as he overshot with the weapon, the momentum carrying the rest of his body off-balance. He stumbled, began to trip, and only kept on his feet as he pushed the blade down, sinking the broken tip into the earth and using it almost as a cane of sorts.

He growled, yanking the weapon up and staring at the Joker, quickly firing two globs of ick at him, aiming for his feet. He wanted to try and get one stuck to the ground so that the creature couldn't escape.

Using a weapon was nice since it put distance between them, but... Apocalypse was realizing that it was a bad idea when it came to an opponent this unpredictable. He couldn't change his motions in time, the strikes were too dependent on momentum and balance. He waved his hand to dismiss the scythe. He didn't want to do this. He really was enjoying the feel of normal hands again.

But there was no choice.

"Beckon," he hissed between clenched teeth, his index finger twitching into a "come-hither" motion as he turned to face his opponent once more. Forearms beginning to twist, Apocalypse lunged once more. He could end this before the power-boost wore off, he was sure.

Large Ability
This SD is now able to spit small amount of exceedingly sticky fluid twice per day. They are very accurate and often aim for another SD's eyes. If the opponent has an amazing dodge ability they might be able to escape it, but it's less likely. The sticky-ness will force the opponents' eyes to shut for two hours or for any other part of them touching the stuff to be stuck there until it wears off in two hours.

Claw ability
Once a week, he is capable of saying the word Beckon, and motioning as though he wants the other to come forward, even if the motion is slight.
When he does this, his hands begin to swell massively at the wrist until each finger is about two feet long and tipped with a foot long razor sharp talon. This makes his palm about as big as his torso and his forearms swell slightly to match. He is imbued with a strengthening spell for a full ten minutes for the first part of this spell. During those ten minutes, he will be able to lift his arms as he normally would as though the added weight weren't there. After the ten, however, the weight will take its full toll...an extra 20lbs per hand. During this time, the fingers and palms grow thicker, leathery skin that can only be cut by magical weapons, fire, and Spade generated water. Spade's magically summoned water will begin to melt the flesh from his bones (only the hands) without any cure.
The claws can only be broken by summoned weapons, though the fingers themselves can be cut off more easily. His hands can easily engulf another person's head, or half of their torso.
Unfortunately, this makes the appendages clumsy, wielding any weapon in this state, except for Rhi, is nigh on impossible for him.
The state of this spell lasts for a full 24 hours. After the first three, the weight from his hands must be rested on something or chilled or his wrists risk snapping.