Match of the Millennium

Description: TEST YOUR MIGHT. If there is one thing I love about Mortal Kombat, it is the challenges. Wait, no. I hate the challenges. And now, the rest of you will hate challenges too. Right in the heart of a super spooky castle courtyard, these three unlikely allies of Mint the monk, Aaron the ranger, and Azumi the ninja come together to form a Generic Adventuring Party. Together, they must face a familiar, dangerous foe: Scorpion. On one hand, Scorpion must face a gauntlet of three opponents. Of course, when facing Scorpion, it might be those three that are going through the gauntlet. It is in your nature, after all. [ Winner: Scorpion ]

[SCORPION]
Up in the sky, clouds wisped past a moon that promised nothing but ominous foreboding for the inhabitants of that dark castle courtyard. Around them were the remnants of a once great castle, though now it's stone walls were crumbling, and many of its great windows were broken and covered with cobwebs. A structure like this made its share of old groaning noises, and every so often the big SNF floodlights would flicker in a way that they shouldn't have, in a way that made the cameramen all around decidedly nervous.

One of those nervous cameramen would pan their lense across the 'arena' they had set up, and nearly jumped out of his own skin when, suddenly, the ninja Scorpion was standing there with his arms crossed. Those eyes of his were glaring down at the stone courtyard floor, and at the grass and weeds that were growing up around the structure. Those unblinking, milky white eyes seemed to be lost in thought, as the yellow-and-black-clad warrior stood passively waiting for his opponents on this fine night. One of them he'd fought with before, and the other two, he'd learn about after tonight. The thought brought him no joy, but he stood in patient anticipation anyway.

[MINT]
There's no such things as 'vampires,' her squadmates had told her. And yet, Corporal Panesh, "Mint" to her friends, had second-hand proof to the contrary in the form of then-Captain Glenn. He had been into the belly of the beast known as Metro City during its translocation by the Dark Lord Jedah. And what's more, he had fought alongside one of her family friends, Ms. Patel -- so she knows he wasn't making it up!

Unless they both were making it up. They wouldn't do that.

As a taxi pulls up to the periphery of the crumbling castle, the dark-skinned corporal looks at her printed-out sheet of paper, from within her comfortable back seat. "... Yeah, that's what it says on the paper," she notes, before pulling a few bills out of her pocket and handing them to the taxi driver.

Roughly 10 seconds later, the corporal finds herself ejected from the taxi: both she and her rucksack have been crudely deposited onto the stone driveway. With a furrowed brow, she moistens her lips as the taxi burns rubber on out of there. Guess he didn't want to stick around long!

With measured patience, the corporal pulls her rucksack open, withdrawing her two overly large gauntlets. Without really pausing to look around, the Marine quietly begins the process of replacing her delicate flesh-toned hands for the hulking, metallic variants from her rucksack. After all -- she has a feeling she's going to need to punch something soon, judging from the taxi driver's reaction.

Only after that's done does she look back towards the courtyard -- and only then does she see the yellow-and-black ninja standing amidst the camerapeople and staffers.

Gulp.

[AARON]
A lone figure shuffled up the mountain side. It was hunched over, cloaked, and had an outline of fur. It had not had a proper meal in two days. They had walked for days to get to here. The SNF was what brought them to trek over the Romanian mountains. When they reached the top, they fell to their knees in front of the castle and howled to the moon.

"Sweet civilization."

The Eagle Scout Aaron Fang had decided to head to the fight his own way. He was plunged into the forests of Transylvania bringing the bare minimums. He also carried a safety beacon and his bow.

After about a week in the woods, Aaron was haggard. He was wearing a brown down vest that had flattened to a hard feathery mesh. He had a cloak made of animal hide draped around his shoulders for warmth. He also had a Golden Eagle on his shoulder. He had given it deer entrails and it followed him ever since.

He went to enjoy the comforts of civilization, then a speedy cap brought him back to his senses. He had a fight to go to. He lifted up his bow and waved it at the lady down the road.

"Are you Miss Panesh? I am Aaron Fang! I think we are fighting together."

[AZUMI]
In hindsight, taking a taxi cab would have been wonderful. Being able to stop inside of civilization would have also have been nice. Of course, Transylvania was used to all sorts of weird shit, so it wasn't too bad, but Azumi knew better than to press her luck, even here. But no, Azumi took the hard way up; climbing. She'd been at it for awhile now, but fortunately, having these obnoxiously sharp claws came in handy for once!

It'd take some time but Azumi finally arrives. To Mint and Aaron, it'd sound like a distant scruffling up on the far side of the entrance of the castle. Then, a pair of brown furred hands reach the top and dig into the rock. Followed by a black canine nose and then in a second, the rest of her head. She swings a foot over the top of the ledge and pulls herself up, the werewolf looking quite exhausted as she pants on the ground. She cranes her head up and over towards Aaron and passing them both a small wave.

"Oh...hey. It's green arrow again. Hey guy. How'd that poison ivy treat you?"

To Mint she merely gives a wave before quickly explaining. "On your team. Do not punch. Please."

COMBATSYS: Scorpion has started a fight here.

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Scorpion         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Mint has joined the fight here.

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Scorpion         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Mint

[SCORPION]
"You again."

The voice sounded much closer to the trio, because Scorpion was standing considerably closer toward the edge of the courtyard, with no sound or warning. It seemed that ninjas really were sneaky at times.

His arms were still crossed, his face still hidden behind that yellow mask, but now those milky white eyes of his were looking over his opponents, possibly appraising them even as his thick black eyebrows furrowed in a way that looked practically permanent. But when he spoke, with a voice directed towards the beastgirl with mastery over the wind, it did not sound angry or accusatory. It sounded 'neutral,' which was possibly the closest someone like him got to 'friendly'. His head turned toward Mint and immediately those eyes narrowed and his voice hardened.

"Your weapons look formidable, girl, but if you wish to avoid pain and misery, I suggest you use them to the best of your abilities. I will -not- be holding back."

Despite his words, instead of immediately pressing some sort of attack, the black and yellowclad warrior stepped backward, giving the three ample time to enter the 'arena' proper. He then shot his right hand outward to his left, throwing a kunai that he wasn't holding seconds ago. That weapon plunged deep into one of the heavy, unwieldy SNF cameras and with a pull of the rope attached, the machine was pulled toward Scorpion. And with a heavy kick from his left foot, that same camera was then sent hurtling, straight for the jet-fisted pint-sized boxer! What a way to kick off this fight!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Mint with Large Thrown Object.

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

[MINT]
Mint doesn't notice Aaron until he shouts -- which is a great testimonial for the nature of the Eagle Scout's abilities. Once he does shout, though, Mint turns to face him with an upraised eyebrow. "H-hey! Yeah, that's... that's me!" She knew of the young man's name, but... didn't expect fur and animal hides. It takes her a moment to associate that look with the quick blurb of information provided by the SNF staff.
"Nice to meet you!"

It's a few moments later that she spies movement on the castle. Someone... climbing it?! This place just gets creepier by the moment! "... Hi! Yes. You can call me Mint! I won't punch you unless you do something to deserve it." She flashes a feral grin back at the ... significantly more feral Azumi.

And while all these meetings are taking place, the ninja that she expected to be -way- over there is suddenly intoning deep and foreboding threats at her from a completely different vector. Mint drops the rucksack in place, the servos of her mechanical hands hissing and creaking as she curls them into fists.

The Marine nods back with a grin. All things considered, he could be -meaner-. He didn't have to give her a warning, after all!

But she didn't... well, expect him to just hurl a kunai into a camera -- that gets her jaw to drop. It's -on!- Even without the word 'go' from the SNF official! Hope those other cameras are rolling!

Mint leaps forward, starting to close the distance to Scorpion. Her eyes go wide when she finds that Scorpion's kicked the camera -into- her, though -- having committed way too much forward momentum to her attack. The camera slams into the diminutive corporal's midsection, the outer shell crumpling further on impact and sending shattered silicon boards and electronic guts all over the courtyard.

Mint, for her part, emerges from the wreckage with no small degree of coughing. That freaking hurt! But she was so kindly warned to give it her all, so that's what she does. Surging forward with exploded camera guts trailing off of her, she throws herself into a left punch, then follows up with a powerful right hook. Should she land those she'd follow through with a third punch: a left uppercut aimed squarely into the yellow-and-black ninja's chin!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Mint's Knuckle Dragger.

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

[SCORPION]
He nodded, seemingly in satisfaction when the pint-sized Marine leapt from the wreckage of that attack(even as one former camera man was yelling and complaining from the sidelines), and when the girl leaps into the fight, Scorpion drops into a half-crouching stance. That wild and powerful left-handed jab comes in, and the ninja has both of his palms up to deflect the blow even as he slides back from the impact. That right hook is met by the bigger man rushing forward, thrusting out both of his forearms and even his left raised shin as almost an attack, something that meets the attack head on like some sort of stiff kung fu maneuver.

The assassin knows body language, and he knows stances. When Mint is throwing that amazing uppercut, the singular, outnumbered opponent leaps into the air, both the soles of his tabi boots balancing on that upward streaking fist, using that momentum to backflip and somersault through the air impressively. He flipped and he rolled and while still in the air? He actually caught on fire as he spun around in heavy kicks and dangerous punches and palm strikes. Those weren't attacks though, they were feints, designed to keep the woman off guard until Scorpion silently hit the ground rolling, his legs aiming to wrap around the girl's shins. If this worked he'd use that strength and momentum of his to try and sweep them right out from under her, to get her to land face first on that rough stone courtyard. And all the while, of course, being this close to a man covered in Hellfire would be more than enough to feel those flames lapping, and threatening to deep fry her flesh even through her clothing. This was a bad situation to be in.

COMBATSYS: Mint blocks Scorpion's Underworld.

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

[MINT]
Without her massively oversized combat gauntlets, the 4'9" corporal might be easy to write off entirely. But with them... well, to be honest, the corporal still isn't sure that she can make a scratch against someone who moves as fast as this guy. There's a reason they're sending -three- of them after him, right?

Her fists collide with Scorpion's ironclad defenses. That in itself doesn't deter her. But when he leaps into the air, and whirls around in a -totally- unnecessary somersault, the New Jersey native fires back, "Y'know, y'might just be overdoin' it a bit there, chief!" Sure -- she =could= be cowed by the harbinger of flame, but she prefers to keep a cool head in contrast to the fiery kicks and flaming punches driving her backwards. Each feint is met as if it were a real affront to her personal space, her gauntlets raised in the manner of a professional boxer.

When he rolls, though, the diminutive Marine treats the attack in similar fashion -- putting her unique control over her center of gravity to full effect. Which is to say, as soon as the assassin's feet actually connect with hers, she throws both her gauntlets -- and their weight, nearly equal to her own -- in the opposite direction. Her feet do get swept out from under her, but it's only because she chooses to let them hang limply for that moment rather than act as load-bearers.

Which isn't to say that she's accounted for the burning. Oh dear, the burning. Mint yelps with pain as her camo pants catch on fire, her feet basically cooking within her combat boots. She can't worry about it now, but that doesn't mean she can't freaking acknowledge the -pain- now. Her metal hands clank against the courtyard's stone as she catches herself, turning in a quick tumble -- and hurriedly patting out the fires on her pants.

"Hey, uh..." she stammers, trying to get her head back into the fight. But all things considered, she's sure he's heard the fire jokes before. Maybe once she's not acutely focused on the heat coursing through her legs. Never was much one for fire.

She leaps back to her feet and, with a hiss of her gauntlet's pneumatics, fires off a straight punch right into the harbinger of flame's torso. Simple and direct!

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Scorpion with Straight Punch.

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

[AARON]
Aaron turned towards the sound of claws on stone. He nearly shot off the brown talons, then he saw their owner.

"Is that you? The good Samaritan that helped me? What a pleasure it is to see you again." Aaron sent out his hand to shake with the wolf. "I have not even gotten your name."

Then the his eagle cried out. He looked up at the ninja who failed at not being seen. The eagle flew off.

That was his cue to get out of the way. Aaron jumped behind fallen stones of the castle. He heard the sounds of the fight behind him. He recalled the instructions he was given, that it was one fighter at a time.

[AZUMI]
Azumi looks up towards Scorpion's first action and sighs. That guy. This would get rough, but with some luck, these two would be able to take him out before she had to exert herself again. She pulls her legs into the air and then pushes herself from the ground, getting up onto her feet and gives Aaron's hand a proper and good shake.

"The one that's tried to help you twice that round. I took care of that crazy guy at the lake by the way. The Raptor on the other hand...not so much. Little bit too tough for me."

She steps into the courtyard proper at this point, keeping her distance from the scrappy beatdown that was happening not terribly far away from her, the ninja werewolf just catching her breath for the time being.

[SCORPION]
The flames fade as quickly as they arrive, the spectre quickly releasing that unconventional grapple when it's made clear that he's not going to get the desired effect. Instead he rolls quickly to his feet, flipping backwards once more for good measure. Left hand down, right fist raised and poised next to his head. It was clear that he was ready for whatever Mint wanted to throw at him. And while she rolling around trying to prevent her legs from melting down to the bones, the ninja quickly glances aside to the rest of the woman's 'team'.

He knew Azumi already, and fought with her. She had much to learn, but much to offer. He looked forward to seeing what she would offer in this fight.

Then he looked toward the savage, and his eyes narrowed as he studied the barbarian in furs and hides. And then he noticed the bow, and the quiver for arrows. The memory hit him suddenly and without warning, and suddenly the courtyard, and this challenge, was the farthest and furthest thing from his mind.

-------------------

"Don't hold the string so taught, Jubei, you'll wear out the bow and snap the string. You must only draw back when you're ready."

Hanzo was on one knee beside the boy, while 10 yards from them hung a watermelon, dangling from rope tied from a tree. Jubei breathed in deep and let the arrow fly...and father and son both watched as that arrow spiraled into the mud just a few feet away. The man laughed and the boy growled in anger, anger that was soon calmed by his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Papa. Are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'll be gone for a week."

"One day, I will go with you."

Hanzo didn't speak at that, but behind the boy his features darkened. He reached for the quiver, pulling another arrow out and changed the subject the way fathers d-

----------------

A giant metal fist smashed into the ghost's midsection, smashing into his stomach and sternum at the same time, and would have driven the air from his lungs even as he stumbled backward from the impact, and dropped to his back. He didn't move for a moment, when suddenly both of his hands clenched into fists and he yelled loudly in outrage. Both of the muscular man's elbows slammed downward, smashing into the stone courtyard and visibly crushing the old tiles before he kipped up to his feet, immediately dashing toward the smaller woman with a speed that shouldn't have even been legal. He was focused, and the temperature around him rapidly raised in anger, an anger that wasn't felt at the start of this fight. Before making impact Scorpion flipped over Mint's head, landing on his feet behind the woman, their backs ideally facing one another. This made it easier for Scorpion to draw the sword from his back, flipping it in his hands...and stabbing the edge of it behind him, aiming for the woman's soft back underneath her ribcage. Whether it only punctured some meat, or whether it went through some important organs or a kidney, made no difference to him. But moments later, if it made significant contact? He'd yank the blade right back out of her, to let the damage speak for itself...

COMBATSYS: Mint fails to interrupt Doom Slice from Scorpion with Attack of Opportunity.

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

[MINT]
She hit him! Mint's lips pull into a satisfied grin as her knuckles slam into the yellow-garbed ninja, hopping back from one foot to another as she readies herself for a follow-up attack. She didn't spend so much time bulking up her shoulders and arms just to be able to look pretty in these gauntlets, after all -- she has been training to box just as well as with her real hands!

But even though she's right up in the ninja's grill, she pauses. Something happened, she understands -- she can tell that the instant before the masked ninja's howl pierces through the Transylvanian night sky.

Mint steps back, questioning herself -- moreso, questioning the wisdom of charging into someone who can make the temperature raise thirty degrees just because he's a mite angry. Her grin hardens.

The turbines attached to her gauntlets start to spin up. Now, it would seem, she is a bit more serious!

When the ninja flips over her head, Mint surges forward into motion, aided by the sudden propulsion afforded by her mechanical hands. When he aims to leap behind her, she's already rushing forward. She slams her left foot into the courtyard, combat boot pulverizing the tile in a shower of shattered stone as her rocket propulsion twists her around in a quick 180 to face Scorpion...
... His -back-, rather?! What the--

Despite a sudden sharp pain in her abdomen, Mint is... confused. Why did he turn his -back- to her? Her rocket-powered right fist plunges harmlessly past his shoulder, the punch doing little more than rustle the fabric clothing him there. She stares in confusion as her left fist continues on its own volition in a powerful underhanded punch for the ghost's abdomen...

And only then, as she staggers backwards, would the gut-wrenching pain in her torso make any amount of sense at all, as the spurt of blood erupting from the center of her olive drab shirt makes pointedly clear.

As her right gauntlet's turbines sputter -- the signs of its fuel source beginning to reach an end -- the dazed Marine clamps the palm over her chest. Pain seeps into her expression, as she stumbles forward.

"... It's... it's okay if I hurl, right here, yeah?"

[SCORPION]
Scorpion turned around slowly, sidestepping that 'punch' easily even as a flick of his wrist caused the steaming blood on his sword to splatter across the stone courtyard ground. Those eyes of his were narrowed, that sword of his not put away, no it seemed he had further plans for the weapon, plans that doubtless would involve the surprised and injured boxer currently looking down at her fresh wound.

"Do whatever you feel you need to. It will not save you from my wrath!"

With that Scorpion was lunging forward, the ninjato in his right hand being swung low, aimed to slice across the thighs of the poor woman even as his left leg shot up, a quick snapkick being aimed right for her temple, something to disorient the woman even as the ninja spun around her yet again. This time his left arm would try to scoop around her midsection, fingers actually aiming for the wound around her stomach, pressing in with a painful martial arts grip. And if all of this worked, then it would get worse for her as he'd use this grip and his superior strength to just hurl her up, and slam her down to the ground away from him. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't flashy, but this was all about doing damage, and dealing pure pain to the woman before him.

COMBATSYS: Mint endures Scorpion's Kombo EX.

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

[MINT]
Mint nods gratefully back at Scorpion, her eyes meeting his hollow orbs. It's good that he agreed with her. Because she hesitates not even a half-second more before opening her mouth and letting a good quart of... something... red splatter to the courtyard. Probably best to not examine it too closely.

She doesn't even have the time to wipe her mouth before the ninja's onslaught is resumed. The snapkick jacks right into her temple -- and the Marine barely even seems to register the attack as she's jarred around violently. The flow of blue flames from her left gauntlet is perturbed by the violent gesture, even moreso from their followup as the wound is used as a grip for the spirit of vengeance to haul her upwards. Pain knit across her face, she grits her teeth all the same, half-focused eyes struggling to make out the shape of her opponent...

And yet, when she's hurled into the ground, she doesn't just do the -rational- thing and just sit there.

She lands with knee-first. And it basically -shatters- from the force with which she's slammed into the stonework, judging from the horrid snapping sounds intermixed with the outward rush of pulverized stone dust.

But while one knee landed, her right foot is able to land tread-down. And she springs back upwards at Scorpion, completely heedless of her considerable injuries.

She could be in a hospital for the rest of her shortened life. But she'll be damned if she gives up right now. Flames from her left fist flare up suddenly. And Mint rockets forward, slamming both her powered left fist into his abdomen. If she manages to connect under her own volition, she would grab hold of his left arm with her right hand and pummel him relentlessly and savagely in the face -- and then hurl him with her off-balance self like a hammer toss at the Olympics!

COMBATSYS: Mint knocks away Scorpion with Final Sacrifice.

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

[SCORPION]
Scorpion's sword is sheathed and the ninja's head tilts in curiosity at the disgusting crunch heard from Mint's knee. All around them, the SNF cameramen were looking aghast, horrified at the display of violence, one man's face white as a ghost, another one looking like he was going to hurl just like Mint did moments ago. But Scorpion was not phased by the toll he's taken on the girl, but instead takes a single step toward the girl with his guard raised. It seemed, however, that his guard was not enough to catch the surprise attack in time. The left caught Scorpion hard enough to raise the ninja up into the air by a few feet, only to be caught by his arm and bludgeoned and bloodied by those rocket-powered gauntlets, over and over and over. After the first shot to his face, he went limp, and each one caused him to slump down uselessly even as the right side of his face immediately started swelling and bleeding. He barely seemed to be conscious when he was violently flung like a ragdoll. If this -had- been the Olympics, Mint would have surely gotten gold. And then disqualified for using oversized jet turbine fists. But it was the thought that counted.

Scorpion's shoulder and face hit the ground so hard that he went into a roll, head lolling with his arms at his sides. Until suddenly they weren't, and he was rolling into the rolling, somehow landing on his feet facing the girl.

"Impressive."

He almost spat the word out, staggering forward toward the tiny girl. When he was a few yards away from her, right within her dash range...he actually lowered himself, kneeling facing her as if he were praying before a shrine. Or speaking with an equal.

"There are many flaws in your stance and your approach. Those flaws may lead to the necessary amputation of your leg, if you do not get emergency surgery in the next few hours. But you fight with passion, and you stand with honor. Whoever your se...instructors are, they have taught you well, and should be regarded with respect."

He almost said 'sensei' before regarding her manner of dress almost for the first time. It seemed that whoever this man was, he at least was familiar with the concept of modern military. With the moon lingering in the sky, he spoke again.

"What is your name? I wish to know who my opponent tonight has been, so that I may more easily remember this night."

He appeared to just be kneeling and having a chat...but only a fool would not notice the stillness of the air. Scorpion, even as composed as he was, was ready to strike again at a moment's notice!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion focuses on his next action.

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

[MINT]
Mint rolls herself back to lie face-down, and then pushes herself up off the courtyard. A pint is vomited from her mouth. And half again as much spurts from her abdomen, her punctured olive drab shirt stained a dense, tarry black from the crimson vitae. Pain knits her features as she lifts her head off of the cobble, with almost no strength at all.

Dimly, she was aware of Scorpion hitting the ground, and of his advice to her. It was a whisper amongst the pounding rhythm of blood surging in her head, the bloodflow straining to keep her brain fed even as some of its pressure is lost to the trauma in her stomach.

She should be dead from her trauma. And yet ... it's not the first time the woman has faced death in the eye and spat in its face. Or lost the use of a limb.

Pavement cracks in double spiderweb patterns beneath her robotic palms as she pounds herself back to her feet. Correction -- her foot, as the left knee hangs limply from her hips, as she holds her gauntlets out as counterbalance. The growing stain on the pant leg suggests that it's pretty much exactly as one might expect.

And yet, it seems she heard him after all. On reflex, she delivers the name and rank (but no serial number.

"Minal Panesh..." she answers, drawing in her breath.
Her shirt bubbles from the air of her abdomen shifting about, ensuring that she remains upright in her improbably-balanced state, even as she draws her hands inward. Her breathing is erratic, stifled by the adrenaline coursing through her. Her left hand turns supine, her right hand prodding at switches on its lower side.

She winks back -- relying heavily on bravado to keep her standing. Bravado, and the beauty of backup solutions, as her knuckles hiss. With a pop, two canisters pop loose -- and a snap confirms that two more are seated into place.

"But you can call me Corporal Punishment."
The turbines spin up again. Flames erupt from the back of her gauntlets. And Mint rockets forward, her lower torso hanging on limply behind her rocket-powered fists as she vectors herself into Scorpion -- a human torpedo!

Her left fist accelerates faster -- an overhand swing aimed at flooring Scorpion.

Her right fist, though, is brought up to grab hold of Scorpion! If she grabs hold of him, she'd hammer her good knee into his abdomen -- not the knuckles themselves. She needs to feel this pain if she wants to remain conscious any longer...

COMBATSYS: Mint can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Mint successfully hits Scorpion with BFH.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Scorpion         1/------=/=======|

[SCORPION]
Scorpion didn't have time to respond to the horrible nickname that Mint gave, because a flying left hand was aiming to cave his face in. He just barely managed to get his guard up in time, letting that punch smash into his wooden gauntlets and even then he was sent flying, flipping rapidly in the air before he came down hard on his back. Even rolling to his feet, it was clear that the impact hurt him quite a bit. But he shook his head and seemed to shake off the effects of the pain, even as he watched EMT workers rush the tiny woman off of the arena the moment it looked like she wasn't still actively fighting. If they were fast enough, maybe, just maybe, they could save her leg, if not her knee. Scorpion watched the woman, and gave the strictest of bows to the unconscious, unorthodox boxer.

"You have fought bravely, Minal Panesh."

In an instant, however, the woman is pushed from the spectre's mind, as he looks up to regard the other two fighters. As he spoke, he rolled his neck to the side, letting the bones crackle and pop. It would seem that he was more than ready.

"Who shall be my next opponent?"

COMBATSYS: Scorpion awaits the next challenger.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Scorpion         1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Aaron has joined the fight here.

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

[AARON]
Aaron heard the fight come to it's violent end. The scout saw that this ninja he was fighting, was not a good one. He fought his foe well, but it was far too head on. Cleaver as he was, Aaron decided to apply real stealth techniques.

The scout hid behind the rubble of the castle. He found cover and pinned down his target. He put up his bow and pulled back the string. He released the string and sent forth and arrow shining of pure light. Once he sent the beam at the flashy weapon wielder, he shouted. It would not matter much since his arrow is faster then his voice. He cried..

"I will be your next opponent!"

His eagle then screeched in the night as it flew in the moonlight.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Aaron's Arrow of Light.

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

[SCORPION]
The former assassin stood watching as Mint was carted off, watching curiously even as the scout in furs was making his climb. It seemed that the ninja was unaware even as the young archer got up high, a great position for sniping. In total darkness Aaron made his shot, and that beam of pure light shot through the black night sky where it would surely have gone right through the side of Scorpion's head...until he sidestepped at the last moment, his sword coming up to slice right through the shaft, eyes fixed firmly on Aaron's position up high. Wasting no time, Scorpion stepped forward with his left foot, left hand coming out, kunai and rope hurtling through the air aiming for the diaphram or ribcage of Mr. Sneaky! At the same time, Scorpion would yell out, his voice forceful and echoing off the walls of that castle.

"GET DOWN HERE!"

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Aaron with Spear.

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

With that kunai making some sort of meaty purchase, Scorpion grabbed the rope attached to it with both hands, using that great strength of his to yank down as hard as he could, and bring Aaron down to a more equal fighting ground. It would be a rough landing for the young eagle scout, but that really wasn't Scorpion's concern, was it?

[AARON]
Aaron was impaled by the kunai as he hid high in the rubble. He was dragged down from the castle's stones. He was bleeding out and leaving a red trail behind him. The scout hit the ground diagonally, but still being dragged.

The blade finally came loose and Aaron regained his footing. He was close to his foe, but that could still be opportune. Aaron held his bow tightly as he face down the assassin. He swung the hardwood bow down on Scorpion, with his cloak fluttering. The eagle head aimed for the target's shoulder.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Aaron's Medium Strike.

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

[AZUMI]
By the time Mint had gone down, Azumi recovers most of her stamina from such a large climb. She pulls herself to her feet and leans back on a nearby wall. She'd brought a large bottle of water with her, and once standing, she starts draining it rapidly. She winces as she looks over towards that spear of Scorpion's finding a home and shakes her head.

In the meantime though, she begins doing some stretches, leaning over one side and then the other, stretching her legs and checking her claws for imperfections.

[SCORPION]
By the time Aaron got to his feet and attempted his strike, Scorpion put that rope and kunai back away in record time, standing ready and prepared. That bow was swung down and immediately the ninja brought his left wrist up, using a rigid karate stance to let his wooden bracer take most of that impact, feeling a bit of sting through his arm, but that only served to wake the ninja up. Eyes narrowing, he quickly dashed backwards, leaping away from the young man...and fading into grey ash that started drifting toward the ground. This was because the -real- Scorpion was flying through the air, right fist cocked back and throwing a straight punch, aimed for the side of Aaron's ribcage that was sure not to tickle if it hit. The impact didn't even fully 'land' yet before he was ash again, and this time Scorpion was flying towards Aaron's front, his fist now covered with swirling Hellfire. This would make the devastating uppercut aimed for the young man's chin even worse, the impact hard enough to potentially send poor Aaron flying up into the air.

If it hit.

COMBATSYS: Aaron blocks Scorpion's Damnation.

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

[AARON]
Aaron watched as the man fell to ash. The scout tried to look for were he went. He found out when he got a fist to the ribcage. The pain was crushing to Aaron, but there was still more. Scorpion brought up an uppercut blazing with Hell fire. Aaron quickly turned and his cloak whipped around. He stopped the blow cold with his ironwood bow. Even the fires dimmed in face of the Eagle Scout's spirit.

With his bow still up, Aaron swung it at the assassin. With quick time he would reach for his arrows underneath his cloak. Then throw the three thorns in a thorough thicket of point blank arrows.

COMBATSYS: Aaron successfully hits Scorpion with Scout Salute.
- Power hit! -

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

[SCORPION]
His attack thwarted, Scorpion had no time to react before that incredibly, inexplicably durable bow was cracked across the side of the ninja's head. He staggered backward, turning away only for a brief fraction of a moment. Eyes narrowed with the right side of his face turning shades of black and purple(but the swelling was going down already, it seemed), he didn't entirely see the throw until a collection of arrows were hurled with force. The pointed tips tore through the quilted cloth and thin leathery hides he wore, and sunk deep into his flesh. Along his shoulders, beneath his ribs, one arrow was embedded deep in the spectre's left thigh, the sharp tip scrabing against his skeleton in just the right way to inspire a fresh wave of pain. Blood was pouring down and Scorpion staggered back a number of steps before falling to his knees, looking down with his eyes wide and his hands open in concern.

"AHHHHH!"

Unfortunately for Aaron, the experienced ninja's surprise quickly turned into anger. When he looked up again, those milky-white, unblinking eyes were narrowed again, his fists clenched in rage. Slamming those fists down on the ground, Scorpion immediately leapt up for the attack, turning sideways and charging to get his momentum up before lashing out with a powerful, powerful kick aimed for the Eagle scout's chest or ribs, a kick that, if it hit, would be so strong that it would, ideally, send Aaron stumbling or staggering backwards...into a slash across the young man's back, courtesy of Scorpion teleporting behind him, sword in hand. This was no gentle flesh wound, Scorpion was trying to give him a horrible wound and one hell of a scar to remember this fight by.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Aaron with Brutality EX.
! VENGEANCE !

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Scorpion         1/---<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\==-----\1            Aaron

[AARON]
Aaron screamed out into the moon light. He almost heard his ribs crack as Scorpion gave his powerful kick. He nearly keeled over from the pain. Before he could come back to a proper stand, Scorpion teleported behind him. Aaron's back was sliced open by the assassin's sword. His animal skin cloak fell to the ground, revealing his back. The fresh gash dripped blood onto older scars. He was nearly paralyzed from the pain, fear, and shame.

Aaron threw the damaged hide towards his opponent. He started to back towards a wall, trailing blood. He stared down his foe and talked to him and he backed up.

"Now what honor do you have? You have pulled blades on friendly fighters. You needlessly damage the belonging of others. Even violate the very laws of nature."

"Tell me what honor you have! I do care a great deal."

As the Eagle Scout questioned the assassin, he gained a slight white glow. When he came to the wall, the eagle swooped overhead and unleashed a cry that echoed over the highlands. Aaron then shown a bright white light. He stared down Scorpion, waiting for him to move, with his bow at the ready.

COMBATSYS: Aaron takes aim.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Scorpion         1/---<<<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1            Aaron

[SCORPION]
As Aaron spoke, Scorpion was grabbing arrows stuck in him, ripping the weapons from his thigh, from his torso and shoulders. Each one came with an additional little trickle(or spray) of blood, but the man didn't seem to react too much aside from grunts and winces of pain. Now that he was ready for it, he was able to push past the physical sensations and keep his mind clear. And then the archer asked him a question, and the ninja once more looked up to focus his attention on his opponent. Those eyes of his narrowed, and despite the lack of pupils or irises, it was hard for a person not to feel like they were being stared at, like they were being studied, analyzed and somehow found wanting. As Scorpion spoke, he threw those arrows down at Aaron's feet.

"You wish to know of my honor, child? You have not earned the right to address me!"

With that, Scorpion was rushing forward, throwing a quick combination of punches and backhand strikes, but these were merely feints. Easily blocked, dodged or deflected, never intending to make contact. This was to throw Aaron off guard when Scorpion eventually leapt upward, his right knee rushing fortward to, potentially, make brutal contact with the face of the scout.

COMBATSYS: Aaron auto-guards Scorpion's Front Kick.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Scorpion         1/-----<</<<<<<<<|=======\======-\1            Aaron

[AARON]
The assassin's knee came in aimed at Aaron's face. Aaron's face was steady as the knee came forward. Then the golden eagle swooped down with a screech! It glowed a bright light. The bird stopped Scorpion with its talons, glowing with Scout Spirit. Aaron smirked as he had Scorpion just where he wanted him.

Aaron's began his storm of arrows. He swiftly drew each of the twelve. They were infused with his own morals. Droplets of his own blood were staining the arrows, and they flew with a bright red aura. He shouted at Scorpion in response.

"Here his my honor! Just as you requested."

COMBATSYS: Scorpion endures Aaron's Empowered Scout’s Law.

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

[SCORPION]
Most men would react with fear and panic if an eagle divebombed them, and there was an old legend about them being the slayers of ninjas. But Scorpion did not lose his cool, merely sidestepping and avoiding the screeching raptor, of course he needed to stop his attack to do so. And of course, when the ninja turned his attention back towards the scout, he was getting riddled with arrows in response. One after the other, red energy covering the deadly projectiles as they thudded into the spectre's body in a spectacular grouping. But unlike before, Scorpion just stood there and took it, his torso rocking back from the power of each impact, his eyes focused on the archer the entire time.

"If this is the extent of your honor, boy, it has been found wanting."

As he spoke, his hands went to his mask and hood. The cameras zoomed in...but couldn't quite focus as all around them, the heat was rapidly rising so much that it made seeing anything nearly impossible. The mask and hood were pulled backward, but his face was pretty well hidden by flames suddenly erupting and shooting in a cone at the unfortunate eagle scout. If one focused their eyes, they might see the flickering of a skull behind that geyser of Hell's judgement. But that was just an optical illusion. Right?

Scorpion torched nearly everything in front of him before the mask and hood went back up, his face once again concealed. And only then would he drop to his knees, the reality of the arrows in his torso finally catching up with him.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Aaron with Toasty!.

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

[AARON]
Aaron was about to confront Scorpion's statement, but was interrupted by the terrible burning of Hell Fire. He was left screaming very loudly...

"HONOR!!!!!!"

Aaron's bow had fallen to the side, and was not consumed by unholy fire like the rest of him. When the searing flames of death died down, Aaron was a blacken waste. He was burnt down to his emergency shorts. On the ground in a heap,the scout spied his bow. He limped for his weapon, with his last non burnt arrow. Made of deer bone and wolf fang, the arrow as guided by scout spirit, as Aaron is. On the ground, Aaron shot his last arrow, before going into the warm darkness.

COMBATSYS: Aaron can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Aaron's Leave No Trace.

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

[SCORPION]
Scorpion was on his knees, looking down at the arrows riddling his body even as the front half of the courtyard was burning continuously, even stone and brick, even blackened, cold dead trees. The glass windows were starting to melt just a little, which would not bode well for the old, rickety wooden supports and floors, nor for the long ruined rugs and carpeting, nor for all of the spiderwebs and cobwebs which filled the soon-to-be-deep-fried-castle. The SNF cameramen were horrified, scooting away from the burning half, and moving farther back.

The arrow was sent flying through the air, but even injured and tired, Scorpion's senses were sharp. The arrow tip got a fraction of an inch towards his left eyeball, before the ghost's left arm shot up, catching it mid-air and looking up suddenly. Those thick black eyebrows narrowed, and instantly the arrow was hurled aside violently. Moments later his right hand came up, to grip a handful of the arrows inside him at the same time. His muscles tensed, he inhaled deep, and let out a battlecry.

"....HYAAAAAAAH!"

With a spray of steaming blood that traveled throughout the night sky, the majority of arrows were ripped from the ninja's body, even as blood streamed down the yellow quilted cloth of his uniform. He quickly stood up, ripping arrows out of him as he did so, and finally, pointing directly at the wolf.

"YOU. Come forward. Show me what you have learned since we last met."

Despite his wounds, despite his injuries, it seemed that Scorpion was more than happy to go again!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion awaits the next challenger.

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

COMBATSYS: Azumi has joined the fight here.

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

[AZUMI]
The werewolf had long since finished up stretching and watched the fight with Aaron and Scorpion. She'd fought with the both of them at least once and she suspected that Scorpion would deal with him in due time. If they wanted to win this fight, she'd need to pull some pretty deep strength. Hanzo would have easily commanded a place of respect in the Red Cloud, if his make-up wasn't one of decay.

At being beckoned, the werewolf steps off the wall and speaks aloud, taking a moment to toss off her hoodie, revealing an A-shirt and a small pouch at her hip. She draws out a kunai and flips it around expertly in her hands, ending with it jutting out of the bottom side of her palm.

"It's been awhile since I've fought one of my own. Let's see who strikes through the veil of shadows the cleanest. It will be an honor."

Azumi bows to Hanzo with her hands clasped together in a form that any ninja would know as a friendly spar. As soon as she leans back up though, she disappears from plain sight. She appears directly above Hanzo in a tight frontflip, extending her legs at the last moment to slam one of her sharpened toe claws directly into Scorpion's shoulder.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Azumi's Heaven's Claw.

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

[SCORPION]
She bows and he bows in return, but his eyes were narrowed and focused. He noted the creature's stance and he remembered the way she had moved during their fight with Ermac. Her speed and agility, and how easily the girl took to the wind. When she 'vanished', Scorpion didn't bother trying to look for her with his eyes, he merely trusted his instincts, and stepped backwards. When that foot lashed out the spectre raised his left hand, "catching" that kick and feeling the claws graze his palms and fingers. Looking up at her, he said not a word, but merely used his strength to 'throw' her upward and trusting that she was coming down.

Instantly as she hopefully traveled downward he'd crouch down momentarily, right fist clenched and cocked. When the moment was just right he'd rocket up to his feet, his fist trying to catch the girl just under the chin, and potentially send her flying even more. If this did worked, however she landed it likely wouldn't be pretty, not at all.

COMBATSYS: Azumi blocks Scorpion's Uppercut.

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

[AZUMI]
Azumi winces as she feels the attack not land properly and has no choice but to put her weight in Scorpion's hands. She's tossed back into the air, tilting her body down to keep an eye on her fellow ninja's next move. As she swings down towards the ground, she notes his his body language and what he was likely to do and prepares for it. She quickly performs a few handsigns with both of her hands, coating them in a light blue sheath of energy. As she lands and the uppercut comes in, she raises her forearm towards it. The uppercut slams into it, guiding it up and away, but easily bruising the skin beneath the fur. She winces as the attack finally goes through, but her trade would soon evolve into an advantage...hopefully.

With his fist raised, Azumi slides that same blocking arm down, driving an elbow into Scorpion's gut. She follows it up by quickly reaching up to that arm and bodily hip-tossing the ninja into the ground. If that worked as she intended, she'd continue the combo-attack with a close range wind blast meant to send Scorpion sliding along the ground, hopefully taking a bit more damage in the process.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Azumi's Charged Combo.

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

[SCORPION]
Right now, Scorpion could not afford to make any mistakes. Pulverized by fists the size of car engines, riddled with arrows, even a revenant's body had limits, and those limits could easily be reached by a lucky swipe from a werewolf's claws, or the miniature windstorms that his opponent could call upon. He'd need to use his guile and his technique to keep himself from being felled.

Azumi threw that elbow, but Scorpion doubled over before the impact occurred, putting himself in position for that judo-type maneuver but avoiding a hard impact from a stomach that was currently bleeding and trying to mend itself. He traveled through the air, but landed in a safe silent roll, and was already dashing forward even as Azumi attempted to send the man away. His kunai was in his left hand and, as he dashed forward from a kneeling position to a standing position behind the wolf, he would slash out with that small, razor-sharp weapon for her left side, underneath her ribcage. If this worked and he did end up behind her, he'd slash out again, this time to give a nice diagonal slash across her back, from her right shoulder all the way to that theoretical wound on her left side. She was using her talents, he was using his.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Azumi with Doom Slice.

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

[AZUMI]
Azumi growls as Scorpion seemed to be just as adept at maneuvering himself despite the energy she'd charged her hands with meant to catch just that. His first Kunai hit catches her in the side as he'd planned, provoking a pain filled hiss of pain. Getting the feeling that he was about to attack again, she simply leaps forward, lessening the blow of the second slash. It still cut through a good chunk of her fur though, drawing blood.

She performs a handstand and pushes herself into the air to face her opponent again. Keeping him in sight was going to be hard if he was faster than she was. She lands, dragging her feet across the ground and leaving distinct claw marks in the dirt. She doesn't waste any time at range, charging back into him. She throws a low sweep aimed directly for his ankles, but intentionally tosses it out slow enough where he'd be prompted to jump over it or step back. Her true attack comes directly after, as she recovers from the low sweep and brings her foot up in a wide upward arc, intending for her claws to gut him from belly to chin.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion fails to interrupt Aggressive Strike from Azumi with Torment.

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

[SCORPION]
Indeed, her attack aimed true. He was still holding that kunai in his hand as she ran towards him, and he leapt over that sweeping kick just as she planned. With her flipping and coming around for that second attack, would she notice the color start to drain from his form? Would she notice the temperature rising? In a moment that didn't matter, because that kick ripped the torso of his uniform apart to cause a spray of blood to travel through the moonlit sky, and cause Scorpion in mid-air to flip a number of times before hitting the courtyard HARD on his back. Funnily enough when she kicked him, he'd fly out the back of an ash and dust-shaped silhouette of himself that slowly drifted through the air, slowly losing its shape. (And probably traveling into the unfortunate, fur-covered younger ninja.)

As Scorpion lay on the ground, groaning out in pain and discomfort, off in the distance the earlier fire he caused still raged...and a massive wall of the castle suddenly collapsed inward. The sound and impact was deafening and sudden, and would cause fresh embers and bits of flame to shoot out and float throughout the sky, like little fireflies from Hell.

[AZUMI]
This could be her chance to put this fight in the ground. Her opponent was certainly tired from fighting three battles, and she was lucky enough to face him at the end. The werewolf spends a little bit of time waving off the ashes from before, happy that she managed to catch him before he could evade. She then leaps high in the air, silhouetting herself against the moon. She performs a few handsigns and sheathes her entire body in blue energy. Azumi seemed about ready to attack, but the sudden collapse of the castle garners her attention for a split second.

Any falling debris? No.

Is everyone safe? About as much as they could be.

Any other threats? No.

Then focus on the fight.

As soon as she's directly above Scorpion, she explodes a burst of wind behind her, propelling her straight towards the ground. She was going to shoulder rush him directly into the ground and hopefully end this battle before she needed to worry further about her own health.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Azumi's Tempest Cannon.

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

[SCORPION]
Scorpion, for his part, was still on the ground, head moving around and groaning out quietly, but also biding his time while the girl gets into position. Her attention was only divided for the briefest of moments, but that was enough for the ghost's vision to stop blurring, and his focus to finally return to him. He waited there on his back until the last minute, and then and only then would he suddenly roll to the side in a blur of speed, continuing to roll until he got to his feet and backflipping through the air on top of that.

These weren't just acrobatics, however. The second he landed on his feet he hurled out two kunai, both on fire, and both attached to chains. They were aiming for the poor wolf's shoulders, and suddenly Scorpion was bellowing out in that powerful voice once again.

"GET OVER HERE!"

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Azumi with Flame Spear.

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

With the two dagger-like weapons embedded in his target, Scorpion grabbed the two chains together, using his great strength to pull Azumi through the sky even as fire shot up the chains, ending with her being slammed on the opposite side of the courtyard and simultaneously burned and singed a bit with those dangerous weapons before Hanzo mercifully(?) ripped them away and painfully yanked them from her shoulders in the process.

[AZUMI]
Azumi suspected as much. Scorpion moved just before she got the chance to hit him. She pulls the attack midway through, landing hard on her shoulder and rolling back to her feet, but unfortunately, that same second she took her eyes off of her opponent was the same one in which she found two flaming kunai jammed into her shoulders.

She glares at him for his catch phrase. Just...glares. If looks could kill, Scorpion might have been in terribly bloody ribbons.

She howls in pain as she's ripped from her position and thrown through the air, landing hard on her side, the whole while through, the kunai's burned and twisted in her arms. This...wasn't working. She couldn't out ninja him. He was outplaying her in nearly every respect, based almost entirely on his greater skill and experience at doing the same thing. She had to find an advantage of some sort. She could not out ninja him.

But she could out werewolf him.

Hey, it's better than nothing. And the fires of rage were being stoked by the pokers in her arms. As Scorpion pulled the pokers out of her, she reaches up and snags both of the spears by the chains, preventing them from going back to their masters. A heavy growl emanates from her throat as she slowly rises to her feet, the blood dripping from both shoulders seemingly not deterring her at all. Her muscles in her arms are about as defined as they were going to get, as her lips were pulled back to show off every single one of those pearly whites.

With a giant step backwards and a roar of effort, she yanks as hard as she could to pull Scorpion from his position back towards her. With any luck and if he ended up where she wanted him to be, she drives a heavy fist into his jaw. Before he could get sent too far though, she grabs him by this leg and messily slams him into the ground, intending on leaving him prone before her and incredibly vulnerable to her next attack.

Because maybe being a monster is preferable to being a ninja sometimes.

...Sometimes.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion blocks Azumi's Fang Over Fist.

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

[SCORPION]
Ninja versus ninja, monster versus monster. It seemed they both had more in common than would be obvious at first glance. Azumi grabs the chains, and Scorpion's milky-white eyes narrow in concentration, even as he speaks.

"Holding yourself back is a weakness, girl. Show me what you are!"

Then she's yanking back hard, and Scorpion is flying through the air after her, with that fist smashing into the side of his jaw as intended. But Azumi might find that it doesn't connect with the full impact she intended, the Shirai Ryu rolling and twisting mid-air, going with the momentum of the attack. When she grabs his leg, his muscles tense as he's hurled bodily through the air. He lands on his back, but this time he doesn't react much except a loud grunt from the sheer impact. But he's not even on the ground for the barest hint of a moment before he's popping himself up, spinning through the air, with that same leg that was grabbed, aiming to sweep Azumi's pawed feet right out from under her as he rolls to his feet and backs away. He was bouncing on his feet now, both of his arms up guarding his head and upper torso. It was very different looking from his usual, highly grounded karate-looking pose. It was definitely a sign of something, but of what?

COMBATSYS: Azumi parries Scorpion's Sweep!

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

[AZUMI]
The werewolf is bleeding a ton at this moment. The wounds in her side, back and shoulders would shorten this battle thanks entirely to blood loss. The mightiest beast still requires blood to function and she was hardly any different. Still though, when your back is against the wall, sometimes divine clarity in battle would just strike before the final blow. And what you must do becomes clear.

She exhales slowly as her attempt at punching him entirely whiffs, the werewolf looking down at him as he intended to sweep her. The foot may have well have been traveling in slow motion. She shifts her gaze to the side, to the burning rubble. To most there looked to be nothing but fire and stone, but fire did not consume the stone entirely just yet. And on the highest bit of shattered wall, there was a spot free from it.

That is where she must go.

She drives her foot down on top of Scorpion's extended one, springboarding off of it into a lazy backflip and landing on that one safe spot at the tallest point of the rubble. Her muscles return to a reasonable size, her lips fall back down, covering her teeth, and her ears take a far more natural position. She is calm.

"Restraint is not a weakness Scorpion. It is a strength. You would do well to remember that."

She performs a fast flurry of hand signs, her entire body glowing with that blue light again. She takes another deep breath and performs the last of her hand signs. From that exhale, a wave of wind is emitted by her, that started out calm, but picked up speed rapidly It quieted the flames surrounding her and swept forward, a strong wall of air pushing towards Scorpion and threatening to blow him clear out of the courtyard if not handled properly.

In flipside, the camera crew would absolutely *love* this one.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion dodges Azumi's Zen Hurricane EX.

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

[SCORPION]
When the wind starts, Scorpion stops that bouncing and suddenly hunkers down, halfcrouching and putting all of his weight on his right leg. His uniform was flapping and beating back from the increasing gale, Scorpion spoke, his voice taking on a rather frightening quality. Over the rapidly howling tornado, his voice suddenly boomed and echoed even as his fists clenched.

"Hiding from yourself and denying your own reality are strengths?! Then show me how strong you are, Azumi!"

Even as he spoke, Scorpion was starting to be blown away by that tornado, being sucked away into formless dust little by little...that wasn't Scorpion.

No, Scorpion it seemed was right behind her, standing atop that high wall just fight. All he did was place a hand on her shoulder...and give her a shove. It was a long way down!

COMBATSYS: Scorpion successfully hits Azumi with Strong Throw.
-*- DEVASTATING HIT! -*-

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

[AZUMI]
Azumi didn't see it coming. She had a decent idea that the attack might succeed, if only because an entire wave of air is hard as hell to dodge. She has enough time to start to turn around before she was simply shoved off of the no-longer-burning-but-still-high-as-hell-in-the-air roof. She flails for a split second, if only because this was a decent amount higher than safe fall range. If she wanted to not splatter upon the ground, she'd have to move quick.

The handsigns are fast, furious and diesel fueled, the ninja calling back her wind to herself from their previous attack. She'd have one damn shot at this trick and she had to make it work. The winds gather around her, slowing her fall and concentrating in front of her. She condenses it into a ball in front of her as she takes aim. She only had a few seconds left before she hit the ground now.

Azumi fires off a solid wave of force, not quite as strong as some she's fired before, but a far more concentrated blast of wind, aimed straight for Scorpion, likely to send him off of the other side of the roof if it hit. Unfortunately for her, even chi have to obey the laws of physics.

In particular, Newton's third law. 'For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Firing off that much wind while not having something to anchor herself on blasts her back as much as the air gust pushes forward, accelerating her trip into the ground. The poor werewolf hits the ground HARD, eliciting a huge whine of pain and denting the earth. And unfortunately, she was also falling at an angle, so guess what? More sliding!

Azumi plows through the terribly kept fountain, through the stone walls of the courtyard and finally slides to a stop a small distance out the front of the castle, smearing blood for the last few feet of her trip.

Even with all that damage, she's still struggles to get up, her body shuddering with pain. She bites her lower lip as she fights through it long enough to see if Scorpion somehow managed to dodge her wind yet again, or if he took a similar trip off of the bridge. One part of her wondered if she went overboard.

The other part remembered that he was both inhuman and stabbed the shit out of her with fire spears while spouting a one liner. That asshole would be fine.

COMBATSYS: Azumi can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Scorpion Toughs Out Azumi's Zen Hurricane!

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Scorpion         1/-------/=======|

[SCORPION]
Scorpion approached the edge and peered down, watching the wolf's descent without mercy, or sympathy. If she was ninja, she would survive. And if she could survive Ermac, she could definitely survive this. Unfortunately for him, it seemed she had some more tricks on the way down, and the spectre's white eyes widened in surprise at the sudden, extremely powerful gust of wind was hurled and smacked Scorpion in the chest and face. From where he was standing, at that strange angle, he just wasn't able to keep his footing, even as his arms waved in panic.

"Wh-who-who-WHOAAAH!"

The revenant was hurled quite bodily into the night sky, arcing over the wall of that castle even as Azumi made her plummet, smashing into the remnants of this musty old former place of royalty.

But there was no sound of impact. And after a few long, long moments if dead silence, the ninja would appear again, dropping to his feet from seemingly nowhere, in front of the startled cameramen. The man stood there, bloodied and wounded, breathing heavily and hunched over slightly. But he was still standing. After a few moments, he raised his fist to the sky, a signal of his victorious might.

COMBATSYS: Scorpion takes no action.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Scorpion         1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Scorpion has ended the fight here.

---

bonus feature!

[OOC] Scorpion says, "How did Mint pull bills out of her pocket?"

[OOC] Flavor Baron Aaron says, "years of practice I think"

[OOC] Mint says, "I have small hands, and I have big hands"
[OOC] Mint says, "I had the small hands on when I pulled the bills out"
[OOC] Mint says, "So now I have the big hands on!"

[OOC] Scorpion gives Mint a hand for that.

[OOC] Mint haha

[OOC] Flavor Baron Aaron says, "Get over here Scorpion, you need punishment"

Log created on 19:57:12 07/29/2016 by Mint, and last modified on 20:07:26 08/04/2016.