Match of the Millennium

Description: Ah, tropical paradise! If you're sick of the cold, the rim of a semi-active volcano ought to be the right place to be! Feast your eyes on the glowing, red-hot trickles of lava bubbling out of the ground. Try not to breathe too much of the sulfurous plumes of smoke! You'll probably be able to find a patch of ground that isn't too hot to stand on -- it'd be fine to fight there if you want. <Winner: Munin>

[MUNIN]
Who in their right (or left) mind would think a fight at the top of an active volcano is a good idea!?!? The heat, the poisonous smoke, the potentially deadly fall, the hot rock.....

That doesn't even start in with the problem of the lava in some cases!

Do they WANT the fighters to die?

All these thoughts go through Munins head as she trudges her way to the summit arena. The concerns are alleviated somewhat whe nshe sees it IS developed up here, but even still..... this has the trappings of a Bond film gone wrong.

.... or gone right, considering the difference between a movie fight and an ACTUAL fight!

In light of the hotter conditions, her attire has changed somewhat. Rather than a swimsuit, Munin has opted instead for a black tanktop with jean shorts and sneakers. Modest, effective, but still not too hot. Warily, she peers around the area, taking note of the terrain of the arena and areas nearby it.

[JEZEBEL]
Scream.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to rip her skin off from her bones, pulling them off in long ribbons and strips, to scratch and tear it off. She wanted the hot air of the volcano to bellow into her naked body, to ignite and burn it into ash. They might not care if the fighters live or die. But Jezebel wanted to die more than anything else she has felt before.

Because she was back on the island.

The entire place was a wasteland of incredible caliber. Not in reality, which was pretty much a trash pit. In Jezebel's mind, it was a howling furnance of pain and hatred. It was screaming, high pitched screaming as she dangled exposed of every mistake and every failure. This island was a mortirary, a graveyard of broken dreams and a hellscape of every single personal failing she could execute.

It was Zack ISland again.
Jezebel wanted to wear less. She almost did, when she was alone in her cabin's bathroom, armed with a razor blade. She almost carved away the fat and the skin, to make her more naked, to make her more naked, to make her more naked. To strip away the barrier and expose her to the shame. She would be naked, just as naked as she should be at this horrible place. She was brave enough to do it, too. She was strong enough.

The razor blade wasn't strong enough, though.

Broken razors, shallow scars, and limited nudity, this was the most she could expose on herself. Jezebel wore the venus hammock, a one piece V thong of bright red coloration that stretched from low to high, arching over her breasts to around her neck, just covering her nipples, just covering her deepest and darkest shameful places. It would be considered daring by anybody who wasn't Jezebel. For Jezebel, it was desperation. Her skin was already turning a lobster red by the intense heat. Upon her head was a cowgirl hat, black. And she even wore the face mask bandana. Her pupils were pinpricks, as she strides across the burning surface, barefoot. She stares at Munin. And finally, she waves.

"Howdy Y'alllllllllllllllLLLLLLLLLLLL"

She takes a breath, as she brings her hands to the side of her head. "AAAAAAAAAAAALLLL ALLLLL ALLL ALL ALL ALL" And she falls to her knees, as she screams. She just screams, and screams, and screams as she digs into the volcanic surface, risking herself to fall to her beautiful death into the magma underfoot. And she screams, and screams, and screams, and screams.

"ALL ALL ALL ALL ALL"
"ALL ALL ALL ALL ALL"
"ALL ALL ALL ALL ALL"
"ALL ALL ALL ALL ALL"
And she catches her breath, on her knees, the pumice and obsidian cutting into her knees. And she laughs, breathlessly, as she brings herself back up to a stand gingerly. She brushes the debris from her hands, still laughing breathlessly. "Sorry, I'm sorry Munin! Ha ha ha! I just, I've been here before, and I just remember." Her mechanical eye was trembling, vibrating, as the smile burns at the corner of her lips.

"I just remember."

[MUNIN]
To Jezebels outburst, Munin has the perfect reply to go with her somewhat confused stare!

"........".

(Here i thought *I* was messed up!)

Walking at an angle to Jezebel, she takes another sweeping look around the summit "Well, Muninn was the raven of memory...... i suppose it's somehow both fitting and ironic.....". Those glowing violet eyes set in black orbs lock onto Jezebel, probing her for information from everything from body language, to weaknesses or injuries that can be exploited, to hazards in the coming battle, and so on "Take a moment if you need. There is no need to rush".

As she waits, Munin reflects on what she's gleaned so far.... (no hesitation to inflict self-harm on the rocks, seemingly unaware of the danger of the cliff face, repetition of words, screaming incoherantly, followed by laughter. Estimate extreme emotional duress and potentially partial insanity. Emotional instability and memory may lead to PTSD and flashbacks. Possibility of more violence than expected if her emotions make her act out even moreso once combat starts.....). She looks sideways, keeping Jez in perpheral vision just in case (priority tactics: avoid hits as much as possible, secondary objective: end this fast if she seems to become even MORE unstable.....)

[JEZEBEL]
Take a moment.

That was strange. A moment. She was giving her a moment. She stares into it. Not Munin, not the moment. But the oblivion in the center of the volcano. Eyes wide. She was being nice to her. She loved Munin. But you can't love a woman. You couldn't. You had to refuse. You must refuse. She hangs over the edge of the maw. The heat was worsening. But a wonderful fantasy passes over her.

Maybe she could sacrifice herself.

No, she had a moment. She had a moment. A beautiful moment, as a tear comes down her eye. Her stability wasn't. But her martial talent... she already beat a boy nearly to death. What was another? What was another victim on this island?

And there was another spark of laughter.

"Have you ever been to this island before?" She asked aloud, as she fell into her Tae Kwon Do stance. I had... so much hope and love here. I was a champion of this place, long ago. I was the champion. Me, and my Hoedown Dillo. I had a Hoedown Dillo. He was perfect. I loved him. I love him. And I met my Fishy Friend here too..." And she trailed off. "I had so many friends here. So many friends."

"And Sins, Munin."

She starts even more smiling. A warmth was coming over her, hotter than the hottest volcano. Blood was coming out at the corner of her lips. "So much SIN on this island. I could have been saved. I could have been. But everything, everything awful in my life started on this island. I could have been married, and loved, and had a children, beautiful egg laying like a handsome mother hen. I could have been so much if I just kept myself from screwing up everything. Everything, everything screwing up. Screwing everything, screwing up." Her smiling had not stopped. "But I deserve it Munin! I deserve it so much. Munin. Munin, Munin, Munin."

"You're going to hurt me, aren't you?"

An audience was beginning to trickle around the edge of the volcano.

[MUNIN]
It doesn't take intense analysis to put this picture together. Munin doesn't like it one bit! She looks around at the gathering crowd (Best play along.... it might diffuse her..... or it might make her worse....). "No. I've never been here. Honestly not my kinda place with all the bluebloods and money-mongers around". She crosses her arms and eyes Jez "That depends on how you define 'hurt'. We're here for a sparring match. I punch you, you punch me, first one down or gives up loses. Shake hands, or make faces, or swear revenge, and everyone goes home. Nothing traumatic or deeply meaningful". Her position shifts into a defensive stance, not aggressive but enough to react in case Jez throws a suprise attack of some kind "... Unless there's a detail i'm unaware of".

Munin is careful to avoid commenting on the evident psychosis specificly. Whatever is behind it, it's far deeper than her pay-grade as it were.

[JEZEBEL]
"No, it's much more than that!"

All the eyes were on her. And they wouldn't even need to undress her. They could see her every curve and piece and even some of her wonderful wet blood. They wanted her. They wanted her so badly. They're long tongues ready to lash her, and they wouldn't stop. They couldn't stop. It would be incredible. But Munin, but Munin was ruining everything. She was being too gentle, too... empty. And it burned. It hated. It was sick and wrong.

She had to explain to Munin.

"It can't be nothing. It has to be something. I have to be dirt. Or I have to be a goddess, an enduring and beloved symbol for children, and men, and women! A sex symbol, and inspiration! I have to -be- something more nothing. I'm meaningful, Munin. I am the most meaningful thing, I have to be. I have to be, no matter the trauma, or the pain, or the suffering, or nakedness. I have to be. I have to be. You have to hurt me, Munin. You have to cut me so deep, so everyone can see what I am."

"What do you want me to be, Munin?"

All eyes on us.

"Do you want me to be the filth on your sneakers?"

They want us.

"Or do you want me to be your goddess?"

COMBATSYS: Jezebel has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Jezebel          0/-------/-------|

[MUNIN]
Empty..... THAT is a good word to describe the figure standing before Jez. Something she herself would likely give a chuckle and agree with if said to her face.....

Her reaction is a raised eyebrow and the shadowy chi that drifts off her form thickening. Her stance goes from defensive to neutral as she responds "I want you to cut the bullshit and fight. That IS what we're here for. Save meaningful for more important things. As for cutting you, the only thing that will show is blood and guts. Nothing new if you ever saw a Quentin Tarantino movie".

COMBATSYS: Munin has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Munin            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
It could have just been emptiness.

Jezebel was hollow enough. Just push everything outside, as a noise around you, and you never would have to feel hollow. Just a reflection over everything around. The pseudo-nude Jezebel was already cracking, as she didn't even fight. Munin insults, and belittles, and that might have been enough to incite her. But Munin says a name that Jezebel remembered.

"Quentin Tarantino?"

A smell fills her nostrils. Not sulfur. But a sour, milky smell. Quentin. She remembered that name, that director that... time in Hong Kong. The biggest name. It was going to be her big break. A new movie was coming out. And Jezebel had everything she needed to be the star. She just had to do something for him. She could still feel the couch. The smell of the liquor. Just needed to prove something to a big hollywood name like that. Just needed some test footage.

"Quentin... Tarantino"

And Jezebel begins to twitch.

"QUENTIN!" She shrieks as she hurls herself at Munin, eyes burning. A laser trail follows her eyes as she flings herself straight into the center of Munin. "THAT BASTARD! THAT LYING BASTARD!" She was howling, hurling out a staggering thrust kick straight for the center of the mysterious woman. "HE TRICKED ME! HE USED ME! THERE WASN'T A KILL BILL PREQUEL! THERE NEVER WAS! THE BASTARD!"

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE DID TO ME!?"

COMBATSYS: Munin fails to counter Thrust Kick from Jezebel with Blink Strike.
? Strange Hit! ?

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Munin            0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0          Jezebel

In some regards, she missed.

The kick shoots past Munin, past the center. Everything was a blur. But what was happening is that Jezebel was slamming her chest hard into Munin's own, pinning her. Instinctively, she wraps her arms around Munin, lashing them together... and she stares into Munin's own eyes, so close, so near. And she almost whispers.

"He made me pour a White Russian down my leg... "

"AND HE DRANK IT OFF MY TOES"

And the attack suddenly serves as it breaks apart. a sharp knee colliding with Munin as she counters her own atttack.

[MUNIN]
The attack is expected. The stimuli is within expected parameters, based on how Jezebel has been acting so far. It was one of the three most likely scenarios Munin had thought through as being an opening move for this battle.

The kick hammers through her illusory clone, and the counter-attack is begun!

Only to be grabbed suddenly as Jezebel gets crazy. THIS was not planned for. She can only stare at Jezebel in suprise as reference to drinking off toes is made, when the knee connects firmly with her gut, knocking the wind out of the illusory fighter!

Coughing a small bit of red, Munin is stunned, trying to get air back into her lungs!

[JEZEBEL]
Jezebel couldn't even tell the difference between the illusion and the real thing.

They were all pictures. Brief glimmers of images, flashing before her. Get crazy? She was so far off the deep end, that she was past looking into the abyss. She was the abyss, the black hole resulting from a dwarf starlet collapsing on itself. Even as she knocks Munin away, she seemed to barely register. "The -bastard!- THAT MAN USED ME!" She screams as she trails after Munin.

And she smiles again.

"I want everything to just be so real, Munin." She whispers aloud, adjusting her sling bikini around the chest as she continues her approach. "I want everything to be real, to keep being real, to be so real. But it's not just real."

"I want the right things to be real."

Nightmare Spangles wasn't going to let Munin stand up before unleashing a fierce low kick. The kick would chain into a roundhouse with the opposite leg, and then, a roundhouse with the other leg. All while ranting. "I want the things I want to be real. I want it." She would finish the assault with a staggering drop kick, a heel slam downward to pin Munin down to the pumice-riddled ground with the arc of her bloodied, bare foot.

"I want it so bad, Munin~"

COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Munin with Quick and the Dead.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Munin            0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
In her stunned state, the feeble attempt to leap back a bit isn't enough, and the chain of kicks stagger her further. Her arms come up at the last moment to partially stop the axe kick. While not as devestating as it could have been, it brings her to her knees, arms quivering from the strain as she glares up at Jezebel. Her words are pained, but clear "The world doesn't revolve around what you want".

A moment later, dark violet chi explodes in a burst from her eyes!

It's a simple manuever, and hit or miss Munin shifts backwards to give herself some space to regain her bearings while potentially putting Jezebel off balance a bit if she resumes the attack too quickly.

COMBATSYS: Jezebel endures Munin's Eyeshadow.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Munin            0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
How the world worked.

How it worked is that it made Jezebel suffer again and again and again and again. And yet, as she buries Munin down, her opponent was glaring back. Glaring harder. It was almost guilty. And then she fires a beam from her eyes, an eruption of energy. And Jezebel just takes it, takes it hard as she screams aloud again. Not in pain but... something else.

"But I want to ~hurt!~"

"I want it!" She screams as she giggles, refusing to back away as she swings her leg around again, holding it up high. "I want it because that's what it gives me and it never stops! BECAUSE I CAN TAKE IT! BECAUSE I AM STRONG! YEEEEEE HAW!" She screams as she hurls out another heel slam, to drive her, to drive her down into dust and smoke and pain before she just slipped away. Her own eye was burning, her mechanical eye transfixing a singular blue beam upon Munin. "DO IT AGAIN MUNIN! HURT ME AGAIN!~"

"BURN ME TO ASH~!"

COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Munin with Heel Kick.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Munin            1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
Just as she begins to leap back, Jezebels heel slams home in Munins stomach, sending her flying backwards with a rolling bounce. The illusionist takes a moment to climb to her feet, not out by any means but definately hurting.

The blue beam DEFINATELY gets Munins attention however. Mechanical eye? Where is that familiar from..... the answer eludes her for the time being. "Sounds like a masochistic obsession to me. Whatever. It has no place in something informal like this. If your gonna take THIS personally, then you shouldn't sign up for these in the first place".

She watches Jezebel like a hawk, trying to figure out a weakness to exploit on a moments notice.... or will Jez simply obsess herself out of the match? All these and more cross Munins mind......

COMBATSYS: Munin focuses on her next action.

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Munin            1/-----==/=======|=====--\-------\0          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
She wanted to bring her down to her level.

Munin was knocked away, giving her space. Jezebel didn't want to give her space. She didn't want this cold, clinical reaction either. She wanted passion. She wanted pleasure and passion from the mercenary. She wanted her to open up and just pour that Muninisms all over her. Munin might be thinking, not feeling. But Jezebel?

Jezebel felt disturbed.

"Masochistic?" Jezebel spits back. "I'm not some disgusting, godless pervert, Munin. I'm not some sick and diseased woman wh-who gets off on being hurt!" Jezebel began to blush, as she makes herself even more empty. "I'm not a whore! I'm not a plaything! I'm not... that! And if you think I'm taking this personally... I... I..." Her body was getting sweaty. And cold. But she... she doesn't run away, with all eyes on her. She fights back. ANd she casts away the shame that was building inside.

"Everything is so personal, Munin."

Jezebel began to glow alight, as red, white, and blue cascaded over her form, coming over like ripples on her exposed body. "Everything is so real! And I want to feel how real it is. Because you know what it means when it hurts? It means it is real. It's not out of any vile sinful lust, Munin! It's not because I'm a disgusting pervert who wants only gets off when people break my skin and bruise me and drive into me again and again and... again." She shivers in the heat, as blood seeps from the corner of her lips. "No Munin, I'm not like that. Because I'm Nightmare Spangles." And she thrusts a hand into the air.

"I'm not your plaything anymore~!"

COMBATSYS: Jezebel burns with the AMERICAN SPIRIT!

[             \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Munin            1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
A tilted head and raised eyebrow are the only initial reaction Jez gets. Suddenly, a small smirk forms on Munins lips and her eyes narrow slightly as they figuratively bore into Jezebel "Well, anyone saying they want to be hurt comes across that way. I dunno. The more you deny all those things, the more i think you're tryin to convince yourself of their truth. Maybe you don't know yourself as well as you THINK you do". Munin makes sure her eyes are looking directly into one of the cameras as she says this before flicking her gaze back again. Sow the seeds of doubt, maybe put her off her game. Get her unfocused.

The attack comes fast. VERY fast! Munin blurs forwards appearing as little more than a cloud of smoke and shadow! At the last moment that shadow splits in two, one attacking head on, the other (the real Munin) brushing past Jez with a palm strike! Once securely behind her, a blade of chi erupts from Munins hand which is jabbed at Jezebels hopefully exposed back!

COMBATSYS: Munin blitzes into action and acts again!

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Munin            1/-----==/=======|=======\=------\1          Jezebel

COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Munin's Mirror Image.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Munin            1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1          Jezebel

COMBATSYS: Jezebel blocks Munin's Shadow Spike.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Munin            1/----===/=======|=======\======-\1          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
"The truth?"

The question slams into Jezebel like a nail bat. Aiming straight for the gut. As the eyes bear upon the actress, she forces herself to stare into the eyes. It was burning, burning so badly, so richly, so -much-. It was a fire, fire igniting inside her. Her skin felt wet, and cold. And she felt... she felt like she was going to lose her focus, the words crawling in her head like a basket full of worms. And in the flicker, she responds.

"The truth is..."

What is the truth Jezebel?

Isn't the truth that you squandered away your talent and your career by indulging in drinking and wild parties while you were successful? That you wasted your body and future away by drifting into Hong Kong, and taking whatever acting job that would bring you closer to the bottle, to the pipe, to the needle? That you had so many men, so fast, so much at once, after working so hard to keep your innocence? How easy it was to throw away everything you stood for over what basically amounted to hollow shadows of hedonism? That even now, you are talking yourself into going back to what you were, except proud of it, proud of what abomination you were?

No.

Because you can pretend the truth into whatever you need it to be.

There is a flash of darkness over her. Jezebel seizes the first one with both arms, breaking the illusion apart with her own aura, double fisted. "The truth is that I am really a wonderful person," Nightmare Spangles begins, as she feels the graze of the palm strike across her fast. As the blade erupts behind her, she ducks, turning as she crosses her arms in equal measure. Her pupils were dilated, mechanical and biological. "And people love me! And you will too!" And there, low and arms bleeding and burned, she swings them aside as she cries out.

"WHERE EAGLES DARE!"

And she explodes straight at Munin, body spiralling as she twirls with the red, white, and blue chi. Cascading around her, she would launch at Munin with a one, two, three of aerial kicks, each impact coming with a burst of red,white, and blue fireworks around her. An explosive eruption of attacks.

ANd only building into a greater cataclysm.

COMBATSYS: Munin counters Where Eagles Dare EX from Jezebel with Shadow Strike.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Munin            0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
The grabbed illusion does indeed break apart on touch. Munin frowns to herself as her attacks are blocked. So far her attempts to disrupt Jezebels concentration have failed.

Then, for a moment, there it was! That moment of hesitation! As The name of the attack is shouted, Munin steps back, leaving behind another illusion which takes the initial hit. Seeing her earlier kick combination, Munin estimates the angles and timing of the kicks, and moves in-between them, sliding past Jezebel with a lance of chi slicing at her abdomen in the process!

Taking several steps back after passing, Munin stops to reassess her opponent.

[JEZEBEL]
Interrupted.

Jezebel's attack comes out too slow, too staggered. As Munin flickers out, Jezebel can't tell the difference between real and unreal. So she keeps boiling through as Munin repositions. Jezebel lands on both feet, gasping for air... as from the flanks, she squeaks. A sword was through her? No, a lance of pure chi, cutting deeper than anything else. She could feel blood on the inside, on the outside. The weapon is drawn away, as Jezebel staggers, struggles to remain standing. She grabs her torso, and feels the hot, wet blood.

And she laughs aloud.

"You've hurt me." She says softly, before letting out another laugh. "You've hurt me -so- much. And I'm not finding it sexy. I won't find it sexy. Because I'm not a disgusting pervert. I'm a beautiful woman with incredible self-respect. I'm a goddess. I'm dirt. I'm so perfect that it burns. Munin..." She blushes. "Munin... I want you to keep it coming. I want you to keep hitting me, again and again and again. I want you to rip me to pieces, and leave nothing but tears, and pain, and hope, and inspiration, and love, and passion. I want to see just how bright you are Munin."

"I want you to -Unload- On me~"

And she brings a leg back.

"Because I am about to unload on you~"

And she unleashes the barrage.

Kick after kick after kick comes, without Jezebel coming any closer. Instead, shimmering orbs of red, white, and blue energy are unleashed with every kick. The orbs do not explode just yet, absorbing into Munin or around or anywhere. As her body sweats and shimmers, she pulls away a bang of hair across her mechanical high. "My god, Munin." She whispers, before she turns her back to her.

"You're amazing~"

And the area around Munin explodes into a fireworks display, causing the very volcano to rumble from the explosion.

COMBATSYS: Jezebel issues a challenge!!

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Munin            0/-------/----===|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2          Jezebel

COMBATSYS: Jezebel successfully hits Munin with Unforgiven.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Munin            0/-------/=======|>>-----\-------\0          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
Munins guard goes up just in time to brace herself for the incoming attack. She winces as the orbs strike her, some getting through, others not. She knows, judging by the fact they are sticking around, exactly what is the likely outcome, and is not disappointed. They detonate rather dramaticly, engulfing the small woman in an immense explosion of fireworks and colors!

When the dust settles, however, Munin is still standing ther, arms up, eyes glaring over her guard at Jez, breathing heavily from a mix of exhaustion and injury. Her only verbal response is "If i ever find a Lament Configuration, i know exactly who to give it to now.....", before rushing in again, attacking Jezebel with a combination of punches and kicks aimed at her face and injured abdomen, before ending it with an attempted shoulder throw!

COMBATSYS: Jezebel endures Munin's Combo Grapple.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Munin            1/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\-------\1          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
"Never lament anything."

That was Jezebel response as the dust cloud breaks, with a furious charge by Munin. And there, she stands fast in the face of the punches and kicks. She wasn't pulling up a guard. She was taking them cleanly,smiling as she is beaten harder, harder, HARDER. She was beaten like the awful person she deserved to be. And it fueled her. As the shoulder throw comes, she rides with it, twirling in the air as she lands with both legs.

"Never... regret."

She whispers. To herself? To Munin? Didn't matter. All that mattered is that she exploded right back, point blank, spinning in the air as her body burned with red, white, and blue. Her swimsuit was burned away. And if she made contact with Munin? She would make sure she burned. Not to kick, but to simply bowl over her, to carry her across the surface of the volcano... and to smash her straight into the wall of the interior, with an explosion of red, white, and blue. And there, if she could take it that far? She would have Munin

Pinned and mounted against the edge of the volcano maw.

COMBATSYS: Munin blocks Jezebel's Pale Rider EX.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Munin            1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0          Jezebel

[MUNIN]
It's all Munin can do to pull up her defense in time! Her own shadowy aura provides some defenses against the inferno-like chi, but her arms take a beating, as does her back on impact with the stone rim of the interior wall.....

The terrain is thick and rocky, and smoke drifts around..... from the outside where the crowd and cameras are watching, all anyone would see is about a dozen spears of what seem to be solid shadow suddenly burst from the smoke like a sprung trap, mere moments after impact! Was it a successful attack? Who did it? What's happening!?!?

Slowly.... the smoke begins to clear......

COMBATSYS: Munin successfully hits Jezebel with Iron Maiden.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////                       ]
Munin            0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0          Jezebel

[JEZEBEL]
And Jezebel dangles like a scarecrow, held up by the shadow spears.

She was mounted on Munin, pinning her down, trapping her down between her legs. Her swimsuit was gone. This was past the limits of what should count for a SNF. And yet, all eyes were on her. Her body, her offending attributes were covered in blood, concealed. Her body was upheld by the shadow spikes. Dripping, she stares down at Munin, breathing choking, heavy breathes. Her living eye was dazed, distance. But her mechanical eye? Fixed -intensely- upon the victim. The shadows were beginning to fade. The weight was bringing her down. Was she conscious? Was she unconscious?

And then the laughter comes.

Like the worst the Mortal Kombat could offer, Jezebel was alive. Alive, and choking out laughter. "You're a killer, aren't you?~" Jezebel asks softly, as she leans forward. Both hands were out. She rarely used her hands, if ever. But right now, it felt right. "You would have killed me if you could. I mean, if you weren't holding back. Thank you. Thank you for holding back... holding back on..." And Jezebel moves her hands towards Munin's neck. If it was real. If it was illusion. If it was somewhere in between. Jezebel didn't know. She just knew that the naked nightmare around her in the volcano pit where she had won that tournament so long ago was swimming and swirling. She would wrap her hands around the image of Munin's neck. If it was real. If it wasn't.

And she would just squeeze.

COMBATSYS: Jezebel can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Munin counters Quick Throw from Jezebel with Weakened Terminal Response.

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

[MUNIN]
Jezebel does indeed find Munins neck, positionally. When she grabs, and squeezes however, her hands pass right through the illusory chi image.....

Luckily, Munin had thought an extra step ahead in case her larger chi attack had failed. She is actually lying about an inch lower in the dirt, having pressed herself back as far as able. On seeing Jezebel grab her decoy, Munin blurs forwards in a waft of misty black chi, sending an attack at the back of Jezebels neck from behind as she goes!

It isn't a full blow, however. Just ment to be enough to try to finish disabling Jez. The accusation of being a killer strikes home, and her own murder back on the island comes to mind. If not for Ryu she would have potentially not gotten a second chance......

With Jezebels state of mind, that mercy needs to be shown in kind. Hopefully she too will get her second chance.....

Munin lands a few feet away, unsteady on her feet, but waiting to see if Jez is out or will continue....

[JEZEBEL]
Jezebel doesn't believe her hands pass through.

That wasn't the reality she wanted. What she wanted was to wrap her hand around that throat. And squeeze. And she saw it. She saw Munin writhing and wriggling, choking as she strangled by the hands. It was cruel, it was casual, it was murder. Murdering her, just like murdering the boy. You just keep attacking, you don't stop. She stares into the illusion as she... dies. As she dies. As she squeezed the life out with her hands.

ANd Jezebel hated it.

Tears build up in her eyes as great, heaving sobs come over her. "I'm not... Oh god" She releases the throat, the illusion still strong in her mind. But it was too late. Munin's eyes were bulged out, her tongue fat and purple. She wasn't breathing. She was... she was dead. Another victim, Jezebel. Nightmare Spangles grabs the side of her temples with each hand. "No, no, oh god no. Not again." She struggles, to stumble backwards.

Straight into the blow to the back of the neck.

She snaps around, slamming forward through the illusion, into the wall face. Her head split up, a fresh wave of blood going down her face. She blinks her eyes, staring forward. And there, she rises back up, to stare at the cause of it. Munin. Or another illusion. She was crying still, covered in blood, dirt, and tears. Another heaving sob. "I'm... sorry?" She mewls.

Before collapsing into the dust of the volcano.

[MUNIN]
As Jez goes down and seems to be staying there, Munin signals for the med teams.

The battle is over.

While they are en route, the illusionist crouches over Jez, checking her pulse just to be sure, and staunching the bleeding where it seems the most threatening just in the meantime. Seeing Jez still conscious to some degree, she says "If i were a killer, that would have been a death strike. But i'm not, and this event isn't for that sort of thing. I will be frank though..... you need help. I know about the stories. Whether it's guilt, or whether it's psychosis due to some other mental issue, you need to attempt to take care of it for your own sake, and through such those around you".

All of this is out of earshot, purely between the two fighters, and rumors about what was said may well continue for years after, but Munin doesn't care at the moment. Leaning in close, she takes Jez by the chin and makes sure their eyes are locked, at least for a moment "Second chances are rarely given, and carry great weight. Unless your VERY lucky, no one can bring you back to life after being killed to get one, so i'm serious when i say this: don't take this chance lightly. No one is beyond redemption. Not even you".

Standing up, the med team arrives and begins doing what they must to assist both fighters, as Munin backs up to give them room to work on Jezebel.

Log created on 11:50:28 05/22/2017 by Jezebel, and last modified on 11:34:43 05/24/2017.