Redemption Bracket: Silence Sei Vs Steppenwolf Orlouge

[Silence Sei]

Matches begin at 12:01 Central Standard Time tonight. The brothers finally go at it! Which will come out on top; strength or strategy? Have Fun!

[Silence Sei]

The cold Salvar wind bit into his flesh like a viper to a mouse. He felt the chill of the wintery continent down to his very bones and his body shivered in reaction to the sporadic gusts. Early in the Magus Cup tournament, Sei Orlouge and his two brothers had found themselves wanting. The mute Mystic was the only one that advanced to the second round of the tournament, though it was simply on name alone that rocketed him to that position. Though he was to face Leopold Winchester in the second round of the tournament, the mute never showed when it was time for the match.

He had more important things to do.

He could hear the bark of Steppenwolf’s dog, Pepper, in the distance. The large black lab enjoyed a good fight, and every so often Sei could hear the beast jump. The creature’s form crunched the sand under his massive body, though the sound was quickly drowned out by the louder crunching of the canine’s master. Steppenwolf Orlouge made his way over to his brother, the two of them a mere fifteen feet away from one another.

“What are the conditions for this?” Sei asked as calm as possible. The three younger Orlouge brothers had decided to originally enter the Magus to prove which of them was the strongest. Unfortunately, none of them gained the opportunity to face one another before they were eliminated from the competition. As such, Sei took it upon himself to reignite the flame of sibling rivalry. It was a question that had to be answered, or it would linger in the minds of the three warriors forever; Which Orlouge was the best?

“I have only one term,” Steppenwolf said as he stuck his tongue out to catch some falling snowflakes, “We’re going to go all out, but we’re going to do it without our trademark. I don’t want this match to be determined by who out-glassed who. Anyways, let’s face it here Sei, my glass would amputate you and you have more MPs at your disposal. I want this to be determined without our birthrights. My strength versus your strategy. Sound good?” The giant of a man readjusted his brown coat although the outfit appeared too small for the large Mystic.

Sei’s eyes widened. It was rare for the Mystic to fight without the use of Mystic Protection (The ‘MP’ that Steppenwolf referred to). To fight without a move he had become famous for was the equivalent of telling Max Dirks he had to fight without the use of guns. While it was possible, such a thing did not seem right. He closed his eyes, using his powers of the suns light to warm his body slightly, and nodded.

“I accept the terms. I will not hold back Steppenwolf!” Sei’s eyes shot open as he dashed through the snow. Two giant butterfly wings sprouted from the warrior’s back, gliding him across the white ground without the hindrance of becoming slowed by the powder. He reached towards his hips and grabbed the dual chakrams at his hips. He crossed his arms and as he got within arm’s reach of his brother, uncrossed the limbs in an attempt to cross slash his kin.

[Steppenwolf Orlouge]

I watched my agile brother as he left the cloud of snow in his wake. My sibling came at me with ferocity that I only saw a handful of times in my travels with the mute. I stretched my hands outwards and grabbed Sei’s arms. I slung the orange haired hero overhead and fell backwards, slamming the lithe fairy into the ground. I was unsure if the snow had become packed to the point of causing further injury, but I did hear a thud that brought a smile to my lips.

I pushed myself up from the ground to see a nice little outline in the shape of Sei’s body in the snow. My brother had grown to rely too much on his Mystic Protection ability, a spell he could cast multiple times whereas I could only cast once. I was far more used to battles without the reliance on my glass shield than Sei. His powers caused him to grown comfortable, and it was a weakness I planned to exploit in my little brother.

But then, the brother in me came out.

I stepped forward and shifted my eyes down. Sei was lying in the snow, probably cursing the Thaynes for accepting my conditions. I raised a fist in preparation to smash his head further into the ground when I noticed something interesting. The impact had slightly caused my brother’s grey pants to lower and just barely reveal the top of the Ixian leader’s blue and green plaid underpants. My fist unclenched as I smiled. I didn’t just want to beat Sei; I wanted to prove a point that I could outright embarrass him when it came down to it.

“You going to get up any time soon?” I asked as I crossed my arms. My very breath turned to puffs of white in the cold with each word I spoke, “Or are you just going to lie there and admit I’m better than you right now?”

“Keep dreaming.” Sei said as he began to push himself up. As his arms started to push his body, the underwear became more apparent. It was a chance far too good to pass up for a brother.

I grabbed at the elastic band of Sei’s underwear with a smirk. I knew the younger Mystic was probably horrified at what I was prepared to do. I laughed as I pulled up on the underwear, my massive strength hopefully taking Sei with his clothing for a powerful wedgie. “Here Sei, let me help you up then!”

It was just like the good old days.

[Silence Sei]

Sei’s eyes grew as he felt the cloth rip at his nether regions. He was somewhat helpless in the air as he flailed his arms to try and get away. His struggle paid off, and the underwear ripped out of Steppenwolf’s hand and sent the Mystic back down into the snow. This time, Sei landed on one knee and he quickly reached behind him to unfold the boxers from his person. He stood up and turned towards his brother, a fire in his crystalline blue eyes now.

“If you’re not going to take this seriously, Steppenwolf, I’m not going to fight you.” Sei rolled his shoulders around in an attempt to readjust his body after the bully-like technique. Steppenwolf laughed as he waved the torn piece of his brother’s undergarments in the air like a flag. Sei’s eyes focused on the ripped fabric, and within seconds, the boxers were lit on fire. Steppenwolf gasped and threw the cloth down. The small cloth turned to cinders before it ever landed on the ground.

“That heat vision of yours is the dumbest thing ever, you know that, right?”

“You gave me a wedgie. Are we six?” Sei crossed his arms as he looked towards his brother. He left his chakrams in the cold ground. He knew that Pepper would retrieve the items for him once the match finished, and close range bladed rings seemed rather ineffective against his larger brother. He shifted his gaze downwards with a smile as the sun fed him more energy. Around Steppenwolf’s feet, small blurs began to form from the younger Mystic’s heat vision.

The plan was to either light Steppenwolf on fire much like Sei had done to the cloth, or to cause the bigger Mystic to slip and fall on the puddle that was almost formed before him. Behind Steppenwolf, a series of lines began to contour to Sei’s unique shape. Within a couple of seconds, a complete doppelganger of the mute appeared, and grabbed at the swords strapped to his back. The tips of the distinctly different blade flew towards the pink afro inventor, ready to end this fight in one blow.

[Steppenwolf Orlouge]

I felt a strange heat below me as Sei just sat there and stared at me. I shifted my gaze all around my person just in time to catch all the water that now enveloped my boots. I growled a bit and took a step toward my handicap brother, only to slip in the water around me. The clumsiness proved to be my saving grace, however, as I felt two different penetrations into my afro on the way down. I fell to the ground with a splash and a thud, my clothes soaked in what was currently warm water.

I looked could hear the rattling of metal above my head, as if two blades were engaged in combat within my hair. I stood up all my dripping wet glory and shook some of the water off of myself. I huffed, angry that I let my little brother give me the equivalent of a Salvarian hot foot. I balled my hands into fists as I prepared my next move. I could feel two feet upon my back and I looked behind me, only to find nothing. The feeling of the feet on my spine was still there so I turned around once more and once more found nothing.

“What the hell…”I mumbled as I reached into my pocket for my invention of the day. I withdrew a small hand mirror and raised it up to my hair. I bit my lower lip to keep from laughing as I watched Sei’s clone struggled to get his hands out of my afro trap. The faux mute was elevated high above my person, and his feet were planted firmly on my backside in an attempt to release himself. I covered my mouth with a hand and laughed, as my hot breath escaped through the cracks of my fingers. It was everything I could do to not roll around in hysterics. The idea of the mighty Sei Orlouge limp due to a giant pink afro was almost too much to bear.

I clutched the mirror while turning to look back at Sei, a smile upon my face. I could still see the blurry heat waves created by the laser vision. Was his plan to trip me to death? I quickly moved the mirror downwards, the face outwards, and angled it towards my orange haired sibling. My hope was that I could redirect the heat vision where I needed it to go for my next attack. With any luck, Sei would be too focused on burning my legs alive to realize what I had planned. Let’s see how you like a true hotfoot, oh brother of mine.

[Silence Sei]

He could feel the heat around him intensify. Beads of sweat began roll down his legs, and when the mute looked down, he found his pants set ablaze. He quickly dropped to his knees to allow the snow to hungrily consume the flames. Thin trails of gray smoke rose up from his limbs, and the cool snow cooled his warm legs. He gritted his teeth as he stared down the elder Orlouge and memories of his past came bubbling up to the forefront of his mind.

Steppenwolf always seemed to have the upper hand on the younger Mystic. It was almost as if the elder Orlouge was the telepath and Sei was subject to his mind scans. Could it have been that the two of them spent so long doing this same dance that Sei was predictable? He stood up and looked at his brother with squinted, determined eyes. He was not going to allow Steppenwolf to embarrass him once more, despite the fact that nobody besides a single canine would see the mockery of this match.

He had to think outside the box, figure out some strategy that his kin would not predict. A slight grin appeared upon the mute’s pale features as he figured out his next plot. He walked over to Steppenwolf with the wry look, each step crunching the snow underneath. He waited until he got within an arm’s length of the gentle giant, and waved his hand.

“Hit yourself.” Sei ‘spoke’ calmly, “and keep hitting yourself.” The Mystic narrowed his eyes at his target. Sei had exploited his rarely used ability of the Force Persuade, an ability that affected only those with weaker wills than Sei. It was the mute’s hope that Steppenwolf’s will to win was much weaker than that of his brothers. If this was the case, he would cause the large man to beat up his own body through the typically withheld technique. It was a dirty move, but in a fight in which the mute had received a wedgie and his doppelganger hung helplessly in an afro, fairness seemed to be thrown out the window.

“Enjoy your defeat.”

[Steppenwolf Orlouge]

I opened my mouth, prepared to speak out against whatever the hell my brother had attempted. Before I could speak, however, I felt my own fist as it slammed into my sternum. I could feel the wind leave my lungs as I felt each knuckle crack underneath my massive weight. I looked down with a wide eyed expression, not sure what had just transpired. I tried to process what magic my brother had used, only to feel my opposite fist slam hard into my stomach once more.

I fell to the ground, blue droplets of blood leaving my mouth as I tried to scream. I could feel the first arm get ready for a second hit, and I tried to tense my abdomen as much as possible to prepare for the hit. When the blow connected, I could feel my body drop the mirror into the white powder below. Tears filled my eyes as I tried to protest before another fist was sent skyrocketing into my body. I had a tough body, but even my form was weak when given enough blows by someone of my strength level.

Whatever Sei had done, it made me lose control of my own limbs. I could hear Sei’s feet as they walked away from me. Arrogant ass must have thought he had victory in the bag now. I tried to push myself up with one hand, but was sent back to the ground when the other hand reintroduced itself to my gut. The pile of blue liquid that stained the snow grew bigger and bigger with each hit. I could feel the skin of my midsection tear with each consecutive blow. I have to admit, I was worried that Sei may have just killed me in his efforts to prove that he was my better.

That’s when I heard Pepper. My large black lab was whimpering just a few feet from me, his playful demeanor all but gone. His timid cries formed into a mournful howl. I don’t know how a dog could break a spell from someone as powerful as my own family, but when I had expected another fist, I was left wanting. There were no longer any self-induced punched, and I found myself stunned by whatever it was Pepper had done to counteract the spell.

“Good…boy…” I whispered as I pushed myself back up. My arms trembled as they supported my massive weight. I could barely stand once I got to my feet, but I made sure to never lose focus on Sei. By this point, his doppelganger had disappeared (Sei more likely than not willed him away once he saw how useless he had become), which left me with less physical baggage to carry. My brother’s back was to me, a simple mistake our father taught us never to make.

I jumped from the snow, my body covering the fifteen feet Sei had put between us in a single bound. I lifted my arm and tried to wrap it around the neck of my little brother as a growl slipped out from between gritted teeth. If I was successful in my grab, I would follow up the attack by roughly rubbing the top of Sei’s head with the knuckles on my free hand. Though Sei finally decided to get serious, I was not done proving my point. First wedgies, then a hot foot, and now the dreaded noogies. If Sei Orlouge fancied his pride so damn much, I planned humble him back to his roots.

[Silence Sei]

He could feel the large knuckles of his brother as they ran up and down his orange locks. His skin started to rub raw underneath the scrutiny of Steppenwolf’s large digits, and Sei wiggled around in an attempt to escape from his brother’s grasp. He Growled, decided to continue his trend of dirty tactics, and tucked his chin into the massive arm of his brother. His teeth bit down on the giant’s arm and caused a loud yelp to come from his kin.

Steppenwolf released his brother, and Sei jumped several feet away in an attempt to get some distance between the two of them. He sighed and looked to the sky; he could easily take to the air and hold a leverage advantage over the older Mystic. His moved his eyes back down to Steppenwolf and smiled, jumping into the air and allowing his wings to sprout once more. The giant appendages carried him well into the air, and Pepper began to bark and growl at the aerial ace.

“Not going to get any closure on this battle if you stay up in the air, Sei.” Steppenwolf scoffed, a trail of azure blood left upon his mouth.

“Oh? Is that what we’re calling this? This is a battle now? How many battles can you recall where one man pulled on another’s underwear? Or gave them a hotfoot? Or even bloody attempted something as asinine as ‘noogies’. This is you having fun with me Steppenwolf, and I will not stand for it anymore.” Sei reached towards his waist, and grabbed at the chain of his makeshift belt. He unfurled the chain to reveal that the accessory around his form was actually a kusari-gama; a chain scythe.

He flew down at his foe as one hand spun the chain, and the other held tightly to the metal weight at the other end. He slung the scythe down towards Steppenwolf’s face, an attempt to leave at least a mark upon the psychically stronger Mystic. He could feel all of his childhood trauma return; all the teasing of his older brother’s because of his inability to speak, the taunts of his ‘fairy wings’ when they revealed themselves, even the allegations that Sei Orlouge and Kylin Orlouge were too close to be ‘just friends.’

He released a mental scream of anguish as he came down like a bat out of hell towards his elder. Something about Steppenwolf’s carefree attitude angered the Dragon of Drantrak like never before. How could the older Orlouge remain so calm, even after the beating he had just endured? Sei did not know the answer to the question, and it was perhaps this that infuriated the strategist most of all.

[Steppenwolf Orlouge]

I kept my vision up at Sei and sighed. From the look in his eyes, I had brought my silent brother into some sort of quiet rage. I could ‘hear’ his scream in my mind, but when you lived several years in the same home with a Mystic with mind powers and night terrors, you got used to such mental pain. Sei had spent too much time to reveal his weapon and start his next assault on me. My brother had lost his edge, and I shook my head in shame at this fact.

I tilted back just enough to feel the wind of Sei’s scythe as it barely passed by me. I reached up and grabbed the chain as Sei attempted to fly back upwards. With one good tug, I sent my brother spiraling back down to Althanas. He slammed into the snow and made a fresh Sei shaped form in the powder, and I wasted no time placing a foot upon his lithe back. I could hear a guttural growl escape my family member’s lips as I applied pressure to his spine.

“You’re not fighting like you Sei,” I said as placed a hand upon my brother’s exposed arm, “and this always happens to you after every single damn tournament. Hell, in the Cell it happens during the tournament.” I began to grab at Sei’s arm with my other hand, my tone still calm and collected. “You just snap at one point or another, and your rage loses you the damn matches. I don’t know what happened to you in the Magus, but I saw this in the footage for the LCC, I saw it when you were in The Cell. Something is wrong with you Sei, and you’re going to tell me what.”

“Or what?” Sei ‘growled’, if you could really call it that, at me. I could feel his body as he tried to escape under my foot. He wiggled underneath the snow until his outline became a large circle shape.

“I hoped you would ask that,” I said as I twisted the flesh on Sei’s arm in opposite directions. His could tell Sei was in pain by the way he squirmed below me. I made the same motion with my hands, and caused yet another Raiaeran Burn on my brother’s arm. “If you don’t calm down and tell me what the deal is with you and tournaments, I’m going to make you announce to the world that I am the superior Orlouge.”

I laughed as I delivered another burn, the sadistic side of me starting to rear its ugly head.

[Silence Sei]

As Steppenwolf created more and more burns upon his skin; he could feel his anger as it slowly started to become less severe. It was almost as if the heat from the ‘attack’ drained the rage that boiled inside of him. As he lied there and took his brotherly beating, Sei realized that everything Steppenwolf said was true. During The Cell, Sei almost killed Max Dirks for threatening his family, and during the Lornius Corporate Championship, he almost took the lives of two young ladies thanks to his anger.

Had his pent up childhood rage been the reason for his sudden bursts of anger during those tournament? It was as if each loss represented another taunt or jeer from his memories. He could feel Steppenwolf’s foot force itself upon his back even further, his body buried deeper into the snow. “Steppenwolf…I will not admit you’re better than me.”

“Well, I can sure as hell keep my cool in high pressure situations easier than you,” Steppenwolf released his grip on the mute, his foot still upon his back. “I mean, Thaynes damn it Sei, I’m your own brother and you tried to bloody kill me just now? I don’t care how good you are with that scythe, if I had tripped forward, you woulda had to explain to Mom and Dad why you decapitated your sibling.”

“Steppenwolf,” Sei spoke in his more ‘commanding’ tone, “I said I’m okay.”

“I’m not done here,” Steppenwolf retorted, “You know what I think the problem is, at least in this instance? You’re jealous. When it comes to your family, you lose control. When you’re faced against a flight of stairs, you lose your spine, and don’t even get me started on what happens any time Max Dirks in within a ten foot radius of you.”

As Steppenwolf finished the rant, it finally dawned on Sei. The common factor in all of the events where he had lost it was Max Dirks, Althanas infamous gunslinger. If it had not been for Dirks threats towards Anita in the Cell, Sei would never have lost control. If Dirks had never tried to manipulate the mute during the LCC, Sei would not have attempted to drop the rouge from several hundred feet in the air. Every time that Sei had gone psycho during a tournament, Max Dirks was the catalyst.

And it took Steppenwolf to make the Savior of Radasanth see that.

He went limp, his body ready to accept whatever fate his brother would subject him too. Steppenwolf beat him soundly strategically and physically. Though the mute could have used Sound of Madness, or Would, or one of his many other random spells, he realized that fighting his elder now was futile. “I surrender, Steppenwolf. What do you want from me?”

“Nothing much,” Steppenwolf stretched the word ‘much’ out so long that Sei knew he would not like the answer to his question, “just bragging rights…”