Match of the Millennium

Description: It's trouble down by the border! Trouble enough to attract the attention of one praetorian soldier, Potemkin, in search of stolen Zepp technology and missing weapon caches. Enough to attract the attention of a so called 'god' who is furious at the interlopers despoiling his lands. Enough to draw the attention of a woman who..just wants to smash faces into the ground and call it a day.

[KOTAL]
Mexico - United States Border Outpost: 12:32 PM.
The rattling warble of countless insects rises up from the broken earth and scattered shrubs of the surrounding land, filling the dusty air with their discordant song. Seen from above, a lone tower of dull grey cinder blocks squats beside a heavy steel gate, cement walls stretching out 100 feet to either side of the barren outpost. Beyond that the fence diminishes into simple chain links with a razor-wire overhang, vanishing off into the hazy distance.
It is hot. Extremely hot. The baking sun glares down from the clear sky like the hateful eye of some long forgotten god, its gaze reflected from the scorched earth to cook anyone who dares venture out from both above and below. Still, walking across a blazing wasteland isn't the worst thing that could possibly happen to someone. If they were really unfortunate, they could share the fate of the guards that were posted here.
Though two white border patrol SUVs were once parked on the north side of the gate, only one remains upright. Windshield smashed and driver door buckled sharply inward, it holds lonely sentinel over the cracked cement of the highway. Its twin lies on its side several yards east of the road, having been launched out into the desert by some unimaginable force. Wheels up, it lies crumpled and broken like a child's toy, smoke rising from its dead engine.
The guards themselves have met even more gruesome fates than their vehicles. Having originally numbered 6, 4 of them now lie scattered across the road in various pieces, guts, vital organs, and mangled limbs basting in thick pools of blood. The fifth has been reduced to little more than a shriveled pile of twisted bones lying in a smoking pile of ash.
The sixth guard, remarkably, is still alive. Though he likely wishes he were not.
The tanned young man is currently dangling a foot off the ground, held aloft by an enormous turquoise hand who's back is protected by a dark grey bracer. The owner of the hand is an equally huge man with leathery turquoise skin covered in deep ritual scars that currently pulse with subdued golden light, his form bulky in the way only a mega heavyweight fighter's can be. Rugged features stern, eyes burning like twin suns, the enormous fighter stares hard at the comparatively tiny man he has caught.
All is still. There is no wind to rustle the crimson feathers that cascade down the bulky fighter's back, attached to the golden eagle helmet he wears. The only motion comes from the struggling of the man, and the stead drip, drip of blood falling from the blade of the huge saw-toothed Macuahuitl he holds in his other hand.
"Tell me," Kotal breathes into the guard's face, voice the deep, chesty purr of a lion, "where is it that the usurper of this land is sending his shipments of weapons. I have learned that they pass through this point. And do not attempt to deceive me, mortal. your petty lies will burn away beneath the might of the sun."

[POTEMKIN]
Zepp's involvement in the affairs of the outside world in the aftermath of the war in Japan have been..minimal at best. There was some interest in the events of Illyria, followed by a severing of ties with The NOL for their actions leading up to and in the aftermath of that.. and then there was internal upheavel as the buckling of the leylines temporarily launched the newly minted republic skywards along with other parts of Eastern and Western Europe.. but following that all became quiet so far as communication is concerned.

Until now that is. Word regarding the possiblity of Zepp based Chi-tek weaponry and less potent, but still Zepp designed weapon caches, falling into the wrong hands, has prompted the deployment of one of their elite and as the praetorian guards transport makes its way closer to the border skirmish, screaming across the sky, it quickly becomes aware of the conflict taking place below.

"It looks like someone's beat us to our deployment spot, sir." yells the pilot into his communicator. "It looks like a mess down there. But we've got the clearence from home and the U.S. to engage!"

"Deploy." rumbles a vastly deep voice that vibrates the speakers nearly to their breaking point with its basso rumble.

An instant later and the cargo hold of the plane opens and a massive metal container is fired forth and then launched across the skies towards the combat zone. It screams through the air rapidly, descending like a meteor before breaking thrusters ignite and then the whole thing explodes mid air sending its rumbling echo across the landscape. Out of this explosion comes a -huuuuge- figure, thundering earth wards with massive fists outstretched only to right itself at the last instant and descend in a trademarked 'superhero pose' towards the ground itself. The impact shakes the area, and the green clad newcomer slides along the ground near the edge of Kotal's rampage, digging up a trench in the rocky earth as he comes to a stop.

"Code 4595605381, Potemkin, deployed. Preparing to engage the hostiles."

[BULLET]
Would that Bullet had the support to make such grandiose entrances- but the woman is out and about on her own, and doing strange things besides. For instance, most people might not be wandering along the fence looking for the nearest crossing, as though they had been just wandering through the desert without a care. But then, most people were not on the hunt for rumours of secret laboratories and illicit research projects.

So it might not be unreasonable for someone to not notice the approach of the bronzed woman as she walks along with a sack over her shoulder. Nor seeing the look of... more confusion than anything as she looks around the mangled scene. Well, on the up side, probably won't be much resistance to her crossing over here, now. Downside- whoever that tall fellow is.

"Huh. This doesn't look like it's going to pass me by quietly," she says to nobody in particular, dropping her sack unceremoniously as she slows to a stop next to the off-the-road vehicle. "You don't exactly look like the type to let someone go about their business." Not that she is that thing herself, anyways. Especially when she heard something about weapon transport- might lead her back to her target in the end.

[KOTAL]
The struggling, sobbing guard caught in Kotal's grasp has little enough time to respond before Bullet's bemused words cut in from behind, slicing neatly through whatever answer the prisoner might have been about to babble. And, if that weren't enough, the neat slicing of the conversation is followed by a literal explosion of dirt and debris as over two thousand pounds of heavily armored hero ploughs an entry trench through the nearby countryside.
A couple of loose rocks ping off of Kotal's armored shoulders as he turns his burning gaze toward the green-clad tank that is Potemkin, having to lift his chin in order to stare toward the monstrous man's visor. And though Potemkin towers over him just as easily as he does the guard in his grip, the ancient Aztec seems not at all alarmed.
"Excellent." Kotal murmurs, the guard's feet swinging through the air as he turns calmly to face the two newest arrivals to his little playground. Fingers claw at his wrist, boots kick, but no matter what the man does, it doesn't seem to have any effect on the turquoise figure holding him. "It would seem that the answers I seek step willingly into my path."
Tightening his fist, Kotal ends the guard's life with a wet crunch and a final spasm of limbs, dropping his lifeless body to the sand with a careless 'wumph.' His other hand still holds his long, saw-bladed weapon, teeth slick with blood, but he makes no move toward either Potemkin, or Bullet.
"You will not have been the first armored man that has died by my hand." Kotal informs the metal monstrosity in a stern, paternal tone, before his blazing gaze turns toward the now packless, and much smaller, form of Bullet. "Nor you the first harlot. However," tone shifting, growing almost gentle, reassuring, the glowing man shifts his gaze between the two fighters currently facing him, "If you tell me where it is the usurper has hidden his weapons. you will yet draw breath when next the dawn breaks. This need not be your final stand."

[POTEMKIN]
Another unknown?? Potemkins slides his glowing gaze towards Bullet to curiously examine her - but then he returns his white eyes to Kotal as he speaks and makes it clear Bullet is not one of his but a neutral arrival that..is quite possibly in extreme danger due to the happenstance of her approach.

He holds up a massive gauntlted hand, palm facing the woman, to urge her to keep her distance while, ever the noble soul, he moves to begin to approach her, keeping his massive front facing Kotal so as to act as a shield for her as she draws near. The ground shakes with his footsteps and his eyes narrow slightly.

"You will find that what you perceive as armor is for your protection more then mine." He rumbles cryptically though, indeed, the flex of his ridiculously immense physique squeezes and contorts his Zepp uniform as a near skin tight uniform, bending the armor with his movements and an audible creaking of his body.

"I do not know who you are but your actions here and your blood thirst will not go unanswered. I have questions for you regarding a cache of weapons. You would be wise to cease hostilities and stand down and be ready with an answer to my queries.."

[BULLET]
The word 'Harlot' sort of flies over Bullet's head, poor sheltered... well, child soldier that she is. But she gets the gist, and narrows her eyes, the scar tissue across her face scrunching as she looks over the threatening figure.

Speaking of gauntlets, she lifts her left hand- making quite obvious the massive gauntlet-y contraption thereupon, and the strange lens sitting in her palm. She frowns more fully now, rolling her neck and rubbing at it absently with her other hand. "Well. Maybe I don't -want- to pass by quiet after all. Wouldn't happen to be Sector Seven weapons you both are talking about, would they?"

She ensures that she maintains a reasonable distance from Potemkin, just in case- even though he seemes relatively harmless in this circumstance. Her stance starts to broaden and lower, slowly at first- nothing sudden or liable to provoke immediate hostilities. Still, any reasonably trained eye can see how coiled, almost eager she is even before the stance shift.

[KOTAL]
The offer of peace is given, arrogant as it might be, but neither of the mortals seem interested. Such a shame. How quickly people forget the lessons taught to their ancestors. Perhaps if they knew who they were facing...
"The people of this land have known me by many names. To one, I was Buluc, the god of war and sudden death. Those who came after called me Huitzilopotchli, high god of sun and blood." As the ancient being speaks, his tone takes on the deep, hard tone of command expected of a lord, authority rolling off of him just as powerfully as the golden light that pulses along his ritual markings. He certainly looks like a god might.
"I am Kotal, the rightful lord and protector of the Mexicas, and I do not kneel at your command."
This last bit is addressed directly to Potemkin, his stony features full of stern disapproval that any, even an 8+ foot tall armored tank of a man, would attempt to make demands of him. Lifting his oversized war paddle, the god of war hangs it from a hook jutting from the back of his left shoulder and shifts forward a step, dust kicking up as his cloth-wrapped foot makes contact with the earth. Glowering with open discontent, he fixes his blazing golden eyes fully upon Potemkin, staring through the armored man as if to some distant point far beyond the horizon.
"I know not from where these weapons come. Only that they arm those who would oppress my people. The Mexicas will be not the slave of any power. I will burn the corruption from the heart of this land and restore it to its former glory. And if you do not wish to join me, then you must stand against me."
Apparently having made up his mind, Kotal raises his right hand high overhead and summons forth the power of the sun, golden light pulsing up from his palm and solidifying into a heavy stone disk the size of a manhole cover. The edges of the tablet burn with etched runes that seem to leak flame, while a burning skull leers out from the center toward the heavens above.
Dropping his hand, Kotal snags the disk by one edge and pivots, muscles surging beneath his hide in a single, explosive contraction. Hurling it forth like the world's deadliest Frisbee, he sends the sun stone humming through the air directly toward Potemkin's chest, where it is likely to impact with enough force even for the big man to notice.
Only then do his eyes fall upon Bullet, staring at her with lordly expectance. Now, it seems, would be a good time for her to decide where her loyalties lie.

COMBATSYS: Kotal has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Kotal            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Potemkin has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Potemkin         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0            Kotal

COMBATSYS: Bullet has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Bullet           0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0            Kotal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Potemkin with Sunstone.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Bullet           0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0            Kotal
[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/----===|

[POTEMKIN]
Massive arms attempt to lift to serve as a wall against the incoming racing disc of energy but the movements are to little, to late. The slow lumbering movements of a freight train attempt to rev itself up and like said freight train it's an open field where attacks are concerned.

"Hrnnn!" grunts Potemkin as the blast slams itself into the garage door like width of his chest, scorching into and through the Zeppian uniform and splaying solar born energy in every direction as it rebounds off of him and burns through him. The ground scorches and lights into walls of flame as the sun rays race across them but Potemkin, for his part, stays upright and with a push of his chest, blasts away the disc into motes of golden energy with a glowing scorch mark left behind on his damaged uniform.

"MEGA - FIST!!" is his response in the form of a massive bellow that shakes the area just before the area truly lurches from his body leaping from the ground to briefly become blot out the sun and then descend like a falling sequoia towards Kotal.

Both of his massive fists clench and pull back before punching forward as he descends, a blur of movement that sends gauntleted fists akin to the size of a semi-truck cab hurtling at Kotal.

[BULLET]
Though she may have at some point wanted to keep talking, once the first swing- or gigantic glowing disc- is thrown, Bullet is focused on 'business'. She darts to the side, away from Potemkin, keeping herself well clear of any possible collateral damage. She's leaned down now, hands forward, open and ready to do... something.

She coils further, drawing back with her heavier gauntlet forward for protection. Her eyes zero in on Kotal, a razor-sharp focus apparent in them. The sense of her focus locking on to the... man? is almost palpable.

When she launches forward it's like her namesake going off- no great sun-blotting arcs, no energy pulled from the sun itself- apparently just an explosive burst of speed, almost flying straight for the ancient man with a fist drawn back for an uppercut to open her assault.

COMBATSYS: Kotal just-defends Bullet's Lock On!

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Bullet           0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0            Kotal
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/-----==|

COMBATSYS: Potemkin successfully hits Kotal with Mega Fist.
- Power hit! -

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Bullet           0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1            Kotal
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

[KOTAL]
Battle is joined, and once more Kotal finds himself engaged in that sacred contest between combatants that only a warrior could ever truly understand.
In all the chaos of their opening moves, it would have been easy for Bullet to slip off to one side, unnoticed and unremarked upon. However, the god of war is staring directly at her as Potemkin takes to the sky, and is more than ready for her. Though her speed is great, the ground flashing beneath her in a blur, the ancient warrior catches her out of the air like a toy doll, one enormous hand closing around her throat and causing her uppercut to blast up into the space between him, just missing his outstretched arm.
"Join me," Kotal murmurs , golden eyes intense and presence nearly overwhelming at such short range. Power rolls off of the man, dangerous yet oddly regal.
But before she has a chance to answer, Potemkin comes crashing down from above.
Through luck, or perhaps good aim, Bullet is spared the vast majority of the impact as the comet of metal and meat falls upon Kotal, oversized fists smashing down upon his head and shoulders with enough force to turn a lesser man to pulp. The ground quakes, dust blasting out from the point of impact, and the hand on Bullet's throat drops low enough that her feet can touch ground as the glowing war god is forced down to one knee.
Shoulders bent beneath the weight of his challenger, Kotal lifts his head to glare up at Potemkin, lips pulling back from even white teeth, and surges to his feet with a muscular shrug that forcibly dislodges the larger man. Only then does he seem to recall the woman that he still holds, turning his snarl down upon her as if she were somehow to blame.
The golden energy pulsing across Kotal's body intensifies as his anger ratchets up, and he attempts to tighten his fingers around Bullet's throat before she can slip away or counter attack. The squeeze is accompanied by a horrible burning sensation as blazing energy travels down his arm to pulse directly into her body. Unless she can escape, she will gain a hopefully temporary brand of huge godly fingers around her neck before the turquoise warrior hoists her overhead and hurls her straight down toward the ground, doing his best to send her to China via the shortest rout possible.

[POTEMKIN]
Tis not mere luck but a last second correction that causes Potemkin's assault to miss Bullet - though at the same time even while airborn he senses the burst of power and speed at the disposal of the woman not to mention her bravery as she charges in on a man that just hurtled a glowing disc of sunlight. Recent battles have taught Potemkin the wisdom of not under estimating opponents based on appearence alone and Kotal will likely be dismissive of and ignore this woman at his peril.

At the same time, with both of them seemingly being close quarter opponents and heavy hitters at that, there is a serious risk of them just colliding into each other if they don't coordinate and agree to work together.

"Not Sector Seven!" he calls out to Bullet, "Zepp! But if you aid me here then we can talk about Sector Seven and, perhaps, mutual goals!"

That should be enough, assuming she is capable of hearing him given her grapple with Kotal. For his part, he lends aid by correcting his movements as Kotal pushes him back - a feat of considerable legend by itself, and he drops down to his knees and braces a massive arm. Muscle bulks up, straining his uniform to the tearing point as he takes aim with an outstretched arm and braces it with another arm. He then simply flicks his finger.

And that is enough. The sudden burst of force causes the air to rupture and ripple out a shockwave of force that rockets the distance between himself and Kotal and to hopefully give Bullet the edge she needs to pull free.

COMBATSYS: Bullet fails to interrupt Metztli from Kotal with Cutting Sheer.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Bullet           0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1            Kotal
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/-----==|

[BULLET]
Spite and a newfound hatred carry the day as Bullet thrashes in the grip of the supposed deity- physically restrained and ineffectual, if perhaps not yet cowed by this imposing presence.

Bullet already has trouble adjusting to fighting without a squad- so this strange three-way battle is yet more trouble for her. Her face more angry than pained despite the predicament, she puts her hand on Kotal's wrist and the other reaches for his shoulder as her foot touches ground- but ultimately this proves futile, between the iron grip on her and all the added jostling and motion from the third combatant.

Her back slams into the ground with force that would likely be bonebreaking for most, cracking through rocks and leaving her in something of a small crater as she wrenches unsuccessfully at Kotal's hand. Well this is not how she envisioned this day going.

COMBATSYS: Kotal endures Potemkin's F.D.B.!

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Bullet           0/-------/-======|=======\======-\1            Kotal
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

[KOTAL]
Bullet's body is still ploughing a mercenary-shaped hole in the earth when Kotal steps over her, the jawbones set beneath his skull belt clacking softly with each heavy step. With all the glowering discontent of a provoked deity, the glowing god lowers his shoulder and charges, impacting the spatial distortion set forth by Potemkin's finger and powering through it as if it weren't even there. Air gusts out behind him, causing his loincloth to flutter and the long feathers of his helmet to whip about as he bares down upon the Zepp soldier with murderous intent.
Teeth bared, Kotal pounds right up to Potemkin, feet thudding heavily against the earth though not nearly to the extent of the larger man. However, despite their size difference, the brute makes no attempt to slow or swerve. Powerful hands coming up, he shoves forward and reaches for Potemkin's left thigh and right shoulder, doing his best to bully right through the huge man's guard and sink his fingers into the thick armor plating. Then, and only then, will he be able to leverage his might, heaving upward in an attempt to haul Potemkin right off the ground and thrust him over head. If he can get the big man up, he will charge along for two more steps before bringing the walking tank down in an earth-shaking body slam to end all body slams.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin blocks Kotal's Melahuac EX.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Bullet           0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1            Kotal
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

[POTEMKIN]
"This is pointless!" declares Potemkin as he leans his massive physique forward into the fury of Kotal's rage. "You have no reason to be doing this save blood thirst and arrogance! Stand down!"
In grappling with him, Kotal may be surprised to feel that much of the giant isn't armored. That his monstrous body, size, and incredible weight is indeed all him and not the product of added technology. His muscles bunch up and move like the tectonic plates as he sets his force against the other warrior to resist the effort to pull him skyward. His feet, which do wear armored boots, crush into the ground and his hands, which are covered by massive gauntlets, lunge forward in a grappling effort all his own.

Chi burns and flares up as the internal furnace of Potemkin's barely controlled strength and chi, spirals up and rushes into his hands as he braces and attempts to haul Kotal upwards in turn and if successful, leap skywards with him and then back down again for an earth shaking backbreaker across his highway wide shoulders.

His movements also push them both away from where Bullet is, trying to give the woman a chance to recover and rebound back into the fight.

[BULLET]
With a sizable wince, Bullet rolls over out of the hole in the ground she just involuntarily dug. She pushes herself into a crouch, turning to watch the two giants attempt to mercilessly smash one another. She grimaces, putting a hand to her neck for just a moment- yep, that mark'll last a minute.

She tenses herself again, blinking past whatever she might be feeling from the back of her ribcage. As the pair trade attempts at grabs, she takes hold of her left arm with her right hand, looking at the oversized gauntlet she wears on that side. Her voice rings out sternly, two simple words; "System Override."

Some regulator decouples, a passageway opens, and raging flames shoot out around her, her weapon- and indeed her whole body being overcome with a fiery orange glow. She springs back to her feet, faster and remarkably ready to go despite the near-literal god press she endured.

COMBATSYS: Bullet gathers her will.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Bullet           1/-----==/=======|=======\=====--\1            Kotal
[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Kotal interrupts Potemkin Buster from Potemkin with Coatl Strikes.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Bullet           1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/=======|

[KOTAL]
Strength to strength, pride to pride, Kotal remains locked in an intense grapple with the enormous green-clad soldier. Pavement is ground to powder beneath their feet, the air growing hotter from the press of their chi-infused wills. Like two fire giants from times long forgotten, they strive against one another.
"Do not presume," Kotal grunts, voice low and serious as it is forced out between gritted teeth, "to command me. If you wish this struggle to end," With a sudden burst of strength, Kotal suddenly shifts backwards, tearing free from the massive hands attempting to haul him into the air, "You Will Kneel!"
Bullet forgotten, mission forgotten, Kotal focuses the whole of his attention upon this lone warrior that has descended from on high to challenge him on his own turf. The golden light pulsing across his tattoos flares with sudden, blinding brilliance, and he moves with speed too fast for the eye to track.
'CLANG!'
The first sign of Kotal's attack is the resounding echo that blasts out from the point of impact. Having pulled his Macuahuitl free from his back, the glowing god stands braced with its spiked tip resting on the ground, Potemkin's chest plate still vibrating from the residual force with which he was struck.
His golden glow much diminished, Kotal steps forward and swings his heavy weapon up for a second strike, this one slow enough to be followed. However, rather than bringing the saw-edge to bare for a second time, he swings the flat of the paddle up in a brutal two-handed swing for the side of Potemkin's helmet, impacting with another resounding 'CLONG!'

[POTEMKIN]
Indeed, speaking of not under-estimating foes.

Kotal is proving more then a match for the both of them. Be he a god or no, and certainly the bizarre happenings of the world are not devoid of individuals who make such claims, he is a powerful opponent.

Potemkin's assault is to slow and to ponderous for the blinding speed at which Kotal moves and the shockwaves from the attacks he absorbs ripple and roar their way across the landscape with the final attack actually pushing Potemkin backwards into a slide and a sidways fall like a skyscraper that has been toppled over.

His massive palm lunges out to catch him at the very last second and he holds his ground before pushing back up again to a winded but crouched position. His helmet is battered and the Zepp military coat turned full body limiter device is visibly damaged with signs of Potekins' bruised flesh visible through the damage done to his outer wear.

But he's not down yet. "I fear you will find it difficult to make a soldier of Zepp kneel to anyone. We've done our time as slaves and that time will never come again.."

He straightens back up and pounds his huge knuckles together, producing another earth shaking rumble.. but also holds his ground, taking a moment to consider Kotal before striking again.

COMBATSYS: Potemkin focuses on his next action.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Bullet           1/-----==/=======|===----\-------\0            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/=======|

[BULLET]
Bullet is all too happy to have an opponent's attention focused elsewhere- it offers her a lovely opportunity. While normally she's prone to short bursts of motion, staccato and measured, at this moment she's in a full run towards the large blue man that is clearly her biggest problem right now. She hunkers low, minimizing her profile as she closes the distance.

There's been a great many imperious and inspiring statements given by the two large men. It's about time Bullet made a contribution. As she closes in closer, she offers a very distinct; "Oh, fuck off already!" There may be some lingering pain in her ribcage contributing to the sourness.

As she draws near, she ducks even lower, rising back up to grab at the man- the kind of grab that would lead into her launching into the air with him in tow, whirling him about into a bash from her other hand.

COMBATSYS: Kotal endures Bullet's Miquelet Capture.

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Bullet           1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Kotal issues a challenge!!

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Bullet           1/----===/=======|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/=======|

[KOTAL]
"You demand much of me for an interloper." Kotal responds, staring toward Potemkin with his jaw clinched and his massive sword held easily in one hand. Whatever the merits of the Zepp might be, they seem to be leaving little impression on the angered god.
But wasn't there another combatant for him to deal with? That woman with Sector Seven...
Bullet's grumpy shout reaches Kotal half a moment before her gauntleted hands seize him, armored fingers digging into stone-hard flesh. He is even heavier than he looks, but bullet's rage propels them into the air with a rush of wind, spiraling him around for a single, heavy punch aimed squarely for his middle.
'WHMF!
Hitting the god of war in the abs is not unlike punching a molded expanse of reinforced concrete. A slight grunt is forced from between his lips, but more than anything she's managed to get his attention, golden eyes glaring down at her from much too close a distance.
"You have made your challenge, you will prove your worth through Kombat, or fall at my hand!"
With both of them still hovering eight feet off of the ground, Kotal swings his oversized paddle up over his head, cloth-wrapped hilt gripped tightly in both hands, and brings it down with enough speed and force to send waves of wind roaring out in all directions. If Bullet doesn't have some way to deal with it, she's likely to find herself in a brand new crater, but this time with a deep, bloody gash running the length of her body from chin to nether's. If she were any less tough, he'd surely be able to split her in half.

[POTEMKIN]
This will not be allowed.

"Magnuuuum...!!!" begins Potemkins' roar, flanking the descending Kotal with his immensity and drawing his huge fist backwards, covering him and Bullet in shadow. His uniform shreds, muscles bulking up towards more gigantic proportions. Revealing indeed that it wasn't armor but just the brutes huge size and density that was doing the protecting and the damaging. The mutation that grants him his superhuman size and strength on full display and strength here.

But he's also a soldier. Calculating. Precise. Determined. Bullet may be close but Kotal is just big enough for Potemkin to focus his wrath on. The force of the blow may grant her some respite from Kotal's efforts though. If nothing else the shockwave and buffetting force from the wind caused by his swing could be used to push her out the way - roughly - but she'd live.

Oh. The swing.

"OPERA!!!" roars Potemkin as his gauntlet disengages its safety protcols and allows the behemoth a measure of his full strength. His punch hurtles around - rocketing at Kotal like a freight train hurtling off the rails.

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Bullet with Tenchalli EX.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Bullet           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>---\-------\0            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/-------|

[BULLET]
Bullet has... had better days. For instance, most days she doesn't take the tip end of a weapon from the goddamn mesosoic era across the chest. While she brings her armoured hand up, it mostly just keeps her from being opened up like on an autopsy table subject. Still, blood does fly as she goes crashing back down to earth, yelling out her anger and pain as she impacts. She drags herself out of the resultant hole mostly out of anger and spite, yelling incoherently as she does so.

She pauses a moment, taking a breath to refocus herself. Her eyes flick only briefly to the approaching behemoth that is Potemkin, lowering her stance again as he sails through the air. It's all timing from here. She watches Kotal intently, waiting for the right moment of him returning to the ground. She grits her teeth, wincing as she breathes- and then finds her moment.

She's swift again, looking to intercept a falling foe. Standing taller this time, her arms look ready to strike- but rather she swings her leg up high, aiming to knock the otherworldly creature back up into the air, hopefully allowing her the opening to leap up and hammer-strike him back down before unleashing the energy in her gauntlet into a massive blast of fire.

COMBATSYS: Bullet dazes Kotal with Rage Aggressor!

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Bullet           0/-------/<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Kotal just-defends Potemkin's Magnum Opera!

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Bullet           0/-------/<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/----===|

[KOTAL]
Yet another enemy falls before him, Kotal watching in satisfaction as he sends Bullet rocketing toward the ground with a spray of blood. There isn't time to dwell on the satisfaction, however, as the lord of battle can feel the power building behind him.
Potemkin's booming shout announces the arrival of a punch that could cave in a building, his massive fist blurring toward Kotal's side as the bulky god twists in an attempt to intercept.
'CLANG!'
The heel of Kotal's palm meets Potemkin's armored knuckles, fingers digging into the metal as he grabs hold and rides the punch backward to its end, shoulder and core flexing to absorb the unimaginable pressure of the blow. Once the energy has expended itself, the glowing god releases his foe and drops neatly out of the air, cloth-wrapped feet spread to shoulder-width in preparation for the heavy impact of his landing.
And that is right about the time Bullet's foot crashes into his testicles with nuclear force.
A low, surprised grunt is knocked free of Kotal's gut as he soars back up into the air. Golden eyes going briefly empty, the pain of getting kicked in the jollies takes him back, back, to a fight with another duo, and the faintest impression of glowing green chi.
The war god is torn from his musings by the impact of a gauntleted fist against the back of his skull, glowing body hurtling down to plough shoulder-first into the ground with a quaking impact. The fire that follows blasts dust and rocks out in all directions, leaving a cloud of smoking debris hanging in the air to obscure the monstrous deity's landing.
All at once, Kotal's oversized Macuahuitl comes spinning out of the darkness end over end, its thin obsidian teeth glistening with the blood that has already wetted it. Humming through the air like a buzz saw of hate and rage, the weapon cleaves a path toward Potemkin's armored chest, while behind it the god's glowing form looms up out of the rubble, flaming debris shedding off of him as he walks off his recent trials with lumbering bad temper. It seems it will take more than a well-timed kick in the balls to put him down.

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Potemkin with Impitzoyo.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Bullet           0/-------/<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0            Kotal
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/----===|

[POTEMKIN]
That..wasn't supposed to happen like that. One does not simply defend against The Magnum Opera. The only explanation in the back of Potemkin's mind must be that his limiters ddint' fully disengage and the punch was restrained by hiw own error. He'll have to double check his weapons combat records of this encounter later to double check on that possiblity.

Still, it's clear that this slugfest is far from over even though had he landed cleanly, between that and Bullet's assault they might an end to this charade. Kotal is still up and at it though and as Potemkin squares his chest and begins to pound forward once again, he nods his head in approval at BUllet's attack.

He then charges forward, pounding his massive feet into the ground and rushing -into- the attack from Kotal in defiance of common sense. The blade spirals into his exposed muscled torso and, perhaps by some quirk of his limiters being turned off, seems to do even -less- damage then before, rebounding off of his monstrous physique like a ping pong being bounced off the side of an elephant.

He gives Kotal no time to ponder this occurance though as an instant later he's airborne and his massive fist is plummeting downward at Kotal with his gauntlets firing off a burst of chi-tek to add that much more momentum to the falling strike.

[BULLET]
Bullet, by contrast, is far more self-satisfied, even smirking somewhat through all her decidedly heavy breathing of the moment. Still, she's not stopping now just because she got one solid set of strikes in.

Her gauntlet opening into a fanned out, broader affair, she visibly tenses- and then bursts forward again, eyes locked into her target like a woman possessed. She aims to either use Potemkin's distraction or come in after his strike, leaping up to kick downwards in an explosion of flame, with a force that if landed could no doubt drive even Potemkin across the ground to crash into one of the overturned trucks, all the better to land a pair of body shots and another sizable flame blast.

[KOTAL]
Kotal says, "hmm"

COMBATSYS: Potemkin successfully hits Kotal with Hammerblow.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Bullet           0/-------/------=|>------\-------\0            Kotal
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

COMBATSYS: Bullet successfully hits Kotal with Serpentine Assault.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Bullet           0/-------/------=|>>>----\-------\0            Kotal
[                \\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

Emerging from the smoldering dust of Bullet's last attack, Kotal has little time to gauge his surroundings. Tough hide caked with ash, lips turned down in a frown, he glances up just in time to see Potemkin's oversized fist falling toward him.
taking the descending hammer blow squarely on the forehead, Kotal staggers back a step beneath the earth-shaking impact, head rocked back but remaining firmly on his feet.
It is in this distracted state that Bullet finds him, leaping in from off to his right to deliver a flaming axe kick powerful enough to send the mighty god down to one knee. Empty hands smashing to the ground to keep him from sliding off toward the truck she is aiming him for, Kotal lumbers to his feet just in time to eat two more punches to the gut, each blow landing heavily and rocking him back one step, then another. By the time the flame blast is launched point-blank into his face, he is pissed.
A wordless bellow roars out from amidst the flames, announcing the utter displeasure that Kotal feels for this entire ordeal. The enraged sound is soon followed by the deity himself bursting out of the flames, feathers alight and smoke rising from his glowing skin. Lips pulled back to bare his teeth, eyes smoldering with all the fury of his station, he charges directly toward Bullet like an enraged rhinoceros. Unless she can stop him, he will slam into her with all the force of an oncoming train, smashing her backward into the air and swiping out with his right hand to bat her away toward the very truck she was just aiming him toward, his hand alight with brilliant golden energy.
"I will make an end of you." He snarls toward the bronze-skinned woman, the presence of his rage impossible to deny, smothering in its extreme intensity. It seems that he has had enough of being knocked around by her.

[POTEMKIN]
"Hn!"

Potemkin is still there. Kotal can choose to focus his full attention on Bullet if he wishes but this is just an opening for Potemkin to hopefully take. It may be to little to late for Bullet's participation but she's so far proven herself tougher then anyone has any right to be so all the giant can do is hope that his spontanous battle partner will be capbale of enduring the incoming storm.

For his part, he makes an attempt to intercept - his gauntlets open - chi casing firing off as his massive fist attempts to grasp forward and up at Kotal - hoping to lay hold of the enraged war-god before he gets in to close to Bullet or, failing that, to grab him just after the impact.

"Heat..Knuckle...EXTEND!" he rumbles, his voice command triggering his gauntlet casings even as his massive hands grip with a grip to treat tree trunks like match sticks and crush cars.

Build up a glowing charge that then erupts in a blazing fury of a chi fueled inferno that intermingles with Kotal's own erupting energy and that shakes the earth all around the fighting trio.

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Bullet with Mahtizquia.

[                          \\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Bullet           0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\-------\1            Kotal
[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  <
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|

[BULLET]
Though she tries to avoid the attack, the lengthy fight has certainly taken its toll, and Bullet can't get out of the way in time to avoid the mad charge.

She goes flying against the truck- and the sheer impact drives it farther back from the road still. She groans quietly, lowering her head. For a moment, that's all, and she's still. But another moment after, her gauntlet begins to glow again. She pushes forward off the truck, moving to a knee for a moment. Gritting her teeth, she pulls her left arm up and takes hold of it with her right hand again. The glow builds, heat rising around her, before crimson energy shoots... straight into the ground. Which might be confusing for an instant, before a progressive line of explosions rips its way towards Kotal.

Riiiight before she slumps down sideways onto her elbow again.

COMBATSYS: Bullet can no longer fight.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\-------\1            Kotal

COMBATSYS: Bullet dazes Kotal with Flint Shooter!

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Potemkin         0/-------/---====|>>>>>>>\>------\1            Kotal

COMBATSYS: Kotal blocks Potemkin's Heat Knuckle Extended.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Potemkin         0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1            Kotal

[KOTAL]
The next step Kotal takes has a bit of a stagger to it, even his legendary constitution being pressed to its limit by the combined attacks of these two interlopers. But if there are two things the ancient fighter knows, it is stubbornness, and toughness beyond all reason.
Assuming that Bullet is finally out of the picture, the towering titan turns away from the crumpled wreckage of the truck just in time for two trunk-sized hands to descend upon him from either side. Teeth still bared, the bulky god snaps his arms out, catching the incoming palms on his forearms. Veins push up beneath his tattoo-etched skin as he stops the grip from closing about him through raw muscle power.
For a moment that is where the combatants remain, Potemkin's crushing grip held at bay by the enraged war god who glares murder at him with blazing golden eyes.
The contest is broken by an explosion of concussive chi directly beneath Kotal's feet, the impact jarring him off balance and smacking his helmeted head unexpectedly against Potemkin's armored chest. concentration broken, defenses crumbling, he can do nothing as the armored giant's hands finally close about him, compressing his arms to his sides with bone-grinding force.
Throwing his head back, Kotal roars toward the heavens as unimaginable heat and pressure blazes up around him. If he were coal he might be transformed into diamond, but as it is, he endures the pain, absorbs it even, the lines of golden light across his body growing brighter even as his body begins to fail.
There is a blinding flash of golden energy, and Kotal surges with mad strength, tearing free from Potemkin's grip and surging toward him with reckless abandon. Reaching out for the giant's already damaged breastplate, he attempts to sink his fingers into the metal and lift up, hauling the giant free of the earth as golden chi pours out of him in a blinding cascade...

COMBATSYS: Potemkin blocks Kotal's Tonaltzintli.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Potemkin         0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>------\1            Kotal

[POTEMKIN]
The award for MVP has to go to Bullet for this one. Potemkin's attempt at intervention is way to late but her fury has done much to weather Kotal down. Potemkin is no fool. It is clear that a one on one contest would have long ago ended in his defeat, at least with the way luck and timing has been playing out.

"My combat partner is down!" he barks into his comm systems while still attempting to crush Kotal into the ground, "Begin immediate extraction in order to get her medical attention. I will join you shortly!"

The explosion of chi drives him backwards and then Kotal is upon him once again. Potemkin grunts and brings both of his huge arms forward and together, blocking Kotal's attempt to grab at his damaged uniform to grip and lift his tonnage skywards. He presses forward, bursting through Kotals offensive effort and then he lunges a massive hand forward down towards his legs - intent on gripping them, lifting Kotal up, and then slamming him with full force into the ground as many times and in as many random locations and with as much force as he can muster.

COMBATSYS: Kotal interrupts Repeated Slams from Potemkin with Cuazquia.
- Power hit! -

[                          \\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Potemkin         1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0            Kotal

[KOTAL]
Perhaps it is the forward momentum that finally does it.
For the second time in a row, Kotal's attempt to hoist Potemkin up off of the ground is met by overwhelming force, the giant's strength and weight overcoming his chi-infused attempt to man handle him. However, unlike before, the blazing war god does not give up. Digging his cloth-wrapped feet into the shattered ground, chi pouring out of him in a constant cascade, the enraged monster is shoved back onto his heels, but only uses that moment to set himself, and lunges right back in as Potemkin goes low for his legs.
The end result is Kotal passing neatly beneath Potemkin's hunched form, avoiding the grab, and closing his powerful arms around the giant soldier's unprotected middle. Grip secure and feet braced, he hoists upward for a third time, and finally manage to haul the massive behemoth into the air.
Wordless and focused, Kotal holds the brute off of the ground and applies his own brand of pressure, moving his clinched arms inexorably together. he cares little for the fact that Potemkin's arms remain free and able to strike him, seeming completely focused on his task of pressing the giant man's ribs together until they touch, metal folding in beneath his arms like wet cardboard.

[POTEMKIN]
It's an unusual feeling, being hoisted up like this. Potemkin knows of only a handful of people in the world that could accomplish this feat. It seems he has to add this strange green skinned bruiser to the list. As he feels the crushing force begin to compress against his battered but still resilient flesh, he grits his teeth and lifts both of his massive arms skywards.

A desperate rush of strength surges into him as his body begins to suddenly burn with an inferno of chi energy that envelops his monstrous form. Both arms reach down, slamming into Kotal with tank smashing force to work to not only dislodge him from his grasp but to counter the move with a rushing assault of his own. In short it's not over yet.

"HEAVENLY...POTEMKIN..." he begins to rumble before he finally leaps, lunging skywards with Kotal and twisting his massive body into a tumbling soaring leap that then begins to descend back downwards towards the ground with Kotal in tow. "BUSTER!!!"

COMBATSYS: Potemkin can no longer fight.

[                         \\\\\  <
Kotal            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Potemkin successfully hits Kotal with Heavenly Potemkin Buster.

[                                <
Kotal            0/-------/-----==|

The impact is thunderous and a huge sink hole forms as the ground caves inwnward from the meteoric like impact of the giant. His absurdly muscled body is mostly revealed as well. There was little to no armor ever being warn. That was all Potemkin and and all that strength goes surging into Kotal, un-restrained and with the limiters shorn free to allow the giant to fully unload that pressure upon the deity.

But it's not without a cost. Though the shockwave rumbles through the area and shakes the ground for miles, Potemkin is spent and he releases Kotal only to drop to his knees as well.

"I need..extraction also.." he rumbles into his comm sys.

The Zepp dispatchers had been circling the area, monitoring the battle. An advantage of serving a government with a high tech military complex at its core. They'll be able to safely retrieve Bullet and get her back on her feet but now Potemkin must be accounted for as well. Unable to fight, he drags himself to the edge of the crater, hoping to pull out in time as Kotal's present condition and how long he'll be down is an unkonwn factor.

[BULLET]
By the time all that drama has played out, Bullet is busy trying to fend off the rescue team. There are a few choice, unpleasant words and some thrashing against being helped up. But at the end of the day- she's a soldier. She knows better. And she's been in worse shape than this in her time- much to her detriment.

It takes some doing but she's eventually convinced to come along, if only briefly. Her bag is again unceremoniously tossed onto the transport- though she's in no way unclear about her intention to leave as soon as possible. Just, y'know. Once all her bones are uncracked.

[KOTAL]
The overhead smash from Potemkin's fists isnt' quite enough to dislodge Kotal's crushing grip on the larger man, but it is enough to loosen it. A bit punch drunk and operating on instinct, the god is too slow to avoid the hands that pry him loose and hoist him up over broad shoulders, the various feathers and cloth of his battle dress flapping as he and his giant opponent rocket up into the heavens.
Their impact with the ground is the stuff of legend, and surely if he weren't a god he would be crushed into pulp by Potemkin's strength freed from its limiters. But, as it stands, it seems to be just barely enough.
Even while Potemkin is collapsing to his knees in the wake of his last ditch strike, Kotal is bracing one hard fist against the shattered earth. Rocks tumble away from his battered body as he slowly slides one knee beneath himself, then levers himself up onto all fours. The golden light that once shone from him has died to a faint flicker, though his eyes still burn with near limitless power. As long as the sun beats down upon him, his strength can never truly fail. he can be beaten, but not for long.
Pushing laboriously to his feet, the battered god sweeps his golden gaze across the destroyed landscape. The guard tower has fallen down. Both vehicles have been reduced to little more than scrap. The majority of the fence along this stretch of wall has been completely obliterated by Potemkin's final impact.
Eyes falling on the huge soldier's back, the god of war stares for a moment, then shifts his eyes toward Bullet as she works to fend off the soldiers now swarming into the area.
He was beaten, and it was fair, as these things go. They made their challenge, and were able to back their demands with force, to a point. Even if he wished to extract information from them, he wouldn't be able to. Not for a short time, at least.
"You have won your freedom, and proved your valor." Kotal calls over to the pair he just fought, voice still deep if a little rougher than before. he doesn't exactly look happy about it, but he seems to accept it. "You truly do have the spirit of warriors. It is good to see that the breed has not died."
That being said, the towering god lifts his gaze to the sun above and raises a hand, the light around him growing steadily more intense. Just at the point of it becoming outright blinding, there is a flash of blazing flames, and Kotal vanishes into the rays, teleporting off to some place unknown.

COMBATSYS: Kotal takes no action.


COMBATSYS: Kotal can no longer fight.

Log created on 15:40:56 07/15/2018 by Potemkin, and last modified on 17:16:15 07/16/2018.