Description: Dastardly time traveler Richard Nixon (played by CRACKER JACK) was responsible for the shooting murders of political officials all throughout history, and it is up to renowned detective Maki Genryuusai (played by MAKI GENRYUUSAI) to bring him to justice! That's the premise for the small featurette set in the Hall of Mirrors in Southtown's Dream Amusement Park, but there have been a number of... accidents during filming. Actors are turning up dead, and the script... well, it's probably best to abandon the script now!
It was only supposed to be a goofy Halloween special. Cracker Jack, holder of PFW's Western Pro Belt, was supposed to play the part of a murderous ex-US-president. And Maki Genryuusai was to play the part of a detective with little respect for proper paranormal police procedures, and lay the smackdown on old Tricky Dick, played by equally-rhymable Cracker Jack. Other actors were to be playing other formerly assassinated officials as well, wandering through the halls of mirrors to give the two pro fighters a fright.
However... anyone who is particularly wise to history would know that the other officials should have been shot. The actors are really good at playing dead, but... they should have gunshot wounds, not puncture wounds, or blunt force trauma, or... well, disembowelling. It's jarringly realistic work.
And for some reason, the handlers that should be piping a steady flow of stage direction to Maki and Cracker Jack just aren't talking. The only clue that the cameras are still rolling -- and in fact, the only sign of life in the midst of the darkened hall of mirrors -- is that every so often, a shadowy form -- much taller than that of Cracker Jack -- can be seen flitting through the silvered surfaces, rumbling a low, haunting chuckle as he goes. Perhaps, if one is quick enough, they may manage to reach him and get some answers...
COMBATSYS: Jedah has started a fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|=------\-------\0 Jedah
Cracker Jack steps into the mirror maze, baseball bat in hand and rubber Nixon mask on his face. He's wearing a fine Armani suit with a red power tie and a silk hankerchief in the front pocket, with snappy black dress shoes and a muscular physique shown off by the immaculate tailoring. However, something is wrong. The stage directions not there, the lights are going down, and...Jesus, is that a corpse? Jack moves over to JFK, poking him. He's dead, and he died brutally. Cracker Jack looks up, the flabby jowls of his mask shaking, before he raises his bat and presses his back against a wall, taking a deep breath. Jack listens quietly, before he spots the shadowy figure and hears the chuckle. Is this thing human? After what happened in Metro City, the supernatural isn't quite out of Jack's mind as an explanation. Slowly, he strides deeper into the maze, hoping that he can make it out of this thing alive. The SNF money, that's right off the table. Looks like he's trapped here until he either gets extracted by an elite paramilitary team, or he fights his way out. Might as well gather data for Shadaloo - anything to put him back in his superiors' good graces, after that loss to Senna where he almost drowned.
COMBATSYS: Cracker Jack has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Jedah
It seems that the fight situations that the ninja known as Maki Genryuusai always seems to get caught up in are getting more and more bizarre by the day. Especially the SNF ones, or whatever they're called these days, since they sure have changed quite a bit! And in this case, Maki's supposed to be a paranormal detective of some kind, at least based on the situation at hand that they're supposed to be acting in. But what does a detective girl wear in a situation like this? Why, a large trenchcoat and a fedora... for the time being anyway! That is, until the trenchcoated ninja makes her way into the area.
For the time being she stops and stares at Cracker Jack, and tries not to laugh as she gets a look at his mask. THIS guy is supposed to be the bad guy she's after? Well, it's all for show, right? Maki just has to slap the cuffs on him and take him away, right? Or is there something else going on that she's not aware of yet?
Like the mysterious other presence she hasn't noticed just yet...
COMBATSYS: Maki has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Jedah
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
One would figure that the director is pretty much freaking out at this point, and that's pretty close to the truth! The live feed has been swapped to a broadcast of an earlier, previously untelevised fight, as there's no way the public would really be able to stomach seeing eviscerated bodies in such graphic detail.
That said, the director would be a fool to stop recording -- for insurance purposes, ostensibly, but also for the sheer exclusive! The night-vision GoPro cameras are still rolling, capturing every moment for later recording... But the combatants are counting on help, they probably won't rest easy knowing that, among the people currently massed in Dream Amusement Park, they're the two with the highest chances of survival...
"Do you two children intend to continue your little make-believe game?" The demon lord's low baritone rumbles through the halls, the mirrors doing nothing to deaden the sound -- only amplify it further, and echo it about. The demon lord himself -- or someone dressed remarkably like the bloodweaver who decided to 'borrow' Metro City for a month or so -- appears at the end of the hallway, steepling his fingers together as he smiles back at the two fighters, teeth glinting in the light.
"It certainly can't be for the historical value." He glances between the two fighters as he tilts his head slightly to one side.
To Maki: "Ah. I remember you. Quite the obedient little puppet..."
This treatement is not extended to the Nixon-masked Cracker Jack, however. His blonde eyebrows knit into a vague approximation of distaste, as his hand extends forward. And the sharp, blood-red nails continue approaching Jack; the sound of splintering bone suggests that maybe, just maybe, the hand has broken loose and is rocketing towards the Shadaloo enforcer, aiming to carve four parallel grooves across his chest. It's really hard to tell in the poor lighting, though! "You, though... Let us play for a moment."
COMBATSYS: Cracker Jack blocks Jedah's Thrown Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jedah
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
Cracker Jack's head swings around towards Maki, raising his bare left hand in a gesture of 'stop'. "Hey, you! Thank God! Something's wrong, we're way off script here! People are actually..." He hears the approach of the demonic Jedah Dohma, going quiet as he turns his masked head to watch him. He takes a step backwards, looking at Maki briefly, before he turns to face Jedah. As the disembodied hand slashes at him, he raises his right arm up, blocking the claws on his arm and feeling the nails cut into the flesh beneath his Presidential suit. He grunts and inhales sharply through his teeth, looking at Maki. "Truce?"
Cracker Jack's head snaps back to face Jedah Dohma as he charges forward, tossing his bat to his left hand before his right lashes out with an uppercut, aimed at the demonic noble's head. It takes all the will Cracker Jack has to get into close range with this lord of the night, but Jack is willing to do it. "The name is Jack. The guy I work for is scarier than you, darkstalker. BACK TO THE PIT." At the apex of the uppercut, he skids to a halt, so he doesn't go flying into the mirror that he's attempting to slam Jedah into.
"So you know who I am?" The trenchcoated ninja says. "Well, I guess the charade is up!" She tosses off the coat and hat, revealing herself to those on television as the one and only Maki Genryuusai! "I'm flattered that you've heard of me, but I'm afraid I'm not here to sign autographs!" She then looks to Cracker Jack and nods as well, scowling a little. "Something's really off here. I mean, this guy knows who the hell I am?! I don't like it personally."
Maki then rushes in without saying anything else to Jack, attempting to kick at Jedah from the side, in hopes of adding a little extra damage from the side while Jack goes in directly. Once she has a free moment, she'll tell Jack, "Just call me Maki."
COMBATSYS: Jedah blocks Maki's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Jedah
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Jedah counters Dashing Upper from Cracker Jack with Nero - Fatica.
-*- DEVASTATING HIT! -*-
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\0 Jedah
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
Way off script: that's one way of putting it. The actors he'd casually disembowled didn't seem to catch on till it was much, much too late. But ... well, Jedah's never been the -kindest- individual either.
The notion of a truce is met with a smile from the bloodweaver. Rational individuals -- most useful additions to his team, should they survive the recruitment pitch.
Or even if they don't, really. One nice perk about being a lord of the undead is that not having to worry about damaging your toys.
Case in point: Maki throwing off her coat. The trenchcoat would probably have kept her alive a few seconds longer, taking some miniscule amount of momentum out of the bloodweaver's strikes. It's of little consequence, though, for as the bloodweaver wrenches his shoulder backwards, it's a trivial matter for him to use the retracted forearm and hand, now returned to a position that corresponds properly with functional human anatomy, to catch the foot with an open palm. He staggers backwards, but only barely.
He is a degree more cautious about Cracker Jack's attack. He's got more reach, and he's aiming to take the noble's head off. This is... awkward. Though what gives him pause is the notion that his boss is more terrifying. He saves that morsel of information for later.
But right now... Jack may find that his bat meets with less resistance than expected: it's hitting a liquid, instead of a solid.
And instead of the bloodweaver being in -front- of Jack, he's suddenly moved -behind- him. And Jack's bat -- and in fact, Jack himself -- will be enveloped with a seven-foot-diameter globe of blood for a moment.
With introductions made thusly, Jedah pauses with a malicious smile as he stands beside Maki. "You may call me Lord Dohma."
And then his hand rakes sideways, puncturing the bloody sphere and splattering four bloody stripes across the silvered glass. One instant later, Jack will follow afterwards, with significantly more force than he'd planned to visit upon Jedah -- forceful enough to shatter the glass panel, and probably -several- glass panels.
"Don't take this the wrong way," coos Jedah, as he draws his blood back to himself, as it congeals into the form of a giant scythe. "But I've always been somewhat partial to blondes."
Cracker Jack's fist goes flying through Jedah's head, and suddenly, he's staring at himself in the mirror. Shocked at seeing a Nixon mask instead of Dohma's pummelled head, he's then trapped in a bloody sphere of blood. He freezes in position, unsure of what to do, suddenly raked with the mortal terror that he's used to inflicting on the enemies of Lord Vega. Then, of course, he's sent slamming into several glass panels, one after the other, before finally laying on his face, covered in lacerations and bleeding heavily, especially from those four strokes across his back. He takes his mask off and spits out blood as he sulks on the ground, staring at his sweating face on a jagged piece of mirror. Bad luck, Jedah Dohma.
Cracker Jack reaches for his back, and picks it up, breathing slowly. He pivot turns to look at Dohma addressing Maki, watching the demon lord over his shoulder. He slowly turns, wearing one glove on his right hand, and using that glove grip to tightly cinch his fist around his bat. He runs seven steps forward, closing the distance rapidly, before he jumps into the air and hefts the bat above his head. He holds it with both hands, before bringing it down like a massive sword at Jedah's middle, attempting to cut him in two with the power of American baseball. Let's see him transmute around /this/.
Maki's kick is deflected, but it's the way her ally has been countered so hard by Jedah that really has her paying more attention this time. She realizes that this is definitely not your typical fighter they're dealing with. It's almost like something from Shadaloo or worse. Nevertheless, Maki grits her teeth and grips her tonfa tightly. "I appreciate the sentiment," Maki replies sarcastically to Jedah. "But I'm afraid I'm not interested in beings like you!"
Once again, Maki glances at Jack to make sure he's not badly injured or anything, before advancing on Jedah carefully. She's using a bit more extreme caution than she usually does with fighters because of the shocking revelation just now. "But if you're really that interested in me, then I'll have you know that any men who are interested in me must undergo an initiation right, starting with THIS!" Maki plants her tonfa into the ground and begins to spin around with her leg outstretched.
COMBATSYS: Cracker Jack successfully hit Jedah with Home Run King.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|=======\==-----\1 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Jedah blocks Maki's Bushin Senpuu Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|=======\===----\1 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-------|
While Jack extricates himself from the storm of glass shards, Jedah smirks broadly at Maki. Not interested in him? "Few are... at first."
This probably ranks as one of the worst places to try out pickup lines, considering. And Jedah's several hundred years too old for her, at any rate. But... the concept of an initiation ritual does amuse him. Just not enough for him to stand around and wait for the kicks to slam into his crazy-weird anatomy: he hops backwards, allowing the shaft of his scythe and by proxy the length of his arm to absorb the strength of Maki's whirlwind kick.
But one thing he hadn't counted on was Jack standing up again. He'd expected him to go down, and stay down. But to have Jack come from behind and effectively bisect the demon lord in twain?
Most impressive indeed. This second strike of Jack's provides definite results -- the spine shears apart, a chain-reaction of brittle bones popping one after another.
Whereas before, the bloodweaver simply redistributed his bloodborne self to different locations, he's not had the good fortune to do so here. The tension between his will forcing the body to remain as one against the obvious interposition of Jack's bat is... painful.
The demon roars in agony as his upper half is forcibly separated from the lower, only the thinnest of abdominal muscles holding him together as his body topples over.
It's a temporary setback, in the end. But a painful one, all the same. Once he regains control and stops roaring, he looks up at Jack. His body is already knitting back together as he intones, "You're still alive. I'm impressed."
But his scythe never fell down, even while the body was cleaved nearly apart. With a wave of his hand, he makes a wide sweeping gesture with his hand. And the scythe spins into a sawblade, aimed at slicing across Maki so that she can share in the bloodshed as well.
"I have an initiation ritual as well."
Cracker Jack spits up blood as he backs away from Jedah, grinning widely with a feral kind of savagery. "Alright, king of the freaks, it's time to make you pay." He looks at Maki, nodding at her with determination, before he swings out at Jedah's shoulder on the side that Maki is attacking him from, hoping to lower his guard so she can land more effective shots. "This guy is serious, Maki! I'm sure he's the prick that took over Metro City! He ain't human anymore!" He winces as he feels his back burn, one of Dohma's strokes across his back having cut open the flesh above his spine and shifted a vertebrae out of position. He's in pretty bad shape, but he knows that he has the advantage as long as Jedah is toying with Maki. He knows there's a Shadaloo extraction team on their way for him, but he has no idea how long that will take.
COMBATSYS: Jedah successfully hits Maki with Dio - Sega ES.
~ Cruel hit! ~
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|=======\======-\1 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-======|
"I'd be interested in seeing it," Maki comments with even more sarcasm than before, only to find herself regretting those words as Jedah's scythe changes forms before her eyes. It turns into a buzzsaw or something similar, and Maki's instincts are torn between running away and jumping out of the way. Perhaps this is why she finds herself failing to avoid the attack properly, and instead finds herself getting cut by the buzzsaw. Granted, it's not as powerful as a real buzzsaw in that her body isn't cut to shreds. Instead, her uniform is cut up a little and she is left with several cuts on her body.
"Owww... oww... Damn it! Damn it!" Maki curses through the pain as she forces herself from her fetal position on the ground to a slight kneeling position before forcing herself up slowly, using her tonfa to give herself support as she steadies herself on her feet. Even though she's been cut up pretty good, Maki still refuses to budge. "Interesting ritual, I'll give it that... but I'm not done yet!" She looks behind her, and jumps onto the frame of a nearby mirror (it's longer than most) then rebounds off of it and flies at Jedah with a swift kick aimed right at him.
COMBATSYS: Jedah blocks Cracker Jack's Fierce Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\1 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Jedah blocks Maki's Hassou Kyaku.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/=======|
Jack's said it right: Jedah's not human any more. That becomes patently obvious as blood dripping from Jedah's upper half melds into the form of semi-solid flesh once again, mending the wound ripped into him by Jack's bat. Well, 'mending' in the relative state -- it's still a pretty grievous wound, but it won't stop the will-driven predator from preying upon the two fighters this eve. One would hope that Shadaloo's extraction team is... quick.
As Jack swings out, a partially-renewed Lord Dohma raises his forearm, blocking it with the nonchalant, disaffected calm of a Keanu Reeves performance. "I am far from done, as well," he notes, stepping backwards and pivoting slightly. When Maki's kick rockets in, he brings both palms before him, absorbing the impact from the strike with a faint grin upon his face. Raising a hand to his side, he summons the scythe back to his grasp.
"Death is merely a road sign along the path to enlightenment. You needn't be in any particular rush to meet it." And in truth, Jack has another stay of execution, as he once again focuses upon Maki, aiming to cut even more scars through her flesh and more rips through the scarlet attire with a sharp diagonal swipe of his scythe.
Cracker Jack takes a step backwards as Jedah Dohma weathers the combined assault with little more than superficial wounds, gritting his teeth. He's in way worse shape than Maki, so he flicks a button on his belt beneath the suit that activates his retrieval beacon, just in case he's not conscious next time he thinks of it. "Time to rock," he hisses as his shoulders rise and fall, and he gives his bat a good swing, aiming right at Dohma's skull. "BATTER UP!" he shouts, a perfectly conceived follow through ruined by the wound in his spine. He falls to a knee after the swing, the truncheon-esque weapon dangling from his fingers at an odd angle.
COMBATSYS: Maki avoids Jedah's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\1 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/=======|
Swipe with the scythe all you want, Maki isn't going to let Jedah make a fool out of her twice in a row though! She watches his moves carefully and waits for the right moment to move. Then she makes her move, jumping into the air, well out of the way of the scythe, and twisting herself a little as she does her somersault to avoid Jedah's scythe while keeping herself airborne. "I don't need any comments about death, really... because I'm not gonna die today!"
Maki attempts to direct herself towards Jedah as she comes downwards. At the same time, she attempts to slam her tonfa into Jedah while using the velocity of her fall to add a little impact.
COMBATSYS: Jedah fully avoids Cracker Jack's Batting Hero.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Jedah dodges Maki's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/=======|
In a fight such as this, a large weapon like a scythe might prove to be a liability. It's big, it's unwieldy, and committing to such a large attack might make one more resistant to moving. Thing is -- the scythe can move on its own, and Jedah doesn't care. So when the bat swings towards his skull, Lord Dohma simply lets the scythe fall as he leaps into the air. The lanky demon actually has the freaking nerve to -roost- on Jack's bat for a moment, swinging his finger in a taunting gesture at the Shadaloo enforcer. "See? Weapons don't really provide you an advantage here..."
Leaping free of the bat, he spins about in the air, narrowly missing Maki and her tonfa. He hits the ground in a low crouch, turning back towards the two fighters. "You two haven't... really -evolved- much in your fighting history, have you? Really... -tasted- fear..."
Of course, Jack may have, considering the enforcer's earlier taunt. But that's beneath Jedah's notice, as he surges forward again, aiming to check his shoulder into the enforcer. "Have you ever -truly- looked death in the eye?"
And should that shoulder land, he'd aim to grab Jack and slam him into the nearest mirror, shattering that too. Because property damage is -always- fun.
COMBATSYS: Jedah successfully hits Cracker Jack with Medium Throw EX.
[ \\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Cracker Jack 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/=======|
Cracker Jack's eyes open wide as Jedah perches atop his bat before removing himself, and looks up from his kneeling stance. He's hurled through a mirror without comment, merely a scream of terror that's followed by silence as he collapses into a heap somewhere in the dark. A pair of ninjas with claws can be seen in the shadows, dragging Cracker Jack away for their master, Lord Vega. That's all Jack will do this fight, not risking a final charge when his life is on the line.
COMBATSYS: Cracker Jack takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
COMBATSYS: Cracker Jack can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
Watching in disbelief as her colleague goes down hard, Maki can only shake her head in disbelief. "Dammit, no!" Maki exclaims, before turning to face Jedah, scowling harder than before. "Well, looks like it's just you and I now! And when I say I'm taking you out, I don't mean on a date! Although if you want, it could be a date from hell if you so desire!" She twirls her tonfa a couple of times as she speaks.
Another look at Jack's unconscious body before turning to face Jedah again. "You think you're so tough, don't you? Well, I've stared fear in the face, I've danced lead with death, and I've overcome numerous other forms of adversity in my life! So don't think you've got me so easily!" Maki advances on Jedah, before swinging her tonfa as she takes a forward step, using the momentum to try to add to the impact.
COMBATSYS: Jedah blocks Maki's Genkou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
Jedah pulls back and away from the strike, turning his attention to Maki. Some part of him can surmise what is going on, from the fact that the sound of Jack's still-beating heart grows fainter and fainter. Exactly -what- Jedah plans to prove with this display isn't entirely clear, but it would probably have become -very- clear to Cracker Jack, had Shadaloo's silent ninja-like assistants robbed Jedah of his prize. There is the slightest twitch of an eyebrow as this all goes on, a displeased frown flickering upon the noble's features.
His hands, though, rise to ward off Maki, giving her cause to continue what the multi-centenarian considers to be meaningless prattle. "Toys that are easily obtained are rarely worth keeping," he agrees, in backhanded fashion. Lazily, he doesn't even bother to raise his hands further to deal with the tonfa strike, letting his fallen scythe snap up off the ground to catch the momentum instead -- the scythe 'floats' as she strikes it, as if Maki's hitting a pillow. The haft still bumps against his noggin, but it's hardly as much of a concern as originally intended.
But now... Maki is in range. And as the scythe suddenly shoves outward -- possibly dragging the tonfa along with it -- Jedah reaches for her throat.
"Such fiery resistance to the inevitable conclusion. You'll make quite the addition to my army." A languid smile this smug basically begs to have it wiped away, but that might prove difficult as the grip on Maki's throat tightens -- and perhaps moreso as Jedah aims to press her back against one of the few mirrored surfaces left standing.
Meanwhile, outside, a rather -loud- diesel engine can be heard. Perhaps help will be on the way after all...!?
COMBATSYS: Jedah successfully hits Maki with Strong Throw.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Maki 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
Indeed, Maki would like to wipe that grin off of his face... or at least make a snide remark... but her throat is being crushed right now, and it's all she can to keep herself from passing out. She struggles to break free, but finds it next to impossible to do. She finds herself fading fast, but then she remembers that technique she learned to utilize in situations like this. She summons all of her energy into her body, attempting to make it look like she's not resisting in hopes of throwing Jedah off of his game.
Once the time is right, Maki attempts to launch into a swift flying kick aimed directly at Jedah. It's faster and more powerful than her usual flying kicks, including how it's similar to the one she used earlier while rebounding off of the mirror... and it also can hit harder too!
COMBATSYS: Maki successfully hits Jedah with Tesshin Hou.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Jedah
Jedah thrives on powerful emotions, and when he senses that Maki's are fading... well, it's just disappointing, especially considering the fight that Maki's put up so far.
Every so often, that sort of ruse will work on Jedah. A haughty frown, his grip lessens as he studies her expression. "Don't tell me I broke you alr--"
Sure enough, the noble finds Maki's energy reserves to be quite fine, thank you very much, as she rebounds off the mirror and channels the entirety of her momentum straight into his chest cavity. They call it a "cavity" even when the ribcage isn't crumpling under the force of Maki's feet -- which it just so happens to be.
The highborn noble slams backwards, his scythe clattering to the floor as his hands splay out, knocking out a few of the support beams left behind from the previous attacks. The flimsy drop ceiling begins to crumple -- aluminum beams weren't meant to withstand -that- much of a fight -- and a few ceiling tiles fall to the floor in a thick, dense cloud of dust.
One clap can be heard, and then another, as his blood-red eyes pierce through the dust as it settles. "For now, you amuse me, child." The demon lord rises to his feet, clutching onto his scythe for balance in the process. "But perhaps it is time to seal the deal."
Perhaps Maki will have noticed the blood spilled upon the floor. Perhaps she'll notice that a pair of hands is starting to spring out of the bloody pools. And maybe, just maybe, she'll be quick enough to get out of the way.
For if not, those hands will be slamming her into the mirror repeatedly, causing enough blunt force trauma to make patently obvious whether she's faking this time or not. And if that continues -- she'd be slammed into another mirror, with blood having etched itself into the letters spelling out a contract for Maki's eternal soul...!
COMBATSYS: Jedah successfully hits Maki with Prova - di - Servo.
Grazing Hit
~ Cruel hit! ~
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Jedah
Wait, what's going on here? Maki's being slammed into mirrors? Blood being used to write a contract for her soul? What the hell is this?! Some kind of joke?!
Personally, Maki believes that every day is a story and her opponent's blood provides the ink for the writing. Not the other way around! Unfortunately, Maki's finding herself getting slammed into a mirror like Jedah intended, and who knows what else might be happening, as she loses consciousness briefly. She drops to the ground on her hands and knees, struggling to breathe as she finds herself bleeding noticeably. She struggles to keep from passing out, but the pain racking her body makes it difficult to do. "Can't give up..." Maki mutters to herself. "Won't let him win!"
COMBATSYS: Maki gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\-------\1 Jedah
Well, it's clear that Maki's not faking now, but she's still proving to be much more resilient than Jedah had initially given her credit for.
For a moment, there is sheer, blissful silence from the demon lord, as he takes the moment to compose himself as well. It isn't exactly -terror- to have someone stalking towards you with a collapsed chest cavity, after all -- and as Jedah emerges once again into the hallway with Maki, it becomes clear he's able to mend some of the damage he's taken in the fight: one advantage of a body forged wholly out of his own willpower.
"Yes... don't give up so easily... Don't you have something else you'd like to share with me, Miss Genryuusai?"
He approaches the battle-hardened fighter, looking down at her. And then he twists the scythe rapidly, aiming to whack the flat of the blade against her shoulder. He could be merciful and end her pain quickly -- but no, he's looking to prolong the agony. "Let's see more of that fire, shall we?!"
COMBATSYS: Maki dodges Jedah's Large Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Jedah
Indeed, Maki doesn't give up that easily at all. She takes another deep breath and blows it out before coming back onto her feet. "It takes a lot more than that to put me down!" Maki comments, still gripping her tonfa. "I told you, I've danced lead with death before, so don't think you're going to take me out so soon!" That scythe looks painful, but Maki's not looking for pain right now. She's looking to survive this fight and prove how tough she truly is to Jedah.
"Oh no you don't!" Maki exclaims as she watches the scythe come towards her, and she swiftly rolls out of the way, rolling a little further than she normally would since that scythe looks big. She barely feels the whoosh of the blade, but other than that is unfazed. A good thing, too, since she's lost a bit of blood, and she's still bleeding a bit too. "If Guy were here, who knows what he'd think?" Maki thinks to herself, before dismissing that train of thought. "Who cares what Guy would think? It's HIM who's the issue!"
Maki advances once again on Jedah, attempting to size him up, before attempting to hit him with her tonfa once again. She doesn't go in too swiftly due to her injuries, and she's also trying to err on the side of caution.
COMBATSYS: Jedah dodges Maki's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Jedah
Lord Dohma's smile only grows as Maki avoids his strike. It seemed like it served its purpose, after all.
"You barely have any breath in your lungs at all, and yet you insist on spending it on such hollow words..." Jedah's low chuckle echoes throughout the building, mostly-shattered mirrors providing a much less-confining area in which to fight. But what's more is the steady thudda-thudda-thud of what sounds like a helicopter overhead -- it seems the carnage has drawn a bit more attention than may have been expected.
Much like his own strike fell short of the rapid advance, so too does Maki's tonfa strike nothing but some displaced air, as Jedah skates backwards. The scythe itself seems to have disappeared in the elusive darkness...
But then all of a sudden, three yawning portals of brilliant light erupt into the cavernous building, casting light upon the rest of the space. More bodies can be seen, now that the dust has settled -- an Abraham Lincoln, even, his spine bent at a most uncomfortable angle. Other people of various nationalities, clearly intended to be played up in the performance, and cut down - presumably by Jedah - before their screentime.
Jedah, for his own part, screws his eyes shut at the accursed light, raising a hand to shield his eyes. It's not like he's going to burn in the heat of it, but it is rather annoying for the nocturnal types.
"It seems we're about to get visitors. Perhaps my work here is done..."
The light has illuminated something else though -- terrible wings at his back. Highly impractical, razor-sharp arcs, and yet oh so fashionable. And as Jedah leans forward, the wings grow somewhat, reaching outwards. Jedah takes a stance like a runner in a hundred-meter dash... and just like that, he rushes out with an intention to rocket right past Maki. Or right -through- her, should she not be quite quick enough, demonstrating exactly how fatal Jedah -can- be when he sets his mind to it...
COMBATSYS: Jedah successfully hits Maki with Balzo - Perdono.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Jedah
Maki doesn't know what Jedah's planning, so she does what the best thing to do in an uncertain situation is when it comes to fighting, and that's to adopt a good defense. Maki tenses herself up and assumes a defensive stance, feeling it hit hard, but not as hard as it could have most likely, as Jedah passes through her, She gasps and drops to one knee, then watches as Jedah seems to flee the fight. "Come back you wimp! I'm not done with you yet..." She tries to take off after him, but she can't run, and is forced to collapse against a nearby wall, gasping for air and trying to catch her breath.
Whether Maki has won or lost today is of no relevance to her usually, but in this case it's really trivial. Namely because she survived with her life while literally staring down death in the face today. She doesn't smile or frown, instead silently ponders the fact that she came so close to dying that she wonders if this was planned all along or if there's something else going on behind the scenes...
Moments after Jedah's wing-blades slice into Maki, the three portals of light blasted through the ceiling are filled with shadows, and then boots -- heavily armed members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force army drop down from the roof above, armed to the gills with high-powered rifles and night-vision goggles. These largely seem to be unnecessary, though... as Jedah Dohma is already punching a hole through the side of the no-longer-aptly-named Hall of Mirrors.
Cries of 'wimp' fall on deaf ears as the highborn noble rises back to his feet, turning back to survey the carnage he's left in his wake. His crimson irises meet Maki's, as he passes her a highly overconfident smirk -- considering how much pain she -had- been able to dole out to him.
He doesn't have long to gloat, though, before a brilliant spray of crimson erupts through the side of his shoulder, followed by the sound of the high-powered rifle that fired it finally catching up with the impact. The noble seems almost unaffected by the rifle shot, or the three that follow it, raising his hand to wave to Maki. "Perhaps another time, then. But don't think I'll be so lenient then, hmmm...? For you... -or- your friend..." As several more shots ring out, liberating choice portions of his blood-based anatomy, he calmly spreads his wings and steps into the air... occluding the moon as he soars off into the night sky.
Lord Dohma's mission of terror would seem to be a partial success... if not a -complete- one, at that.
COMBATSYS: Jedah takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Maki 0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1 Jedah
COMBATSYS: Jedah has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Maki 0/-------/--=====|
Log created on 21:53:57 10/31/2015 by Jedah, and last modified on 20:47:29 11/04/2015.