Jonathan Steele vs Cecilia Lombard - Falls Count Anywhere/Cinematic Match

[CaptainL]

She'd done it. She'd actually hit. Cecilia's knuckles buried themselves in the Anomaly's face. All in all, it was...easier than she'd expected. After all the time he had spent building himself up, posturing and threatening her, Cecilia was half-expecting the punch to miss, or for him to block it, or maybe her fist would burst into flames as she got too close...no, no, what was she thinking; that was absurd. But she had hit him. Slowly, she began to look back up, locking her eyes on her opponent once again. She took in a few deep breaths, her shoulders rising and falling each time as she tried to regroup and recenter herself. This wouldn't be so bad after all, she reminded herself. She had hit Jonathan. That told her that at the end of the day, he was still mortal. And whatever she could do to him, it would still hurt...

She thought, anyway. Just then, Cecilia's thoughts were cut off as the Anomaly broke out into a peal of wicked laughter! Cecilia's jaw dropped as she looked back up at him with a gasp. Had she even hurt him at all!? Now, Cecilia knew all too well she couldn't trust what she knew about anything, whether that was herself, her opponent, or her own reality. Even the moves she thought would work barely even seemed to register. A moment ago, the thought that the Anomaly could be damaged had given Cecilia relief. Now, she wasn't so sure...and, as her teeth clenched and a chill ran through her veins, she was all too aware that the implications of that fact went far deeper, and far worse.

Either way, Cecilia's mind had turned away from the match at hand - and for the Anomaly, that meant it was time to strike. She wasn't doing anything to protect herself as the Anomaly's fist shot forward, catching her square in the stomach! Cecilia let out a cough, her face contorting in pain as she doubled over forward at the waist and gasped out a hoarse breath. Shortly thereafter, her footing gave out, and she fell back into the snow. The chill of the snow against her back shook Cecilia back into reality for just a moment; she clenched her teeth and hissed at the uncomfortable sensation, but then she reminded herself that if she was uncomfortable, she wasn't unconscious. In this match that was good enough for anything. Unfortunately, the Anomaly wasn't going to go any easier on her.

Cecilia pressed her hands against the ground behind her, moving to lift herself to her feet. But just as she did, the Anomaly's fist struck out again, once again sending her head back with a crack before she fell to the ground in a puff of snow! Her entire face had grown numb - did Jonathan always hit so hard? Regardless, she grabbed a handful of snow and began to rub it into her face in an effort to kill the pain. It wouldn't matter. Standing around and thinking things through was too dangerous. For now, she just had to keep moving in case any opportunities offered themselves! For now, Cecilia would roll to the side, looking to get more distance between herself and her foe before the Anomaly could make his next move. Whatever that would look like, waiting around was far too dangerous!

[Pegasus]

This was almost too easy. Now that Jonathan called upon The Anomaly, he had better advantage and immunity to pain. The only way Cecelia could get away now was to just run and hope that the demon or Kanon couldn’t reach her which would be impossible since they had their magical abilities. Not to mention, this was The Anomaly’s realm so everything bent to his will no matter the opponent. The Anomaly was an unstoppable force as he walked towards Cecelia laughing darkly and he leered closer stalking his prey.

The only way Cecelia could get her head straight and get some distance was to go straight to extreme rules. There was 2x4 planks sitting around, steel poles from collapsed tents, heck, even a snowball barrage would ward off the demon. If anything to get some distance and maybe stake out. It might be Cecelia’s only way out right now….

[CaptainL]

As Cecilia rolled out of the Anomaly's way, she panted for breath, getting a knee underneath her as she began to push herself back up. When she looked back over in her opponent's direction, she sucked in a breath; her teeth clenched in a tense grimace, and her eyelid twitched. All he did was laugh. All he did was laugh, and stare back at her with a single-minded glare that seemed to cut right through to her soul. He wasn't blinking; he didn't even falter as he came trudging toward her through the snow. Surely he could have closed in on the distance by now, but he was taking his time. Almost as though he was merely toying with her. The more she thought about how strong her opponent must have been to afford such a flippant attitude toward his foe, the more nervous Cecilia grew. She was used to feeling like a threat in her matches - as the sort of wrestler her opponents would be afraid of. Now, though, she was feeling much more the part of the helpless victim. And the monster had her in its sights.

There was one bright side to the situation, though - if the Anomaly was taking his time in closing in on her, Cecilia would have time to prepare. Her eyes shot left and right to scan the area around her, taking note of what options she had. She quickly noted the weapons she had lying around. Her punches might not have done much good, but surely even if he was on this kick, Jonathan would still crumble under a good blow from a steel pole. Plus, the length of the weapon would help keep him at bay, preventing her from having to get too close for comfort. Cecilia shuddered to herself; she could hardly believe she was actually playing it this defensively. It wasn't like her...but it was necessary, at this point. There was no time to reflect on how helpless she felt. She needed to act!

Grabbing one of the steel poles, Cecilia tried to yank it out of the icy ground with a few sharp tugs. The ground held fast - causing her to hiss under her breath the more she pulled to no avail as the pole refused to budge - but if she could get it out in time, she would whip it around in an arc to try and strike at the Anomaly. She could only hope that he wouldn't have gained on her too far by the time she had it in her clutches...

[Pegasus]

The Anomaly just simply chuckled darkly watching Ceceila struggle to pick up the steel pole and thought all this effort would be for nothing. But Cecelia was known to have fury and vengeance in her blood when it boiled. The Ice Bitch swung the pole hitting the demon in the gut sending him flying into the snow on his back as he laid still. Had that actually work? One shot was all it took? Of course not. His immunity to pain still had the upper hand.

The Anomaly got back up to his feet quickly as he glared down Cecelia, but fortunately for her, the pole would keep him at bay. However, not the others he had brought.

“JACKALS!” The demon cried as he pointed at the steel pole. “SEIZE!”

[CaptainL]

The steel pole was about as heavy as one would have expected such an item to be, and the fact that it had been shoved into the cold, hard ground wasn't doing Cecilia any favors in retrieving it. She hissed under her breath and clenched her teeth, her brows furrowed as she strained with all the effort she could to rip it out of the earth. When the Anomaly was bearing down on her, coming steadily closer, it put all the more pressure on her to act fast. She really didn't like that she had to cut things this close. But if he was going to shrug off everything she threw his way, like it meant nothing, she had no choice but to escalate things to the next level.

At last, the pole popped out of the ground, and Cecilia twirled it through the air, striking the Anomaly in the gut just in time! As he fell back into the snow, Cecilia leaned forward and breathed a sigh of relief. At last, she was actually having some effect. She remained on her toes, of course - with all she had seen from her opponent thus far, she knew well that it would be a mistake to underestimate him. When he was this durable, she was sure that not even a good smack from the pole would be enough to keep him down for long. But she had at least bought herself some time, and she clutched the pole tighter in her hands, starting to move in toward her fallen foe. At the least, she could score more hits on him now, and she could do so from a safe distance.

Or so she thought - because it would be a mistake for Cecilia to assume anything was safe when the Anomaly was around. Suddenly, he called out. And Cecilia looked left and right in confusion to see that two more women had joined the fray! Once, they were Kyoko Kobashi and Misako Enjoji, members of the Heartbreakers. But now, they too had fallen under the Anomaly's sway and become Saku and Miza - the Wild Jackals.

Spoiler

"What...the hell!? How-!?" Cecilia's eye twitched nervously - she hadn't even seen the two girls here; where did they come from? In that time, her attention was off the match - and that gave the Jackals the perfect opportunity to strike. They grabbed at each end of Cecilia's pole, trying to jerk it out of her hands. Cecilia snarled through clenched teeth, only clutching the pole tighter as she tried to pull it back. "HEY!! Let go-!" She had fought too hard for this advantage; she wasn't about to let it go now!

Miza, the one in white, wasn't bothered by her resistance, though - she tilted her head to the side as though it flopped limply and lifelessly, giggling from behind her mask. Cecilia only glared back into her eyes. But once again, she was reminded she wasn't alone.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Spoiler

Once again, Cecilia looked up toward the source of he noise. Once again, it came from someone she hadn't noticed there before, standing atop a ledge on the mountainside. This time, it took her a moment to discern what was going on - she leaned in closer, her eyes squinting to try and discern the new arrival. It didn't ring any bells at first. But then, she froze, realizing that she did know this person. She had changed almost everything about herself - her hair, her outfit, her attitude - but Cecilia knew her well.

"...Marzia?"

The moment she heard this, however, "Marzia" narrowed a glare at Cecilia, and her teeth clenched in a snarl as she jumped down from her ledge. "SHUT UP!! I don't wanna hear that name again, got it?! My name is Roxanne!" The now white-haired woman leaned in toward Cecilia, her brow furrowed and her hands clenched tightly into fists. The ferocity she showed was enough to make even Cecilia lean back from her. The third member of the Wild Jackals had made herself known.

[Pegasus]

The Jackals had arrived and were currently struggling in order to get the steel pole out of Cecilia's hands trying to throw out the one advantage that she managed to find even if it didn't hurt the demon at all. Cecilia proved resilient, however, keeping an ice cold grip on the pole not letting it out of her grasp anymore. It was a fierce game of tug of war between Miza and Saka and Cecilia as neither side was giving an inch even as Roxanne Wolf joined the picture. Just the mere name of her former identity disgusted her and she even made Cecilia back up in shock. Cecilia was no longer the bad bitch she thought she was. That title belonged to Roxanne and it was going to stay that way if she had her say in the matter.

The Anomaly howled in laughter as he came over to swipe Cecilia in the side and knock her back into the snow as The Jackals held onto the pole as he ordered them to drop it. He stalked Cecilia and walked slowly trudging his feet through the snow grunting as he chuckled darkly. Even if this looked to be a squash match, The Anomaly loved playing his mind games and this would be no different. Cecilia caused lots of pain to others and shoved away her friends for a broken down rugrat that shared a common upbringing to her. This will be corrected. Cecilia will accept them as her new fate and she will feel every bit of pain she inflicted onto others. The Anomaly towered over her and leaned in to say one word: "RUN."

"RUN! RUN! RUN!"

He had hoped that this would give Cecilia confidence in getting away to a better vantage point as she was back on the defensive. Even if Cecilia was a bit defiant at being told to run away, she could only understand that she would only suffer more out here in the cold weather as snow picked up heavily. Plus, it was time for the Jackals to feast and pounce.

"JACKALS! CHASE!" The Anomaly ordered as he pointed after Cecilia wanting them to hightail it after the Ice Bitch, who would no doubt try to find some shelter to regroup.

[CaptainL]

With Marzia - no, Roxanne - leaning in toward her, her eyes burning with rage, Cecilia could only grit her teeth in a grimace. The corner of her eyelid twitched nervously as her fists balled up at her sides from the nervous energy building inside of her. This wasn't supposed to be happening to her. Cecilia was supposed to be fierce, bold, in control. Nothing scared her; she was what everyone else was scared of. The very fact that she was feeling this much doubt, this much hesitation - that she was questioning if she really could handle a situation like this - was a betrayal of everything Cecilia knew about herself. Or thought she knew. Years ago, she had sworn she would never feel so small, so weak, so helpless ever again. But when she was next to the Anomaly, when she felt his full power...nothing was certain. Everything was a looming threat, and there was nothing she could trust, not who she thought was a friend, or what she knew to be true. Right now, Cecilia felt like the scared little girl on the streets of Detroit she swore she had left behind.

She quickly shook herself, trying to force that thought out of her head as she bit down on her lip. No, no - she had to focus! It would do her no good to get caught up in her fears now, when it was all the more pivotal that she take action. She was facing a dangerous foe, and she would surely regret it if she was to let down her guard! Cecilia was shaken back into reality as she felt another sharp jerk at the pole she held onto, threatening to jerk it out of her hands. But she snarled and glared back at the Anomaly as she tried to yank the pole back her way, trying to take back the control she so desperately fought to hold onto. She couldn't let up now. She could still fight!

At least, she thought she could. In the time Cecilia had gotten lost in her own thoughts, she had let down her guard. The Anomaly had seen that - and he knew it was the perfect opportunity to pounce. Suddenly, he swung out, his blow slamming into Cecilia. And Cecilia had no way to prepare for it. With a groan, her grip on the pole dropped, and she went falling back into the snow, shivering as the landing sent a chill down her spine. But she couldn't let it stop her for long. She had to keep fighting back, she said to herself. She had to survive...and she had to prove she could still fight back.

As the Anomaly came closer and closer, steadily closing in on his prey, Cecilia glared back up at him from the ground. Her body tensed up; she sucked in a breath and held it there, afraid to let it pass. She looked up at the Anomaly, trying to stare back at him with defiance; with a silent challenge. But it was hopeless. Cecilia knew that whatever power she thought she had was no good here. It was the Anomaly who was in control - of his minions, of the surroundings. The least Cecilia could do was to deny him control over her, too.

Then, he began to speak. Cecilia shuddered and shivered, her eye twitching nervously as she heard that one word. Run. At first, she grit her teeth, refusing to so much as acknowledge it. She couldn't run. She was too strong, too brave; she could handle this. She wouldn't give the Anomaly what he wanted; she had to stand up for herself. To stand up to him.

But then, he said it again. And again. It began to echo in her ears; Cecilia didn't know how much of what she was hearing came from the Anomaly and how much came from herself. All she knew was that...she couldn't resist it any longer. The very presence of the Anomaly was a poison to her. Every instinct she had was telling her to get away, as fast and as far as possible. To hell with the implications; she just wanted to save her own hide.

Cecilia pushed herself up from the snow, turning and running as fast as she could. The snow was deep, and she blundered more than she would've liked as she tried to keep a swift pace through it, cursing and hissing with every step. It was starting to slip down her boots, too, sending an icy chill through her nerves whenever it brushed her skin. But she couldn't let that get to her. The good thing about this match was that she at least had favorable terrain she could manuever around. She had places she could hide. As she came to an old, abandoned house, Cecilia ran around the side, pressing her back up against the wall as she panted for breath. She knew, of course, that the Jackals would be in hot pursuit. But she hoped she could lose them for at least a little while.

Meanwhile, back at the campground, Roxanne grumbled to herself, cracking her knuckles and working some kinks out of her neck before she turned back toward her master. "Let me after 'er," she hissed. "I'm not done with her yet!"

[Pegasus]

The Anomaly wanted Cecelia to fear him and make her regret thinking she was safe. A demon didn’t fear mortals. A demon didn’t even fear anything. When such trickery and power was at his disposal, what did he even have to fear? He could place anyone he wanted under his control, he could mimic the voice of anyone he crossed, and just his dark presence alone could strike fear into adversaries. He was the ultimate opponent and this was his realm. Cecelia could only run in the direction of a broken and abandoned house as the building had fallen on hard times. Windows were boarded up, but the glass was cracked in a few places. The door was just a broken pallet as the original wooden door was nowhere in sight. Without the snow there, there would be no grass and only bare soil long forgotten since the owners had moved out.

Roxanne was growing restless in the search as The Anomaly, Kanon, and the Jackals had approached the house knowing this was Cecelia’s last known whereabouts. Cecelia might try to surprise them, but covering their tracks from every angle would benefit the numbers game going on in this match.
The Anomaly tapped Roxanne’s shoulder and pointed to her and Saka to take the left side of the house. He then pointed to Kanon and Miza to take the right side. He went up the cracked concrete steps of the home and busted through the pallet roaring loudly as he stepped into the darkness.

[CaptainL]

Cecilia bit her lip, settling against the wall of the dilapidated house. She hated that she was doing this. It wasn't like her to run away like this - to turn her back to her problems. She was supposed to be capable of taking anything head-on. Conquering any obstacles in her way. She was tough, she was assured, she didn't have any doubts about what she could do. So what was she doing here, running away and hiding, like a frightened child - like the very thing she swore she'd never let herself be again?

She shook herself, grumbling a few times under her breath. Her heart was pounding, and even the chill of the air didn't seem to reach her when her muscles were still warm with exertion. As a matter of fact, she knew exactly why she was running away. People, she could deal with. They could be manipulated. They were predictable. She knew how to mess with their heads. But whatever the Anomaly was...it sure as hell wasn't human.

She wouldn't have much time to think. She heard footsteps coming toward her from either side. When she looked to her left, there was Kanon and Miza - the albino staring straight toward her coldly and uncaringly; the white-clad Jackal letting her head roll to the side as a giggle left her throat. "Come on ooout, Ceciliaaaaaa...~ we're waaaaaiting...~" she lilted. To her right, Saka stormed toward her, while Roxanne bent low to the ground, pawing her foot against the soil as though threatening to charge while her hands curled into fists - or claws? "Dammit...you're not getting away-!" she barked. Cecilia straightened herself, sucking a hoarse breath in through her clenched teeth. No way to go. They were surrounding her; a little more and she would be completely boxed in - a thought she wasn't even willing to entertain the possibility of. For a moment, she looked over her shoulder to the window, and the prospect of escaping inside the house came to her. But that thought was almost immediately silenced when she heard the door burst inward, and the roar of the Anomaly from beyond! Cecilia grew tense, all too aware of her predicament. She couldn't step back inside without delivering herself right into the belly of the beast!

Then, Cecilia's gaze went in one other direction - up. She glanced up at the rooftop, just overhead. Could she make it? She would have to jump, and if she missed, the consequences could be disastrous - especially with her foes closing in on her from all directions. But there was no other way. Sucking in a breath to steel herself, she hopped off the ground, reaching out to grab the overhanging roof. She could only hope she'd make it...

[Pegasus]

The Anomaly stalked and walked through the halls of the abandoned house going through a living room with tattered furniture as well as broken logs in the fireplace. A kitchen that had no refrigerator or even a stove to cook food. There were also some bedrooms in the back as the demon flipped over beds and looked inside closets. He chopped tables in half and took boards off the windows when he couldn’t find his opponent. The back of the house—his disciples inched closer and he would approach a boarded window. She had to be there….she was just around the corner….she would be his.

The Anomaly reared back his right hand and bursted through the window scratching only the side of the house. He tore the boards off the window and roared bursting through the entirety of the glass seething in anger. The demon only saw his disciples as they would also catch nothing, but the sound of footsteps on the roof perked the hearing of the demon. He jumped out into the snow and looked up seeing Cecelia escaping. The Anomaly roared in anger that he was tricked like that, but it didn’t really matter. The chase was the chase. However, he couldn’t get up to the rooftop himself without a little supernatural trickery. He looked towards Roxanne and pointed to the other Jackals as if telling her to lead them up to the roof.