Match of the Millennium

Description: Location: Palace Gates - Water depth: 20cm and Rising - The victory for Earthrealm will prove pyrrhic at best if its champions cannot escape the final trap set by dark powers for its survivors. Can JULIA CHANG -- one who managed to escape notice following her loss in Mortal Kombat -- and her love of nature carry her back to the world she is most familiar with, or will one of Shang Tsung's nameless living servants -- a lone HENCHMAN -- take her to a watery grave?

[HENCHMAN]
Earthrealm has won the tenth Mortal Kombat tournament. For the time being, it will be free of concerns of a widescale Outrealm invasion...
But there are contingency plans in place, and those who have come to participate are now sentenced to die... and find their souls tethered into the service of evil. The warriors of Earthrealm must escape, and do so under both the scrutiny of Shang Tsung's remaining living guard, the deadly assaults of undead warriors, and - most pressing of all - the sinking island.
It's been said there's a boat that can allow for escape down by the shore, but how many will manage to make it there in time? The clock is ticking.

[JULIA]
Julia was barely present for the Mortal Kombat tournament. She made an appearance, but then she was badly wounded and almost died. Because of that, she kept out of sight as she attemtped to investigate what this whole thing was about and how it could be connected to 'Earthrealm' as they called it. She wondered if something about it could be related to the deterioration of the forests in her native homeland.

Unfortunately, Julia came up empty-handed, and now seeing that the tournament was over and now it was time to leave, since the island was starting to sink and things were going crazy. She knew she had to get there fast, and Julia found herself running as fast as she could, trying to avoid being seen by any of the possible remaining guards of Shang Tsung.

After nearly being caught by a couple of guards, Julia had stayed low for awhile, but then she noticed the island was sinking further, and she had to hurry. She ran in the direction of where the boat was supposed to be, but would she make it safely?

[HENCHMAN]
"Halt."
She will not, without a fight, as a cloaked figure in dark robes stands before her way at the outskirts of the palace gates. They don't appear all too different from anyone else that wears those dark, mystic robes, but they can readily be identified as one of Shang Tsung's goons. Julia came this close to escaping notice... it looks like she's going to have to work their way through this one last obstacle before they even have a fraction of a chance of making it to safety.
The rising water level threatens to hamper quick movement, as the unremarkable but still worrying figure before her raises their fists and starts circling them in something that's unmistakably a fighting stance. Kind of boxing? It's sort of indistinct, and none too memorable.
What would Julia's adoptive mother say if she were stopped by someone like /that/?

COMBATSYS: Henchman has started a fight here on the right meter side.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                  |-------\-------\0         Henchman

COMBATSYS: Henchman equips a dim Blue Soul Shard.

                                  >  //////////////////////////////]
                                  |-------\-------\0     [E] Henchman

[JULIA]
It's all too familiar.

You're trying to get away from something or someone, when an obstacle of some kind stops you abruptly. In this case, it turns out to be a mysterious goon from Shang Tsung. Julia can't make out the features of the goon, or even if it's male or female, but that means nothing to her right now. Instead, her instincts are to run, but the goon has her covered, and the water level is rising. For a moment, Julia closes her eyes and touches her pendant. "Spirits, grant me your guidance."

Within her head, Julia gets a vision of Michelle in her mind, and her voice is very clear spoken as it says to her, "Julia, I told you that fighting was not the way to solve most problems. But I also told you that if you truly have no other alternative, then you should use what I've taught you. I'm sure your judgement is sound!" And then the vision disappears.

With that, Julia opens her eyes and, instead of backing off or trying to find another way out, she assumes her fighting stance and looks at the goon. "So, you intend to stop me from leaving? I'm sorry, but you're not going to stop me!" Julia steps in quickly and attempts a spinning kick aimed at the goon's stomach.

COMBATSYS: Julia has joined the fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Julia            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0     [E] Henchman

COMBATSYS: Julia equips a glimmering Light Green Soul Shard.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Julia [E]        0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0     [E] Henchman

COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits Henchman with Light Kick.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0     [E] Henchman

[HENCHMAN]
Julia's spinning kick to the gut finds purchase where she aims it, and the mysterious goon - who based on the single spoken word so far and the grunt of pain that follows is probably male - buckles into a kneel as the water underneath prevents him from sliding back too much.
That first kick is good - a kick that would do Michelle proud in its execution - but it's going to take more than one to take down this seeming devout as the step back in with a few unremarkable but competent punches. Left jab, left jab again, right. They don't lean in too far while they do it.
"You won't escape." We'll see about that, won't we?

COMBATSYS: Henchman successfully hits Julia with Probing Strikes.
- Power hit! -

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0     [E] Henchman

[JULIA]
Another one of Michelle's lessons is try to protect yourself instead of fighting back if you can. Unfortunately, she also mentioned that this doesn't always work either. Julia finds the jabs come faster than she expects, and she gets hit not once, not twice, but THREE times. She stumbles back after the last hit, falling backwards but dropping only to one knee before supporting herself with her hand and keeping from going any farther.

"You may think I won't escape," Julia says as she stands up and wipes the dirt and water off of her hand. "But I think I will!" Despite the water rising, Julia still manages to keep a steady foot as she circles the henchman briefly before going in with a spinning elbow strike.

COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits Henchman with Medium Punch.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0     [E] Henchman

[HENCHMAN]
Her opponent, who may yet stand to be Julia's final blockade to freedom, visibly tries to sway off in the direction that Julia leans in - he mistakes her movement for an incoming strike, and takes the spinning elbow strike to the throat. He staggers back against the massive palace gates, hand disappearing into the shadowy hood of the robe.
"What is it with my throat," he gags out. A cough or two later, back to business.
"There is nowhere to run." No, hope still remains that the boats that took kombatants here may yet still be able to take them back out! All Julia has to do now is stop this guy from keeping her from escaping.
He dives towards Julia with arms outstretched, as if intent to tackle her into the rising water.

COMBATSYS: Henchman successfully hits Julia with Tackle.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0     [E] Henchman

[JULIA]
Julia finds herself going into the rising water, and while the feeling of water going into her nose isn't very pleasant, the water itself does slow her landing somewhat, meaning it doesn't hurt as much as possible. Unfortunately, Julia's not in the mood to drown here or to be knocked out here either. She struggles to get her head above water and finally does so, taking in several gulps of air before attempting to deal with the goon as best as she can.

In this situation, Julia decides to attempt a modification to her usual fisherman's suplex. She grabs the goon while she's still on the ground and then attempts to lift them up and bend over backwards, slamming them into the water.

COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits Henchman with Medium Throw.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/--=====|=======\=------\1     [E] Henchman

[HENCHMAN]
As the cloaked goon is hefted up, Julia might catch a glimpse of something blue dangling off of one of his toes. Like... a toe tag, of some kind. It has a dim glow to it. Odd, in its own right, but kind of a minor detail compared to the urgency the situation asks for. It is not a time of introspection about the hows and whys about a living person having a colorful toe tag.
Now is the time to slam people into the water, and slam them Julia does, rewarded for her efforts with a big splash of water that only marginally blunts the impact of the blow. It might have started to slow this one down, given the solid two and a half seconds it takes for them to start sitting up and otherwise do things that suggest they still have fight left in them.
"It won't be enough." No, it will be. For all the taunting about Earthrealm's weakness based on the last nine tournaments, Earthrealm won. They can win. Now, they will make one last play to save their own lives, and Julia is on the right track.
All she has to do is not get knocked out by a massive left hook that comes out of a brief sidestep to a blind spot.

COMBATSYS: Henchman successfully hits Julia with Sucker Punch.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Julia [E]        0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1     [E] Henchman

[JULIA]
A swift hook hits Julia in the face and leaves her stunned for a moment, before she shakes it off and rubs at her jaw. "Ugh, I walked into that one I think." Realizing she's criticizing herself, Julia shakes her head again and then stares at the goon. "That was a cheap shot, but fighting like that will not save you now. You do not know the true way of fighting!"

Julia taps her fist, and it begins to glow. "The spirits guide me. They help me in my battle! And they will help me get through this!" Julia takes a large, deliberate step towards the goon while thrusting her hand forward, attempting to hit the goon with a swift palm strike.

COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits Henchman with Palm Explosion.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Julia [E]        1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1     [E] Henchman

[HENCHMAN]
The spirits guide Julia's palm true. The strength carried through her blow courses through the cloaked figure's body, coursing through him and down through his legs into the water. A great splash obscures his form as he appears to disappear into the confusion of it all - not helped by a sudden sway of water from some other far-off disturbance (a large structure collapsing in on itself, perhaps).
For a time, a brief time, Julia may believe themselves free to run, to hurry, to escape down to the sinking (and, if one may add, stinking) beach and pray that there is a boat she can get on to and escape in time...!
Her neck hairs may stand up before her ears catch wind of another large splash, of a drenched robed figure rising up behind her and trying to clutch both her arms from below, arcing arms upward to try and lock them from behind.
"You won't escape the rising water," comes that non-distinct male voice, in a final pitched attempt to make Julia into a victim.
She is no victim, is she?

COMBATSYS: Julia interrupts Grab From Behind from Henchman with Fierce Kick.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >                                ]
Julia [E]        1/------=/=======|=======\==-----\1     [E] Henchman

[JULIA]
Unfortunately, grabbing Julia from behind is a very bad idea. As soon as the goon tries to grab Julia from behind, her boot comes up quickly, aimed directly at the goon's stomach, although it could hit the netherregions too. Regardless, the intent is to keep the goon away from her at all costs. And her boot does make contact, giving Julia not only the chance to escape from being a potential victim, but also the ability to escape from the island. As soon as she's free, Julia looks down at the rising water and shakes her head, before looking to the goon.

"With any luck, maybe your 'master' can revive you or something. But I expect no mercy to be granted from the spirits!" Julia exclaims before turning to run towards the dock, silently hoping and praying that the last boat hasn't left yet.

[HENCHMAN]
Julia is no victim.
The boot strikes dead center, and for her perseverence, she is rewarded with a scream that sounds kind of familiar. Not in an 'I know who this is' familiar, just... this kind of scream seems like it pops up almost everywhere? Something that instills a sort of finality as the rising water sloshes about, shifting smaller debris that have fallen into the drink towards whatever place they'll be deposited. The dark form of this robed guy.
If she looks back, she might even see a flash of his face. He looks like... some random guy? That's the best way to put it. It's not the distinctively inhuman face, it's the sort she'd see just about anywhere. Plain caucasian human. A momentary bit of interest before he disappears down into the climbing currents.
Her Bond Two-Liner brayed, Julia no longer has any obstructions to her path down to the beach. With great luck, she'll make it home to everyone and everything she loves by the skin of her teeth.
A nearby crate suddenly has something heavy fall into it, just down a shallower set of steps. This is probably nothing important to Julia's attempts to escape.
...
Covertly, a few of Shang Tsung's more craven and covetous cronies come by. They decide they're going to take a couple of packaged riches with them, and move to cart off the box that seems a little heavier than anticipated.
With the rising water, there isn't time to put it down and check - looks like this guy, whoever he is, will be on one of the rides back to Earthrealm.
There is painfully little significance to elaborate upon beyond this fortuitous circumstance.

COMBATSYS: Henchman takes no action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Julia [E]        1/------=/=======|

COMBATSYS: Henchman can no longer fight.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Julia [E]        1/------=/=======|

Log created on 19:08:39 03/29/2017 by Henchman, and last modified on 09:08:40 03/30/2017.