Match of the Millennium

Description: Life after death usually has images of clouds, wings, and harps, but when the freshly mechanized Brian Fury stumbles upon the restless spirit Scorpion, a peaceful forrest is turned into a brutal battleground filled with Hellfire and psychotic laughter.

[SCORPION]
The man was dead, and he didn't know what that made him. But he knew that he'd never been more frustrated than he was at this moment. He came back to avenge his family, and every time he closed his eyes he saw what became of them, his own pain, his own death inconsequential. When he fell to his knees, blood pouring from his own wounds, the last thing he saw was their skin and fat, melting and boiling in the flaming wreckage of the Shirai Ryu's village. It dwarfed any pain he could have felt, and even when he screamed in torment, in the open flames of the Netherrealm, it paled in comparison to his loss of those he had loved.

That had motivated him, motivated him to do the impossible. To leave this Hell, to bide his time and grow stronger. By the time he returned to the world he'd grown stronger. Before as a man, he was an assassin, lethal in the shadows and capable in a fight. Now, he was a warrior, every skill honed to perfection, and his own physical capabilities enhanced by Hellfire. And he only had one goal: To eliminate the Lin Kuei, starting with his family's killer. Starting with Sub-Zero.

But the Lin Kuei were impossible to find, too good at covering their tracks. Scorpion didn't want to wait, and he was tired of tracking down leads, only to discover they knew absolutely nothing. Currently, in his frustration the ninja was throwing kicks and punches at an old dead tree, his body covered by his uniform, hidden in black with quilted yellow worn over, a signature color scheme that he wore in life. Those hardened leather gauntlets of his were aiding his knuckles in pulverizing dry dead wood, flakes chipping off. It helped calm his mind while he thought up strategies, while he tried to focus on anything else, tried to keep his rage from boiling over the surface yet again. It wasn't working.

[BRYAN]
The day that Bryan Fury died was a day that should have left the world a better place. Despite his reputation as a skilled Detective during his time in Interpol, he'd always been a brute of a man at his core, and his own corruption had ultimately led to his own apparent end during a shoot out in Hong Kong with a group of drug dealers working in the territory of the triads paying him off.

But death had only been a new beginning.

His body disappeared in transit, finding its way into the hands of the Mishima Zaibatsu's Doctor Abel to create a new front in his war against Doctor Boskonovitch's cybernetic creations. Rebuilt and revived, Bryan Fury was freed of all the constraints that had restrained the monster inside.

A monster on a mission.

The peace of the forest was isolating, with little more than the sounds of nature to flow through Scorpion's training grounds.

The sounds of gunfire change that. At first the staccato sound of weapons is distant and muffled, merely loud enough to send birds scattering to the winds, but it grows closer and soon finds itself punctuated by the much louder sound of some heavier weapon. After each of the louder shots, there are fewer of the smaller shots.

Finally a man, covered in black tactical gear comes stumbling into the clearing occupied by the ninja, frantically firing on a pursuer mere seconds behind him. A man covered in scars, not even wearing a shirt as bullet after bullet strikes him in the chest and face, seeming to leave not a mark on him as he brings up a shotgun with one hand and aims it with a cruel smile on his face, then pulls the trigger with no hesitation.

The armored man screams as his leg is taken out from under him in a bloody mess and he falls to the ground. Clearly working on pure adrenaline he unloads the last of his handgun's ammunition, frantically pulling the trigger even as telltale clicks show it to be empty as Bryan slowly clears the distance and places the barrel of the shotgun against the face of the man's helmet and ends it with one final shot.

As he raises his arms and throws back his head, he lets out a psychotic laugh, apparently failing to recognize that he was not alone in the clearing. "HU HU HA HA HA HA HA!"

[SCORPION]
In a forest this dense, the sounds of the night should have been overwhelming. Crickets chirping, gnats swarming, the fluttering of owl wings. The sounds of predators and prey. Bryan might notice, that such sounds are decidedly absent, and it wasn't just quiet from the sounds of gunfire. Something else was here, something unafraid of the violence.

Scorpion was watching, perched atop a high branch even as he studied the action intently. The moment he'd heard sounds of gunfire he grabbed his sword from the ground and decided to investigate what was going on. In the darkness, the yellow of his uniform was muted, easy to dismiss as mold on a tree, unless someone looked closer. His face hidden by that black hood and the yellow facemask, those blank, milky white eyes staring unblinkingly as the silver haired psychotic cackled throughout the woods, the sounds echoing back at them and filling the woods with noise.

If Bryan were ever to turn around, or look up, perhaps he'd see the black and yellow-clad assassin dropping down from his perch, landing on his feet and making absolutely no sound on impact. Whoever this person was...they knew what they were doing. Pretty soon he'd look the kickboxer up and down, pacing a little even as he spoke. That voice was calm, and smooth...but there was something beneath it. Something just waiting to claw out, something he kept contained.

"Congratulations, you've felled your foe. And you've made so much noise that everyone's going to know about it."

In truth, he was annoyed. Even this deep, this far away from civilization, someone would come investigate this, which means he'd have to up and leave, find somewhere else to spend his days and nights. Whoever this shotgun-wielding killer is, he was already making a poor impression.

[BRYAN]
The thrill of battle was the ultimate pleasure. It was a place of chaos, where all pretense of civilization could be discarded and all that mattered was who was better equipped to achieve victory in a world where losing could mean death at any moment. This body of his screamed with all of the improvements that had been made by Doctor Abel.

If there was anything to complain about it would be that it had all ended so soon, but what else could he expect in a country still shrouded in the illusion of peace?

It was only as the words reached his ears that Bryan was yanked free of the lingering bliss of battle, turning suddenly to set eyes on its origin, the barrel of the shotgun raising without hesitation as it points dead on at the ninja's head.

And it holds still for mere seconds before an unpleasand smile splits the cyborg's lips. The weapon is tossed aside with all the care of a piece of trash as a new spark lights in what remains of Bryan Fury's soul.

"A real fight," he growls, excitedly, his sunken eyes taking little more than a cursory glance over his new toy before he raises his hands in front of him, offering a few quick jabs and elbows before he rolls his neck and nods to the ninja.

"Show me," Bryan offers as he stands waiting.

COMBATSYS: Bryan has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Bryan            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Scorpion has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Bryan            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
Scorpion didn't flinch when the barrel of that shotgun was aimed at him. Even at the optimal range for such a weapon, the ninja had no fear of what such a weapon could do to him. When it was tossed aside and the psycho took a stance, only then did the ninja move in kind. Bryan's aggression and offense inspired immediate defense...or did it? 'Show me' was the challenge, and the ninja's white eyes narrowed slowly.

"Very well."

Scorpion immediately rushed forward, throwing a flurry of fast punches, punches that were never meant to hit their target. The real purpose was to get Bryan reacting so that he didn't have time to change his plan when the ninja instead dropped to the floor. His two legs would wrap around Bryan's own legs, using a little bit of strength, a lot more momentum and a great deal of leverage to try and trip Bryan up. If this went the way Scorpion wanted, the cyborg would find himself falling face first into the forest floor even as Scorpion was already moving and rolling back to his feet.

COMBATSYS: Bryan barely endures Scorpion's Affliction.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Bryan            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
This was the true thrill of battle. Weapons of war had their own exhilirating potency, but the opportunity to simply relish in the sensation of bone crunching under the pressure of one's own fist was spectacular. And with this new body of his, he still needed to discover what the limits of his strength were. What new heights could he reach as a hybrid of flesh and machine?

The first step was to see what he could withstand, and what this masked man was capable of.

As Scorpion comes at him, Bryan doesn't even try to move out of the way. The scarred man simply holds completely steady as his legs are pulled out from under him and he hits the forest floor.

It should have hurt more, but with this new body it was as if pain could be abandoned. Perhaps to its own detriment. As Bryan rushes to fly back to his feet before the masked man, it doesn't quite do as he wants, fumbling over the uneven ground.

Clearly he needed to get more used to being alive again, and stretching his arms out by demolishing someone seemed like an ideal opportunity.

The instant he's back on his feet, he twists about on his heel, extending his arm as he pivots to crash the back of his knuckles into the side of Scorpion's head before he twists back around, using the same fist to launch a twisting straight into Scoprion's chest. The fist hauls back with all the speed of a well-oiled machine and launches forward a third punch designed to send the ninja flying before his body should have time to react to the first hit.

COMBATSYS: Bryan successfully hits Scorpion with Hands of Doom.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Bryan            0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
He could tell, immediately, that despite the man's crazy, untrained appearance, that he was a formidable warrior, perhaps stronger than Scorpion first gave him credit for. There was a density in the man's legs that the ghost wasn't expecting, and though the kickboxer wasn't able to recover his balance in time to stop the sweep, Hanzo knew that this was going to be a difficult fight. The way he was feeling, he welcomed such a war!

Although, perhaps he wouldn't be too happy with what happened next. Bryan blurred past his defenses, and from the way the man was spinning, Hanzo moved his legs out the way from what he suspected was going to be some sort of kick to his knee or leg. Unfortunately that left him vulnerable for the back of Bryan's fist, smashing across his mask and face and causing the ninja's knees to buckle. He managed to stand upright just in time for that same cybernetically enhanced fist to smash against his sternum, causing Scorpion to stumble back and his eyes to widen. Unfortunately, stumbling and off balance, the third and final smashing blow caused Scorpion to go flying, tumbling backwards over the rapidly cooling body of the dead SWAT, and all but vanishing into the almost supernaturally black woods and undergrowth.

And from that hidden position, a kunai would travel outwards, coils of dark brown rope following behind, and almost invisible in this lack of light, save for a slight glint from the moonlight. That was the only warning Bryan got before that Hellfire-forged weapon plunged into his body, perhaps his midsection, or his ribs. And whether it hit or not, a voice tinged with anger would thunder through the woods all around.

"GET OVER HERE!"

COMBATSYS: Bryan endures Scorpion's Spear.
! VENGEANCE !

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Bryan            0/-------/----===|=======\-------\0         Scorpion

Moments later Bryan would go hurtling through the air, perhaps smashing into branches and shrubs before landing in the arms of his ninja opponent. Instantly Scorpion would use the momentum of that journey, adding to it with a Judo roll and launching Bryan behind him, aiming the unfortunate ex-cop for one of the more ancient, hard and brittle trees, an unfortunate impact for sure. In the midst of this, would Bryan even notice Scorpion ripping that kunai right out of his body, coiling the weapon quickly, and placing it back on his belt even as the ninja stood slowly to his feet?

[BRYAN]
This is it!

This incredible rush of excitement is exactly what Bryan Fury had been hoping for. The sensation of inhuman strength as his fist collides with the ninja and sends him flying is far beyond any rush that he'd experienced before his death. The chains of life have been shattered and used to forge something incredible!

It's all so much he nearly forgets about Scorpion. Only at the last moment do his cybernetic eyes turn on the dense brush that the ninja has laid claim to, locking in on the faint shifting of leaves moments before his weapon is sent flying at the cyborg.

Once again, Fury doesn't even attempt to move out of the way of the blade, smiling as it pierces his flesh... and strike metal. The kunai fails to penetrate as deeply as intended, perhaps not striking true enough that it would even hold as Scorpion aims to pull his opponent toward him.

And then Bryan's fingers wrap around the rope, holding the blade in place as Scorpion pulls him in, kicking off with his own legs to aid in the whole process as that psychotic laugh fills the air.

"HU HU HA HA HA HA HA!"

Just as he's upon the ninja, in the midst of Scorpion's attempt to send him flying, time seems to slow almost to a stand still. Fury's free hand is cocked in a fist at his side, fingers turned up and his elbow bent. With a surge of rapid-fire motion, it launches forward like a jackhammer, barreling into the masked man's already injured chest as hard as it can with a trio of hits in the instant he's in position, before being sent flying into a tree so hard that it's trunk cracks.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Bryan's Vulcan Cannon.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Bryan            0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
It was certainly a tense moment. With Scorpion on his back, the heel of his boot placed on Bryan above him, and in the process of using that leverage to launch the madman further, the more self controlled of the two dead men had little time to react. That powerful robot right hand comes down, and the only thing Scorpion can do is cover his chest with his arms, those powerful crushing blows being delt to his biceps, and the light armor and protection that his gauntlets give him. He can't count how many landed before finally Bryan is launched like a missile. Hanzo didn't need to breathe, he didn't feel fatigue like a normal, human man. But after his fight with the deranged idiot priestess, the ninja discovered that he still needed to recover, like anyone else. And the hits that this man delivered would have crushed any normal man.

But Scorpion's moment of respite wasn't very long at all. In a flash the ninja kipped up to his feet soundlessly, and darted over to the kickboxer, not giving the man any time to get up to a standing position before Scorpion leapt on his back. His legs wrapped around the waist of the cyborg, immediately trying to crush air from the fighter if he needed it, and throwing down hard downward elbows, aiming them for the back of Bryan's neck just under his skull, three or four to really disorient him and give him something to think about. And just when he thought that maybe the ninja was finished? That's when Scorpion would snake his arms around Bryan's throat and left arm, trying to lock both of them tight even as Hanzo applied leverage. Scorpion didn't know how much of this man was still a man, but hopefully there was enough there that he could be put to sleep.

COMBATSYS: Bryan interrupts Kombo from Scorpion with Fierce Kick.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Bryan            0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
He could feel the pain.

Somewhere inside Bryan, all of this did hurt, but now it didn't seem like it really mattered. Even as the flesh that still remained from when he was merely human was in agony, the machine working beneath the surface didn't really care. In fact, feeling his body respond so well in the face of someone as deadly as his opponent just spurred him on.

But Scorpion was so much faster than him, still. As powerful as his body was, the revanent was still first to his feet, and the replicant was still trying to understand all the responses his new body were sending him. He simply had no defense to prevent Scorpion from catching him from behind and unleashing Hell; each hit is felt clean

Letting out a grunt of effort, Bryan forces himself to bend forward just below his chest, barely managing much more than a slight angle of his upper torso as he takes both himself and the masked-man forward. But it's just enough. Despite his size, Bryan Fury has mastered the art of kickboxing, and all of the extension that demands. He practically roars as he flings his leg up and a kick that goes nearly vertical, catching the ninja's head with the toe of his boot, opening a moment of surprise to pry the ninja's legs free from his midsection as he stumbles forward the moment his leg comes back down.

[SCORPION]
The fact that Bryan was standing up under these barrage of strikes, that he wasn't rendered paralyzed or unconcous was impressive. Eventually Scorpion leaned forward, snaking those arms around the man's throat and beginning to lock the hold in tight when the foot came up. With nowhere to go, no leverage, the ninja had no option to dodge or deflect or otherwise prevent the toe of that boot from smashing into his face and dropping Scorpion to the ground, hard. Blood flew from the spectre, and Bryan might notice that when it splashed against the ground and the tree they fought underneath? Even on this cold dark night, steam rose up and sizzling could be heard. It seemed that, much like Bryan himself, there was more to this warrior than met the eye. And then there was the fact that, if Bryan were to look again, the yellow-clad ninja had vanished from the forest floor.

And all around the lunatic, otherworldly -screaming- could be heard, a howl of anger and fury. Whoever this ninja was...he was not pleased one bit by the fighter who so far had been besting him.

Suddenly Scorpion would pop out, a swirl of Hellfire behind him as he appeared from literally nowhere, with a straight karate punch traveling faster than a speeding car, aimed right for the diaphram of the cyborg. And right before Bryan's enhanced eyes, all color would fade from the man, his vitals and everything else vanishing...as the form turned into ash and blew away.

That's because Scorpion was on the move again, appearing from nowhere with another punch, this one aimed square for the face of his enemy. Whether that skull was made from bone, space age plastics or metal chrome, Bryan might feel that this attack threatened to do more than just hurt, if it hit. If it did, Bryan would no doubt find himself floored on his back. Not giving the kickboxer any time to recover, Scorpion walked up, standing right over the zombie, raising his own foot until his knee touched his chest.

Moments later it came down with authority, stomping down as hard as he could on the chest, sternum and ribcage with the force of a meteor. If the punch to the skull was a threat to his skeletal structure? This stomp was a promise, as it was highly unlikely that some sort of sickening 'crack' wouldn't be heard. It was clear that Scorpion was not amused!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Bryan with Scorpion Sting EX.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Bryan            0/-------/-======|>------\-------\0         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
All of this was something more than Bryan Fury had expected when he'd ambushed the security squad in the forest. He'd expected a firefight and now found himself fighting something charged with Hellfire. Something so talented that it could even evade the scanning system that had been implanted in his new cybernetic eyes.

This was incredible!

Whatever Scorpion really was, this fight was perfection. The opportunity to fight something beyond his previous imagination. The chance to see just what this new body was truly capable of!

Fury was so thrilled with this wonderful chaos that he never even considered the chance of deception. The moment he sees Scorpion again, he simply smiles and awaits the on-coming storm. As the ninja comes flying for him, he makes his first effort to hold back the blow, but finds that the image moves so fast he's completely unprepared as it catches him in the gut and doubles him over.

And as the next blow comes, he's got no other chance to hold it back. Bryan takes a clean hit to the face with such force that his spine seems prepared to break before he ends up on the ground, with Scorpion's foot slamming down on his chest.

And yet that "crack" never comes.

After the moment has passed, it's clear that between all of the ninja's previous hits and his last attempt at a killing blow, the replicant's skeleton had somehow hardened, warding off the most dangerous of the internal damage.

Slowly Bryan pushes himself back to his feet, his head tilted at an inhuman angle before he lifts his hands up and wrenches his skull back into place with a smile on his face. His sunken eyes lock onto the ninja as he launches a quick, knee feint then raises his hand, signalling for this opponent to bring even more as he bursts out laughing once more.

"Hu hu ha ha ha ha ha!"

COMBATSYS: Bryan gathers his will.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Bryan            1/-----==/=======|>------\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
Punching a man like Bryan Fury certainly was a good way to break your hands, but Scorpion did not seem to react much, his body was made of tougher stuff than most men. When Bryan stood up and laughed, flames emerged from the fists of the ninja, his eyes narrowing in deadly anger. His bare arms flexed and tensed, his knees bent slightly in preparation.

"You lost your mind and your sense long ago, it seems. Ending your life would be an act of pity!"

The fact that this being stood up after such devastating attacks did not sit particularly well with the revenant, but he would not stop trying to put this creature down. He rushed at the madman in fury, leaping up until both of his tabi-covered feet were against the side of a gnarled old tree. He sprung off of it and leapt into the air, flipping and arcing through the air until his foot finally lashed out, the flat sole of that soft black boot aimed for the chin of Bryan. If breaking his neck in one direction didn't help, maybe the opposite would be worth a shot!

COMBATSYS: Bryan interrupts Roundhouse from Scorpion with Snake Spin Mach Breaker.

[                  \\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Bryan            0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
Fury hadn't lost his mind! He'd been released from all the constraints that had held him back while he was alive. He hated being around other people for the most part; always having to put on a show to fit in with what the "Civilized World" had expected of him to get by. Life had been best during his time as a soldier, when he could simply indulge in the thrill of battle.

It was a world where chaos reigned, and he could unleash his true instincts.

With a body like this. With the gift of death having freed him, all of that was gone.

As Scorpion comes flying at him, Bryan surges with the stimulation of battle. These are the moments he craved!

At seemingly the last possible moment, he lashes out with a straight kick, catching the ninja mid-air with a boot to the stomach and stopping all forward progress as he twists about, drawing his heel back and letting his foe hang as time once more feels as though it slows. His heel acts as a pivot point as he twists into a spinning backfist that catches the revanent in the side of the head, then unleashes a brutal punch to Scorpion's mid-section to send him flying back at the tree.

[SCORPION]
This was not going Scorpion's way. The kick launched into his stomach and he practically curled around the offending limb, arms splayed out and doing nothing to help with anything. The backfist hit him with no resistance, his head snapping to the side from the impact, blood flicking across the moonlit sky to ignite when it touched the ground, and his nearly limp body was viciously smashed with that final punch, flying through the air, spinning in orbit as his skull was on a collision course with the cracked tree behind him. The impact was so devastating that the form of Scorpion completely exploded on impact, a collection of ash scattering from the wind caused by the impact, the occasional glowing ember drifting like a lazy firefly.

Moments later the ninja descended from the sky behind Bryan, both of his feet engulfed by Hellfire and aiming to smash right into the man's back between his shoulder blades. That scientifically reinforced spine was truly incredible, let's see how it recovered from this!

But that wasn't the end of it, and Scorpion was gone before he hit the ground. He'd pop up an instant later, this time right in Bryan's face, with a flame-covered uppercut aimed right for the fool's chin! If this hit, the Shirai Ryu assassin would vanish again, still more ash surrounding the beast of a kickboxer.

That's because he's appear again in the air, form already spinning and pivoting, with another roundhouse kick aimed for the cyborg's face to hopefully, send him plummeting down to the earth. Except this time, you guessed it, the entire leg was engulfed in flame. If this worked, Bryan would be having a bad time on his way down to the ground. Though knowing him, he might see this as warm spring picnic. Emphasis on 'warm'.

COMBATSYS: Bryan blocks Scorpion's Damnation EX.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Bryan            0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
All of that ash again.

Whatever Scorpion's secret was, Bryan knew that it was something incredible. This fight was far beyond anything that he'd experienced while alive, and despite all the pain that was going through his body, the machine inside him was more than ready to keep on fighting!

And these new eyes.

If it weren't for their ability to signal out motion, there was no way he would have ever have recognized where Scorpion was coming from. The ninja comes flying down at him and Fury turns at the last moment to raise up his left arm to hold back the flaming kick. His eyes signal again just in time for the follow up, with the replicant twisting his neck at the last moment to offer Scorpion little more than a grazing blow against his jaw. For the final strike, the kickboxer is forced to raise both arms to hold back that final burning strike.

And he's still standing.

As he grins at the revevant, it's clear that the Hellfire singed his flesh, marks on both his arms and his chin where he was grazed by the power prove at least that he's not invulnerable, but either he fails to realize it's happened or the injuries are relatively insignificant to his mechanized body.

"Let's go!" bellows the cyborg as he surges forward in retaliation, attempting to open up the ninja's guard with a quick jab punch before lashing up with a kick to the underside of the masked man's jaw before pivoting effortlessly into another spinning back fist and drawing his leg up like he was coiling a spring and then slamming it full force into Scorpion's chest with enough force to send him flying.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Bryan's Cremation.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Bryan            0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
The Revenant had to slow down, the power that he'd brought with him, was coursing through his veins so much that it was hard for him to even see properly. Even while throwing his kicks and punches, he couldn't be sure if he was seeing two or three of his opponent, and Bryan might notice that the temperature of the spectre was running so hot it was scary. Sweat was even starting to pour from his body, and he was swaying on his feet as he landed, putting up a lazy guard.

Luckily for him, even so exhausted he was able to defend against Bryan's onslaught. He threw out a sweeping backhand attack, slapping away the jab, and he ducked the rest of that attack, well more accurately he fell down to the ground. But this wasn't to collapse or lick his wounds. In one fluid motion he spun around, while Bryan was standing on one leg, putting all of his bodyweight on it, Scorpion would attempt to sweep it right out from under him, even in this state, the ninja was dangerous!

COMBATSYS: Bryan endures Scorpion's Sweep.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Bryan            0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0         Scorpion

[BRYAN]
Despite all the punishment that Bryan's body had been put through, no sign of it truly showed through the look on his face. Every bit of that psychotic excitement remained in his eyes. Every little flow back and forth between the two in the fight brought the temporary twinge of a smile on the cyborg's lips.

All the mattered was the thrill of battle!

Even in his current condition, he seems to show no regard for his own safety. Once his assault on the ninja failed, there was no shoring up of his defenses, instead he simply fell into Scorpion's kick, letting him clear his leg out from under him. As he went to the ground, he took advantage of all the momentum behind his fall, lashing out with a knee aimed at the side of the revenant's head with all the force he could manage.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion interrupts Medium Kick from Bryan with Torment.
COMBATSYS: Bryan refuses to stay down!

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Bryan            0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0         Scorpion

COMBATSYS: Scorpion has reached second wind!

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Bryan            0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
Scorpion was stumbling to his feet and trying to fight the exhaustion in his limbs, when the knee of Bryan Fury smashed across his masked face. The impact was vicious, and instantly the ninja felt himself fading, collapsing into unconsciousness even as he hurtled through the air, spinning violently.

But then something happened. His body hitting the ground? That's right, it was ash, floating up through the air that signified what was about to happen. As Bryan continued his descent to the forest floor, Scorpion would aid him on his journey, by by dropping down directly above him from the sky. Both of his knees were pointed down at the ground, and at the very moment Bryan hit the ground, whether it was face down or face up, both of those knees would smash straight into his skull, and burrow it through the dirt and grass, before he rolled to his feet, revitalized and energized, eyes wide even as he yelled loud enough to echo through the trees.

"MY NAME IS SCORPION. AND YOU HAVE LEARNED THE STRENGTH OF THE SHIRAI RYU, DOG! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

To add impact and emphasis to his words, the screaming ninja leapt up, scissor kicking a thick branch above him so hard that it exploded into splinters and leaves, raining down between the two of them. The ninja was still swaying, his fists barely up, but truth be told, the warrior hadn't felt more alive since returning to this world until this very moment. For the first time in a long time, the ghost felt like a man!

[BRYAN]
There was nothing that Bryan Fury wanted more in life or death than to experience the bliss of battle like this! Every hit he takes may have killed him when he was a living man, but now it almost invigorates him. The need to keep going, to fight until he can feel the bones break in this ninja's body.

Even as he's struck from above with such force that he can feel the ground beneath him start to crater, Bryan can't even hear the part of him that begs to surrender. His human flesh is screaming from wear and exhaustion, but the power core inside him refuses to stop fueling every mechanical muscle in his body.

This is the true battlefield.

This is perfection!

Pushing back up to his feet, his sunken eyes remain locked on the revenant in front of him, and for the first time in this entire conflict it feels as though words are truly earned. "It's going to take more than that to stop Bryan Fury!"

Filled with a mad sense of violence, he closes the space to Scorpion in an instant and lashes out with an uppercut aimed straight for his stomach. But it doesn't stop with just a body blow, his cybernetic arms keep going, pushing through the uppercut to lift Scorpion up off the ground and sweep him over his head before slamming him into the ground on the other side.

All through the motion he lets out that psychotic laugh.

"HU HU HA HA HA HA HA!"

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Bryan's Fisherman's Slam.

[                          \\\\  < >  //                            ]
Bryan            0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0         Scorpion

[SCORPION]
Scorpion lazily watched Bryan climb to his feet, and Bryan might notice the blood streaming down the right side of Scorpion's face, a nasty cut above his forehead being to blame, turning the yellow silk of that facemask into a sickly crimson color. But those eyes of his still stared out, unnatural and freakish, and his guard was slowly faltering. But he still had enough presence of mind to put both of his hands together, letting his palms take the brunt of that uppercut until he was scooped up, his leg and neck both captured by that expert wrestling maneuver. He was wrenched and went hurtling through the air, and even as he managed to turn and land on his side, the impact was still jarring.

But he had enough momentum to break free, and instantly, he reached behind him to pull out that horrible, deadly blade that had been on his back all this time. It came free silently, even as Scorpion charged forward to bring it down in a horrendous diagonal slash to the front of Bryan Fury's chest. With luck, that would reopen the scar across the kickboxer's chest.

And that was followed by an onslaught of death and pain, kicks and knees, elbows and forearm smashes, cuts and slashes and cruel stabs with that blade of his. Bryan Fury was made from some incredible hardware, but this sword was forged where no living man could ever walk. The very fires of Hell tempered the weapon that was being used to harass the cyborg!

Eventually the barrage would end with an impromto Judo-style takedown, flipping the man hard on his back, and speaking even as he flipped the blade upside down.

"I will remember your skill, Bryan Fury. You were a fearsome warrior!"

And that was the end of Scorpion's cordiality before stabbing the blade down, trying to stab through Bryan, and into the very earth itself.

COMBATSYS: Bryan fails to interrupt Brutality EX from Scorpion with Cobra Fang.

[                           \\\  <
Scorpion         0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Bryan can no longer fight.

[                           \\\  <
Scorpion         0/-------/--=====|

[BRYAN]
Even as the sword is pulled into play, there's no hint of fear on Bryan Fury's face. This is the ultimate battle, and he'll see it through to the end no matter what. He'd come into this all with the idea that he'd be able to see the limits of this new body of his and discover just how strong it really was, but now...

...now he's found the sort of brutality that he's craved. There's no need to deny the truth of the matter; violence is the most beautiful thing in the world, and this is the best violence he's ever experienced.

He's already died once, and the same sort of bullets that had ended his life the first time now did little more than bounce off him harmlessly. This sword is just another test that he's going to obliterate. He fist clenches tight and his elbow swings out...

Blood.

The hellforged sword cuts straight through his flesh, and crimson starts to flow fresh. Bryan can even feel a sharp line cutting through his metal interior. Each slash enhancing the damage as warnings start to appear in his vision.

His body starts to feel sluggish, there's no time for his machinery to act as he's put on his back, the otherworldly blade being plunged straight through his chest and into the ground as he goes completely stiff, the look in his eyes beginning to fade.

-WARNING: CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED-

Fury's vision has gone literally red as every system in his body begins to fail. He has no clue what to do until a signal begins to flash in his vision, directing him toward the nearest Mishima Zaibatsu underground research facility for repairs. Surging with every last bit of strength he can spare, the replicant grabs hold of the blade pinning him to the ground and groans with effort as he pulls it free of his body, tossing it aside with little concern as he forces himself to his feet

"The most... incredible battle," Bryan grunts, offering one last look back at Scorpion as he begins to hobble away from the scene of carnage and out into the thick underbrush.

[SCORPION]
Scorpion is walking away when Bryan sits up, the ninja breathing heavy as he leands against a tree to catch his breath. Those milky white eyes watch as his sword is thrown to the forest floor, half a guard put up even though he knew, this fight was over. The ninja heard wailing sirens miles off in the distance, and knew that, much like Mr. Fury, he'd have to make his departure sometime soon. He didn't chase or pursue the fleeing man, merely bent down to pick up his sword...and collapsed on his knees, shaking his head in exhaustion and agony. He clutches his ribs and is barely able to vanish in a cloud of ash, by the time the authorities finally show up, to investigate the security guard's silent alarm.

Scorpion would remember the name Bryan Fury, and would make sure not to take the man lightly. And it was important to learn a lesson from this: For all of Hanzo's newfound strength and fury, there were stronger out there. He'd need to be cautious going forward, if he was really going to have his revenge.

Log created on 20:16:00 07/01/2016 by Bryan, and last modified on 04:13:18 07/02/2016.