Description: Lightning Spangles is having it rough. Someone had the nerve to not only be offended by her Thanksgiving Special, but actually told her about it in a letter. Letters can be hurtful. Words can be hurtful. And it doesn't matter who is the one hurting. It could be a Sin Eater, a mystic shaman by the name of Nightwolf who was so offended by the woman, that he stopped everything to lash out. Thus, Lightning Spangles extended a challenge; a martial arts duel. The winner would serve the other in a PSA, as well as a public apology. Of course, Nightwolf was in the wrong here. Lightning Spangles could do no wrong. Of course, Nightwolf only sees the woman under the mask...
SOME TIME AGO
METRO CITY
In all honesty, Nightwolf had all but forgotten about that fateful letter he had written out if impulsive to the actress that plays Lighting Spangles. Despite his deeply spiritual nature he is still very much human, and is therefore susceptible to feel insulted when something that is very close to him is ridiculed in national television. It's true, Nightwolf is an Apache, a Native American man, these are mere titles out of the consequence of his birth, that's how he was born, nothing more, nothing less. Instead, Nightwolf would like to think of himself as a Sin Eater, a hunter of evil, and protector of all that is good, that is truly what defines him as a person, far more so than his culture.
And yet..
And yet.. he could just not stay silent when seeing Lighting Spangles so called Thanksgiving Special, it was not so much the stupidity of it all that annoyed him, but the sheer /ignorance/. Nightwolf has nothing against comedy, his best friend is Benimaru Nikaido for crying out loud, but when someone doesn't even have the decency to make even the smallest attempt to do research, it just feels like a lack of effort, and Nightwolf truly dislikes slackers.
At any rate, that was naught but a footnote in the life of defender of the realm, miniscule in comparison to magnitude of his mission. So much in fact that Nightwolf truly did forget all about the hate mail he sent Jezebel almost as soon as he mailed it.
It is why he is so taken back when now, months after Thanksgiving, he goes to check his mail at the Metro City Post Office and finds a reply from the fabled actress herself.
A challenge??
Nightwolf reads the letter and the instructions attached. He glances up at the Post Office's clock. Yes..
He has time for this.
THE PRESENT
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE
Is this real life?? Or is this just fantasy??
No, this is happening. Nightwolf seriously did just drop everything he was doing to prepare for an Outworld invasion and went to pick a fight with a movie star over an angry review he wrote.
Although the fight will be taken place at a military base, Nightwolf forgoes any offer given to him for transportation. He gets there through his own faster means and as he approaches the site of the fight, he evades all security by turning into a wolf and stealthily making his way inside.
Something that he did not expect is how easy is to track this 'Lightning Spangles' woman.
There is darkness within her, an incredible turmoil of negative energies that she seems to barely able to contain.
This might be a more intriguing encounter than Nightwolf originally thought.
Darkness that was suppressed.
The shadow that layed behind Lightning Spangles was a thing best kept away. It was an awful, bitter thing that only destroyed, never created. It was a hollow, an empty. It was a spiritual force that would never be let out, if Lightning Spangles had anything to say. And everyone would love her for her courage, her strength in keeping that darkness locked away .
It didn't matter if the darkness was Jezebel.
The fight was set aside on the snow-covered tarmac of the air base, where several of the transport planes and fighter jets were sitting out, for maintainence. A large crowd was nearby, a mix of servicemen and their families, sitting on stands to watch the All-American Hero Lightning Spangles fight to help defend America ideals of truth and justice.
And standing out on the tarmac was Lightning Spangles herself.
The woman was wearing a modification of her usual Lighting Spangles outfit. While she still has those blue jeans, her short-sleeved half-vest was no match for the frigid cold. Instead, there was a thick wool fannel shirt underneath the vest, of checkered red, white, and blue. A shimmering scarf was around her neck, shaped like an American flag. Under her hat, there was a pair of fuzzy earmuffs, keeping her ears warm. On the tarmac, there was a section where the snow was significantly thinner, though not completely removed. Standing upon there, she originally was warming up, practicing her kicks against an invisible opponent. But as Nightwolf approaches, she stops dead, turning to look at him.
A broad, spirited smile locked on her face.
Nightwolf would never dare to tap into his Sin Eater powers to impress people. The gifts of the skinwalker are not meant to entertain, but to combat evil. He had truly considered showing up to this fight dressed as a normal person, hiding his face tattoos and blank eyes so as to not draw too much attention to himself.
But he knew that would not be possible, not in a situation like this. He fought no Darkstalker or Otherworlder here, he was fighting a movie star! And if there's something they are good at is to bring a lot of attention to something or someone.
This was not time for hiding, if he wanted to get his message across he would need to show everyone what he truly is, in particular to the so called Lightning Spangles.
It was a wolf not a man that suddenly appeared in stage and after a moment of staring to the woman, said wolf was enveloped in green energy and transformed into a tall, imposing, muscled man, grabbed in full Apache Brave regalia. War paint, buckskin, moccasins, blue bandanna with feathers. The works.
To everyone looking, he'll appear like he came straight from a spaghetti western movie.
The real deal. A real Indian.
"I am Joseph Nightwolf." He says simply in a calm yet powerful voice.
"I accept your challenge."
If Lightning Spangles had powers like Nightwolf?
She would entertain even more people. That would be her responsibility. Someone like Nightwolf might neglect his responsiblity to help people like she does. Lightning Spangles helped people with her shows, her fights, her specials. But this Nightwolf person? To Lightning Spangles...
He didn't understand the importance of helping people.
But at least he understood the importance of being in costume. "Well land snakes! You really look like a true, blue American Indian!" The actress drawls, tipping her hat up a bit. "Well, Old Joe the Injun, I got your letter. And let me say this, I am surprised you even showed up! You said some real hurtful things to me in that letter, pardner." She nods her head, the smile not fading from her face. "But if you are gonna come and fight me, then you must feel real serious about those mean words!" She looks out to the crowd, spinning around once before dropping down to her Tae Kwon Do stance. "Now you know the terms of this challenge, Old Joe! You win? And I will play your game, and do any PSA you want! But if I win, then you will apologize right here in public," Lightning Spangles gestures to a nearby camera crew. "And then you will work with me on an anti-bullying PSA, just to make it clear how Lightning Spangles feels about bullies like you." The actress hurls out a swift kick through the air, sweeping it before dropping back to her defensive stance.
"She just won't take it!"
For a moment, Nightwolf falters, seen clearly by a slight wince on his face when Jezebel has the /audacity/ of calling him Old Joe the Injun to his face. Nightwolf cares not for thoughtless slang of that nature, but when he's clearly trying to help the other person open their eyes and they respond by calling with such ignorant words. Well, it wouldn't be the first time Nightwolf has killed a human, sometimes the path of the Sin Eater demands that kind of sacrifice.
This Jezebel though, she's not even worth the effort. In a way, she reminds him a lot of that woman Nightwolf fought some time ago, what was her name? Gabriel? Yes, that's right. She too was so full of herself, living in her little fantasy world that she couldn't even see what was in front of her. She only saw and listened to what she wanted, and ignored everything else. Talking to her was a wasted effort.
Talking to Jezebel also feels like a wasted effort.
Nightwolf leans back, seriously considering just walking away from all this is stupidity.
But then his spirit rallies and compels him to stay. If the path of the Sin Eater was easy everyone would do it. Jezebel may be beyond hope of redemption, but he would accomplish something here.
Although he wasn't sure of what just yet.
Interestingly, Nightwolf too adopts a Tae Kwan Do stance, looking remarkably similar to that of Jezebel. His hands are down close to his waist and he's bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.
Nightwolf may understand the importance of coming in full costume, but he clearly didn't understand the concept of show-boating since he's not saying anything back to Jezebel. So much for an epic confrontation, guess he's a really bad actor.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Nightwolf 0/-------/-------|
Meanwhile, Lightning Spangles lived for showboating.
The actress had to keep herself insulated from the real world. The real world was too cruel, too harsh for the lady. People like Nightwolf had to be kept away from her, and usually was. This was a chance for Lightning Spangles to do what she adores to do, attack a world that tries to break through her bubble.
Jezebel owed so much to Lightning Spangles.
As Nightwolf falls into his own Tae Kwon Do stance, a look of elation comes over the actress's smile. "Tae Kwon Do! You may be a bully, but you have excellent taste!" The actress pumps a fist in the air, her charisma oozing as the audience cheers. "Okay Old Joe! Lets show these true Americans in the blues and the greys what it means to represent America! YEEEEEHAAAAAAAW!"
And Lightning Spangles launches out.
The actress clears the snowy ground, sauntering forward with even, careful footing. Hopping along, she finally closes in on Nightwolf. "Lets do this!" She exclaims, as she spins her leg around swiftly, lashing out with a long, swift swing of the leg. Pivoting around, she side steps, attempting to encircle the man. Not to follow up on another attack.
But to prepare for HIS next one.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel has joined the fight here.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jezebel
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf just-defends Jezebel's Spin Kick!
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Nightwolf 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Jezebel
Lighting Spangles probably wouldn't be able to find a person more completely opposite to her even if she searched the whole wide world.
Nightwolf is the epitome of a strong silent time. He says nothing back to Jezebel's excited clamoring, not even attempting to make himself a real threat to the actress or follow the act. He's just there bouncing on the balls of his feet lightly to limber himself up, physically the mirror image of Jezebel but personality wise so, so different.
Nightwolf is presented with a real dilemma here. He can sense that there is something holding back the darkness within Jezebel, but this barrier is likely her own ego, her Lightning Spangles personality. The shaman could very likely smash this barrier apart, break it completely and dig deep to pry the darkness again, but such an invasive act would surely destroy the woman in a way that he never intended. Jezebel annoyed Nightwolf but not to the point where he would try to kill her.
She was just a misguided buffoon scared of herself, that's all.
The shaman knew there was only one choice. He couldn't run, but he couldn't utterly smash her barrier either.
He was going to have to eat her.
As Jezebel announced her attack and dashed in to make a spinning kick. Nightwolf didn't move, he didn't look like he was going to play the Tae Kwan Do game of spinning kicks at all. Instead he raised his hand and stopped the kick dead in its tracks with his open palm, pushing Jezebel away from him. No counter attack, no nothing. Did he decide against fighting after all?
The Sin Eater was just creating space, because right after he raises his arms out looking like he was going to suck in air. What he was actually doing was making a link to Jezebel as he started sucking in all the darkness within her, red lines of energy flying out from the woman and from the surroundings and gathering in the shaman's chest. His muscles grew bigger and his once blank eyes were turning red.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf gathers his will.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Jezebel
Lightning Spangles wasn't for eating.
Nobody would devour her. Nobody would stop her. She would be the light that inspires the dark and the dreary, the gloomy and the blighted. She was proof that no matter what your substance was, or the lack of it, you could still inspire people with pure style. She might not understand what she did to offend Nightwolf. But she would fix it.
Lightning Spangles could always fix things.
Even as the kick comes, and is stopped dead in the tracks, the crowd cheers. Lightning Spangles herself overflows with joy as the Indian stops it dead. "Incredible technique! This can't be about my special!" As she is pushed away, she circles around the skillful martial artist. She wasn't being insincere. Lightning Spangles adored fighting with fellow Tae Kwon Do martial artists. One of her personal heroes was the world famous Tae Kwon Do master Kim Kaphwan, and in fact, was one of the driving forces that brought Lightning Spangles out of the gutter. Not personally, of course: Lightning Spangles never met the man. But the ideals he stood for, the image he was, was part of the Tae Kwon Do family she wanted to be part of. And as the red lines of energy lash out, to touch her form, she can only respond in one way.
"Wow! Amazing special effects!"
Watching as the link is formed, she doesn't even recognize what is happening at first. Instead, she just laughs lightly. "I get it now. This is a promotion! Well butter me up and call me Newt Gringrich! If you were going to promote something, you should have just told me-" The woman's face locks up, as the darkness spills up, and over. Her jaw begins to go slack, as the black ichor of spiritual energy begins to flow from her eyes, her mouth. The shadowy energy continues to boil force, the corrupt miasma not ceasing its outpour. Seizing up, she suddenly bites down, swallowing the darkness as she cries out.
"STOP IT!"
Lightning Spangles hurls herself in wildly. Ducking in low, the actress tries to focus. She didn't know what was happening. Glimpses of old memories, old scars were flooding her mind. Mistakes in China. Desperation in China. And yet, every image that rose to the surface, every memory that she was forced to endure in an instance... was nothing. She felt nothing. No pain. No fear. No self-loathing. She never felt anything like this before, even in the depths of her drugged out stupors.
Her first instinct was to hate it.
The smile was gone now. Her face was contorted in pain, in a cacophony of emotions that she tries to create, tries to form. But they were't there "Don't you TOUCH ME!" She snaps out, trying to understand what was happening. Hurling in low, she leans back, unleashing a straight kick, perpendicular to the ground, straight up at Nightwolf chin with such incredible, reckless power.
Enough force to launch him straight towards the moon.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf blocks Jezebel's Colossal Kick.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Jezebel
Nightwolf /is/ the special effects.
Somewhere, Johnny Cage was sneezing.
The healing process was always most painful at the very beginning, even for Nightwolf. Truly, the shaman did desire that he could just succumb to Jezebel's infectious winsome nature, to simply drop his guard and enjoy a spar against a fellow Tae Kwan Do user that he so seldom met. He could learn a few trick from her no doubt, just like he did from Jam.
However, Earthrealm is a truly cruel place, and though it pained Nightwolf to see a misguided soul as Jezebel suffer, it was against his nature to either walk away and ignore her or simply crush her. If he was truly going to set her on the right path, he first needed to take off that blindfold she had put around her face.
It was the only thing he could do, after that, it was Jezebel's own decision to continue her path of stupid self-destruction or finally becoming a better person.
Nightwolf doesn't get knocked to the moon. When Lightning Spangles charges at him sending a straight kick towards his chin, the shaman brings his open palm to stop it right before it hits his face again and once again, pushes it aside. This is such a complicated case, he /truly/ wants to destroy that barrier, it could even be easy, and he could also try talking sense to her, but she's so deep in her own world she won't listen to reason.
All he can really do is chip away at that barrier and let the darkness drip out slowly. Jezebel is not unlike a woman dying of thirst in the desert, Nightwolf just can't force feed her water lest she drowns.
With the energy gather, Nightwolf begins to form it on a ball in his palms which he raises over his head, clouds darkening slightly above him.
"Your sins weigh you down." Whispers the shaman. "Do not cling to old hatreds."
Using Jezebel's own negative energy against her, Nightwolf charges a lighting bolt on his hands and sends it hurling towards the aptly named Lightning Spangles, continuing to purify her inner sorrow and self-doubt.
"HOKA HEY!!"
COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Nightwolf's Thunder Storm.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Jezebel
But the thing was, Jezebel didn't want his help.
Lightning Spangles strikes out, driving the kick straight towards Nightwolf. As the blow is deflected, however, there is no words of praise, of consideration. She hated this, the memories coming back, and feeling nothing. It was wrong, it was alien, it was numb. She was afraid of this new feeling. Jezebel had to be protected from those thoughts.
Lightning Spangles had to protect her.
As her own inner energy is hurled back at her, the high-kicking cowgirl rips her leg across it. Kicking apart the blast of energy, it eats through the shell of her jeans, exposing her leg. Her face was still contorted into a visage of confusion. "Stop... Please..." She mutters, the lingering memories flashing over her as she makes sense of why, why was this happening to her.
Her sins.
The woman staggers, overwhelmed by what was happening. This man, this stranger, was dragging up her sins. Her past. Every mistake. This was blackmail. No, this wasn't blackmail. This was torture. The man clearly wanted to torture her. He knew about her old life. He knew about the accident. He knew about the alcohol. He knew about the b- Lightning Spangles was stunned, a foot down, staring at the snow-covered tarmac. Lightning Spangles wasn't stopping the waves of darkness.
It takes Jerry to save her.
"Well hey people, looks like Lightning Spangles is in a real pickle!" The balding agent in the brown suit states, talking to the armed service men and their families. "It looks like the Native American is using his dark magic to confuse her, and make her forget who she really is! But you can help her, if you remind her who she really is! Come on, kids! Clap your hands, if you believe in her!"
"Clap your hands if you believe in Lightning Spangles!"
The children in the audience, with their parents, begin to clap their hands in unison. Jerry claps along them, turning towards his client. Lightning Spangles listens to their claps, listen to their cheers. The barrier hardens, emboldened by Jerry, reinforced by the cheers of her fans. They didn't want to see her shadows. Nobody except this troll, this loser wanted to see her darkside. The real people, the important people, only wanted to see Lightning Spangles.
A smile spreads across her face.
"Nice try, Old Joe!" She states aloud, the shield rising up to challenge the stoic shaman. "But it will take a lot more than those Pagan Indian Magic Tricks to bring down Lightning Spangles." She turns to the audience, giving them a thumbs up. The kids squeal in joy. "Thanks a lot, pardners! I thought I was a gonner for sure there!" Tipping her hat, she falls back down to her guard, pointing a finger at Nightwolf. "As for you, Old Joe! I am going to kick your butt all the way bad to the Rio Grande! YEEEEEEHAAAAW" She exclaims as she fires out straight towards Nightwolf.
And there she begins to unleash the real kicks.
Lightning Spangles had a lot of ground to clear, but she was going to clear it. Lashing out with a roundhouse kick with her right, she follows up with a roundhouse with the left. A third roundhouse comes, rolling with the unstoppable momentum, as she finishes the chain of kicks with the same right leg from the last roundhouse rotates, and slams down HARD into a heel kick. A rough, rapid assault. But more importantly, it showed that Nightwolf had another shield to conquer if he wished to reach out to the woman underneath.
Her hunger for attention.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Nightwolf with Quick and the Dead.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Jezebel
Hmrg, foolish people. To think that they would endorse this kind of behavior. It's just how Nightwolf told Raiden that one time, fighting spectacles can be used for both good and evil.
Nevertheless, it wouldn't be the first time Nightwolf has to struggle to save people from their own ignorance. He can see it clearly as day now, Jezebel's barrier was breaking, her negative energies pouring out of her body and being purified, it pained her no doubt but this was the work of the Sin Eater.
And then the people started chanting, feeding Jezebel's ego. Nightwolf could see the red waves flowing from the air and into Lightning Spangles, shutting her again, mending that barrier and clouding her eyes.
Although not necessarily her body.
"Hmrgg!" Unprepared for such an energetic counter attack after being struck by her own sins, Nightwolf is caught with his guard down by the flurry of kicks. He takes it square on the face and on the top of his skull, and he goes down one knee, grunting.
Only to rise up to his fist, a glowing white hand going straight for Jezebel's neck to hoist her up in the air. He's doing a lot more than choking her though, he'll be sucking her energy directly from her body.
"Your soul will be cleansed!!"
Whether you like it or not, adds Nightwolf mentally.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel interrupts Judgement of the Ancestors from Nightwolf with High Noon EX.
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Nightwolf 1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1 Jezebel
What was Lightning Spangles?
She was Jezebel's guardian angel. She was everything that was good in her life. It was what kept away the darkness. One should never dwell on past failures. In reality, the only thing keeping Jezebel alive some days is Lightning Spangles. She couldn't even bring herself to get behind the wheel of a car. Lightning Spangles let Jezebel be a functioning member of society. It was clear that Lightning Spangles had done some good in her life.
But what else was she.
She kept Jezebel stunted, locked away in the depths of her worst days. She wouldn't grow there, locked away under the bright lights and gushing joy that Lightning Spangles brought. Jezebel was not a good person. But what was Lightning Spangles, if she kept Jezebel festering underneath an artificial shell. She was overprotective, like a mother, without the nuturing.
Not that Jezebel knew what having a real mother was like.
As the four-kick assault comesto a close, she stands tall, her eyes practically shining, as she looks down at the strange shaman. "You are a bad man, to try and hurt me like that. You don't try and bully a real american hero, without getting bur-urk!" Suddenly, she found a white hand around her neck. Squeezing tight, she feels the flashbacks overwhelm her, as black energy floods from her face. She sees the street, the long and winding street, twisted by the haze of the poison running through her. She sees the boy, the expression on the boy's face, as she comes closer, closer. She feels nothing. As her mind panics, she is helpless in Nightwolf's clutches...
"Lightning Spangles, don't let him hurt you!"
The cry is from a little girl, standing by the edge of the arena. Not older than 6 years old, the young girl was bundled up in a snowsuit to keep warm. And yet, she repeats again. "Come on Lightning Spangles! Do the cowboy kick! Don't lose Lightning Spangles! I believe in you!" As the young child cheers for her, energy surges over Lightning Spangles. A tear comes in the corner of her eye, as she grits her teeth. Darkness was no longer feeding Nightwolf, but something else.
Something... artificial.
Red, White, and Blue energy surge through the inky black forces, tearing through it as it floods Nightwolf. Lightning Spangles bursts from the white hand, overwhelming it with a firework burst. "YEEEEEEHAAAAAAW!" Comes the cry as swings her kick upwards, another burst rocketing herself and Nightwolf straight up into the air. A second kick comes downwards, firing the Indian back down to the tarmac, as her ego overwhelms the sin that was feeding Nightwolf. In its place was the Lightning Spangles fireworks energy.
And was the twinkies of the chi world.
It's like eating cheap cake frosting.
Overly sweet and it makes your stomach ache instantaneously. You know you done messed up the moment you put that thing in your mouth.
That is pretty much how Nightwolf feels as he's draining Jezebel's negative energy when its suddenly replaced by some kind of artificial chi. Negative energy is by no means tasty, it feels like drinking solid poison, but there's something about artificial chi that makes the shaman feel like he just eat a couple of bags of candy. Artificial sugar really messes him up. Pretty much like Jezebel's kicks.
"HRAAA!" Nightwolf's grips breaks as he takes a multicolored kick to the chin that sends him flying to the air and then another to throw him down to the ground like a rocket. He bounces once and makes a flip, landing on his face.
Then he /smashes/ the ground with his fist in anger, and gets back up, white eyes wide open and full of fury. "No!!" The skinwalker snarls as he gets back up. "I will not fail you!!" It's fortunate that Nightwolf doesn't care for his reputation, because he's going to keep attacking if he really does start looking like a bully. Even if Jezebel probably doesn't deserve all this effort, its impossible for the shaman to simply not do anything about the Lightning Spangles persona weighing this woman down. Because if he can't save one measly soul.
Then what chance does he have of saving Earthrealm.
"This is the judgment of the Ancients!!" Perhaps some of that flair is really starting to get to Nightwolf since he starts to uncharacteristically call out the name of this attacks. He charges for Jezebel again swinging two energy made battleaxes right for her face, going to smash them right across her jaw with great force.
"Ancestor's Call!"
COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Nightwolf's Ancestor's Call.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/-------|=======\=======\1 Jezebel
What was she?
What was Jezebel at this point? A parasite. Lightning Spangles didn't need Jezebel. The character could endure the loss of Jezebel. Lightning Spangles wouldn't let that happen though. Because Lightning Spangles loves Jezebel. Even when Jezebel didn't deserve to be loved. And that's ultimately what Jezebel is, at this point.
Just a shadow of the legendary Lightning Spangles.
As Lightning Spangles finishes her downward kick, she stands tall, breathing hard in the frigid air. "What are you talking about? You aren't helping me! You are trying to destroy me! You won't ever destroy Lightning Spangles!" Shouting back at the Indian, the audience cheers on the All-American hero as she beats down Nightwolf. She was managing to stand strong against the sin-eating powers of the Native American; something that might be commendable.
If it wasn't evidence of the sheer twisted state Jezebel was in.
As Nightwolf comes roaring in with both energy axes, the children shout and scream. "Oh nooo!" They cry, as Lightning Spangles just rushes in with both arms, catching each of the axes with her forearms. The energy blades cut deep, ripping into the sleeves of the woman. Wincing hard, gritting her teeth, Lightning Spangles kept strong in the face of the help. "The Judgements of the Ancients is no match for the founding fathers! And more important, the most important ancient of all: Jesus Christ himself! And nothing puts the Christ in Christmas than America!" Her resolve strengthening, the American hurls herself back from the axes, taking to the air. Bounding through the air, she flips into a long, slow bound.
And she whips the her legs around.
Kicking through the air, more of the artificially charged energy flows out, fueled by her ego. Lightning Spangles kicks through the air, firing out a blue, flickering ball of energy, a red ball of flickering energy, and finally, a white ball of flickering energy. The small balls arm to pepper around the Indian, attempt to saturate the tarmac with her chi...
Before it explodes into red, white, and blue fireworks.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf reflects Sundance from Jezebel with Shield of the Ancients.
- Power hit! -
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Nightwolf 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Jezebel
"Are you even listening to yourself anymore?"
There comes a point in time when Nightwolf knows he can't lay the spiritualism too thick or he'll confuse his.. well.. patients is one way to call them, even if they are utterly unwilling ones or not even aware they are being helped, sometimes both, like Jezebel's case. He has to use some modicum of normal vocabulary if he really wants to get through to people.
Its when Jezebel starts talking about the one true God and such nonsense that really tells Nightwolf he's got to find another angle to get through this woman that is in desperate need of a reality check. If he wanted to help Jezebel before, now he desperately needs to do it lest her blindness spreads all across the world. Because that really is the problem when it came down to it, Jezebel may be just one soul, but as an entertainer she was spreading her foolish believes to the rest of the world, and that was something Nightwolf could not tolerate.
Because anything that weakened humanity.
Weakened Earthrealm.
And it leaved it ripe for invasion.
"There are lines that must not be crossed even for the sake of comedy." Nightwolf grunts as his axe blades scrape across Jezebel's forearms. "Enforcing your beliefs on others through force. Belittling other cultures. Putting yourself high above others with no regards to their feelings!?"
"Just who is the bully here, Lightning Spangles?"
Nightwolf glances at the crowd. Trying to cleanse this woman is like walking on egg shells, he can't push too hard because she'll break, but he can't pull back too much because she'll resist it. Nightwolf literally has to find the perfect angle to properly clean her spirit.
And that may be apparently turning her acting against her.
"I too am an American!!" Yells the shaman as the three balls of energy overpower him, only for him to stick his chest out as if daring them to hit him. When they do engulfing him in multicolored chi he quickly absorbs it all into his chest, a swirling ball of green energy spinning right in front of him.
"And real Americans help those who have lost their path."
"Shield of the Ancients!!" Yells the shaman as he directs Jezebel's own negative energy at her again, firing a green beam from his chest.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Nightwolf's Reflected Sundance.
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Nightwolf 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Jezebel
There was an answer to Nightwolf's question.
Everything that Lightning Spangles said wasn't what Jezebel said. She was someone completely outside the sad woman locked away inside. It was a voice outside, free and strong, able to do anything, and everything she wanted. But she was a hero, not a villain. She helped people with her confidence, not destroy them. And thus, that was the answer to Nightwolf's question.
Lightning Spangles never listened to what she said anymore.
Not even a thought went into the words. Even what he complained about, the blunderbuss, was only because it was what he said, not what she said. As her balls of energy hit, the fireworks come just as she lands, with the crowd cheering. But the crowd doesn't stop cheering as the strange Indian absorbs the energy into his chest. Lightning Spangles's eyes go wide, as the Native American unleashes a beam from his chest. Desperately, she throws her arms up, to block the sheer force of the blast. And with it, she is knocked back, sent tumbling into the snow briefly, before surging back up to a stand.
"You are right, Old Joe."
Lightning Spangles lowers down, her arms now fully exposed by the energy surged back into her. Her sleeves were ruined, and the cold air bit against her seared arms. And yet, she stands back up, striking a pose. "Real Americans help those who lost their path."
"That is why I must help YOU, Old Joe!"
Crossing her arms, she continues her inspiring speech, the children listening with intent ears. "You are on the wrong path, Joe! The right path is with Lightning Spangles, not against her! If you have a problem with what she says, then there are polite ways to bring it up! You can even help her, not hurt her, in getting your message across! Instead, you break people down, under the guise of helping them? That will not do!" Lightning Spangles uncrosses her arms, pointing a finger at Nightwolf.
"So I am going to help you"
Lightning Spangles begins to flow with the red, white, and blue energy, her ego fueling her spirit, drowning down the vile negative energy that the shaman was drawing out of her. "I am going to show you the Lightning Spangles path! Where you learn to love your fellow man, or woman, and work with her, not destroy her! You will learn to love, not to hate! And it will take all of my American Spirit to show you! If you really love all of this, Old Joe, then let me hear it! Let me hear you call it! Old Joe!"
"Can I get a Yeehaw?!"
COMBATSYS: Jezebel burns with the AMERICAN SPIRIT!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/------=|=======\=======\1 Jezebel
"My path is clear." Nightwolf answers immediately, if Jezebel is trying to throw his psychology back at him she's barking the wrong tree. There is no doubt that the woman playing Lightning Spangles is a very complex being, hidden beneath layers upon layers of secrets and barriers. But the Sin Eater has known his purpose in this life from the very moment he could articulate words. There is no doubt in his mind, no fear in his heart. Only sheer determination to get through this woman somehow.
"Very well." She wants to play that game? So be it. The shaman is as self-sacrificing as it can possibly get, and he deduces that only way to even make some manner of progress with Jezebel is to show her that she doesn't have to sacrifice everything that Lightning Spangles has given her in order to return to her own life. She can keep the fame, the winsomeness, the truly happy feelings that she brings the children, those are genuinely good things that Lighting Spangles does for people. What Nightwolf is going to do is wash away the ignorance, the materialism, and the sheer obliviousness that she also drags along with her everywhere she goes.
Because /dang it/, it is important that people know the difference between a blunderbuss and an arquebus! What kind of example is he setting for the children!!?
"Show me, Lightning Spangles!!" Yells Nightwolf "Show me that there is true love and wisdom in your heart! Because you cannot truly claim to love your fellow men and women, or even America.."
"If you do not love yourself."
Sure, that can be taken a number of ways, but Nightwolf is implying that she should do away with all her self-loathing. Only then will she be able to finally be able to grow as a person.
The skinwalker charges, and though he seems to be going along with Jezebel's act, he doesn't fully succumb to her schemes. He is going to give a warcry, but not the one that Lightning Spangles.
"O-YI-YI-YI-YI!!!" Nightwolf unleashes an Apache warcry and spins on his heel just as he's approaching Jezebel, truly giving her what she finally wanted.
A spinning tornado Tae Kwan Do kick.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf successfully hits Jezebel with Roundhouse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jezebel
If she didn't love herself.
That accusation was the edge that Nightwolf needed to cut to her bones. Lightning Spangles didn't care about the ignorance, the materialism, the sheer obliviousness. Because if she cared about those things, then she would care about other things. All the things she says, she says outward. To affect things outside of her mind. Because nothing inside matters.
Nothing inside needed to matter.
As Nightwolf hurls in with his tornado kick, the woman struggles to bring up her guard. But finally, after the countless attacks against her had chipped away her guard, piece by piece, the actress finally takes a hit, to the gasps of the children in the audience. She is knocked away from her alight stance, blown away by the Indian's kick. Collapsing to the ground, she groans a moment, before staggering back up.
"I love myself!"
Those were the words she says aloud. And yet, the words feel more hollow than any other words she seethes. She didn't like to lie. She didn't want to lie. But this was a lie that had to keep her going, to let her keep inspiring those children in the audience. "And if you want me to show you..." She begins, lowering herself down into a crouch.
"Then let me show you!!"
Lightning Spangles erupts forward into a spiral, spinning wildly as she surges through the air, straight towards Nightwolf. Rocketing forward at blazing speeds, she becomes alight in the red, white, and blue energies. Bright enough for the audience to avert their eyes, the shining pillar of chi attempts to slam right into Nightwolf, to consume him into the trainwreck that was Lightning Spangles, to smash through him, and bring him right to the Tarmac.
With Lightning Spangles standing tall, legs akimbo.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Nightwolf with Pale Rider.
- CRAZY Hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\-------\0 Jezebel
Huh.
Nightwolf was actually kind of surprise Jezebel suddenly didn't want to play the Tae Kwan Do game and threw another kick. She seem so excited about doing it. Instead she eats the tornado kick to the face causing the shaman to actually arch an eyebrow as he resets his stance, watching Jezebel go down on the ground after being struck hard. Maybe she's getting tired?
Or maybe the skinwalker is finally making progress.
Who can truly know with this woman, full of Bad Medicine. Attuned with the spiritual world as he is, the shaman senses the hollowness behind Jezebel's defiant cry. Even if he didn't have that he'd be able to sense the doubt in the quake of her voice. It's obvious she's lying to herself more than anything. The woman's self denial is truly a work of art, almost as much her chi energized kicks.
"Hmr!" Nightwolf braces himself for that flurry of kicks again and brings his arms up to protect his upper body. The rain of high powerized kicks crashes and plows right through his defenses, kicking his arms out of the way and smashing him on the face over and over again until he is driven back, falling on the ground and then rolling to his knees. He's breathing hard and he wipes blood from a busted lip before hitting the ground again with his open palms and standing back up, unwilling to yield.
"If that is so.." He whispers as he gets back to his feet. "Then you should not need to hide behind false smiles and ignorance to bring happiness to the people. You can be educational, bring truth to the people and also joy."
Wise as he may be, Nightwolf is a relentless warrior and he's attacking once more even after having taking such a vicious blow to the face. "All that I ask is that you check your blasted sources!"
"Is doing some research truly that difficult!!?"
As he unleashes a rather untraditional Apache warcry, he flies directly at Jezebel and drives an elbow smash right for her face.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel dodges Nightwolf's Thunder Break.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Jezebel
When could a mask be so strong?
Progress for Lightning Spangles was of her own doing. A broken woman, who clawed herself back together into a functioning person. She was as a broken bone, mishapened as it heals into the same twisted shape that it was left in. Nightwolf wanted to break her, to let her heal properly.
But Lightning Spangles would not be broken.
As Lightning Spangles rips through Nightwolf with her Full Spangled Explosion, she overwhelms the Indian, as the crowd goes wild. Even the uniformed servicemen stand up, to cheer on the woman as she roars into the shaman. Landing awkwardly, she staggers, unbalanced by the relentless assault. She was in a daze, a dream-like dance. It was more like a fantasy right now. Casting a glance around, she hears the words, and tries to shut them out. "They are real smiles. They are educational! They are helping people..."
"Watch out Lightning Spangles!"
The cries come from the audience, the children shouting to their hero as, with a start, Nightwolf was exploding in with an elbow smash to the face. Lightning Spangle's eyes go wide as she turns to watch as the man rockets in. Deftly, with a smirk on her lips, she suddenly sidesteps, guiding the elbow smash past her with her forearms. Stepping behind Nightwolf, she waves at the children. "Great work kids! You really saved Lightning Spangles bacon there!" Looking back at the shaman, she smugly looks at the man, guard returned. "Besides, I don't research these things! I let my handlers do that! I don't need to think about these things! I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, and I am sorry I made mistakes on my special, but it isn't about the facts" The woman explains.
"It is about the spirit!"
And there, Jezebel whips her leg around, bringing it high into the air. Tensing up her leg, she promptly smashes it down, aiming to crush it right into Nightwolf's head. A slow, flashy move, used to finish off martial artists. Was Lightning Spangles really this confident, that she thought the fight would end?
Or maybe she wasn't even thinking about these things.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf blocks Jezebel's Heel Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Jezebel
Nightwolf has no sense for the dramatic. Even after hanging out with Benimaru all this time he's more about the practicality than the flare. That he has gone along with Jezebel's, and to a certain extent Benimaru's, schemes to put on shows is only because he has his own motives.
Its why he when he's elbow strike is dodged and he turns just in time to see the incoming axe kick coming down on his head, the shaman eschews more flashy defensive maneuvers and brings his arm up for an overhead block. He grunts when the incoming heel impacts with his forearm, but at least he was successful in stopping the attack this time and manages to push his opponent out of the way.
"Your handlers?" Nightwolf pauses briefly, white blank eyes suddenly glancing over at the crowd and the balding agent. Of course, this Jerry guy was also the one that got the crowd to cheer to boost Jezebel's ego. He was also protecting her too. In a moment of realization, the Sin Eater curses himself wondering how could he have been so blind. There were other people that were clearly benefiting from Jezebel's stunted growth, for her producers, she was only a piece of meat to be advertised, a cow to be milked for all its worth, it was in their best interest to keep her as ignorant as possible.
"Perhaps, you are not to blame for all your downfalls." Says Nightwolf, who unfortunately does not know of a way to protect Jezebel from her own agents, spiritual matters are very different than legal ones.
But he's come this far, he's not going to surrender now.
Summoning an energy blade to his right hand, Nightwolf crouches low as he holds the chi knife in reverse grip to then leap at Jezebel and make a slash for her face, looking not unlike a wolf pouncing her.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf successfully hits Jezebel with Blade and Edge.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Nightwolf 0/-------/--=====|=======\=====--\1 Jezebel
Lightning Spangles was never alone.
Dreams like her had to be sustained by the little people. The crushing heel kick slams into Nightwolf's arm, and with a shove, Lightning Spangles is knocked back, stumbling. Regaining her footing, she notices that he repeats what she had said. Grinning ear to ear, she nods.
"Yes, like Jerry!'
Lightning Spangles looks towards her agent. Jerry wasn't the first agent she had. He wasn't the best agent she had. But he gave her what she wanted, what she needed. Steady work, exciting work, meaningful work. And she wasn't doing anything demeaning... at least to her standards. Like with R. She didn't really know what R really did, maybe they dealt with guns? It wasn't important though. What was important was that Lightning Spangles was entertaining children.
And Nightwolf was not a child to entertain.
The shaman comes surging in with a chi-weapon, just like the axes. This time, though, it was a knife. She tries to move fast enough to stop the energy blade from cutting her, but she was far too slow. Jerry looks flustered, as the children themselves gasp and cry 'Noooo!' Lightning Spangles brings a hand to her face. Blood. She moves the hand delicately. Flap. He just cut her face open. Swiftly, she brings her shimmering scarf over her face. She wasn't going to let the children see her like this. Her bouncing tone was gone, as she just blurts out what she was thinking.
"Y-you cut my face!"
"Ho- why would you cut me like that?" She blurts out, the drawl gone. "You are nuts! I- that does it." The actress, adjusting her slowly more bloodsoaked scarf, suddenly strikes a pose. Red, white, and blue energy surges over her form. "I'm going to finish this now!" She exclaims, as she rockets forward, and aftertrail of red, white, and blue images following her. She is neatly upon Nightwolf at surprisingly speeds, a leg drawn back.
And she attempts to punt Nightwolf straight into the sky.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Nightwolf with A Few Dollars More.
[ \\ < > ///////// ]
Nightwolf 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Jezebel
And as she launches Nightwolf straight up...
She turns to the audience.
"I'd like to dedicate this next moment to identifying the REAL heroes of America." She explains, her drawl coming back. "Yes, not just Lightning Spangles, kids. But what I'm talking about is all of your parents! The servicemen and women who work hard to protect America from invaders, to fight to uphold the ideals of truth, justice, and the American way."
"And lets not forget the brave men and women staying at home!"
She brings a hand over her heart, as Nightwolf begins his -descent- from the staggering kick. "You work hard to keep together your family, to uphold your own homes, and of course, raising your beautiful kids." Lightning Spangles motions for her youngest fans in the audience. "So that they can grow up big and strong, and become heroes just like you. Just like Lightning Spangles. So come on, everyone! Lets give it up!" She suddenly turns around into a snap kick, just as Nightwolf is just about to hit the tarmac. It makes contact, exploding into a massive fireworks display of red, white, and blue, peppering the Tarmac with the explosion. The audience cheers, coming to a standing ovation.
"Give it up for the United States Military!"
It always hurts.
Its not too different from a hangover. When you are drunk with your own ego and someone forcefully takes it away from you, the withdrawal will feel horrendous, at some point, all the accumulated negative energy inside someone is essentially black tar keeping their insides together, and when prying it out like that it'll feel like everything inside a body is simply going to collapse without all that support built in over the years.
When Nightwolf decided to attack Jezebel's face, he knew what he was getting into. It would be a blow that would awaken her one way or another, and for the first time in the match the shaman can see the woman behind the persona.
A very angry woman, getting ready to retaliate for her face being injured.
It always hurts.
Nightwolf does his best to try and move into the attack and wrestle through it, but all this evil energy he's been consuming from Lightning Spangles has taken its considerable toll on the Apache. With a grunt, he takes yet another kick right to the jaw and goes flying up to the sky giving the cowpoke to give her little speech. But as he's up in the air, Nightwolf is making a speech of his own..
"Tunca Cela...O'cicie'elo.." Given the circumstances of this event, it is very unlikely anyone in the audience at all will be familiar of what is happening when a Native American Brave is in the verge of losing and he starts to sing, this is their death song, the song of a last effort no matter the costs, the song of what it means to follow the path of a warrior. But of course, its probably all gibberish to anyone here, which is the whole reason why Nightwolf ventured into this mad quest of attempting to redeem Lightning Spangles.
As he descends and he is kicked on his back sending him to the ground face first, Nightwolf finally finishes reciting his incantation and he begins to glow white with power. "Onsimalayu! Omaki'ayo!!" And he stands again on wobbly feet he makes another last desperate charge for Jezebel both hands glowing white as he goes to grab her by the neck and channel all the energy he has left within her and consume the evil energy within her.
"For Earthrealm!!"
Whatever happens, this is probably his last move.
COMBATSYS: Nightwolf can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Jezebel 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Nightwolf's Banishment.
[ \\\\\ <
Jezebel 0/-------/=======|
Jezebel didn't want to hurt anymore.
She was done hurting. As the finishing kick is unleashed, she doesn't even register Nightwolf's Native American gibbering. As he hits the ground, she waves to the audience, giving a heroic salute to the men and women in uniform. The kids gasp again. But before they can warn her, Nightwolf suddenly seizes her neck. Lightning Spangles shouts, as she feels the energy flowing into her, to consume the misery within.
But the misery runs deep.
It was like diving into an abyss. As Nightflows his purifying energy, it cascades against a filthy mire of negative energy, sealed away. Lightning Spangles gasps in pain, as she manages to just barely break free, shoving away Nightwolf as the images flood her head. While it wasn't the full effect, it seemed like just enough. Lightning Spangles stumbles, staggering on her feet, the bloody scarf beginning to slip.
And Lightning Spangles collapses to the ground.
The children begin to cry. But Jerry was on the wings. He knew how to play this. "It looks like Lightning Spangles is in real trouble again. But you remember how clapping brought her back? Now is the time kids! You need to clap your hands!"
"Clap your hands if you believe in Lightning Spangles!"
Jerry begins to clap his hands. Soon, the kids join in. Clapping, clapping to bring their hero back to life. Even the parents begin to clap. They believed in Lightning Spangles. Everyone believed in Lightning Spangles.
Except people who knew what Lightning Spangles truly was.
COMBATSYS: Jezebel gives y'all a free turn!
[ \\\ <
Jezebel 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Jezebel has reached second wind!
[ \\\ <
Jezebel 0/-------/=======|
There is a stir in the snow.
Steadily, Jezebel rises up from the tarmac, the clapping filling her ears. Clap. Clap. Clap. Jezebel takes her stand, barely crawling up. The children believed in her. She had to protect the children. Struggling to keep her stand, her diseased mind tries and watches, tries to make sense. The images were flooding in her head again. Mistakes. Failures. Disgusting, disgusting acts. All numb.
And yet, glimmers of pain were coming.
Lightning Spangles wasn't back yet. INstead, there was Jezebel. She barely hears the cheers from the audience. It takes Jerry, coming over to hold her hand, to raise it up, for the actress to realize what was happening. She waves at the crowd, waves at the shape that was before her. She wasn't smiling, under that scarf.
She wasn't smiling, under that mask.
His last energy spent, Nightwolf did not have enough strength to struggle against the shove from Jezebel and he falls to his back.
He never expected this, he never expected this woman to have such a colossal amount of negative energy inside of her. He's fought Darkstalkers and even /Outworlders/ that don't have this much misery inside of them. Even after all this, to Nightwolf, it feels like he just scrapped the very surface of Jezebel's problems. Her self-loath ran deep, and it looked like it would take a shaman of greater power than Nightwolf to fully purify her. It felt, like he had failed. Was all this for naught? Was Earthrealm doomed!?
And the hears it. From the ground where he lays he hears the applause and the cheers and the laughter of children. Nightwolf doesn't merely hear it either, he feels it, the bright feelings of the crowd overcoming the negativity of his failed attempts to purify this woman. And it was all because Lightning Spangles stood up even after his relentless assaults. They admired her tenacity.
Perhaps there was light within the darkness.
The Sin Eater manages to lift his head from the ground to see a broken woman, she's waving at the crowd happily, but inside there is nothing but an abyss, Nightwolf can see it clearly in the form of swirling darkness shifting around like a wall trying to reform itself after being mercilessly battered.
"Lightning Spangles." He speaks to her from the ground. "Earthrealm.. needs a hero in this dark types. A real hero.. one who's smile is sincere.."
"Restore the balance within yourself.. do not cling... to old hatreds.."
"Do not cling.. to the hatred.. of yourself.."
The he flops his head back on the ground and grows silent. What is it about cowboys always beating him? This irony does not amuse him at all.
Lightning Spangles's darkness ran deep, yes.
Lightning Spangles loved children. Children were innocent, precious creatures, they were the future. To bring joy to children was the greatest thing for Lightning Spangles. That was why she shut herself behind the persona. Because Jezebel didn't help children.
She killed them.
As Nightwolf rises back up, his words fall on Jezebel's ears. She turns, as Jerry moves his arms around her shoulders. Already, medical vans were on the scene. Jerry knew that Jezebel was hurt pretty bad, and the face cutting... the face cutting was serious. He might have to sue Nightwolf for that kind of crap. But Jezebel doesn't care, in her daze. She was listening to the shaman, his sagely wisdom, his infinite advice. That was what the world needed.
The world needed a real hero.
Don't cling to old hatred. Don't cling to the hate within her. Jezebel trembles in Jerry's supporting arm. Jezebel wished she could let go. She wished she could forgive herself. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Nobody can give back her old life, not even Lightning Spangles. The Earthrealm needed a real hero like Lightning Spangles.
But Jezebel didn't need a real hero.
She just needed Lightning Spangles.
Log created on 17:55:22 12/18/2014 by Jezebel, and last modified on 15:20:58 12/19/2014.