Match of the Millennium

Description: Baiken barges into Geese's office. Without an appointment, even! At least she checked in at reception... A World Warrior-class battle ensues.

[GEESE]
For some, World Warrior is a globe-trotting adventure of chasing down strong opponents and challenging them to duels for rank and standing.

Geese Howard has been handling the tournament a bit differently. He has continued business as always, allowing the brave--or foolish--to come challenge him at the top of Geese Tower. Heidern, the Ikari Commander, has already faced Geese in a duel for the ages. It is only a matter of time before a new challenger approaches.

Baiken will have been ushered to a private elevator to Mr. Howard's rooftop office. She has an escort--a burly Japanese man in a suit--but he seems like he's wise enough to cause trouble and simply keep her on course.

He stays in the elevator at the top. Geese's rooftop office is wide open with a large, wooden arena floor. Ornate Japanese decorations adorn the surrounding area. Geese himself waits in the center, already dressed for battle in his white gi and and red and gold pants. His arms are crossed over his chest.

[BAIKEN]
Baiken has been handling World Warrior in her own way: she shows up places and expects people to fight her. Geese, at least, was easy to find. She wouldn't even have needed her wristband. Which is good, because she hates trying to use the thing for anything; having no off hand makes it a challenge to actually get to show anything in particular.

Baiken strides into the elevator like she owns it and completely ignores the ecsort on the way up, resting her hand on the hilt of her sword in a lazy manner. She does not attempt small talk, because Baiken doesn't really do small talk. She just looks at the door to the elevator, and when it opens, she walks out of it without a word.

She spends a bare second looking around before her single eye focuses on Geese, already prepared for battle in the center. Good, she thinks; that saves her some time. "Howard," she says, her voice raised to carry across the ... office? Dojo? as she strides confidently across it. "You know what I'm here for."

And that's all. Baiken stops perhaps three long steps away, looking up at the larger man. Her empty sleeve hangs slack as she keeps the palm of her hand resting on the hilt of her sword, on the same hip as her hand rather than a cross-body draw. She doesn't say anything else, but her expression is challenging.

[GEESE]
"Of course," Geese answers, his expression somewhere between a smirk and a sneer. He doesn't uncross his arms of move to intercept Baiken as she crosses the dojo. Instead, he seems confident enough to let her take the first move.

She draws near, Geese rests one hand at his side and extends the other toward her, palm up and extended. He moves his fingers in a "come on" gesture.

"So you think you challenge Krauser? Let's see what you can do."

COMBATSYS: Geese has started a fight here. You cannot escape wrong death.

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

[BAIKEN]
Baiken doesn't move for a long moment. She keeps looking up at Geese, her eye narrowed as she considers him and his words.

She's not intimidated. It takes a lot to scare away Baiken now, and Geese challenging her over her ranking in a tournament is not going to do it. Instead, she finds herself annoyed by him. If he thinks he's Krauser's gatekeeper, well... he's up high. But he's not number one. And if Baiken has her way, he's going to go further down after today.

And so, after a few moments, she gives a very slight nod - and then she bursts into action.

Baiken's blitz is blurringly fast. One moment she is standing there, hand on her sword's hilt, and the next she is rushing forward in a full-out run. She doesn't even draw her sword until she's covered the few steps to Geese, turning the draw and the strike into the same motion; an arcing cut with her blade that sends her around Geese to the side, the tip of her blade burning with pink chi and leaving a trail behind it as she slashes.

Still, Baiken spares no words. She doesn't really need them to converse in the middle of a battle. Her intentions are clear in her blade.

COMBATSYS: Baiken has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Geese            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0           Baiken

COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Baiken's Rokkonsogi.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Geese            0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
If Geese knew Baiken's read, he would be furious. There is no love lost between the two, and any challenge along the way is a chance to sharpen his skills. He will need it if he wants to conquer the master of Strolheim.

But no, Baiken says few words. The ronin seems the type to speak with her blade. Geese meets it by stomping forward, bending his front leg at the knee to brace. His arms snap up in a cross guard, the flash of pink lacerating his arm and drawing blood. A normal man might lose an arm; Geese's well-trained body barely gives up blood.

As Baiken passes, Geese steps on his toes and spins to face her with a swift back step. Blue-white chi gathers in his palm as Geese hunkers down, leaning forward. He snaps forward with a great swipe of his hand, throwing a rippling wave of chi toward Baiken.

"Reppuken!"

COMBATSYS: Baiken attempts to interrupt Reppuken from Geese with Sakura.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Geese            0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
There's a reason Baiken is often best served by keeping her mouth shut: she's a jerk, but it doesn't show as much when she's not talking.

Baiken feels her iai slash dig in, though not deeply; Geese is good, and she respects him for that even if he doesn't intimidate her. She wouldn't have bothered to enter World Warrior if she didn't think it would be a good challenge for her; her entire purpose in the tournament is to improve her skills, to get stronger. She has no personal feelings for Krauser one way or the other.

She decides to press the attack. When Baiken drew her sword, because she was using the same hand as the hip she carried it on, she drew it reversed, held downward like an oversized knife; that's how she held it when she slashed. She is still holding it reversed when she steps, plants a foot and reverses her spin, driving the still-imbued point of her blade directly at Geese while facing away from him, attempting to halt the forming of his Reppuken in its tracks.

Energies build on the blade as she thrusts, roiling down the length of it and exploding from the tip... but is Geese prepared? It's an unorthodox move, after all.

COMBATSYS: Geese fails to reverse Sakura from Baiken with Joudan Atemi Nage.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Geese            0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Baiken's unorthodox chi slash punches through the Reppuken, shooting toward Geese. The Syndicate boss's eyes narrow as he sees the move coming.

Geese makes his move, stepping forward to intercept. His hands sweep out in a precision blade catches, but he seems to underestimate Baiken's speed. The blade slips through his grasp, punching into his hardened abs. He gasps sharply before biting down to silence it.

"Hrmmm," he growls lowly. "Not bad..."

[BAIKEN]
The disturbed energies do strike Baiken, but not as powerfully as if Geese was allowed to actually throw the Reppuken fully complete. The impact is still enough to rock her back after her strike, off-balance from the low hit; while she recovers her balance quickly, there's still some injury done, even if it's not severe.

Yet.

Baiken accepts the compliment stoically, with a slight grunt. So he underestimated her; that's both good and bad. Good, because it means she has an advantage that she otherwise wouldn't; bad, because it probably is partially because of her performance against Jubei. Which was good... but the cat was better.

She decides to continue pressing her luck. Switching her grip on the sword so that she's no longer holding it reversed, Baiken feints before attempting a fast cut toward Geese's midsection. It's more direct than her previous arcing, weaving attacks and she's hoping mixing it up continues to keep him off his best game.

COMBATSYS: Baiken successfully hits Geese with Medium Strike.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Geese            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Blood drips, seeping between Geese's fingers as he palms the wound on his stomach. Each cut acts as a reminder of his recent fight with Heidern. Old wounds still linger from then, yet it does nothing to slow Baiken's blade. If anything, it makes him all the move vulnerable as his reactions seem sluggish; delayed.

Geese grits his teeth and moves to block. Baiken's deft swordplay means that her blade slips under his guard, slicing another gash across his ribs. The blond American inhales sharply, taking a half-step backward as another wound starts to seep on his torso. He shows his teeth in a snarl.

"Your handling of that blade shows your resolve," Geese says. "Which of Krauser's dogs did you take your invitation from? Blood? Eiji?" He steps back, extending his fists low but pressing his elbows against his sides. Geese inhales sharply, closing his eyes for a moment. Some sort of meditative technique?

COMBATSYS: Geese focuses on his next action.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Geese            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
Baiken steps back after her strike, ready for an assault to come immediately, but Geese bides his time. She keeps her blade raised nonetheless, held defensively diagonally across her body in preparation to parry.

No harm in answering the question. "Blood," she says, speaking for the first time since battle was joined. "He found me. I accepted his challenge." Baiken paces around Geese as she speaks, sandals brushing against the wood flooring of the office (or dojo, or whatever) as she finds her positioning.

She assumes Geese did not have to fight for his spot. She doubts Krauser is as impressed with her as she is with him. Let's fix that, Baiken thinks to herself.

Her assault, this time, does not involve her blade, though she's still keeping it in hand. Instead she takes a step and leaps, clearing Geese entirely. It looks like she's trying to jump behind him - but as she flies through the air, she 'stomps' in midair, dropping a green chi block more or less straight down on top of him.

"TATAMI GAESHI!" Baiken roars as she does, the recoil from the appearance of the tile kicking her even higher up and back the way she came, so she lands on the same side she took off from and two steps further away from Geese. Her sword is in the same defensive position as when she took off.

COMBATSYS: Geese overcomes Tatami Gaeshi from Baiken with Shippuken.
- Power hit! -

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Geese            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Geese keeps his eyes closed, but his focus is clear. He may not be watching Baiken, but he is listening. When she leaps--clearing him in a single bound--Geese's eyes snap open and he springs into motion in one single decisive moment.

His sandal meets the floor with a clack and Geese spins on his toes, spinning one hundred and eighty degrees. Blue-white chi surges, whipping around him like wind, and Geese thrusts a palm foward at the chi block.

"Shippuken!"

A great sphere of chi erupts from his palm, ripping through the air to smash through the Tatami Gaeshi and toward Baiken!

COMBATSYS: Baiken just-defends Geese's Shippuken!

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Geese            0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
Caught in midair by the Shippuken, Baiken can think of only one thing to do.

"TATAMI GAESHI!"

A second mat appears under her feet as the first one begins to fade away. This one is never meant to strike Geese, as unlike the first Baiken doesn't spring off it and kick it down at him. Oh no. This time, she stays on top of it, using the chi mat as a shield from Geese's blast.

The imitation tatami mat unravels under Geese's onslaught, boiling away into unformed chi and launching Baiken even higher up, but it fulfills its purpose of acting like a shield - barely. Much more, and he would have gone right through both of them.

Baiken nearly makes it to the top of the room, doing a forward flip before she begins to descend. She does nothing to check her descent, and it looks like she might be trying to land on top of Geese - but instead she slams down next to him, a veritable pillar of pink chi blasting up just in front of her as she touches down, half attack and half shockwave caused from her abrupt landing.

COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Baiken's Tetsuzansen.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Geese            0/-------/=======|=======\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
The Shippuken rips through the tatami mat, scattering it back into chi. By contrast, Baiken evades, combining skill and near-impossible manuevering to stay one step ahead. Geese grits his teeth, zeroing in on Baiken as she shifts and makes her descent. He grabs what's left of his slashed gi, ripping it off and tossing it aside and leaving his chest bare. The blood-soaked white gi lands in a heap.

And as she crashes down, Geese back steps and crosses his arms over his chest. The chi explosion smashes into him, forcing him to skid across the hardwood floor briefly. As he does he shifts his footing, bringing himself to an abrupt stop. When he does, he throws his arms forward once more and powers toward Baiken.

The crimelord sweeps in low, fingers tensing like steel. He snaps forward with one hand, aiming to snatch Baiken by the throat. If he does, Geese turns, swinging her over his head in a judo-style shoulder throw that slams her hard into the wooden floor. On impact, chi-lightning crashes down--or up--from the impact with a rumble of thunder.

COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Baiken with Raimei Gouha Nage.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Geese            1/-----==/=======|=======\====---\1           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
Baiken never really planned to use that maneuver after a crashing descent like that when she trained herself to perform it. It was an improvisation, and a good one, but the sheer force of the landing has dropped her low in an attempt to remain stable and absorb the impact with bent legs.

She is still rising when Geese sweeps toward her, and though her warding sword comes up to swat his hand away, it's too slow and too low. His hands dig into her throat, and her vision becomes chaotic for a moment as she's swung up, over, and solidly to the ground with a thunderous crash -

Oh, no, that was actual thunder, she realizes a moment too late.

Baiken rolls from her impact point, gasping for breath; the paired assault of the throw and the chi thunderclap knocked it out of her. She gets to her knees, then rises the rest of the way with a snarl, her empty sleeve whipping out toward Geese. Or, as it turns out, 'empty'. It's clearly got something in it now that the fabric hangs off of, a gleam of steel just visible at the edge of the tattered cloth.

Sweeping the sleeve wide, Baiken's blade extends from the sleeve, a wickedly curved and heavy blade more suitable for chopping than finesse. It's broad, and she swings it to use the impact as much as anything else, attempting to push Geese back and give her some space to maneuver.

COMBATSYS: Baiken successfully hits Geese with Youzansen.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Geese            1/---====/=======|=======\=======\1           Baiken

[GEESE]
The air is heavy, tense. It smells of ozone as Geese steps away from Baiken in the wake of his Raimei Gouha Nage. He lowers his hands once more, exhaling deeply. Blood drips again from his wounds, settling fluidly on the well-varnished floor.

"Hmph," Geese grunts. It's arrogant and prideful, but graciously brief. He says nothing further, however, as Baiken is soon on the rise. Geese notices that flash, and he raises his forearm to guard.

But the blade is too swift, it's hooked and heavy edge slams deeply into his arm, pushing against it to slice into his shoulder. Geese bites down in pain and gasps, but he does not shout. The man's iron will keeps him from doing that.

Instead he retaliates with a vengeance. Surging with chi, Geese powers forward with a fast elbow strike, bracing the blow with his other arm with the goal of delivering enough force to stagger the ronin. He follows up swiftly with a short, chi-infused palm thrusted, then immediately transitions into a double open-palm strike, cradling an orb of chi in his hands.

Relentlessly, if he catches Baiken with the initial strikes, Geese unleashes a flurry of shippukens, each palm strike thrown in rapid fire for a volley of wind-like projectiles.

COMBATSYS: Baiken blocks Geese's Asura Shippuu Ken.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Geese            0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
Retracting her off-hand (off-arm?) blade and sheathing her katana in the same practiced shrugging movement, Baiken leaves herself with a free hand and an empty sleeve once again.

This is not her abandoning the fight. Far from it. But there are some things she can parry with a sword, and some things she does better with her hand. She expects that Geese's assault is going to be one of the second, and she barely has enough time to get into position.

As it turns out, Baiken is correct. She catches the first elbow strike on her outstretched hand, hard enough to numb her fingers and drive her back a step; she's a lot lighter than Geese, and while normally this is not a problem, it puts her in a disadvantage in resisting being pushed back by the sheer brute force of his blow.

But tingling fingers or not (as feeling returns very quickly), it means Baiken is not staggered when the assault comes. She defends herself, her hand flitting this way and that as she deflects as many blows as she can, summoning her own chi up in a blaze of pink to protect herself from the shippukens.

Geese may notice that Baiken is performing very precise movements with the fingers of that hand while she guards against the cutting winds. She's summoned up her own chi, and now she's going to put it to use; at the very instant he stops his assault, she stomps, thrusting her hand forward with one last gesture, reaching out to him with a roar.

A large symbol in blazing pink chi appears in the air, along with a barely-visible aura; a Japanese character, old-fashioned and stylized to the point of near-illegibility to anyone who doesn't already know what it is. Baiken, of course, reads it without issue: Baku. Seal.

Baiken's sealing magic works through the aura. If it strikes Geese, if it takes hold, he finds his chi bound temporarily - and with it, his body feels slow, fatigued, sluggish. It won't last very long; if Geese can shake it off, it will last only instants, and even if he doesn't it's a temporary thing.

But in a battle like this, those instants are everything.

COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Baiken's Baku.

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Geese            0/-------/---====|>>>>>>-\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Age seems to have done little to slow down Geese or decrease his power. Even though he's creeping past his crime, the man's dedication to his training shows through the precision and raw power with which he strikes. He does not relent when Baiken goes on the defensive, and he continues to bear down on her to the end.

And as the last shippuken fades against her blazing aura, Geese sees the handsigns. His brow raises slightly as she thrusts forward with a solitary striking motion. Geese responds in turn, snapping forward with an elbow to intercept Baiken's palm and meet it in the middle. The blow rattles the bones of his arm, but the magic does not seem to take hold as intended.

"Hmph--some kind of magic?" Geese asks, a hint of genuine curiousity in his voice. "--no matter. "Not enough!!"

Geese's arms snap up into the air, wrists crossed over his head. Wind rips and surges around him like a growing cyclone as his aura swells with power. The winds coalesce like a vortex as the power reaches its peak.
%"Raging..."

Geese slams both hands down, the chi erupting in great, jagged spikes of raw power in front of him. The impact is great enough that they rip through the boards of the floor, threatening to the do the same to Baiken.

"STORM!!!"

COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Baiken with Raging Storm+.
+ Epic Hit! +

[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Geese            0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>---\1           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
"Skills," Baiken says, in response.

She's never been interested in explaining much about herself - not where she learned her skills, not her age, not even where she's from beyond 'Japan', which is something that she probably couldn't hide even if she wanted to. There's no audience here (well, okay, there's the elevator attendant/her escort, if he hasn't left), but why hand Geese an advantage she doesn't have to?

Baiken knows there is more. He shook off the effect too quickly to have it dampen him for more than a split second, and while fights can turn on an instant, she didn't have enough time to take advantage of it. She needs a moment to recover after that maneuver, too.

She doesn't get it.

The Raging Storm tears through the floorboards and strikes Baiken from underneath, sending her up into the air from the sheer force of Geese's attack. For those few moments she is tumbling uncontrollably, head over heels, until she manages to recover in the air so that she is merely flying away from him.

In midair, Baiken throws out her sleeve toward Geese, despite being several yards too far away to reach him. Several objects shoot out all at once, but none of them hit him; they all thump into the floor just beyond him from her point of view, digging in firmly. He may not even realize what they are at first: metal hooks, connected to Baiken's body, somewhere up the sleeve, by cables.

Baiken is abruptly no longer flying away from Geese. She's being pulled toward him - past him, to the anchor points on the ground, as the grappling hooks yank her toward the sturdy floor when the ropes retract. All the momentum of her flight is turned into a single mighty sword stroke as she passes him, aimed toward his midsection - a killing blow on a normal person, but on Geese merely the amount of force she needs to take him out.

Whether she's successful in landing the blow or not, Baiken slams feet-first into the floor behind Geese. The hooks disconnect from the floor, the ropes vanishing the rest of the way up her sleeve, as she turns once again to face him. She's battered, bruised, not far from defeat - but she's not there yet, and her expression shows fury and determination.

COMBATSYS: Geese fails to counter Metsudo Kushoudou from Baiken with Chuudan Atemi Nage.
! VENGEANCE !

[                        \\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Geese            0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Geese takes several heavy breaths as the Raging Storm fades. He rises up, standing upright to face Baiken again. Even as he does though, she's recovering, hooking herself to realign and redirect. Geese notices that all the weapons fall short, but says nothing--there's something amiss. Whatever she's doing is planned. Strategic.

Geese's eyes narrow. He focuses, shifting his stance as she comes in. He opens his palms, feet sliding apart as he sets his chance and prepares to intercept her with another deadly counter.

The speed is unprecedented. Baiken surges past with such velocity that her sword slips through Geese's guard and splits open his side with another splash of blood. He drops as if in defeat, dropping to one knee but using his palm to steady himself. He takes heavy breaths, then rises slowly, hand still pressed to his wounded side.

"This resolve--what drives you? Vengeance?" Geese asks. "I can sense it. There is someone you must kill--this," Geese says, "is what gives you the drive to grasp truth strength."

[BAIKEN]
After her impact, Baiken rises, turning to keep Geese in her sights. Her sword is back in her scabbard again; Baiken prefers mixed combat, both blade and bare-handed, but because she only has one hand, she has to alternate rather than having both available at once.

She is watching Geese carefully, hand held in front of her, palm out; it's still reddened from the impacts she's absorbed today, her whole body battered and bruised. Her eye is narrowed as she watches him, wounded but not defeated.

Just like her.

And he's gotten an accurate read on her. Baiken /is/ driven to kill; That Man must die before she does, or everything she's done is for nothing. Him and his monsters; she hunts Darkstalkers like those she remembers from her youth, because they have no right to exist in this world. She has little in the way of a life outside of combat; few friends, few hobbies. Nothing but violence. She rarely truly feels alive any other time anymore.

Her lips curl back in a snarl. "What's it to you?" she asks. She does not really expect, or want, a response; it's only a moment before she returns to the attack, darting forward, around Geese. She moves so fast she blurs as she tries to get behind him, using her free hand to deliver a solid punch as she circles, passing so close that she feels she's inside his guard for that instant.

COMBATSYS: Geese blocks Baiken's Mawarikomi.
COMBATSYS: Geese refuses to stay down!

[                         \\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Geese            0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0           Baiken

[GEESE]
Geese watches Baiken silently. She paces, shifting. They're both exhausted and depleted. The fight is taking everything from both of them as they push desperately to snatch victory from the diehard grasp of the other. In this way, they are kindred spirits. Perhaps they are in more ways than just this.

Geese laughs. Even when he does, it's clear he's worsened his wounds by the way he winches from it. He fights the reflex, likely seeing it as a sign of weakness.

"We're not that different then," Geese says, arrogant as always even on the brink of defeat. "We both understand that power. The willingness to do whatever is necessary to accomplish a goal."

And then Baiken is behind him, striking out with a palm strike. Geese's chi surges as he spins around, slamming his forearm against the strike. Blood drips froms his side as he does, the strain pushing him to his limits. Even so, he does not fall. Not yet.

Instead Geese snaps around, reaching to try and catch Baiken by the throat. If he does, he lifts her off the ground in a choke hold, as if to defy his wounds and the damage she's done. Perhaps he doesn't know better. Maybe he's making a statement. Either way, he's likely in worse shape than she is.

COMBATSYS: Geese successfully hits Baiken with Choke Hold.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Geese            0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0           Baiken

[BAIKEN]
Baiken grunts, a non-committal sound, when Geese says they're similar. They might be. She doesn't actually know much about Geese; he's never really crossed her path before. He's not her preferred sort of target; she's not involved in the kind of things that would draw her to his attention.

But she doesn't really care, either. She's here to get stronger. Anything else is secondary.

Which may, in fact, make them even more similar.

Geese comes in faster than Baiken would credit him, given his condition. She's pushed him hard and she expected him to be slowed by his injuries, especially after he made them worse by laughing at her. But he comes in faster than she could credit, and because the increasing exhaustion is mutual, she can't react in time.

Geese picks her up by the throat. Baiken's face reddens as she twists in his grip, and though she manages to free herself, the damage is done; when she drops, there's a distinctly darkening stripe across her throat. It's not the first time he's picked her up by it; the bruise is getting worse.

She doesn't even try to speak through it. Instead, she thrusts her empty sleeve toward him, ejecting what appears to be a spiked club on a clanking chain. All she does is try to bounce it off him once, pulling it back; she didn't really care what weapon she pulled out just so long as she could hold him away for a few seconds to catch her breath.

COMBATSYS: Geese fails to counter Random Strike from Baiken with Gedan Atemi Nage.
- Power fail! -

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

COMBATSYS: Geese can no longer fight.

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

[GEESE]
Geese holds Baiken for what feels like a painfully long moment. Exhausted, bloodied, and badly wounded, the Syndicate leader maintains a grim determination that would be admirable--even heroic--were it not coming from such a monster of a man in charge of the world's most powerful crime syndicates.

But Baiken's struggles are not without success; she breaks free from his grip and moves away, desperately grasping for a weapon. Geese lips curl into a smile as he sees the desperation. Feels it. This sort of weakness is his moment to capitalize. He has seen it many times before. This is his victory. He will not be denied in his climb to defeat Wolfgang Krauser.

The spiked club launches out and Geese snaps to intercept. In his mind, his well-toned reflexes strike the club with a knock-hard backhand, intercepting it to expose the chain. He grasps it, dragging Baiken to him to grapple her by the face and slam her painfully against the floor.

In reality, the backhand strikes the chain. It is not deflected, instead bouncing upward in its course. It smashes into his solar plexus, doubling Geese over in a shower of blood and spittle. He sinks, slowly, reaching to try and grab hold of Baiken--but she's slightly out of reach. Instead, he looks at her with hatred. Not at her, but at his own weakness.

His eyes roll back as he collapses forward into unconsciousness.

[BAIKEN]
It's a lucky shot. Baiken threw it to force Geese to react to it rather than continue his attack on her immediately, but the key to that is that she did expect him to react to it. But when it strikes home, she feels it. She can tell the blow is good, and she shifts, drawing the club back and readying her hand for another blow.

It never comes. When Geese falls, Baiken comes close; she slumps, the fatigue catching up to her. Her breathing is ragged; if she spoke, her voice would be rough after the times she was choked tonight. She's on the verge of collapse, but she refuses to fall, even after Geese has.

With more poise than she feels, Baiken turns, walking (slowly) toward the elevator. She has nothing more to do here, and no desire to rub it in; the battle is what she came for, having picked someone highly ranked to challenge herself against.

That, she thinks, should convince the others to underestimate her less.

Log created on 17:34:12 02/16/2018 by Baiken, and last modified on 20:21:55 02/18/2018.