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Coil smashes his fist into the core of a Biograft, grasping around its crystal heart and yanking his arm back. It gives a single jerk before the lights on its body sputter out, and he lets it crumple to the ground in a hunk of metal limbs. The core falls out of his hand and he shakes his bloodied knuckles out before returning to his fighting stance.
A flash of orange through the wind and snow is all the warning he gets before another Biograft darts towards him. Coil sidesteps the blade that tries to stab at his chest. He grips the Biograft's outjutting wrist and uses his strength to heave the entirety of the robot over himself and slams it back-first into the ground. The heel of his shoe grinds into its core, quickly shutting it down.
His left leg throbs with the movement. If he keeps up his current pace, he'll most likely further injure it.
Yet with how insistent the damn tin cans were with their constant barrage of attacks, it was hard to predict whether he should keep Speed up or switch to Regeneration to mend his leg.
Coil shifts his weight onto his right leg as he steps off the Biograft, lifting his fists in front of him once again.
The annoying thing about Biografts was their agility. They were designed to seek out and execute their targets with swift precision. Despite their mechanical bodies, they made virtually no noise, and their footsteps were as silent as mice.
Another Biograft dashes out from the whirling snow. Coil jumps to the side as it fires a slash storm at him.
Coil crouches low as it closes in, ducking backwards underneath the twin Biograft blades that sliced through the air where his head would have been. He braces his hand on the ground as he feels his body become light with the effect of Gravity, and pushes off with his right leg outstretched above him.
He feels his toe hit his mark with a satisfying clank! The Biograft's head flies off with the force, leaving its body flailing uselessly without its vision. Still, Coil takes out its core just to be safe.
What they had in speed and stealth, they absolutely sucked in durability, Coil had learned. Exerting only a few well-aimed punches or kicks would decommission them with ease.
Though currently, with his fractured femur, it was starting to get harder and harder to match the Biografts' momentum. Speed mode kept him on par with the bots, but with every jolt of pain up his left leg he could feel himself slow.
It became especially apparent as the next Biograft launched out of the veil of snow at his side with its blades careening straight for Coil's gut. Speed carried him nearly out of reach, and he vaguely felt the sting of its graze through the adrenaline.
Coil's mouth tightened with a scowl. These stupid pieces of scrap were really getting on his nerves.
He dashed forward, intent on taking it out with one heavy hit to its core, when it blinked away and out of his range. Coil pivots on his heel as he catches a flicker of movement at the edge of his vision. He raises his arms just in time for his gear to block the Biograft's swipe, and he feels warmth spread throughout his body as Regeneration is pumped into his veins.
The sensation immediately soothes his injuries. Revitalized just the smallest bit, Coil drops to his knees and kicks out at its legs.
It trips to the ground face first, and he's about to rain his fists on its head when a second Biograft suddenly appears in front of him.
Gravity activates on instinct and he uses the fallen bot to leap into the air and away from them both.
Another one? Seriously?
Coil takes care to make sure he lands on his right leg. The first time he had done so admittedly hastily and sloppily, and that was how he ended up with a fractured bone in the first place.
The other Biograft is getting back on its feet as he steadies himself while its partner waits besides it.
They're going to try and overwhelm him with their numbers, then. Annoying, especially with his injuries, but not impossible to beat. He's battered his way through worse.
He clenches his fists harshly as he shifts into a fighting stance. He watches the way the Biografts' limbs tense as they prepare to move, and Coil switches on Speed mode.
"Come at me!" He snarls.
The Biografts shoot off, flinging up snow in their places. They split into opposite directions, and Coil jumps backwards as the one on his right makes first contact, jabbing its gear towards his chest. The second isn't far behind, blinking on his left to follow up with another attack.
He sidesteps the blade, swinging around to wham his fist into its face, but his hand only meets empty air. Coil growls, and turns sharply to knock away the Biograft that zipped to his backside.
He doesn't get any room to breathe as the other closes in again and attempts to cut off his head. He ducks low and covers his head with his arms before ramming forwards into its torso, the impact throwing the bot some studs away.
Coil loses the chance to finish it off as first Biograft returns and intercepts his charge. A loud clang sounds out as their gears collide and he kicks it off him into the snow.
His breath comes out in short, rapid puffs as he winds his fists up once again and widens his posture. He winces as pain bolts up his leg at the movement.
I can't keep this up for much longer. He could almost hear Wolf's dispproving voice in his head.
It makes his jaw clench, but his form moves swifter and more precise as he throws himself back into the fray.
That goes on for a long time - Coil weaving around the Biografts' gears as they try to crowd him up to no avail, and Coil getting in a few measly hits that do nothing more than bounce off the exterior of the bots.
He's unable to put all his weight into his punches, as he knows as soon as he does take out one Biograft, the other could easily swoop in and stab him through the back, so he's limited to weaker hits in return for more speed. It's frustratingly inefficient, but Coil can't do much in his condition. The Biografts move around each other like oil and water: covering the other's blind spots and denying Coil any advantage whenever he manages to create an opening.
So they continue their deadly dance in the snow, all the while Coil feels himself getting more and more aggravated as it goes on.
He knows his mood is a particularly big liability during fights. He knows it well, has had it beaten into him day by day when he spars with Wolf, knows that it's his one big flaw that stunts him from growing into a better fighter. He's been trying to work on it for years now with little progress. He knows and yet when one of the Biografts blinks out of his reach for the upteenth time, the anger that floods his mind is so great that he doesn't think of anything else as he catches the other Biograft's wrist swinging towards him and hurls it into the one racing right for him.
Immediately, white hot agony burns up his leg, and Coil stumbles to his knees from the feeling. His hands holds him up from faceplanting into the snow, and he pants as the pain starts to subside.
Shit, did I break it?
Unthinking, he had put all his body weight onto his left leg to use his strength. Coil quickly glances up to see the Biografts still splayed out in the snow, the one on top sporting a blade sticking up through its back.
He lets out a small sigh before sitting up. The Biograft won't be down forever. Though even the miniscule act of shifting his body sends throes of lightning up his leg.
Still, Coil attempts to stagger to his feet through the mind-numbing pain. He tests his foot on the ground, and while his left leg does jolt harshly at the pressure, it wasn't completely unbearable.
Regeneration cools the injury as best as it can for now. Coil looks up to see the Biograft standing still next to it partner's body.
Dread builds in his gut the longer the thing doesn't move. What in the Heights was that tin can waiting for?
Coil leans backwards, ready to step away if needed, and feels the sharp point of another Biograft blade poking into him.
Fuck.
He freezes. The thought to use Gravity mode to jump away from it comes to him, but even he isn't sure if he'd be faster than the pistoning limb of a machine.
Of course there was another Biograft lurking around. It was just his luck that it arrived right as he incapacitated himself.
For now, Regeneration continues to slowly heal his injuries as Coil desperately tries to think up a plan of escape.
His mind immediately goes to Fusion mode, but he's reluctant to turn to it. He still doesn't know if there was any other Biografts hidden somewhere beyond the snow, waiting for him to mess up and catch him off guard. Even if these were the last ones, passing out in the middle of a snowstorm wouldn't be the best of alternatives.
Though at this point, what other choice did he have? Be at the mercy of Blackrock, or to their elements?
Coil clenches his fists harshly. Maybe if he kept still, he'd be able mend his fractured leg enough for him to move away safely?
It was a shoddy idea, but as long as the Biografts stood frozen for whatever reason, it would miraculously work.
Cackling rose over the howling wind.
"Well, what do we have here?"
Oh you've gotta be shitting me.
More lights shine through the snow, one of them a familiar hue of pink.
Subspace, along with four other Biografts, step into view.
Coil exhales hard.
"It looks like I've caught the rat thats been stealing my crystals!"
Subspace comes to a stop a few feet away from him. The other Biografts billow out and surround Coil in a small circle.
His situation was only getting worse and worse. He had thought that there could possibly be more Biografts alerted to his presence, but to have Subspace himself come out all the way to one of his minor heists near the border?
Swords, was he really that wanted in Blackrock?
"You've been quite the pain recently, crystal criminal."
"A lot of people say that. Guess it's part of my charm."
Subspace hums. "The answer of an insolent brat. How predictable."
Coil makes sure he very visibly rolls his eyes. "One thats beaten how many of your shitty robots? Trying to act like you did all the work when you just sit on your ass and do jack shit!"
That makes the little robot face of his twitch, which Coil takes pride in.
"The first thing I'll rip out your body will be that nagging tongue of yours," Subspace sneers.
"Mad 'cause you know I'm right? Bet you won't even do it yourself either. Probably'd chicken out and get one of your lame tin cans to do it for you."
"Oh I'll do it alright. And I will be enjoying every second of it, that I can say for certain."
"Of course a freak like you would. I think you enjoy torturing people more than you enjoy worshipping the ground those Korblox guys walk on."
"Are you even capable of saying anything of worth? Though I suppose thats typical for a Playgrounder."
Coil actually barks out a laugh at that. "The worst Playgrounder I know is infinitely more useful than you."
"How suprising," Subspace deadpans, "I grow tired of talking to you."
"So what? You gonna kill me now?"
In hindsight, it's an incredibly stupid choice of words, especially when his strategy was to prolong any harm for as long as possible. Yet, Coil reasoned with himself, if Subspace really wanted him dead, he'd already have a Biograft sticking out through his chest by now.
Subspace giggles. "I don't know. I think I like you better broken."
Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with this dude?
"Seeing you scurry around and try to prolong your fate was very entertaining."
"The only thing set in fate is me kicking your ass!" Coil spits.
Subspace hardly seems bothered by his taunts like usual. It must be the result of having Coil pinned to the wall that's making him act like the cat that's caught the canary.
"I might just have to keep you this way. Take you back to Blackrock and break your leg again and watch you try and fail to escape."
Coil feels something inside him shrivel at the words, though he doesn't let it show.
Subspace's words never affected him. It was easy to tack them off as if it was some lame ass ramblings of a mad scientist from an old corny movie, but now at his mercy and the way it was said like a promise - it only chilled Coil down to the core.
It suddenly made him very much aware of the situation he was in, and Coil wills his gear to work faster on his leg.
"I'd like to see you try," he says.
Subspace laughs again, and Coil is already sick of the grating noise. "I'll succeed, just like I have today."
Subspace makes a gesture with one hand, and the Biograft behind him taps its gear insistently at his back.
Coil reluctantly takes a step forward, first on his right leg before shifting his left, before he stops at the lack of pain coming from it.
Only a dull ache pulsates from the injury, and Coil smiles.
Regeneration has finally mended his fractured femur.
Subspace's robotic face pulls as close as an expression to confusion as it can.
He goes to signal something else, probably for the Biografts to close in, but it's too late. Coil is already launching himself in the air with the help of Gravity, and he laughs as icy crystal climbs up half his face, and his gear glows purple with the onslaught of Fusion thrumming throughout him.
"Hahaha! Now you've pissed me off!"