Match of the Millennium

Description: When darkness descends upon the splectures of Shang Tsung's macabre island of dark delights, the soul hungry Daniel Jack is one the prowl. Possessed by the spirit of the Lady Killer, the transformed detective is hot on the trail of his one Fio Tessitore. And the only lead left on this fell spider maiden is the similarly transformed Aranha, otherwise known as 'The Spider.' Daniel Jack finally manages to corner him, but will he get the answers he seeks before... the Darkness Consumes? (The cover shows a shadowy figure, identifiably Daniel Jack judging by the lower half, struggling in the midst of spider webbings. Bounding across the walls is Aranha, his face an actual full spider. The grotesque facade is spraying the webbing from the mouth of the spider, as well as from the wrists of of the manspider. Daniel Jack's clothing seems to be getting torn apart by the webbings. Nearby, in the background, a woman in a strapless red dress in screaming, recoiling from the display of the two men fighting out before her.) (55 cents)

[ARANHA]
Every since he transferred the power in his shard over to Honoka, it has been a waiting game. He had did everything he could, killing the 'doctor', giving Honoka his power with the hopes that it would go to the final defender of Earthrealm.

With no more fights left for the fighters on the island he could only really eat and train and repeat. Slacking off was not an option since who knows what would happen if Honoka were to lose to Goro? But in working out more often, he found that his body took longer to feel the effects of working out and that his recovery was so much quicker. Probably from Tessitore's last gift to him that also came with the blue glowing eyes that he could hide behind his shades when he left to go common areas to eat. Not even his skin felt quite the same.

He now was coming back from his trip to eat to go through the winding halls until he reached his destination. But as he walked, he couldn't shake that feeling he was being followed. He takes a circuitous route that ends at not quite his quarters.

[DANIEL]
It begins with smoke.

A coiling black mist, clinging at the edge of the ceiling, the floor, the shadows. Stalking. Following. Winding. It was a presence. A murmur. It was at its faintest when he was eating. But now that Aranha had strayed from the path, the crawling presence was stronger. Closer. In position. He was being followed.

For justice.

For injustice.

For her.

The creature could attack at any time. He could pounce on him now. Wring his neck, snap his body. But there were rules. Restrictions. Goals. He could kill him now. But it wasn't to kill, no. It was to get answers. To wring the answers out from his broken body.

The mist moves like a snake, lashing out before Aranha's path, to cut him off. The black smoke piles into a humanoid shape, pouring from beneath and above as it congeals together. A pair of burning, yellow eyes peer from the mist, as the shape solidifies. Black screla and yellow eyes burn, gifts for gifts for gifts from the same woman. Clothing pours around the black shape, an orange silk shirt with purple silk pants. Clawed fingers finally reach out, as a row of razor sharp white teeth forms on the face. Daniel Jack leers at Aranha, as he lets out a gravelly growl.

"What's up, scuzzy."

[ARANHA]
Aranha had a feeling that whatever was following him was not going to engage when there multiple people and he didn't want them finding where he was staying and possibly getting information on people he didn't want them getting information on if they were indeed an enemy so he took him to neutral location which would allow him to escape if needed.

When the mist appears, a look of impatience appears on his face as if he wanted to get this over with. His foot taps and as the mist begins to take form into something resembling a humanoid. Before the Majigen series, before he spent time in Bastion village, before his last encounter Fio Tessitore, he probably would be freaking out but at this point, he is all but desensitized to the appearance of abnormal looking creatures.

"Scuzzy?"

A raised eyebrow comes up from behind the shades as he once more regards the mist formed creature with an incredulous look.

"I think you lost the right to call anyone scuzzy when you look like you dived into a tub loaded with coal. I'd accuse you of blackface but I'm not sure if you started this way or not... So can you cut the bullshit and tell me why you've been following me."

[DANIEL]
"Oh. That never gets old."

The demihuman keeps grinning, as he takes a step towards Aranha. The words were dripping with faux affability, barely concealing the malice. "And you look like you're covered in shit." The words spit out instinctively. Unrestrained, unfettered. He wriggles his fingers in one hand. "Alright, I'll keep it short. You killed Dr. Tessitore, and her soul has gone AWOL. You're gonna tell me what happened to it." And Daniel Jack falls into the defensive stance of Todoh-Ryuu Kobojutsu, his palms up, he balance restrained. "Oh, and I'll be wringing the answers piece by piece by piece on that worthless hunk of flesh you call a body."

"You dig?"

[ARANHA]
That is a moment that yields a massive amount of information for the Dancing Spider. Of course, there's the why which is the fact that when he killed Tessitore, her soul just vanished. Good news for Earthrealm. It also told him that the person in front of him was connect to her and thus Jedah. He's an enemy. Good. That keeps things simple.

It's when the demihuman takes his Todoh-Ryuu Kobojutsu stance that he realizes who he's facing. The enemy that was difficult for his first opponent in this tournament to face. The same one that the his second opponent who practically tore him apart had some trouble with before she ultimately killed him. And while he was also the same person that Tessitore disparaged for his refusal to kill, he had the suspicion that he was no longer fettered by that.

Aranha knew he couldn't afford to die here. There was too much information that he needed to pass along.

"Man... You really are a bitchmade, pussy-whipped mothafucker arent't you? Going out of your way for a bitch whose final words showed she had no respect for you."

He folded his arms across his chest as he shakes his head.

"I'll save you some time. I don't know what happened to her soul after I slapped the taste out her mouth and her head from her shoulder, I don't care what happened to her soul, I would happily do it again. Especially now that I know I somehow managed to slap her soul where it can't be found. So if you're still feeling froggy, then by all means... Jump."

With that he steps back into a lunge that is a stationary precursor to the ginga of capoeira.

COMBATSYS: Aranha has started a fight here.

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

[DANIEL]
Slap the taste from her mouth.

The reaction is a spasm, a surge. Black mist writhes with orange chi as Daniel Jack rushes in. His limb is more fluid than material as is comes with a riproaring lash. The teeth are physically twisted in rage. He could have controlled himself. He could have. But the thought of his Tessitore being hit by this unreasonable black man was.... unspeakable. Vile. Disgusting. Furiously.

"Clues!"

The detective snarls aloud. "You might know something, you just don't recognize it as important in solving this case. I just need to rip the clues from your husk YOU FUCKING MONSTER!" Daniel Jack's snarl comes as he hurls himself brutally at his fellow monster. Well, as a matter of technicality. Daniel Jack slashes at the capoeirista with a familiar lash of black mist mingled with orange chi.

"I'll take your soul with it!"

COMBATSYS: Daniel has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Aranha           0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0           Daniel

COMBATSYS: Daniel successfully hits Aranha with Kasane Ate.
Glancing Blow

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Aranha           0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
The energy lashes at him and he leans to the side as he attempts to avoid the mist tinged orange energy coming for him. As he sways from the utilization of his ginga, he manages to avoid most of it but still gets clipped in the shoulder letting out a barely audible grunt.

"She attacked my sister because I refused my prize and turned my sister into a Darkstalker without her having say in the matter. She turned me into this without me having a say in the matter. And I'm the monster..."

The Dancing Spider sways and shifts, gradually adjusting his range in relation to the darkstalker detective. He then speaks again.

"Well if I'm a 'fucking monster,' Tessitore is the one who created me."

And then in a sudden burst of speed, he launches himself at Daniel lashing out with a fast roundhouse kick covered in blue energy, following it up with a spinning jump kick likewise engulfed in that blue chi and then finishing by turning around for just a moment before slamming down blue chi engulfed flip kick down upon the detective's head.

COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Daniel with Aggressive Dance.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0           Daniel

[DANIEL]
What caused this.

As the lash of energy comes in, he only wings him with that cruel power. Daniel Jack was not off balanced. But his mind and body were no longer in sync. As the burst explodes back at him, the roundhouse kick is caught with a deflecting block. The energy bursts over him broadly, but was otherwise deflected... and was left open for the spinning jumping kick. The finishing kick spikes Daniel's head down hard, and the detective head actually caves in, crushed into the ground by the impact. Black mist spreads around the floor, as he lies face down.

And the mist draws back like the tide.

Daniel Jack begins to reform, the crawling mist flowing back into his skull. His features rearranged as the mist floods him. Snarling deeply, he strides back at Aranha, orange chi and black smoke trailing after him. "She made you... like this and your... sister..." And he pauses, stepping back a moment. The yellow light in his eyes dimmed, the look of feral rage turning into... pain. A flicker of humanity comes over his face, as his human features surge back, though with fangs behind those lips. "She... saved my life, you bastard. So many times. She was forced into it. I..."

"I loved her."

And the visage of cruelty surges back, the mask of humanity buried under the Lady Killer as the black mist envelopes him. "And besides, she would be thanking you right now if she could. You realize you just freed her, scuzzy?" Daniel Jack dips in low, rushing in at his opponent. Both clawed arms were coming together with brutal strength. That much was clear. But if he could get a grip on Aranha's arm and hip? Power would transform into finesse, as he would pivot, whipping Aranha around into a spin. TO break his stride, his balance. If he could break that? He would go for the slam, to slam him into the interior's wall face first. A monster, with the skills of a man.

Daniel's transformation was only halfway there.

COMBATSYS: Aranha dodges Daniel's Strong Throw.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
This fight continues to yield information for the Ex(?)-Cat Burglar and continues to be even more crucial for the capoeirista to come out of this fight alive. Saved his life? Understandable feeling of debt. Loved her? Not breaking away from the whipped assessment of Daniel he had from before. Forced into it? Okay... Maybe there's some pity there. Thanking him? Freed her? It made him wonder if she was playing the long game on him and turned him into the instrument for her freedom.

Aranha had just managed to turn around when Daniel dips in low and charges towards him to grip both arm and hip but then Aranha shows one of his gifts from Tessitore. He launches himself up into the air and clings to the ceiling for a few moments before landing back down to the ground and delivering a spinning back heel kick towards Daniel's head, all while keeping his hands on the ground.

This truly was a battle between human skilled monsters.

COMBATSYS: Daniel dodges Aranha's Heel Kick.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Aranha           1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[DANIEL]
Maybe it was a long game.

But if it was, then there would have been something for Daniel, right? Some consideration? Maybe she was just using him. Maybe... maybe that was the situation. Yes, she was using you, Daniel. She was. And now, we will use her. We will use her, and abuse her, and make her yours.

As Aranha takes to the air, Daniel fixes his feet. Standing fast, he refuses to lose his momentum, and refuses to overextend. He was moving like a frog. Or a spider. Or a spiderfrog. When the drop comes back down, Daniel slips backwards. He was disincorporating, shifting into black mist as Aranha was chaining the drop into the spinning drop kick. The assault catches the mist, sweeping away the puffs of the edges of Daniel. Nothing hard is struck, but it was cutting close. Daniel Jack reforms slowly.

And he doesn't rush in just yet.

"Your souls." Daniel Jack rumbles, as the mist begins to spreads out him, thin and miasmic. Not thick enough to obscure, but the cool mist is sticky and invasive as they envelope the air. "You killed her, you got her souls. Where are they? Where is your crystal?" He raises up his palm, where a red gem sits lightlessly. "You got her soul there?"

"And I might let you walk away from this."

COMBATSYS: Daniel Jacks it up a notch!

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Aranha           1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
On one hand, he didn't really expect it to land. It was more about gauging how the enemy moves and figuring out how he thought and how he intended to proceed with this fight. That being said, he would've preferred for the kick to land. He gets back to an upright position and then is allowed to dance for a few moments as an attack is not coming.

"No longer in my shard. It was contributed to the efforts to save Earth. You do remember attending this tournament with that goal in mind, right?"

It was a gamble but he had seen both the humanity and the monster. It was time to see which one comes out in response to that comment. He doesn't move to attack but rather, looks at his opponent searching for more vulnerabilities. He detested slowing things down but maybe that is what he needed to do this particular fight.

COMBATSYS: Aranha studies the situation for a moment.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Aranha           1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[DANIEL]
"Contributed."

Daniel growls at the phrase, as Aranha keeps his dance going. He inches forward, and then backwards. His wiggles the fingers in his hand. "You gave away your shards, you bastard." So where was Daniel's? "I gave mine away to Rose, like a FOOL! I could have used that power to murder this man, Daniel. Rip him apart, and gnaw on his bones!" Daniel snarls his teeth, before

And he explodes forward.

A palm strike with the right, a hand chop with the left. Daniel Jack's monstrous speed was attempting overwhelm Aranha, attempting to crush over him, to run him down. The relentless assault comes with overwhelming waves of black mist and orange chi, as he would follow up with a second hand chop. And from there, the hand chops would collapse into furious, point blank slashes of chi energy. Black mist and orange blade would tear as he would unleash three slices, attempting to rip through Aranha with brutal offense. Daniel Jack wasn't berserk, but as he snarls. "WHO DID YOU GIVE THEM TOO!" One thing was clear.

He had crossed the line.

COMBATSYS: Aranha blocks Daniel's Ragtime Riot EX.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Aranha           1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
And it is at this moment, Aranha realizes he goaded the monster out. It was all a question of whether that was a good thing or not. Was he the type that let their rage get the best of them or was he the type that channeled their rage into cold rage that made them methodical.

He isn't given a lot of time to ponder this as Daniel is immediately on him delivering attack after attack. And Aranha meets monstrous speed with monstrous speed. The palm strike glances off of his shoulder as he covers up and weaves. Black mist and orange chi glances off of his arm as twists to knock the hands off target.

As for Daniel's question, Aranha chooses to answer by bounding off the wall and blue glowing palms first at the shadowy detective to grip his shoulders as he releases a burst of blue chi into him and shoving him a small distance away as he flips back and lands on all fours.

COMBATSYS: Daniel blocks Aranha's Hunting Season.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|=======\-------\1           Daniel

[DANIEL]
Monster or man; the monster was in control.

Daniel Jack didn't want to hurt Fio Tessitore. And he... it was wrong to take out his anger and rage and bitterness and hate into Aranha. He should forgive him. He would have forgiven him. But the monster, the monster was in control. Every urge, and flicker of desire would be unchecked, unfiltered by the beast.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Those are the words as Daniel finishes the crushing assault. He doesn't break through the guard. And already, his opponent was rebounding. In time for Daniel to continue. "I'll twist it out of you, scuzzy. I'll drink up your soul, and wrench out who you helped." That was all he could threaten before Aranha already bounces back. The shoulders aren't grabbed; the detective intuitively reverses the attack harmlessly, catching and turning. The point-blank chi blast, however? Enough to send him staggering back too many steps. He gasps, growling at the flicker of blue chi.

And Daniel sweeps his arms around.

The mist around him congeals and builds, as a pull comes underfoot. The miasma quickly draws in low and fast, curling over the feet. Behind Daniel, the energy is drawn in to mingle with his inner chi, the aura building into a cataclysmic, and telegraphed, wave of energy. Another wave; not a simple slice this time. Building the tsunami up, Daniel draws in his breath. ANd then, exhales as he slams his limbs down, unleashing the full wave down the corridor.

"TELL ME!"

COMBATSYS: Aranha interrupts Chou Kasane Ate from Daniel with Dead Man's Hand EX.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Aranha           1/----===/=======|=======\=======\1           Daniel

[ARANHA]
While his hand doesn't make contact and thus prevents him from curling up and flipping away, the combination of the reversal and the point blank blast got him to the distance he wanted and even still he landed on all fours.

He watches and waits for Daniel to make his move and then he sees that opportunity. He can see the gathering of chi and miasma and then as the Dancing Spider watches those arms lift he moves in with almost disturbing speed as he's suddenly in the Todoh-Ryuu practitioner's face as he uses a combination of momentum and surprise tactics to deliver a blue chi tinged pimp slap from hell right across his face as the orange and black misty energy just barely makes contact dispersing the energy before it can be fully brought to bear against him. He then follows up with the side kick to the chest, not wanting to let him get his bearings back too quickly.

[DANIEL]
He breaks through.

The wave isn't enough to crush him, as Aranha explodes right into Daniel's face. The blow wipes any smile off his face... and his face with it, the entire head consuming into a shapeless arc of black mist. Daniel staggers, reaching up to his head with both hands to bring it back into shape. He actually has to blink in order to get himself together. Daniel was... pimpslapped? The primal instincts surge over him, as he narrows those eyes at Aranah.

And with it, a withering glare of pure fury.

"You think you are hot shit cause you are Bobby Browning me?" Daniel Jack growls, as his body reforms with a font of chi boiling over him. He tightens his hand in to a fist, his yellow eyes burning with streams of black smoke. He cocks his head aside, as he draws back the fist.

"Well let me Chris Brown this up."

And he fires.

Daniel Jack explodes into the air, his fist trained hard at Aranha's own face. If it connected? Daniel Jack wouldn't stop. He would carry Aranha with him, blowing him along, flying to the T section of the winding corridor, to -hammer- his opponent hard into the wall, head first. Because he deserved it, of course, as was the nature of both Brownings. But unlike before, he wouldn't be smashing Aranha through the stone wall. He'd just crater him there.

And begin to corner him with the follow through.

COMBATSYS: Daniel successfully hits Aranha with Fantastic Todoh Punch EX.
Grazing Hit

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Aranha           1/--=====/=======|====---\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
When Daniel starts talking about Bobby Brown and Chris Brown, Aranha finds himself shaking his head.

That head shake ends up being the capoeirista's blessing and curse. Aranha's face was partially turned and so he's not in the best position respond to the mighty punch. On the other hand, he was turned partially around so instead of carrying him all the way to the other wall, it spun him around as it continued to carry Daniel towards his destination. That being said, the amount of pain that came from that punch was significant.

The capoeirista is silent as he clutches his jaw. He then stares at Daniel for a few moments as he then moves back in to pursue the person who had declared himself an enemy. Once in kicking range, he leaps forward as he attempts to kick Daniel into the wall that he had tried to smash him into.

At this point, Aranha was convinced that neither he or Daniel could live in the same world. One of them was not walking away from this fight.

COMBATSYS: Daniel interrupts Thrust Kick from Aranha with Jumping Jack Flash.
- Power hit! -

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Aranha           1/--=====/=======|=======\-------\1           Daniel

[DANIEL]
A grazing hit, but a hit.

Daniel carries himself to the wall, slamming it with a cataclysm of energy on impact. The howl of smoke and energy runs through the castle. But Aranha was alive. Daniel Jack turns around, glaring down at his opponent. That just needs a march back. Already, his head was returning back to its right shape, having been distorted by the mother of all pimpslaps. But in tandem, Aranha was returning to him.

And then, it was time for cruelty.

One of the things Daniel enjoyed now, since his transformation, was the thrill of causing pain. It was delicious fruit to him. As he returns back at Aranha, his opponent had chosen to take to the air. A leap forward. The detective had a tool to deal with aerial attacks. As the kick comes, the detective was already crouching low. The kick connects hard with the shoulder, as he leaps up into the kick. And he wraps both arms around the leg, to wrench it hard as he rises to the apex of the jump. And there, he spikes Aranha down HARD into the earth, with an eruption of choking blast mist and bone-cutter chi on impact. Daniel releases on impact, as he glowers at his victim, taking in a breath, trying to draw in the sensation of sweet agony. "If you're not gonna tell me who you gave those soul charges to," Daniel begins, looming with yellow eyes and a hungry, sadistic grin. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Scream for me."

[ARANHA]
There's a moment when Aranha gasps in surprise from being grabbed by the leg. From there, things seem to slow to a crawl as he experiences being hoisted and then slammed into the ground in an explosion of chi and stone as the impact leaves a crater in the ground. Upon impact the capoeirista lets out a pained growl.

He rises back to his feet and takes a deep breath. It's at this point that Aranha's defiant streak is brought to the surface. He's not going to let him hear him make any type of noise again.

Aranha focuses as he draws upon his desire to see a world where his sister could just live her life and not have to worry about those like Tessitore attacking her or people like the one in front of him trying to bring her back. He pushes his body to the absolute limit as it suddenly glows blue. Before Tessitore transformed him in their final fight, he would've left afterimages. Now he's a bouncing streak of light as he bounces off the wall and off of the other monstrous humanoid, and from the ceiling from a variety of angles, as he attempts to overwhelm his adversary with speed.

COMBATSYS: Aranha successfully hits Daniel with Joker's Wild.
- Power hit! -

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Aranha           0/-------/--=====|=======\=======\1           Daniel

[DANIEL]
He wanted more.

Daniel drinks in that gasp. That sucking in noise. But there is nothing else. No. He needed him to roll over, and show his belly. He needed to break that defiance. That arrogance. He would make him yield, just like he would make Fio Tessitore. He would tame him. Break him. Make him his.

Torment him.

Torment would come too slowly though. As Aranha rises, he begins to move in. And Aranha was a blur. A flash. There were no afterimages this time. Daniel Jack shifts his palms, as the attacks come roaring in lightning fast. He could handle the first pass, guiding it past him to the next wall. He almost manages the same with the second. He is overwhelmed by the third. The speed overtakes Daniel, and he is exposed to the blows, unable to catch up. He begins to fade into mist, broken and beaten into hazy shapes. The attack wasn't ending.

But he does not fall.

Daniel Jack take another approach in getting the moment back. Dropping his attempts to catch up with the attacks, he instead surges with mist and energy. As blow after blow hammers him, he reclaims his center, reclaiming his footing. Boiling over with chi and mist, he throws his arms up, charging at Aranha as he makes his next pass. He wanted to pick up the speed?

Then so would Daniel.

Daniel leads with a palm strike with the left, then a hand chop with the right. The combination was there. An elbow jab with the right comes, followed by a second elbow jab. The combination ends with a rising hand strike. A five hit combination, to try and stop the relentless attack. To try and get control. And then, the sixth hit would come with a dropping hand chop. And it would repeat again. Palm Thrust, Hand chop, elbow, elbow, rising palm. The second round would not come with a falling handchop, however; if Daniel was even allowed to get to that point? He would seize Aranha, and whip him around, to slam him hard on his back on the ground, pinning him in place by gripping his leg. And if he could get him there? He would finish the pin.

By wrenching.

His leg.

Hard out of its socket.

COMBATSYS: Aranha dodges Daniel's Harlem Sunset.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Aranha           0/-------/--=====|=------\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
As Aranha recovers from his attack, and the blue chi covering him faded away, he had seen that Daniel had regained his center. That, however, was of limited utility when the capoeirista manuevered him to just where he wanted him just barely out of range of his palm strike, and from there he was able to see and react to everything else. Side stepping, bobbing, weaving, and practically dancing around the strikes at incredible speed. When the second round comes, he almost gets lured into the pattern but at the last moment, he sees the hand positioning change and he's practically a blur when he moves away from his grasp.

All of a sudden, Daniel will feel a finger tapping on his shoulder from behind.

COMBATSYS: Daniel blocks Aranha's Fierce Kick.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Aranha           0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0           Daniel

And that's at which point Aranha practically tries to take the mist form darkstalker's head off with an attempt to swing through with his entire body with a sneaky elbow to the head.

This fight was for life or death. There was no such thing as a fair fight when the stakes were this high.

[DANIEL]
For Aranha's purposes, he doesn't take his head off.

As the relentless assault ends with Daniel... unable to track where the slippery creature went, the detective looks around, yellow eyes still smoldering. He feels that tap. And his response is to pivot, throwing his arm up. His head does not get taken off. Instead, his arm is torn off, sent into thin mist where the limb was once was.

And Daniel roars.

"Bastard. BASTARD!" He snarls, as he lashes out his other arm at Aranha's neck. To strangle him, pinning his back against the wall. The other arm slowly reforms, as he bares his fanged teeth. "You murdered my love, you murdered her, and now you won't help me bring her back!" The words pour out of him. Not his heart. But his head.

"Monster."

"MONSTER!"

COMBATSYS: Aranha dodges Daniel's Choke Hold.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Aranha           0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
When Daniel reaches out to pin the capoeirista by his neck to the wall, Aranha ducks under it and moves to his flank.

It's at this point that the capoeirista repositions not wanting to get immediate reprisal while he says his own piece.

"Fuck you, Little. You expect me to turn a blind eye to the fact that your love who was responsible for the transformation of a massive amount of Metro City residents into mindless darkstalker goons that were sent after me. Your love who took away my sister's ability to live her life in peace and then had the nerve gloat about it? Your love has done more to harm Earth, let alone any personal beef I have with her. I'm. Not. Gonna. Help. You. Bring. Her. Back."

Before, Aranha would've had to lash his arm out to deliver his chi web. Now, he just has to point his palm out at his target to send blue spider web of energy right at his target which happens to be Daniel Little.

To further elaborate on his sentiment, he holds the middle finger up on his other hand while he shouts, "FUCK YOU!!!"

COMBATSYS: Daniel dodges Aranha's Web Shot.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Aranha           0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0           Daniel

[DANIEL]
He was still slippery.

Daniel kept moving, keeping the pressure on his nimble opponent. He was more mist than man right now. But he was barely man to begin with. As Aranha speaks, he just... listens. As the web is unleashed, he slips around it, guiding it around him with a sweep of his palms, letting it connect behind him. He takes a moment to glower down. And he growls aloud.

"You killed my girl, scuzzy."

Daniel's voice softens, shifting back into the humanity. "She did a lot wrong. That's right. Did a whole lot wrong. And I won't say she didn't deserve what happened... but I won't say she deserved it either." And the detective's tone changes, his eyes smoldering again. "And she's MINE now. And I'm going to claim back what's mine. I don't care if I have to drag her back. She'll be mine, and we'll be together again... under Lord Dohma." He winks at Aranha.

"You dig?"

And he lunges in with the palm thrust on the left, only to come into the hand chop with the right. Another palm strike, and a third palm strike with the right. The combination finishes with a finishing hand chop, coming in from the right. A ruthless, relentless assault, designed to exploit the opening.

But not to finish him off...

COMBATSYS: Daniel successfully hits Aranha with Zoot Suit Riot.

[                          \\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Aranha           1/------=/=======|====---\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
Aranha, as a human, rarely had fights that placed a huge demand on his body like this. Aranha's first fight as a darkstalker had placed demands on his body that he never felt before. Perhaps it's the fact that until now, he's never had to face an opponent quite like the one in front of him. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn't quite used to the body he has now. Either way, he's confronted with a problem. His body is starting to give out on him. For a few moments, his arms are too heavy to intercept the palm strikes and chops. His legs were too heavy to offer up any resistance to the assault and he finds himself backed up against the wall. Trapped.

The capoeirista had to have a moment of honesty with himself. He's not gonna last much longer and he needs to put the mist creature down in this moment or he would experience death or a fate worse than death as the mist creature will use methods that violate the Geneva Convention in order to get the name of the person he gave that power to.

In for a penny, in for a pound. Willing his body to squeeze a couple more attacks out of it, he reaches out to grab the mist creature's hand and if he can get that grip, uses the wall to support his body while he swings a wild but still powerful roundhouse kick over the arm before yanking his adversary closer. He would then kick the other direction so he can hook his heel behind his neck and drop his weight to bring the mist creature face first to the ground.

COMBATSYS: Daniel blocks Aranha's Face Down.

[                           \\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Aranha           0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Daniel

[DANIEL]
Daniel, for his purposes, rarely exhibited this much cruelty.

It wasn't Daniel Jack who was hungry for the torture, the pain, the misery, the suffering, the agony. It was The Butcher. It was The Ladykiller. It wasn't Daniel's desire to make Aranha suffer. But right now, Daniel wasn't in control. It was The Ladykiller. And for his purposes, he would be looking to violate more than just the Geneva Conventions. Aranha was weakening.

And the weak would serve his purposes just fine.

As the assault comes to exploit the building opening of his opponent. Trapping him, he begins to unleash the combination with relentless force. Blow after blow comes, as Daniel tries to draw out that sweet suffering out of him. "Come on." He coos. "IF you give me a whimper, I might let you live." Daniel needed it, He wanted it. No, The Lady Killer wanted it. But Aranha wasn't giving it to him. Instead, he was give him... Facedown?

Daniel was going to take this face up.

Daniel Jack stands fast against the counter-attack. Aranha is able to get his grip on Daniel's hand, letting the pivot comes. As the roundhouse kick comes, the detective is able to cross his other hand over, catching it hard in his palm. The other kick comes... and Daniel is forced to reverse his hand grip, taking the follow-up kick hard to the neck. He breaks free of the grip on his own terms; when the finishing slam comes, Daniel breaks free half-mist, half-material as he falls into a roll, spreading across the ground as a flow. He doesn't go face first, and he almost gets away scott free.

You know, except for his neck.

As Daniel reforms together, he was... not all there. His features were obscured, half-formed. Unlike his opponent, he was not exhausted. But like his opponent, this fight was close to the edge. The spirit of cowardice, self-perservation, of -fear- fills him. An animalistic kind of fear. Daniel hated it. But the instincts of a predator was overcoming him. Still not entirely there, Daniel makes a desperate, last effort: A pounce. The detective leaps, bounding at Aranha to catch him low. If he could get the grip on Aranha's leg? He would lift it up, and pivot, attempting to whip Aranha off his dancing feet, and send him face down himself, with the grips still on his leg. And if he could keep him there? He would go for the coup de grace.

And attempt to wrench Aranha's leg from it's socket.

COMBATSYS: Daniel successfully hits Aranha with Mad Jack Crack EX.

[                                < >  ///////                       ]
Aranha           0/-------/------=|=======\-------\0           Daniel

[ARANHA]
His body just didn't have it inside to get away from the grip and the only satisfaction he allows the other darkstalker is the slight gasp from when he gets whipped off of feet. No sound comes from his lips when he gets slammed face down to the ground and any potential whimper or grunt dies before it can reach his lips through sheer grit.

Aranha was familiar with suffering. He lived in an abusive household where he took on beatings on behalf of his siblings. He fought in many fight halls where only lip service was paid to honor and on occasion life and death battles. And he felt pain. What he was going through was nothing compared to the pain doled out by Grant who put him in the hospital and he had only just recovered right before the Mortal Kombat tourney. It was nothing compared to his preliminary fight with Zach Glenn who as a result of unexpected assistance from a version of him from another reality pumped the Dancing Spider full of psionic pain. It was nothing compared to the Scarlet Dahlia who practically disassembled him before the sorceror Shang Tsung.

As his leg gets wrenched out of his socket, and although it was causing him a lot of pain, he laughs. He laughs to keep himself from growling in pain. He laughs because it was the exact opposite of what the Ladykiller wanted. He laughs because the moment of pain he's feeling now pales in comparison to the memories of the opponents he faced. He laughs because an epiphany hits him.

"I win."

He doesn't elaborate further but instead brings himself into a push up position before he swings a wild kick at the mist form darkstalker's head.

COMBATSYS: Aranha can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Daniel blocks Aranha's Change-Up Kick EX.
COMBATSYS: Daniel refuses to stay down!

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

[DANIEL]
Laughter.

Aranha's facade of mirth was not what Daniel wanted. It's not what he desired. And while Aranha was eager to deny the detective what he craves, the Ladykiller was ready to devour. As he wrenches the limb out of the socket, the desire to feed overwhelms Daniel. He needs it. He wants it. And he was going to have it. Aranha was going to be defiant to the end?

He won?

"Scuzzy." Daniel growled, as the kick swings straight for his head. The detective brings his clawed hand up, catching the leg hard. The entire body fades out in a flicker. ANd then, redoubles, reforms. "You're nothing now." Was the slow baritone. "Nothing but one thing." The creature looms like a shadow over Aranha, as his yellow eyes build, his shape darkening. "You're gonna be my plaything, until you tell me what I want." The teeth flares. "And I'm gonna let you figure out what I want to hear, scuzzy." The shadow passes over Aranha, as the mist begins to spread around. "Cause you know why I like people to feel pain?"

"Cause the alternative is much, much worse."

"As you're about to find."

"Out."

"Now."

And the shadow dives at Aranha, fading into black.

[ARANHA]
As everything fades to black, Aranha still believes he won in a way. If he dies, he denies Little the information of who he gave the power to. If he gets tortured, well... It was that much longer that the eventual champion of Earthrealm had to save Earth before he went after them. He just had to stay quiet long enough for that to happen.

Aranha had often said he'd go through hell so his siblings could see heaven. His older sister Karen died of drug overdose before he could prove it. But Ladykiller would give him a chance to prove it on behalf of his younger sister Kelly.

Log created on 12:11:55 02/17/2017 by Daniel, and last modified on 17:49:29 02/26/2017.