Match of the Millennium

Description: Fate brings two Kombatants with history together, as the bloody Gear, Testament, faces off against Major Charlie Nash of Special Forces. However, who ends up the one giving in to bloodthirst more of the two, when outside influences come into play?

[TESTAMENT]
Testament had heard the declaration that he was to fight Charlie and was... well, more than a little surprised. He remembered Charlie... oh yes, he definitely remembered Charlie. He'd fought him at least a couple of times. The man's fighting spirit was something to be feared. Testament had almost admired him for that... except Charlie's a human, and the Gear has only contempt for humans as a whole.

But still. The last time they'd fought had been one hell of a fight. Testament had knocked him down several times, and Charlie just kept getting back up. Eventually he'd forced Testament to retreat. Here, as he arrives at the Bloodsand Arena, he hopes Charlie struggles like he did then. It would make it all the more satisfying if he did happen to defeat Charlie here.

It happens suddenly. A skull appears in the air, seeming to cackle soundlessly as it floats there. The sound of the air warping in the Bloodsand Arena around the skull happens suddenly, and the forms of Gear and raven appear. Testament is in his usual near-destroyed black Holy Order uniform. What once was a symbol of salvation and hope, slashed and torn, reduced to little more than a band arouns his shoulders, a kilt, and boots. He appears unarmed... but those who know him will know better.

There's also an addition to his uniform... he sports what looks at first like a tiny drop earring shaped like a bird feather. Solidarity with Kotal? Or just a symbol of his raven? Could be either one, it's hard to tell. But as there's something new, there's something old-- when Charlie arrives, he might notice that the front corner of Testament's kilt is torn, and one of the grommets is missing. The damage Charlie did to it when they'd last faced each other...

[CHARLIE]
The situation on this island has been rather ridiculous. With things moving as they are too, the Major hasn't had time to convene with the special forces members he knows are on the island, at least since the first 'Taste of Things to Come'. Only after verifying that there was no way of contact off the island from here did Charlie realize how isolated things were.

Not to mention how....well, grim things were here. It was clearly not a place that shied away from the inherent brutality it promised. And now, here he was, set to face off with a man whose brutality would fit him perfectly in this environment. Charlie remembers Testament, all too well. The long recovery after his fight with the madman was memento enough.

That's why he's very deliberate as he arrives at the Bloodsand Arena, the shoreside fighting space carefully appraised as he walked in. And waiting there for him, was the Gear himself. Eyes narrowed as the Major glared at Testament, adjusting his glasses as he walked only a few steps closer. "Don't think I've forgotten our last meeting."

[TESTAMENT]
Testament's response to Charlie's words? A grin. The hostility... he remembers that too. Not just from Charlie. It's a familiar thing from humans. Testament is a monster, after all; humans are supposed to kill monsters. "Oh, you remembered me... I'm flattered." He can't help but chuckle. "I remember you, too. Will you struggle here like you did then?" The raven leans forward on Testament's shoulder, to squawk loudly at Charlie, its crimson gaze fastened on him for a moment. She seems to be glaring right back at him. Then takes flight from his shoulder and swoops down to perch upon one of the low walls.

"...So tell me..." Testament pauses, raising a hand to his mouth. Biting viciously into a finger, he tears the digit away from his mouth, with a quiet growl. The blood arcs through the air and seems to freeze in place, and his scythe takes shape. And he continues as if he'd never paused, "Did you ever happen to find out the truth? Did you happen to find those people? The ones who made me? I really would like to... catch up with them." No... no, that is not the grin of someone who has 'happy get-together' in his mind.

[CHARLIE]
Charlie doesn't pull his gaze away, not even as Testament's raven lands and squawks in his direction. Eyes narrow even further, only moving to remove his glasses and place them into a chest pocket. He stands pat, even as the blood sprays and arcs into that violent scythe from before.

"They've remained out of my grasp," he admits, knowing full well the lack of headway he'd made on the case. In fact the only progress he seemed to make was in solidifying contacts with Daniel Little at Interpol. "They're still in my sights, no matter what," he adds, before sliding his feet apart and bringing his hands up into a fighting stance. No matter the circumstances of his creation, he's not about to let Testament run free unchecked, especially not in this environment.

[TESTAMENT]
Testament has to laugh. Those eyes, the crimson-on-crimson-- iris and pupil both red like blood-- are almost the same as they were back then. They look a little more tired now... but they're still lit by that mad gleam. The intervening time hasn't healed his madness, that's for sure. And there's some genuine joy in his expression. Perhaps here in Outworld some part of that bloodthirsty nature can be fed.

The Gear notes Charlie preparing for the fight, and steps back as well, pulling the scythe into both hands and standing with his feet close together. "'In your sights'?" Testament raises a brow. "Should we turn it into a race, then?" he inquires. "What would you wager for them? I think you know what I'm going to do to them if I catch them first. How badly do you want to see them face YOUR 'justice' instead of mine?"

COMBATSYS: Testament has started a fight here on the left meter side.

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

[CHARLIE]
"This isn't a game, no matter how 'fun' you think it is," Charlie snaps back, clearly taking the whole situation seriously, both the supposed rot in the UN as well as this 'Mortal Kombat' thing they're caught in. He's a complete flipside of Testament's joy, an almost grim expression of concentration on his face.

Though it's clear that Charlie needs to start being proactive. Perhaps that's why he's first to try and make a move, the soldier focusing his energy into his first and letting it slice through the air in Testament's direction. The vacuum created by the near super-sonic strike infused with his energy creates a disc of energy that Testament should recognize rather well, considering how many he saw during their last encounter.

COMBATSYS: Charlie has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Testament        0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0          Charlie

COMBATSYS: Testament fails to slow Sonic Boom from Charlie with Phantom Soul.
- Power fail! -
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Testament        0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0          Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Oh yes, Testament recognizes that arc of energy. He extends his arm, and a skull appears within it, ringed glowing with fiery power. He releases this skull at Charlie, but the arc of chi is too powerful for the skull. The skull is sliced through by the Sonic Boom... and it keeps going. There's time for Testament's eyes to widen in surprise before the chi impacts with the Gear squarely in the chest, and throws him into a pillar. The pillar snaps as he hits it squarely in the middle, dropping the upper section down onto him. A piece of the structure hits him in the forehead, and he gasps with the sudden pain.

On the tail end of that gasp, though, is a laugh. It's a happy sound, if an utterly unhinged one, that comes from the pile of debris that Testament's feet are sticking out of. And then blood appears... so much blood. It's not from a wound, it's Testament's power. It reaches up in a multitude of hands, flailing in an uncoordinated fashion at the debris atop him for a moment. Then it literally splats onto the ground and disappears. Odd, the Gear showed better control over his powers than that last time, didn't he?

The answer may come when Testament stands up again. His back is bent forwards, the end of the scythe dragging on the ground as he wobbles in a not-so-straight line at his opponent. And he's still laughing. "YES!" he hisses. "That's RIGHT! VENT your rage! REMIND me what it feels like to be hated!"

[CHARLIE]
The trusty Sonic Boom does its job clearly, the blast stemming off that curious power of Testament. Which is a good thing, knowing how potent and violent it can be once blood id drawn. That's something the Major is not willing to experience again if he can help it.

Charlie is hesitant to advance though after the pillar snaps and drops onto Testament...and even moreso when those hands of blood reach up to toss the pillar away. Clearly not enough to finish the job, but enough to leave the Gear on the backfoot. That's good, but clearly more work left to be done.

"Aren't you the one venting all your own hate and projecting it onto everything else?" Charlie snaps, leaping into the air and trying to sidekick Testament right back into the same pillar as before. Not a hard kick, but with his momentum, it should be enough to shove him back hard and jar him against the stone.

COMBATSYS: Testament blocks Charlie's Light Kick.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Testament        0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0          Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Testament manages to collect himself at Charlie's words, and draws his arms close to himself, crossing them and pulling the scythe before him. The foot impacts with the blade of the scythe and ripples as if it's made of water, though it felt solid enough when the foot hit it. The Gear is indeed thrown back against the pillar, but it doesn't quite do the damage Charlie was probably hoping for.

"I don't create it," he states, that mad grin still there on his face as he stares at Charlie from over his crossed arms, through the curtain of his hair. His voice is a quiet, German-accented rumble, perhaps barely heard over shouting spectators. This is Outworld's blood sport, after all. "It's always there. You can't see it. But the way they look at me... the hate is already there. It's ALWAYS there. They need someone to hate. They need a monster to hate. Then let them. Let them hate me." Here his voice raised in volume. "I will give them a REASON TO HATE AND FEAR ME!"

As he says the last, he releases his grip on the scythe. But he swings both arms forward, the scythe answering his call even though he doesn't touch it. The scythe flips around, trying to slice at Charlie, perhaps to just get some breathing room. It's likely to hurt if it mades contact, though...

COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Testament's Thrown Weapon.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Testament        0/-------/=======|====---\-------\0          Charlie

[CHARLIE]
A loud 'tch' escapes Charlie as his foot meets Testament's scythe, the weird feeling of kicking something more akin to slush or jello than solid metal the only feedback from his strike. Landing a few feet from Testament, he glowers at the pale pallored man.

"That sounds like just a bunch of excuses," the Major snaps, though not wiling to banter too much with Testament. Not with blood on the line. As the scythe flips through the space in front of him, Charlie is forced to bring his arms up. He's able to push the scythe away with his guard on the handle rather than the blade, but it still stings like hell and forces him a few steps back.

Narrowing his eyes, he gauges his next step before he snaps outward with his arm. Too close for another leaping attack, too far away for a direct strike, he instead pivots around on his front foot, snapping a backfist straight toward the gear with all intents of taking his head off...metaphorically, of course.

COMBATSYS: Testament fails to counter Spin Back Knuckle from Charlie with Warrant.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Testament        0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0          Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Whatever the reason, Testament's seriously off his game today. Perhaps the early hit in the head did more damage than he thought. As when that back-swung fist comes Testament's way, it impacts solidly with his face, sending the Gear spinning off to the floor of the arena. And as he hits the ground, with enough force to bounce a couple times, he laughs again. From the wall the raven caws loudly in Testament's direction, flapping its wings frantically. One can almost hear her saying 'Get up! Get UP!'.

The Gear takes a few moments to get to his feet again, wobbling again. It's notable that, despite being knocked around quite a bit, there's not a mark on him anywhere. He does seem to be significantly weaker, though. His feet scuff against the ground as he moves to try to reposition himself for battle. He's off. Something's not right. Whatever it is, it's visible.

Charlie may not want to banter with Testament, but that doesn't stop the Gear from it. "Nonetheless it's still true," he insists. "It doesn't matter that I didn't ask for it. The moment I was made into what I am now, I became a monster."

[CHARLIE]
Charlie knows it's folly to assume too much from the start. But he's definitely not being as pressured as much as he was in their previous encounter. Did something weaken the gear before hand? It's not beyond happening, and even Charlie notices the curious state of his clothes, even more tattered than they were before.

There's no sign of him letting up though, carefully repositioning himself as Testament gets up. "Sounds like the same excuses human monsters make. Whatever created you, you allowed youself to be a monster," the airman retorts solemnly, before advancing in, trying to get in close enough while he's off balance for a short uppercut straight to Testament's chin.

COMBATSYS: Testament blocks Charlie's Medium Punch.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Testament        0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0          Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Weakened? Maybe. Testament's not what one would call the best at taking care of himself. Maybe it's Charlie. The Gear's sanity's not exactly fully intact, maybe there's something about him that sets Testament off. It could be the logic. There's really little he can offer in response. Ceding the last word? Maybe. Though it might have something to do with the fact that he's visibly weakened. His stance has dropped, the scythe drags the ground.

But maybe he can collect himself. He backs away from Charlie, drawing a deep breath. Center. Center. Return it to center, stop letting the human get to you. That's what they'll always say. It's always another reason why it's not their fault. His eyes roll back, hiding the crimson, as he draws in a second deep breath.

COMBATSYS: Testament enters a meditative state.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Testament        0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0          Charlie

[CHARLIE]
The uppercut only clips Testament it seems, but it seems to signal that Charlie has a clear upper hand right now as the gear backs off. Scowling a little, the airman keeps an analytical eye on Testament, keeping his feet moving so the pale man is in his sights at all times. Narrowing his eyes, he watches as Testament's own eyes go...well...ok, that's concerning.

But whatever rolling his eyes back into his head is supposed to do for Testament, it strikes Charlie as the perfect time to press the assault. Leaping into the air with space to move now, the Major tucks in his legs before letting them lash out and downard, one dropping down, then the other, with streaks of energy coursing from Charlie's heels as they strike for the Gear's head.

COMBATSYS: Testament dodges Charlie's Blade Slice.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Testament        0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0          Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Whatever Testament's doing with the eyes rolled back, he seems to be calming down now. Perhaps all his rage is spent, or he's reining it back in. The Gear rolls his neck as well, emitting a posisbly disturbing crack of joints moving. But yes. With his eyes rolled back, he can't see, can he? So he shouldn't be able to see that attack coming, right? Perfect time to try to take him off-guard!

...Maybe not. As Charlie's chi-imbued heels arc down at Testament, he moves. His body moves seemingly on its own, sliding backwards as if something had grabbed him by the back of his top and pulled him out of the way. His head lolls forward, covering his face. He only moves back just far enough to miss being hit, and he doesn't wait long before making his move.

He leaps up and forward, hoping to catch Charlie while he's still in the air. The Gear spins around an axis, sending his scythe in a circle around him, from below. The blade moves fluidly, like water, but Charlie will know that it's solid enough to cause some serious damage if he doesn't try to mitigate it some way...

COMBATSYS: Testament successfully hits Charlie with Badlands.
- Power hit! -

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Testament        1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1          Charlie

[CHARLIE]
The calculated attack ends up backfiring spectacularly on Charlie, as his attempted forward somersault strike ends up met by the flying circular slash from the gear before his feet even return to the ground. The fluid blade makes it even worse, striking far deeper than even instinctual defense can manage contend with. The end result is Charlie sprawled on the ground, face first in the ground after a terrible impact.

At first, it seems like he can't get up...but heard only to him, a voice seems to cry out to Charlie, as if willing him up. Something about power...something about responsibility.

Stirring finally, the airman manages to get up to his knees. "I'm not.....done..." he groans out, finally pushing himself back up to hsi feet and turning toward Testament...

With a strange, yellow jewel in his forehead that clearly wasn't there before. "I'm not done with you yet." A glower is accompanied by a strange glow from the jewel in his forehead. Hands glow in a familiar way, before one fist arcs through the air...then the other. THen the first, this time whipped in a backfist. Then his legs, having gone aglow in the middle of the chi-slinging before. Repeated Sonic Booms fly out from the innovator of them, trying to overwhelm Testament in a way that should be all too familiar.

COMBATSYS: Charlie equips a glimmering Mustard Yellow Soul Shard.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Testament        1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1      [E] Charlie

COMBATSYS: Charlie channels the beat of the tireless heart.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Testament        1/-----==/=======|=======\==-----\1      [E] Charlie

COMBATSYS: Testament equips a flickering Azure Soul Shard.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Testament [E]    1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0      [E] Charlie

COMBATSYS: Testament channels the fortress of the steel will.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Testament [E]    1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0      [E] Charlie

COMBATSYS: Charlie successfully hits Testament with Sonic Break.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Testament [E]    1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0      [E] Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Testament does not cackle when the scythe finds purchase on Charlie. He does not gloat when the airman falls. He lands, looks upon the sprawled Charlie... with silence. It's the perfect time to strike the final blow, isn't it? And yet, scythe in hand, poised over the downed airman...

He hesitates.

Something's got his attention, and it's not the fight. And the raven is going nuts on the wall all of a sudden. Shrieking and cawing loudly, flapping its wings and making a huge ruckus. She starts to swoop over the arena, cawing madly at Testament. But still he hesitates. Why?

Because HE can hear a voice, too. And it's telling him to stop.

Nobody else seems to be able to hear it. But the signs are visible. The madness completely leaves his expression in that instant. And in that instant, he looks very much like a lost teenage boy. Lost and horrified at what he's done, like he'd woken up from a nightmare to find that it had followed him into the waking world.

The Gear makes no move to avoid the volley of Sonic Booms. Maybe he can't. But Charlie's attack is a mercy at that point; it draws his focus back to the fight. The tiny feather earring in his ear glows fiercely, sparking to life with a guttering flare and then falling silent again. It's hard to tell if the shard did anything at all to save Testament from the damage of that volley. But as the multitude of Sonic Booms throw the Gear back, there's a sound that might be reassuring to Charlie.

It's not a laugh. It's a cry of surprise and pain. There's genuine panic in his voice. Another pillar falls, burying Testament in the debris. This time he pulls himself from the debris physically, foregoing any power usage. When he's on his feet again, he's visibly shaking. That look is still there, the shocked and horrified look, his breathing rough and shuddering, the mad gleam gone. But it... doesn't stay gone.

His face suddenly contorts in rage, and the madness eclipses his eyes again. Testament sucks in a deep breath, and a portal appears behind him. He clenches one hand in a fist, and then ROARS as he doubles over. It's a formless bellow, but it's enoguh to get a reaction out of the portal behind him. It opens, and a skull and claws of blood explode out, aimed in Charlie's direction.

COMBATSYS: Charlie endures Testament's Nightmare Circular.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Testament [E]    0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0      [E] Charlie

[CHARLIE]
The barrage of Sonic Booms ends finally, but it's clear it had the right effect, managing to overwhelm Testament as he had hoped. A heaving comes as Charlie finds himself holding his head. The echoing in his head is distracting and disconcerting, something that keeps speaking for him to press on. It's a tempting voice, but one that Charlie finds hard to comprehend aside from intent.

And that's enough to keep him at bay just around the time Testament finds himself stalled by whatever keeps him at bay. And despite being in the midst of his own frenzy, Charlie recognizes that small glimmer of something.

That something is filed away in a hurry though, as he finds himself stalled long enough to be facing down a portal of...well, some kind of horror. THe explosion of blood and demonic intent is right in front of him...but Charlie knows he doesn't have much hope of putting up a proper guard. So instead, he charges in. He shoulders toward it, the clawing and blood magick cut and eat at him, but he presses on. Perhaps pressing forward too much for his own good, but he keeps going.

Once he's finally in range, he tries to grab at Testament. Grab him long enough to try and plant a knee in his gut. And another. And another, hoping to hammer him long enough to finally bring him to bear.

COMBATSYS: Testament dodges Charlie's Knee Gatling.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Testament [E]    0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0      [E] Charlie

[TESTAMENT]
Whatever happened to Testament, it clearly shook him up pretty bad, and it's left him floundering. He's exhausted, confused, upset. The worst part about it all is that he saw it. All of it. Just for an instant, he'd seen with clear eyes everything he'd done. And none of it was pretty. Even if the madness has returned... he still remembers that glimpse through unclouded eyes. And for the first time since he'd woken up...

...He realizes EXACTLY just what a monster he's become...

Testament's dodge is sloppy. Even fearful, maybe? He draws back, that odd slide, but he almost trips over his own feet in the process. But sloppy or not, the dodge does the trick, and he's saved the pain of having Charlie's knee play the part of jackhammer to his solar plexus.

Frantically trying to get his focus back, he lunges at Charlie with a desperate-sounding growl, swinging the scythe forward and down in the same motion. As before, the blade moves like a liquid, but is going to feel all too solid if it manages to make contact with the airman.

It may have been a kind of feeling that Charlie got the last time they fought-- that Testament's rage is only aimed in his direction because the airman's the most convenient target for it. Like someone destroying his surroundings in helpless fury at himself. There's a degree of that sort of rage here far beyond what he'd displayed in the past...

COMBATSYS: Charlie channels the spread of the lightning nerves.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Testament [E]    0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0      [E] Charlie

COMBATSYS: Charlie interrupts Gravedigger from Testament with Somersault Kick EX.

[                            \\  < >  /////////                     ]
Testament [E]    0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0      [E] Charlie

[CHARLIE]
Missing his grab, Charlie snaps and turns. Something in him keeps telling him he has to push forward, taking advantage of the natural impulsiveness underneath that analytical mind. It's not a huge push, but it's enough to make him much more aggressive than normal.

Which is perhaps why he doesn't seem to back down when the desperate looking gear starts to ready his scythe again and try to bring it back down on the airman. No, he stands steady, looking like he's ready to move forward rather than take a step back. Eyes narrow, muscles tensing and waiting.

Then, when the scythe comes, the Major moves, leaping into the air and twisting his body back. Unlike Testament's rage, focused only on the convenient, Charlie's is precisely targeted, trying to cut through the handle of the scythe like a 7-10 split and strike clean through to his chest with the true signature of his style. TUrning the backflip into a front flip, his legs swing up, one after the other, cutting blades of energy cleaving forward. The scythe still cuts in, wide gash across his side as it flies past his legs. And when he lands, it's with a pained expression, collapsing to a knee with his hand on the fresh wound.

But it was a calculated risk, and it looks like it paid off.

[TESTAMENT]
CRACK!

Amazing how something made out of blood can splinter like it was made of wood. But splinter it does, the handle of that scythe. Though that's hardly the worst of his problems. No, the worst of his problems would be the arcing, chi-imbued swings of feet, carrying him first up and then back down, and the hard bounce into the ground that breaks so many things in his chest that shouldn't be broken. It doesn't immediately heal this time, the bruises and angry red skin are there for all with good enough eyes to see. And he's certainly wearing little enough for it to be seen.

The scythe is losing cohesion. And Testament's losing strength. He uses the last of both to take a last swing at Charlie. The blade's just going to splat uselessly against Charlie, if it even makes contact to begin with. The strike is made with all his strength... but that's not much when unconsciousness is grabbing him by the throat and pulling him down. He'll lose his grip on the haft of the weapon about halfway through the swing, so it's not likely to hurt much anyway, since it's likely to lose most of its cohesion and start to disappear entirely before it even reaches him.

Charlie might get a glimpse of a stricken, anguished expression on Testament's face, before the Gear's eyes slide close and he falls lax where he lays on the ground. Charlie Nash has won. And maybe more than just this one fight. Whatever happened during the match... it affected the Gear deeply. Might it have shaken something loose inside Testament?

COMBATSYS: Testament can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Charlie [E]      0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Charlie blocks Testament's Medium Strike.

[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Charlie [E]      0/-------/=======|

[CHARLIE]
Still in his landing crouch after taking the lancing shot to his side in the middle of his somersault kick, Charlie stands his ground when Testament makes his last stand. Bringing his arms up, he guards on the swipe...and looks rather surprised when it feels like getting hit with a splattering tub of half-set jello rather than slicing metal. It still has impact, but not quite the kind he was expecting.

Standing gingerly, he shakes off the blood splatter on his arms as much as he can, looking down at the fallen Gear. There's a curious expression there that Charlie can't quite place....

There's also a strange buzzing in his head, telling him that it's not over. But as he looks around at the observers, eyes narrowing as if trying to fight off a growing headache, he doesn't make any further movement to add insult to injury. Something tells him it just wouldn't make any difference anyway.

"Maybe this will set your head on straight," he says to the fallen gear. The strange jewel in his forehead glows a little more...but it's not something he notices. The continued buzzing in his head as he hobbles off to tend to his wounds?...that...that he wishes he could stop noticing....

COMBATSYS: Charlie takes no action.

[                       \\\\\\\  <
Charlie [E]      0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Charlie takes no action.

[                        \\\\\\  <
Charlie [E]      0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Charlie has ended the fight here.

Log created on 16:52:22 09/15/2016 by Charlie, and last modified on 23:31:13 09/15/2016.