Solid Snake (co-written w/ ArmedBlue)
KA-BOOM!
A smoldering stump was what remained of the Robobot's blocky gauntlet as it reeled back from the explosive Snake had planted on its arm. He immediately sprang into action, sprinting toward his discarded block of C4 whilst Shroom began to rapidly hack and slash at the momentarily stunned robot, damage racking up as each cut pierced the shell deeper and deeper, but the automaton spun about, slamming its stump of an arm directly into the small creature, which went flying backward, skidding across the ground. Shroom would have fallen right off the edge of the small arena had it not stabbed its nail into the ground, dragging itself to a halt.
The Robobot turned, processing the block of C4 sailing right for it. Snake had kicked it toward the automaton, and before it could mount a counter, the explosive detonated early, blasting the robot back, smoke clinging to it as the robot shuddered from the second explosion in a row, and leaving Shroom open again for an attack.
A shadow-cloaked Shroom dashed straight through the mech's body from behind, leaving a thin slash along its midsection, additionally exposing some of its internals. Aware of this trick, the Robobot threw its one remaining fist straight towards the bug- but the Vessel had learned as well, making use of its Monarch Wings and nail to propel itself above the rocky gauntlet.
Now positioned above the vulnerable automaton, Shroom raised a nub before crashing down with incredible force, smashing through the cockpit with Descending Dark, releasing a blast of SOUL and shadow on impact. The top of the mech was left nearly unrecognizable due to the attack, the Knight quickly leaping off just before the robot could retaliate, giving Snake the chance to swoop in and keep up the attack.
A mechanical groan was released from the automaton as it was double-teamed, Shroom making quick work, and the moment he had moved away, another explosion rang out, a missile having punched into the Robobot from Snake's shoulder-mounted launcher.
The battered Robobot flew backward---then off the edge of the map. It didn't resurface. However, the remaining two competitors knew what had to happen next, and Snake was the first to move, having replaced his launcher with a beretta and opened fire at the bug.
Shroom was quick to act once Snake pulled out a new weapon, closing in on the soldier's right as it dodged the bullets as well as it could. One bullet pierced through its already charred horn, bits of the shell and Void trailing behind the bug, while it managed to block another incoming bullet with its Pure Nail.
White energy gathered around its body in a split second, when the Vessel suddenly zipped forward, ending up behind the soldier as it performed a Great Slash to his back.
His eyes moved with Shroom's movements, even if his body wasn't as quick. Snake turned, and while he was much faster than any regular human, he still couldn't dodge the slash, instead raising his forearm to take the brunt. A lesion was created, but Snake used the close distance to bring up a knee as though a cobra might strike, intending on bashing it into the small creature before clasping his hands together to form an organic club, and bringing it down from above to smash Shroom into the ground.
Snake's physical prowess proved effective, the knee knocking the bug upwards before his hands smashed it into the ground just as quickly, smashing a hole through the back of its mask, more Void seeping from the opening. Shroom's Thorns of Agony soon activated, a series of sharp, black tendrils jutting out from within its cloak, aiming to cut, stab and slash at anything in its vicinity.
Eyes widening, the upper part of his eyelids disappearing beneath his bandanna, Snake saw the signature of the black void-esque allotment, and then the tendrils began to strike. He leaped backward, one of the tendrils stabbing toward him, though it only managed to put a gash in his cheek, running over his cheek bone. Upon deftly landing, Snake continued to move in a backwards somersault, putting up some distance.
Where he'd stood just a second ago sat a mine, signature of Snake's strategy, and it went off.
KA-BOOM!
A fiery explosion engulfed Shroom, the bug being sent flying by the blast, its previously white mask completely charred, cloak reduced to bits, and most of its shell destroyed. Rolling to a stop near the edge of the map, the Vessel's gaze locked onto Snake. With no will to break, the bug fired two quick moving Shade Souls in the soldier's direction.
Sliding to a stop, Snake had once again shouldered his launcher, firing a missile that intercepted the first shade, erupting in a cloud of smoke that the second shade burst out of, undeterred. Without the time to launch another missile, Snake swung his rocket launcher about like a club, smashing it against the second projectile, which left an angry, molten color on the weapon.
Tossing it aside, Snake procured two cylindrical canisters from his belt, flicking the tabs off of them and tossing them to either side, crimson smoke beginning to billow heavily out of the clouds, quickly making their way to engulfing the arena.
Shroom could do nothing to stop the smoke from spreading, though it was hard to tell if this was an actual attack or just a diversion. Without enough SOUL to Focus and heal up, the bug pushed through the smoke in an attempt to find Snake. Pulling out its Lumafly Lantern to help its visibility, the bug headed toward where it'd last seen Snake, ready to unleash a Great Slash at a moment's notice.
As Shroom moved forward, through the dense and thick deep maroon that engulfed it, it could make out something through the smoke a few feet in front of it, previously obscured. A block of C4. A second later, it went off, though that wasn't the end of that, as the resulting explosion ignited the crimson smoke---a phosphorous chemical.
Snake's legs swung below him as he rose out of the heavy cloud, wisps of the smoke clinging to his legs as it ignited at his beck. While the resulting fire was blinding, and crawled up his legs, Snake's undamaged stealth suit below his waist was flame retardant, leaving him unharmed from his attack as Cypher rose him higher above the mess, before he let go and dropped to the ground as the inflamed smoke dissipated almost as quickly as it had ignited.
The blinding explosion and flames completely engulfed Shroom, sending the bug flying upwards, catching a glimpse of the escaping Snake before falling back into the fiery field. What remained of its shell and cloak had been completely destroyed, revealing its interior to be a mass of Void similar to its mask. A Shade.
Damaged as it was, the being born of God and Void found itself unable to move. The flames grew brighter. Hotter. Closer. The hellish trap soon completely engulfed the helpless creature. No mind to think. No will to break.
No voice to cry suffering.
Light like a fox (a foxhound, that is), Snake bent his legs and absorbed his fall with almost no noise---though that wasn't necessary. The remnants of smoke that began to drift away from the fire revealed... nothing. Just broken pieces of what looked like bone. A fanfare began to echo across the arena as Snake pursed his lips, staring down at the pieces of bone for a moment, before he bent down, grabbed a particularly large and sharp shard, before tucking it away.
His eyes darted toward the edge where the Robobot had been flung. With a sigh, Snake pulled out a cigar, stuck it in his mouth, and lit the end. The gateway opened up before him as his victory theme continued to play over the world, which was slowly turning to a white void as it dissipated. With a puff, Snake sniffed, then stepped through the gateway.
