Team 1 (evilparsnips and Switchblade)

OOC: after landing you evilparsnips and Switchblade will start in this thread.

Mike laughed madly as he was catapulted high into the air, and then back down again. He continued to free fall, enjoying the sensation. It brought back recent memories of when he leapt off the cliff. He entered the treeline, and deployed his blades. He latched one onto a nearby tree branch, catching his fall, and swinging around the branch. As he swung around the branch, he grabbed it with his hand, and pulling himself up onto it. He felt at home now, in the forest. He felt free.
"Right. I wonder who I'll find first? Better go find out!" He said to himself, before setting off. He was pretty stealthy here, although it was more his speed that was his greatest asset here in the forest. Coupled with his grapple blades, he could move faster in the trees than he could sprint across the ground.
"I should probably opt for a more stealthy approach, lest I get caught by a pack of Grimm." And so he pocketed his punch daggers, for now, for a slower, yet easier approach, using just his hands and feet to clamber through the treetops. He could still move easily without them, and could move a lot quieter, just with a loss of speed. He just hoped he found someone soon.

As Mike made his way through the treetops a branch snapped and fell on the head of a King Taiyuta waking it from it's sleep.

The giant serpent lifted it heads and looked around for that which had disturbed it from it's sleep. It flicked it's tongue in the air and caught the trace of Mike. it turned it's head towards where he should be faintly making out the momement.

It hissed before lunging towards the teen with it's mouth open ready to eat.

Mike was sat on a tree branch when he heard the hiss behind him.
"Well, doesn't that sound great!" He said, before turning round to see the giant snake. He just had time to deploy his grapple blade, lock it into a nearby tree, and retract it, before the snake hit him. He looked back at the Taiyuta from his new location on the side of a tree. He weighed up his options.
"So. Two choices. I can either fight it here, which might prove a challenge, or I can run." He made his decision, firing his blade to a branch just above the serpents head. He swung down, aiming to land and secure himself, with the help of his weapons, onto the snakes head.

Markus felt the wind rushing past at incredible speeds, and it felt refreshing. He was about 30 meters up, so he used his landing strategy. He hovered for a bit, and surveyed the area. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a broken pillar in the distance, but he was quickly distracted by the sound of a whoosh of air to his left, and saw a shape rush past him into the trees. Then some twigs snapping, a thud, followed by a hiss. Whoever that is, I may as well help. After all, the sooner I find a partner, the better.

Markus angled himself so he was directly above the serpent, as Switchblade transformed itself into the blade form. Markus was in a nose-dive, heading straight for the serpent.
I only hope that it isn't Nathaniel. I would save him, but I wouldn't like to be his partner.

The serpent was 10 meters away. 8 meters. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

The snake chomped on the branch it had caught instead of hits break, breaking the think branch in two. It looked around, flicking its tongue to attempt and locate it's prey again. It turned around confused as it caught a slight trace of another scent. Before it knew what was going on Mike landed on it's head and stabbed in blade in to anchor him in place.

The serpent went wild attempting to fling the boy off of it's back, inadvertently dodging Markus now on a collision course with the ground. The serpent struggled for a minute before swinging it's head back to slam against a tree in hops of knocking the prey off.

Mike was thrown around by the snake, but his blade locked in place, managed to keep him in place. He saw Markus fly past him, just a blur as he was jolted around violently. He realized the snake was about to smash it's head into the tree next to him, so Mike decided to let go. He didn't feel like being smashed into paste against the tree. He unlocked his blade, and leaped from the writhing serpent. He fired his anchor into another tree as he used the momentum from the snake to swing down and attempt to catch Markus as he fell.

Markus was worried for maybe the first time in his life. Or, at least the first time he could remember.
He held out his arm, and Switchblade dug into the tree bark, slowing his descent, and he screamed in pain as his elbow almost bent the wrong way.

At least my arm isn't broken, that would be very unfortunate.

Mike slammed into him and Switchblade, which was embedded in the tree at the time, was yanked out sideways, taking a sizable chunk out of the tree with it. Markus flailed about, managing to drop himself down so he was grabbing Mike's ankles as they swung.
"So, partner, how do you suggest we take down this serpentine opponent?"

The Snake felt the pain subdue a little bit, telling it the enemy had gotten off of it. However it's head still slammed against the tree. It dropped to the ground for a second regaining it's self a little as the stars around it's head vanished.

It lifted it's head back up looked around flicking it's tongue out to try and locate the prey. It took it a second for catching their scent. It swung it's tail towards the two of them which were together now.

Markus heard a whoosh of air, and he angled himself so he could see the long black tendril approach at an alarming speed.
"Look out!" Markus warned as he let go of Mike's ankles, using the momentum, he did a mid-air flip and landed elegantly on a thick branch, and he jumped off, towards Mike, and used Switchblade's hell-o-copter to fly up and grab Mike's anchor, (using his electromagnet on his Gauntlet) which was embedded in another tree , so now Mike was hanging below him. He lifted Mike out of the way of the swinging tail.
Hmm, this helicopter form is very useful. I may have to upgrade it though, if we survive.

Mike felt himself being lifted above the swinging tendril, and was glad to have Markus as a team mate.
"Thanks man!" He called to Markus. As he hung in mid-air, he fired his second anchor towards the snake, trying to pin it into the snake, so he could get close. That was where he would fight better, where he could plant his blades and attack it properly.

The blade hit it's mark in the snake sticking in a foot below it's skull. The King Taiyuta let out a loud hiss. It flicked it's tongue out to find it's prey again. It turned towards them and launched at Markus in his branch mouth open to much down on him. The action putting slack into Mike's line on it's neck as a result.

Markus assessed the snake approaching at an alarming speed.
Well, it's now or never!
He brought his gauntlet up to his mouth, used his chin to flip open a panel, and flipped a switch, then quickly pointed his gauntlet at the snake. It was only a meter away when the blast went off, and the blast had a strong enough knock-back to push Markus away 2 or 3 meters. Even if it missed, he'd have some time to think of something else.
The blast itself was a pulse of red energy, half-dust, half-aura. It seemed to leave the air scorched behind it, but that was probably just his imagination. Probably.

Mike saw what Markus was about to do, and retracted both blades, landing on the forest floor in a controlled roll. He aimed one blade towards the serpent, however, just in case the blast missed.

The serpent reeled backwards as the blast shot into it's open mouth. The giant snake wavered for a minute stunned by the blast as a blade stuck into the serpent. It let out a hiss and flicked it's tongue to try and locate the teens. It came to no avail though as it's tongue had been singed by the blast. It moved it's head around trying to find it's prey it's small eye sight being not helpful at all.

"It's still alive? Wow, these are way tougher than Beowulfs."
Markus had an idea. A crazy, stupid one but hey, crazy ideas are what makes the world go round. Markus started to feel light-headed and weak, and what he presumed was his father's face clouded his mind once more.
No, no, NO!!! Not NOW!
Then he remembered the pills. It was awkward getting them out of his pocket and unscrewing the lid with his gauntlet on, but he managed it, although the lid, once popped off, tumbled down into the forest.
Damn. I hope they don't spill in my pocket.
He flipped a pill into his mouth and put the container back into his pocket. After a few seconds, his mind cleared and his strength returned.
Now, back to the matter at hand. If I can get close to the beast, I can stab it with Switchblade and activate the Hell-o-copter. That'll rip him to shreds.
He switched his weapon back into his blade mode, and started plummeting down, blade-first, at the snake. Hopefully it was stunned from the blast and wouldn't sense him coming.

As Markus descended on the beast from above, Mike shot a blade up at the snake's head, hoping to avoid it looking up and swallowing him whole. It was surely close to death now. If Markus could get in close with his gauntlet helicopter thing, that should be the end.

The blade stuck into the serprent's head. It swiftly moved away from the direction it had been hit from pulling mike and then swinging it's head back at mike to hit him with it's head.

Mike retracted the blade, zooming towards the serpents head. Using the momentum he gained from this, he tried to plunge his other blade into it's head too. Once embedded, he would fire it, hopefully going through the skull and into the brain, killing it.

Markus saw all this, and he adjusted his flight path as to hit the snake and not Mike. He was once again 10 meters away. 8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

The serpent hissed as Mike latched on to it's head again followed by Marcus slamming into it. It staggered for a second before mike's blade fired into it's skull. The snake hissed before it's muscles all went limp and it collapsed onto the ground, dead.

"Well, that's that then..."

Markus yanked his blade out of the snake's neck, unfortunately pulling out a chunk of the flesh as well.
He lifted up his gauntlet to try and slip off the bloody morsel.
If we find a river or lake, I've got to wash Switchblade.
"So... we're partners then?" Markus said, turning to Mike.

"I guess. Welcome to my team, Markus!" He said, with a huge smile on his face. "So, I guess he's-" He turned round and pointed to the snake,
"Hiss-tory! Get it?" He laughed hard at his own joke, doubling over. When he regained composure, he turned back to Markus. "So, where to next? The temple? Or wake up a few more snakes?" He said.

"Hmm. I saw a ruined pillar when I was falling, but that may have been my imagination."
Markus activated the hell-o-copter and flew up, above the trees. He looked around for a bit before seeing the pillar about 2 klicks away. Huh. Not that far away, I guess we could make our way there in about an hour if we're not interrupted again.
He descended, and told Mike about his sighting.
"I can't be sure that it's the temple, because I heard that there are ruins everywhere in the forest. But it's a lead, and the only one we have. What do you think we should do?"
While waiting for Mike's response, Markus muttered to himself "Our team."

"Well, it's the closest we can get at the moment. Even if we don't find it there, maybe we can find a clue there." Mike suggested. "So, we start that way?" He pointed towards where Markus said he had seen the pillar. "Lets go!" He started walking. "You know, this would be a great chance to get to know each other more!" He called back.