#vaalka

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aaannnnddd me the one terran

Pillow Fight

Border-Planet Nedul, 2512 Surface Time- 03:00  DST The air was riddled with the dust of a dying sandstorm, small rocks striking against Vaalka's obsidian armor on occasion as he strode beyond the border of the Daelaam nexus point. He was still not accustomed to following Templar order, and so when it came time to start playing nice with the terrans of the Dominion, he truly began to ponder the worth of his so-called brethren. The many annoyances of such bureaucracy was taxing on Vaalka's patience, and so he sought solitude...but today there was a different reason for his retreat. Today he was goading prey, for he had been the target of four separate attacks from Tal'darim blood hunters; all in secret, all keeping their silence as to -why- his death was sought or by whom. He suspected Dal'vak, but in truth it could have been anyone. Regardless, it would end today. He crushed a budding plant into the impacted earth as he walked, keeping a careful eye on the high cliffs at each of his sides. He'd realize the crevice reminded him much of the Pits of Ascension, wondering to himself just how many Tal'darim were sent after him in total. Killing all of them would certainly send a message. ~...sweeeush...~ Vaalka could feel the air ripple with psionic energy as something appeared behind him, the practiced warrior awaiting the perfect time to ignite his blades. Seconds ticked by like hours as he awaited the inevitable attack, growing quickly frustrated when nothing struck. "Vaalka."  a voice; female and younger than he; an opponent lacking experience, he assumed. Despite this, he could sense the power that leaked from her; it surpassed the four assassins he'd fought combined...Good. He turned slowly to face her, narrowing his eyes.

"Who are you to address me with such callous familiarity?" he questioned. The female stood with her bane-blade already ignited, a strangely elegant looking craft for a Tal'darim weapon, long and slender with tapering edges. It wouldn't hold up as parrying weapon...Vaalka would break it, he decided. "I am Virai, Fleet-Lord of the Tal'darim. Highlord Alarak calls for your head. I intend to deliver." she spoke without emotion, her words measured. He recognized the name and remembered her face on the very edges of his memory. The female actively sought to go unnoticed, succeeding in the task with many, even Vaalka...Nearly. "The Highlord's pet..." Vaalka chuckled, a sound entirely devoid of any true humor, "You will fall like the others." "We shall see." Virai answered, taking a stance more favored by Nerazim warriors than the Tal'darim. 'Interesting...'  he thought. 

Vaalka wasted no more time, charging with force enough to crack the earth beneath him, bane-blades already slashing.   His prey vanished in a flash of red energy, his experience telling him to plant his foot and swing backward.  As he did, his blades clashed with the edge of Virai's, the blood hunter turning his strike up and away, delivering a hard kick to his chest that sent him skidding backward. She let out a small chuckle and turned her blade behind her back, re-assuming her stance. Annoyance began to crawl beneath his skin as he charged again, vaulting with psionic power at his heels for momentum's sake.  Virai met the charge head on, dodging and parrying in tandem with Vaalka's carefully timed strikes. She threw a downward arc off course, sending Vaalka into a tumble. Despite his armor, he sprung to his feet evenly. "You believe yourself stronger than I?" he challenged, taking a more defensive stance. "No."  was Virai's only reply as she vanished. Vaalka attempted to turn and raise an arm to block, only to realize all too late that she wasn't trying for a backstab.  He grunted as his knee was kicked out, Virai taking hold of him and bending low, throwing him over a deep stance that taught him what dirt tasted like. "...but I -am- faster." she whispered, planting a foot on his chest. It was insult after insult with this one... In a flash of movement, Vaalka jerked a clawed hand up, sending a bolt of jagged red lightning dead center across her chest. Virai let out a startled cry and vanished, reappearing several feet away with smoke rising from her armor. "-Good-." Vaalka growled, rising to his feet quickly. "I savor the -chase-..." He kept his opponent at range for time with volleys of lightning and throwing knives, awaiting until she became angry enough to charge in blind. The moment never came, Virai maintaining her distance as if agility and endurance was all she'd ever known, dashing closer and closer into Vaalka's defensive space until he was forced to begin swinging his bane-blades again to fend her off.   Vaalka did not savor the sensation of his strategy being turned against him, his strikes becoming more aggressive as he drove more and more power behind them. "Is -this- the best Alarak has to offer?" he snarled, swinging wildly as Virai -just- skid past him, "It seems his warriors have lost their edge!" Virai remained unsettlingly quiet, continuing to dodge and weave through his attacks. "Strike back you -weakling-!" he barked, stomping a foot down to send a wave of vicious power at her. Vanishing again, the last thing he glimpsed of her were narrowed scarlet hues, sensing her materializing in his blindspot as time seemed to slow. "If you insist." he heard whispered before a sudden, alarming pain lashed from his side all the way up his back. Vaalka could feel the power placed behind her strike, a wave of psionic force passing through his body, rattling his bones. He could feel his armor puncturing his side for a split second before Virai's arms wrapped around his head, throwing the larger warrior entirely over her shoulder, his body colliding with the unforgiving ground in a cacophonous clatter. Curling his claws into the baked earth, his body began to tremble with fury, sparks of red and white arcing off of his armor as he forced himself up to a kneeling position and roared, unleashing a gout of arcing electricity that managed to strike Virai completely across her chest, sending the huntress flying backward. Her body struck the ground hard, bouncing twice before she finally came to a skidding stop. Vaalka would give her no quarter as he charged at a full tilt sprint, power scorching the ground with every step as he brought his blades up for an arcing slash that was sure to not only cleave his opponent's weapon in twain, but also the protoss behind it. Virai had raised herself to her feet in the time it took Vaalka to cover the ground between them, bringing up her weapon to block just as Vaalka wanted her to. He laughed his victory as he stepped into his swing, readying to cleave her in two. That was how it was supposed to go anyway. Before his eyes, the huntress's scythe pulled apart at the middle, his blades slicing only empty air as Virai swiftly side-stepped his charge and slashed with one side of her bane-blade, Vaalka's azure blood splattering into the dirt and onto Virai's armor. Mastering the agony quickly, Vaalka turned on his opponent and sized her up once again. Virai did much the same, the two carefully taking steps in a circle for several seconds before lunging in the same second. Weaving, dodging, striking and blocking; the two handled combat with such swiftness that it would have looked like a well practiced dance if there had been any observers. Vaalka had one trick she surely couldn't counter, something he kept protected well behind mental barriers as he knocked Virai's incoming strike wide, his clawed fingers reaching for her face as he summoned the entropic force he'd become so efficient at using. As he did, he felt an overwhelming presence on his mind before a voice he despised utterly echoed through his thoughts. "I don't think so..." none other than Highlord Alarak chuckled. Vaalka felt his attempt to drain Virai's life-force fizzle out, his eyes going wide. Virai noticed his distraction, stepping under his arm and turning hard, smashing her elbow under his ribs. There was a satisfying crunch as her gauntlet pierced armor and tore flesh, the huntress ducking into his blind spot before he could retaliate. 

His arm went wide to strike blind, Virai snatching his wrist in both hands and raising it high. She pivot-turned, taking his arm with her as she twisted it around until he had no choice but to move with her. As he did, she hooked his knee in her elbow and tripped him, the larger protoss stumbling forward. 

Vaalka's blood boiled, the dizzied warrior whirling to retaliate, only to play right into Virai's hands. His mind added up all too late how to avoid her next move as the huntress left the ground, Vaalka's eyes closing instinctually as Virai's armored shin collided with his masked brow. The warrior slammed to the earth on his back, weak layers of topsoil cracking beneath the weight of his impact. Virai took only two steps back, maintaining her stance and awaiting him patiently. It took Vaalka a moment to bring himself back to his feet after that, able to hear his own heartbeat. He understood that Virai was a faithful servant to Highlord Alarak, but he had never thought to surmise the snake would actually -protect- her for any reason. The realization was unsettling. Perhaps this female was a weakness then...If he -could- kill her, he would deal an astounding blow to Highlord of the Tal'darim. Yet all he had so far guessed of this huntress had been wrong. For once in quite some time, Vaalka considered he might have actually been outmatched. The thought both excited and infuriated him. 'biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing'   A red dot appeared on Vaalka's chest as the keening of a terran rifle spinning up sounded. On the ridge above, what Vaalka had learned to be a "Ghost" coalesced from seemingly nothing, his green lenses glowing in the darkness of Nedul's night sky. Vaalka let out a bark of a laugh as he turned his gaze onto Virai. "The Tal'darim treat with terran mercenaries now, do they?" he growled at her, his fingers curling into a fist. Then he noticed an identical red dot on her armor...then two...then three. Several more trained on them both as the seconds ticked by. Before the eyes of the dueling pair, an entire squadron of Dominion stealth operatives melded out of the shadows, revealing not only the Ghost and a few marines, but heavily armed marauders and even a Goliath mech; all with their weapons trained on the pair.

"Attention Tal'darim operatives! You are to stand down and submit to Dominion authority. Your arrest is a demand of Emperor Valerian Mengsk, in response to the unwarranted Tal'darim invasion of Vardona." the Ghost announced.  "You have ten seconds to comply. Surrender or -die-!" Virai slowly looked from the Ghost to Vaalka. "He is no friend of mine."  she whispered. "I am aware." he responded. Vaalka's glare deepened as Virai raised a brow at him. As the seconds ticked down on the Ghost's reticle, the two Tal'darim fighters below turned back-to-back. "Going to be like that then." the Ghost muttered, waving his arm down. "FIRE!" In the same second that Dominion guns started roaring, Vaalka & Virai vanished from sight, re-appearing behind a jagged spire; cover that wouldn't last long under so much firepower. "I will strike down the Dominion Ghost. Cover my flanks." Vaalka spoke, looking to the huntress at his side. "You are already wounded, he will see that. You will become no more than little bits of a corpse." Virai answered. "What would you have us do then, assassin?" he growled, attempting to keep the immediate anger from his voice as he looked to his temporary ally. "Strike at them from range at first, bring down their heavy ordinance. Then do as you will. I will run down the middle to draw their fire. With your blood on my armor, they will assume I too am wounded. The act will only last for a short time before they realize I am feigning injury. By then, I expect you to have brought down enough of them that I can retaliate. We cut through them until we can regroup, then strike at the Ghost together." The huntress spoke like a strategist befitting her station, Vaalka running the scenario through his head in several different ways before nodding. "As you wish. I await your mark." the warrior muttered, readying his blades. Virai waited until she could hear the mechanized footsteps of the Dominion marines and marauders stepping into the center of the crevice, counting to three slowly in her head... "-Go-!"   Virai darted out from behind the rock without paying any mind to Vaalka. She accepted the risk that he may or may not do as she'd recommended. Regardless, she would attempt to ensure his survival...she was not about to lose a kill to the barbarism of the terran's war machines. She kept her gait uneven to tempt the thought of a leg injury, letting her shields take the brunt of enemy fire until she got into range. Cutting into the first marine with her scythe, she turned into a kick and sent the top chunk tumbling into two more of them. Relying on the shock value, she ducked under the first of the two and slashed with her bane-blades, cutting the legs out from beneath one and then vaulting over the body, trapping the head of the third with her legs and sinking both bane-blades into the marine's back. Above, Vaalka was making short work of the marines and marauders alike with superior brute strength. Between the two of them, Virai knew him to be the more psionically adept fighter. Bull-rushing a marauder head on, he tore through the mechanized suit and its pilot with a field of psionic energy, already throwing past it as the body fell, sending a quartet of knives through the visors and into the eyes of two oncoming marines. The ground shaking betrayed an oncoming Goliath, Vaalka turning to face it and throwing his arm forward, red lightning leaping from his fingertips, the overcharge briefly stalling the huge mech; all the time he needed. Leaping for momentum, Vaalka found footholds on the Goliath's chassis, punching a bane-blade through the shield-glass of the cockpit and the pilot behind it. He yanked a few wires out of the control panel for good measure before teleporting away, watching as the malfunctioning machine took out another three terrans as it exploded. 

He looked for the Ghost next, narrowing his eyes when he found the ridge to be empty. Below, Virai had given up her charade, making quick work of the remaining terrans until- 'BANG!' Virai yelped as a piercer round ripped through the remainder of her shields, another following right through her arm. Vanishing, she ducked behind the bullet-pocked spire of rock, hissing in pain as she pressed the heated metal of her bane-blade to the open wound. She risked one look at the edge of her cover as she cauterized her wound, immediately forced to jerk away as a bullet cut through stone. She could at least tell where it was coming from now, though she lacked any way to track the Ghost. Mustering her strength, she activated her armor's cloaking and blinked out of cover, bane-blades already whirling as she dropped down where she'd assumed the Ghost to be standing. She realized she missed as she felt a warm barrel touch the space between her nerve cords and her neck. In that same moment, another surprise came. First, the sound of the Ghost's choked gasp, followed by the roar of psionic power. Virai turned in the same second that Vaalka vaulted past her, the terran Ghost in his claws as he dug his heels into the ground and threw his enemy as far as he could manage, sending the bastard slamming into the ground several yards away. Planting his feet, the former Tal'darim warrior took his stance and remained in front of Virai, not bothering to spare a glance over his shoulder. The Ghost pushed himself to his feet and attempted to cloak, cursing as his suit flashed warnings about damage to his suit. With a grunt of pain he made another gesture and readied his rifle, aiming down the scope right between Vaalka's eyes. Vaalka only glared in response as several more marauders and another pair of Goliaths de-cloaked, the Dominion spec-ops having the two surrounded. In a moment, all weapons were firing on the pair, Vaalka's shields holding. They both knew they wouldn't forever. "Lend me your power, assassin!" he barked. "I cannot!" Virai retorted, just barely managing standing. Vaalka could feel his shields failing, cracks appearing between the shimmers of red light as gauze rifle, rockets and piercer rounds alike crashed into them. "DO IT!"  he roared, the warrior straining to keep them both unharmed. Virai moved to teleport them both from danger, reaching for Vaalka's extended arm before she felt an overwhelming presence. There was little she could do as she felt the veil over her mind peel away without her choosing, the huntress collapsing to a knee at the volume in which Vaalka drank of her power. Some of the Dominion fire died down as Vaalka's feet left the ground, arcs of raw energy beginning to whip around him and Virai as the shield around them re-hardened. "DIE!" Vaalka snarled, eyes flaring brightly as he released the built up energy, blinding hues of red and white blasting outward in a whirling surge easily one-hundred meters wide, leaving nothing more than piles of ash and molten metal in its terrible wake.

Mi’Nerra: NO??? I’m a busy military officer??? I overwatch operations regarding the scouting and clean up of remaining feral Zerg and Hybrid pockets around my town when I’m not busy with my own research or debriefing/briefing here in Antioch??? Who-ever gave you the impression that I did that?! We don’t even talk that much??? Actually, Tal’Darim, arEN’T YOU THE ONE WHO JUST CASUALLY GAVE MY BROTHER A CUT OFF TERRAN HEAD?!?! HE ALMOST TOOK IT TO MY TOWN’S LOCAL FORGEMOTHER AS A GIFT BECAUSE SOMEONE TOLD HIM TAL’DARIM DO THAT!!! WHY IN THE VOID DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN CONSIDER DEAD, ROTTING BODYPARTS GIFTS??? AND DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET THE STENCH OUT OF OUR APARTMENT???

”Any Last words Khalai?””....Help me Telrisis you are my only hope?”

 requested a picture of his OC Vaalka  threatening my OC Luandris via a starwars pose

Sorry it took so long! Just hadn’t had the gumption to settle down and get it out BUT hopefully you like it c: