Match of the Millennium

Description: While Vega has assumed control of most of the Mexican drug cartels, he doesn't have full control of the people -- not yet, anyway. Kotal is hard at work arming the Mexican people for a resistance to kick Vega out of his turf, seeking to restore pride in Mexico with a revolution! But Vega's not keen on that -- and he's sent Marz and Satsuki to quell this unruly insurrection before it gets completely out of hand!

[KOTAL]
Guadalajara Mexico, 11:53 PM.
The midday sun hangs in the sky like the staring eye of a wrathful god, gazing down upon the stall-lined streets radiating out from the Hospicios Cabañas. Normally a busy enough place trafficked by the ill and the curious alike, the city's population has recently swollen near to bursting. From all across the great nation of Mexico, people have flooded in to hear the shining man speak.
The low roar of the crowd rises into the sweltering sky, hanging over the heads of the milling mass that fills every inch of street and overflows into the cramped alleys. There is little enough space to stand, let alone transfer people into the hospital itself, but for the moment nobody seems to care. All eyes are turned toward the makeshift stage that has been erected near the steps leading up to the grand building's main entrance. Children sit upon shoulders or stand on barrels, while the more brave or foolish of watchers stand vigil upon the roofs of squat buildings, their collective attention focused toward the glowing figure that stands upon the raised platform.
Roughly seven feet tall, with a grayish green hide stretched over the absurdly muscular build of a wrestler, the figure hardly needs a stage to stand out. His impressive bulk is clad in black and gold armor, with a screaming eagle helm backed by long crimson feathers, and a skull-buckled belt securing a skirted loin cloth accented with rows of broken jaw bones. But most grand of all are the deep, geometric scars carved along his limbs and down his chest. Like his eyes, the ancient marks upon his body glow a brilliant gold that rivals the sun above, bathing the mass of humanity in its fiery light.
"Since my return," the towering figure continues his address, voice rolling out over the crowd like the deep, chesty purr of a lion, "I have felt great pride for you, my lost people of the Mexicos. But I have also felt great disappointment. I remember a time of strength. A time when respect was given to blood, and the sacrifice of life was honored. This is not that time. The heart of this land has grown rancid with corruption. Drunk on greed and narcotics. Lead astray by the hidden hand of one who hides in the shadows, afraid to show his face to you. But I do not share his fears."
As the great figure of Kotal speaks, his hands gesture slowly but expansively. The stage is his, and for the moment, so is the crowd. This is not the first speech he has given. Every day, leading up to and just after noon, he has come out to address the people. To remind them of the pride they once had. To turn them against this hidden enemy that lurks among them. And, if nothing else, he is a powerful speaker. With every word the crowd shifts, as if pulled toward the glowing figure through some magnetic attraction. He may as well be weaving a spell over them, for how they are reacting.

[MARZ]
Wheeze in. Wheeze out. Wheeze in. Wheeze out. A steady whistling sound, not unlike the dying of a squeaky toy, comes in steady waves from the nose of the Shadaloo Doll dubbed Marz. A broad strip of a bandage sits across her nose and under her glasses. Sat cross-legged, Marz tick-tacks away on her laptop keys, stopping only to adjust a speaker knob to turn up the feed of the speech being given by Kotal Kahn to his enthralled crowd.

The source of the feed coming from a small quad drone fitted with a camera array and a directional microphone. After much cajoling post the capture of Sergei Dragunov, Marz got herself a drone. She's putting it to good use tonight, taking in as much information as she can of the grand cultural center of Guadalajara. She does not want this operation to go the way the last one did. Success or not, Marz is still breathing funny and when you're already always carrying a laptop and wear glasses, noisy breathing is not something one needs for their image.

"At least they gave me you instead of another cluster of cretins," Marz laments over her relay to her partner in this sortie, another request upon request after the relative failure of an entire squad to do much of anything against Dragunov. Barring that one guy. But Marz couldn't quite remember his name.

"Though, looking at what I'm seeing, maybe some cretins could help right about now. This one is bigger than the last," she adds, flicking her controls to zoom closer in on the revolutionary that seemed to blaze with the light of a god. One that would know what a true godhead is once he meets Lord Vega, Marz adds internally.

"Satsuki, there are a number of people there. They do not seem like much, but it is not insignificant. Though, I am going to set the drone to track the glowy one. I want to film this. It will do much to capture this man, but it will do more if we can catch his defeat on camera, I think." Marz smiles to herself, humming and leaning toward her screen. She pushes her glasses up her nose and winces, curses, and sneezes.

"I will join you shortly, Satsuki. Strike when ready."

[SATSUKI]
The leather of Satsuki's red glove strains as Satsuki grips the ledge of her rooftop perch tightly. The Doll's free hand slides to her back, testing the grip of her katana, Murasame, first, then her ninjato, Rasetsu Blade. Confident with both, she slips her hand around to adjust her ninja face mask.

"I am sure that we conquer him together," Satsuki says flatly as she checks her mask and scarf. "If the crowd poses a problem, you may need to draw them away as I engage." Satsuki's muscles tense, her legs curling beneath her as she readies to spring into action.

"I am engaging now. Cover me."

Satsuki springs off the ledge, flipping down toward the street and landing in a three-point stance. Before she even rises, her hand sets on the handle of her long blade, her fingers tightening around the hilt. There's a flash of black-purple Psycho Power that courses through her hand and into the sword, and in the next instant, it's drawn in a swift, iaijutsu style slash. Once, two, three flashes of steel and psycho power rip toward the green-grey giant man (?) before the Doll before the sword goes back into its scabbard with a click of metal and wood. She does this without words, instead letting her actions speak for now. The man in the shadows has noticed, but seems to have not given it his personal attention. At least, not yet.

COMBATSYS: Kotal has started a fight here.

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

COMBATSYS: Kotal has joined the fight here on the top side.

                 [ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|-------

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

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

COMBATSYS: Kotal blocks Satsuki's Psycho Draw.

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

[KOTAL]
Unaware of the scheming dolls who have made their roosts upon the rooftops, Kotal continues to address the crowd with all the regal poise of a king to his subjects. Even through the lens of the camera, which has an annoying habit of trying to flare out when it focuses on him, he looks every inch the ancient ruler some whisper him to be. As if some primal god had stepped forth from history to reclaim his position atop an alter of bones.
Then again, both women know what it is like to stand in the presence of a truly overwhelming power, while these unfortunate civilians do not.
"You were once warriors," Kotal states, deep voice rolling over the crowd as he gaze out over them with paternal disappointment. "But each of you has become a cat that can not hunt mice. You have lost your claws, and know not how to free yourself of those who seek to control you. But I will give you your claws back. I will teach you what you have fo--"
Distracted by a flicker of motion caught out of the corner of one eye, Kotal turns with surprising speed for a big guy, left arm coming up just in time to catch Satsuki's blade on the back of his metal arm guard. Moving on instinct, the hulking brute twists into the strike, deflecting the blade away and bringing his other forearm up just in time to catch the second strike.
Ching, Chang, Cling.
Black and purple sparks spray from each impact, residual energy crackling up the Sungod's arms before sizzling away upon contact with the golden lines etched into his skin. All of it happens so fast that the crowd is left baffled, blinking in surprised alarm as they realize that the speech has stopped, and the speaker is now looming over the crouched form of a very out of place German girl in a clingy ninja gymnast's outfit.
Instincts honed by centuries of bloody conflict, Kotal wastes no time trying to figure out who Satsuki is, or why she is here. Answering violence with violence, he swings his left fist down and around toward her right cheekbone, attempting to floor her with a simple, no-nonsense hook before lumbering a single step forward and bringing his cloth-wrapped foot down toward her middle in a gut-pulping stomp that sends the entire stage they stand upon rocking precariously. Only then, if the nimble girl hasn't managed to slip the stomp, will he stoop down to close his huge right hand around her left thigh. With strength far beyond a normal man, he will haul her effortlessly from the ground and whip her through the air like the doll she is, hurling her side-armed off of the stage and away toward the wall of a squat stone building roughly 20 feet away.
So he's strong. He's glowy. he doesn't like to be stabbed, and, as Marz can clearly see once he has turned to engage her companion, he has an enormous saw-toothed paddle sword hanging from his back. If he chooses to bring that out, things could get bloody very quickly.

COMBATSYS: Marz has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|-------
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Satsuki          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Marz

[MARZ]
Marz tick tick ticks away. She keeps the drone on tracking, set with a timer to escape with its feed once a few minutes has passed. With Satsuki leaping into the fray, Marz knows that once again it is her time to join in and getting her hands dirty.

Maybe this time she won't need to use her backup glasses and nose tape once she's finished.

The opening strikes defended, as expected, Marz knows going in the threat of this revolutionary. But the threat level is little matter to the necessity of her and Satsuki's mission. A mission on behalf of the Great Lord Vega. It is terribly true that these two women have stood before a veritable god among men. And it has changed their lives irrevocably.

It is do or die time, and Marz charges from her hiding spot. Where Satsuki came from above, Marz comes from below. Her laptop held with straps, clad in her vest and suit, Marz skirts and dances past the outliers of the crowd, taking up and skipping from a column to join Kotal Kahn and Satsuki in their fight. She can see the macuahuitl on Kotal's back. Native weaponry, stone age technically but that did little the curb its effectiveness. It would be a factor to consider in the coming fight.

With new information streaming in with each movement made by Kotal in his fight, Marz knows she needs to plan and position to understand the proper way to open things up. She does so with a darting motion. A sharp kick toward Kotal's lower back, quick enough to push her away and keep herself one step ahead of the situation at hand.

COMBATSYS: Satsuki instinctively dodges Kotal's Kombo.

                 [ ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|-------
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Satsuki          0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Marz

[SATSUKI]
When Kotal guards against the slashes of the katana, Satsuki's eyes widen. Perhaps she was not expecting such agility from such an imposing figure. Even so, she does not hesitate when the counterattack comes. The stomp is likely enough to splatter a less prepared fighter, but Satsuki sidesteps deftly as the blow rocks the entire stage in its wake. The Japanese ninja doesn't give linger to see Kotal's intent for her otherwise, instead shoving off of Kotal's tree-trunk like leg and kicking away across the stage.

And even as Satsuki scoots backward, she unsheathes her sword once again, slicing it through the air with a quick draw, sweep, and return. As the sword cuts through the air it blossoms into a sweep of Psycho Power that cuts through distance between them. She strikes with precision and swiftness, aiming opposite of Marz' approach to try and fence in Kotal Kahn. The Doll works like a well-oiled machine with her compatriot, as if there were unspoken coordination between them.

COMBATSYS: Kotal endures Satsuki's Psycho Slash.

                 [   ||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|------=
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Satsuki          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Marz

COMBATSYS: Kotal interrupts Calculated Strike from Marz with Melahuac.

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

[KOTAL]
The stage he stands upon shakes and groans beneath Kotal's stomping foot, boards just managing to hold together as Satsuki bounds off of his thigh to relative safety. Golden eyes tracking her, the huge being turns his head, chiseled features turned down and stern brow furrowed in discontent. It almost looks as if he might speak, lips parting, right hand coming up, when whatever godly sense that creatures such as he possesses alerts him to the second enemy darting in from behind.
With enemies on either side, one with a sword, and one unknown, it is difficult to decide which target deserves more attention. Apparently, Kotal rates the unknown higher than a psychic ninja sporting not one, but two swords.
So it is that even as Marz leaps up onto the stage, foot lashing out toward the huge man's back, he is turning away from Satsuki, rounding upon her with all the grace and manners of an angry grizzly. His hulking form looms over her, sun centered behind his head in just such a way to send glittering shafts of light beaming majestically off of his golden helmet. Behind him, Satsuki can just be seen as she whips her sword out, sending a blade of purple energy slicing across the distance to cleave into Kotal's back. But that is too little, too late to help.
Purple and black lightning explodes across Kotal's back as he thunders forward, Marz's foot impacting his tensed abs to no effect whatsoever. If only he had been facing the other direction, then this likely would have gone more to plan. She'd have skipped neatly back and gained some much needed distance. Instead, enormous grey hands clamp down on her left shoulder and right thigh, and she is plucked out of the air like a leaf on the wind.
"Aaaaah," Kotal murmurs as he lifts the bespectacled girl to eye height, black and purple lightning fizzling to nothing against the ever-increasing brilliance of his golden aura. "I have heard tale of you. Servants of the dog Vega. His, toys."
Marz's world is abruptly inverted, sky and ground spinning sickeningly around her as her oversized captor flips her ass over kettle, dangling her upside-down above the stage.
"Toys, are for children."
All at once, Marz is accelerating down, down, rocketing toward the rickety wood stage like an earth-seeking missile. Hurling the girl toward the earth with all of his might, Kotal rides the collapsing stage to the ground in a thundering crash. That done, he leaves the unfortunate tech girl to her fate and stomps clear of the knee-high pile of splintered debris, turning once more upon Satsuki.
Advancing upon the ninja with long, determined strides, the Sungod pays no mind to the people that scramble out of his way. Some seem afraid to deter him, while others seem intent on getting out from between this monster vs monster street fight.

[MARZ]
The approach did not go as planned. Caught simply, held with an iron grip by a man-thing a far greater deal larger than she, Marz is at the mercy of a god. A lesser god, by Marz's reckoning, but still a warrior of a significant degree deviated from her own power. And worse, his words. Toys. The phrase is more sickening than that of the pinwheeling flight she takes crumpling into the stage. The phrase burns and sickens in a way that Marz does not expect.

She serves Lord Vega, yes. But why, why does the word 'toy' demean so, so much more than it should. She logically knows that a fighter like this revolutionary should be so arrogant. It's predictable even, but still it angers her more than Marz can understand.

But the fight is not over yet. Marz swallows the fury, adjusts her glasses, and unfolds herself from the debris. "Simple analysis," she mutters to herself, pushing up from the debris and hunkering down. Perhaps she was simply too hasty. Mistakes were made on her part and she has paid for them. For now, she will allow the big brute to be distracted by Satsuki. In the meantime, Marz will do what she does best. She will gather data on this monstrosity and she will uncover the secrets of his style.

COMBATSYS: Marz calculates her next move.

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

[SATSUKI]
Satsuki leaps back into a twisting, twirling flip as the stage collapses. She widens the gap further by swinging off of a low hanging cable, flipping into a three-point stance away from Kotal even as Marz is temporarily downed.

Her eyes widen, but Satsuki keeps her cool. She doesn't shout out, or shriek, knowing just what Marz is made of, even if her eyes dart back and forth between the target and her teammate to make sure she emerges from the rubble unharmed.

"Tch..." Satsuki mutters to herself, crouching down again to ready herself. In this moment, she surges with Psycho Power, her body glowing purple as she focuses the power gifted to her by Vega.

And as Kotal approaches, Satsuki springs back into action, breaking into a low sprint. As she ends her run she springs forward into a lunging knee aimed at impacting the giant man's midsection. If it does, Satsuki curls against his chest, briefly, bringing up her other leg and then vaulting up into a short sprint in which she stomps against his chest and then backflips up and off his chin.

COMBATSYS: Kotal blocks Satsuki's Medium Strike.

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

[KOTAL]
Thump, thump, thump.
Kotal's cloth-wrapped feet seem to shake the very ground he walks on, each heavy step bringing him that much closer to Satsuki. He is not fast. It is likely that someone as nimble as she could easily out run him, had she not decided to charge. But that lack of speed is made up for in other ways.
Ways demonstrated when the glowing ninja's flying knee impacts his upraised forearm, golden aura flaring with blinding brilliance at the proximity of her psychic energy. The big brute doesn't even have the grace to sway backward, taking the full impact with tensed muscles and glowering down at the ninja with growing dislike.
"Too often I have spilled the blood of those who knew not the power of the Sun." Kotal informs the girl, shoving her away with a casual fling of his arm. "You are no assassin. You are but a cub, new to the ways of the jungle. I do not know why your false lord has sent you to die. But it need not be so. There is another path to walk."
Such confident words for a man fighting a battle on two fronts. But he sounds sincere. Or, as sincere as a giant paternal god figure with blazing golden eyes can sound.
Lifting his right hand high overhead, Kotal half turns to frown over his shoulder toward Marz, red feathers swishing lightly across his broad back. He does not say a word, not a single syllable more, but there is the sense that he knows these girls are unlikely to join him at face value. They will need a demonstration.
A demonstrative beam of light flashes down from the midday sun, lancing toward Satsuki's torso with the force of a falling boulder. If it hits, the initial impact will be brief if blazingly hot. The resulting ignition of her outfit, however, could have long-lasting consequences.

[MARZ]
Studious concern writ upon her face, Marz eyes are cold, calculating and steady on Kotal Kahn. She reads each step, each approach and each move toward Marz's fellow Doll. She needs to know every trick, every habit, every motion that Kotal has at his disposal should she be able to topple this wall of power.

A difficult, but not impossible scenario.

Marz gets a thin-lipped smile of self-satisfaction as she adjusts her glasses by the bridge, head tilted down. Yes, movement is settled. She has her moment while Kotal exercises the impact of his solar power on Satsuki.

The petite German rushes from the crumbled debris she had been left in. Low and skittering, she points out her index and middle fingers on her left hand. Her right holds onto her reinforced laptop. She closes in, and as she does, a point of violet light glows at her fingertips.

This so-called god of the people can bring to bear his solar power. Marz is determined to show this revolutionary the true meaning of Psycho Power!

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Satsuki with God Ray.

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

[SATSUKI]
Satsuki focuses on Kotal as he speaks. The man (or god) is a unstoppable juggernaut of muscle and sinew. The ninja's psychic power crashes against that gold aura in a flash of power. Satsuki leaps away, but Kotal pursues her without ceasing.

"I serve Lord Vega without question," Satsuki interjects in defiance of Kotal's insults. Perhaps, in a way, it's a means of reassuring herself---or reemphasizing Vega's hold on her. But before Satsuki can react further, the beam of light crashes from the sky. The ninja tries to guard, raising her arms to block, but it's too slow. The beam smashes her in the shoulder and drives her toward the ground with bone-rattling force. In it's wake, Satsuki's arm steams, the girl hissing in pain as the clutches the burn and tries to pat out her uniform.

But beneath her mask, Satsuki grits her teeth and soldiers on. "I will complete my objective. Do not underestimate Murasame's edge!" And with that, Satsuki launches forward, twirling in the air. The burns linger, but still she presses on into a full rotation, snapping out her katana once again for a singular psycho power-infused cut.

COMBATSYS: Kotal endures Marz's Code Injection.

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

COMBATSYS: Kotal interrupts Axle Spin Thrust from Satsuki with Coatl Strikes.

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

[KOTAL]
As the ray of burning light lances down into Satsuki's shoulder, the crowd of remaining onlookers surge back a step, widening the circle around the glowing combatants. In opposition to the shifting mortals around him, Kotal stands tall and imposing at the center of the makeshift arena, right hand thrust high into the sky in a pose of imperious command.
"if that is truly your wish," Kotal booms in response to the young ninja's claim, continuing to glance back over his shoulder to where Marz lurks in relative safety. "You will serve him elsewhere. The Mexicas are not his to exploit. They belong to the Mexican people, and I will reclaim them."
All at once, both women advance from opposite sides, and the Sungod loses any further opportunities to speak. If this situation is to be resolved, it must be resolved violently.
Kotal's upthrust hand drops, reaching back over his shoulder with the calm assurance of one fully confident in his abilities. Perhaps he is about to attempt some sort of behind the head block? A way to deal with the Psycho-powered girl closing from behind?
The full weight of Kotal's burning gaze swings around to settle once more upon Satsuki, staring through the ninja as she takes to the air in a twirling display of masterful swordsmanship. At the same moment, thick turquoise fingers close around the cloth-wrapped hilt of his Macuahuitl, muscles flexing all along his shoulder and arm.
"HUUUAAAH!"
Head thrown back in a primal bellow of defiance, Kotal tears the massive blade free from its hook and swings it up and over his head, charging forward to meet Satsuki blade to blade. Completely ignoring the purple Psycho bolt that slams into his back, gold and violet energy sparking and crackling across his hide, he brings his enormous weapon crashing down against the ninja's katana with earth-rending force. It is likely the blade itself that saves her from being split in half, the obsidian teeth of his saw-like weapon catching her blade and smashing it back into her torso, before both sword and girl are swept out of the air and hammered into the cobblestones.
Tearing his weapon free, Kotal brings it sweeping down in a brutal backhanded swipe meant to send Satsuki tumbling off across the stones toward what remains of the stage, before his massive shoulders heave and he visibly shakes off the last traces of the purple lightning crackling across his back. One threat has been temporarily dealt with, but still one remains.
Turning with the rattle of bones and soft swish of feathers, the hulking god glares down his nose at Marz, Macuahuitl held out to the side as if debating just where the first cut should land.

[MARZ]
The godhead is strong. A thick, muscular man with a great deal of power. Two Dolls of Lord Vega's personal army are showing little headway into bringing the revolutionary down. Striking, being struck and swatted aside simply and with little mercy. All being caught and transmitted back to base via the small drone recording and relaying the situation.

Bright sun powers are pretty easy to keep track of after all.

Marz can only push forward as her 'sister' is dashed against the cobblestones. Marz is focused, driven, direct. She has faith in Lord Vega, and a devotion. Whatever part of her is caused by the deep seated control of her mind may direct her bravery toward Vega's ends, but it is her bravery in this moment. At odds as it may be with her carriage and discomfort in most situations that aren't calls to action.

Behind her glasses, she stares back at the hulking god. He has his weapon in hand. But she has hers. Marz lashes out at Kotal with her reenforced computer clenched in hand with a mad swing toward Kotal's head. Macuahuitl, meet laptop.

[SATSUKI]
As Satsuki descends her charged blade clashes with the macuahuitl, the two weapons colliding in a flash of sparks as the teeth of the Aztec weapon grind against the edge of the katana. In barely an instant, the flat edge of the katana is slamming back against Satsuki's stomach and chest by Kotal's monstrous strength, the blade digging so deeply that even the flat edge cuts through her armor and draws blood. In the next act of exertion Kotal physically hurls her against the cobblestones, swating the ninja to the death with a devastating blow that carries so much force it makes her bounce off the cobblestones and tumble toward the stage. In the chaos, her blade clatters noisily on the cobblestones.

Satsuki can barely manage a gasp before the follow-up backhand smashes her into the stage in a tumble, the Doll seemingly broken by the assault. She does not immediately rise, and for a time, Kotal is left to face Marz without interruption.

But slowly, painfully, Satsuki climbs back to her feet. She tugs down her mask, coughing violently enough to splatter blood on the cobblestones and staining her scarf with the splatter. Stumbling, she almost falls as she tries to keep her feet, but with time Satsuki steels herself once more, takes hold of her mask, and draws it back up. In her next movement, she wordlessly signals to Marz to keep Kotal's attention. Even if she is outmatched, the ninja Doll seems to be determined to carry out her mission with the same steely resolve as her katana.

And so, taking her blade once more, Satsuki clicks it into its sheath and blasts toward Kotal at full speed. As she draws near the Doll goes low, transitioning from a run into a palm plant, then kicking from it into a shaky flip where she descends toward Kotal's shoulders with a swift kick.

If it connects, Satsuki launches down and turns toward Kotal, snapping forward with a swift solar plexus strike with the pommel of her sword. Aiming to use that as an opening, the sword flashes out once with a swift, blurred slash toward the man's stomach, the blade scattering Psycho Power in its wake.

COMBATSYS: Kotal Toughs Out Marz's Command and Control EX!

                 [           ||||||||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|---====
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Satsuki          0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0             Marz

COMBATSYS: Satsuki successfully hits Kotal with Cannon Slasher.

                 [                |||||||||||||| ]
                 Kotal            0|-------|-======
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Satsuki          0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0             Marz

[KOTAL]
the blistering sun beats down upon the square as girl and god stare into one another's eyes, Kotal's strong-boned face set in a frown of intense displeasure. Golden armor glittering, tattoos alight with the glory of the sun, he radiates an aura of majesty that can be felt even through the drone cameras struggling to focus through all of the light.
The two fighters close on one another, weapons raised, and Marz brings her laptop flailing forward toward the god's face with all the might of a true soldier of Vega. The impact is heavy, reinforced case smashing him squarely in the mouth with force enough to vibrate down through the straps by which it was swung. But when the computer falls away, it reveals only a split upper lip dripping dark blood over very a set of very white, very bared teeth.
Powering forward in deathly silence, Kotal swings his left fist up from his side in a quick, face pulping punch of his own. Sword remaining held carelessly in his other hand, he steps forward and repeats the punch once, twice, three, four more times, attempting to batter Marz backward across the cobblestones by bouncing her insolent face off of his fist over and over. There is a certain amount of calculated disdain in the blows. A contempt for the girl before him and the foolish weapon she has chosen to wield against him.
If he were a little less pissed about being smashed in the face, Kotal might have remembered the other doll. As it is, he is too busy attempting to teach Marz a valuable lesson in respect to pay much attention to what is going on behind him. He becomes aware of Satsuki's return only once her feet come crashing down into his back, forcing an annoyed grunt from him and drawing his focus up and away from Marz.
Left hand lashing up, he attempts to snag the nimble ninja out of the air, but she tumbles passed his grip, landing before him with a quick, hard blow driven up beneath his ribs that forces a second grunt from him. The real damage, however, comes as her hand withdraws into the blurringly fast follow up, gleaming blade parting skin and gouging a deep furrow in the muscle beneath.
"Hrrrrrah!"
Kotal's agonized bellow rolls out over the square, blood splattering across everything before him, from Satsuki to the hot stones underfoot. She can see the wound, turquoise skin gaping open across his middle, revealing the flexed abs beneath that form an iron wall of protection around his organs. If he were a normal man, he likely would have been cut mostly in half by a strike like that. As it stands, blood still pours onto the stones between his feet, violet energy sizzling around the edges of the wound and slowing the progress of the golden energy that attempts to heal it.
All at once, the square begins to grow hotter. the light from above shines down with greater intensity, blood smoking and sizzling against the ground. Onlookers stir, then begin to panic, shoving away from the fight in a desperate bid to escape the coming disaster.

COMBATSYS: Marz parries Kotal's Rapid Jabs!!

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

[MARZ]
With a clubbing blow, Marz has drew blood. Not first, but blood is blood. More importantly, with the singularly loud crack of a laptop, Marz has gotten to where she needs to be in the situation. With an angry and distracted Kotal Kahn. Information is king, psy-ops is his queen.

And queen is holding check on a god in that moment.

Heavy, deadly, far-too-fast-for-their-size blows rain down as the godhead attempts to reign over the pair of Shadaloo Dolls. The distracting assault buys Satsuki the opening needed to get a sharp blade in a place that's actually technically soft on Kotal's body.

And moreover, Kotal's fury is predicted in the heat of the moment. The sun-god finding each one of his strikes catching only air as Marz dances and weaves. Until, at one moment, she claps the base of her laptop against Kotal's outstretched fist.

A moment hangs in the air, Marz smiles and pushes up her glasses before using the bulk of Kotal's own arm as a platform to fling herself up toward the godhead's, well, head.

She aims to land on his shoulders, and with a sharp twisting motion, bring Kotal's skull crashing to his own cobblestones like a mighty sunset.

[SATSUKI]
More blood stains Satsuki's mask following this latest bout of exertion. Her sword slides into its sheath with a click of steel against wood, but Satsuki stays on the move. Rather than test her luck with a quick escape, Satsuki strikes forward with her short sword, whipping it out of its scabbard with a quick, defensive slash that's charged with Psycho Power.

In one bounding leap she tries to distance herself from Kotal Kahn, taking advantage of his brief focus on Marz to cut and run. Her legs tremble even as she goes, the devastating power of the earlier blow still lingering heavily on her mind (and, more concretely, on her badly wounded body).

"What a monster," Satsuki says under her breath, her voice carrying incredulity.

COMBATSYS: Kotal blocks Marz's Gyro Clipper EX.

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

COMBATSYS: Satsuki successfully hits Kotal with Evasive Strike.

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

[KOTAL]
For the second time in as many seconds, steel parts flesh with a sickening thud. Kotal is far too occupied with Marz to spare much attention for Satsuki, he shorter blade sliding in beneath his outstretched arm and hacking deep into his side. Turquoise skin parts, yawning open like a mouth, and violent energy crackles around the edges of the wound, sizzling nearly as loudly as the blood that smokes against the cobbles.
Teeth bared, Kotal brings the wicked blade of his Macuahuitl sweeping down in an almost absent-minded backhand, obsidian edge catching only air as Satsuki dodges away to safety. The bulk of his attention, however, remains focused on the petite German wearing the battered pair of glasses.
Fist impacting laptop, he has only enough time to snarl down at her before she leaps up and over his outstretched hand, bounding off of his forearm and up onto his shoulders. Wrapping herself around his helmeted head, she swings her body violently around, leveraging all her strength and momentum...
And twists his neck.
A series of loud pops can be heard all down the length of Kotal's spine as his head is wrenched to the side. A quiet, almost pleased grunt escapes the god, and he forces his chin around the other way, bull-like muscles flexing and dragging Marz right along for the ride. There is a second series of cracks, followed by a snort of pleasure as a crick that had been bothering him for days is finally cured.
That done, Kotal reaches up in an attempt to grab Marz by the back, his singular hand large enough to curl four fingers beneath one side of her ribcage while his thumb digs into the same spot on her other side. If he can get that grip, he will drag her off of his shoulders and bring her slamming in chest to chest with him. Wrapping both tree-trunk arms around the petite young woman, sword still dangling from one hand, he will begins to squeeze. Muscles rise beneath his skin, and blood oozes from the gashes in his torso as he bares down on the girl with all of his prodigious might, attempting to crush her into a pale lumpy mash. At the same time, the heat surrounding her increases to near unbearable levels, , the godly aura surrounding him swelling, and swelling, stifling in its intensity.
"Is this," the brute grunts, face turning to glare toward Satsuki with all the storming fury of the god he claims to be, "The true might of those who serve Vega? Simple tricks and dancing? Strikes no harder than that of children? This land will not be yours! I will grind your worthless bones into dust!"

COMBATSYS: Kotal issues a challenge!!

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

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Marz with Cuazquia.

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

[MARZ]
Marz has pride. She is a brave woman when considering her apparent combat capabilities when compared to her sisters. She's an intelligence officer. A planner. A schemer and a tactician. She is, comparatively to the likes of Killer Bee and Decapre, not a fighter. But she is not going to go down without a fight. Nor is a she a sloppy fighter.

But none of that helps in the moment when she's bear hugged against the might trunk of Kotal Kahn. A crushing, cracking pain. But Marz has been watching Kotal, she's determined a few of his tricks and talents. She stabilizes herself, hugged against Kotal. Her eyes close, she exhales, inhales in steady calm breaths.

Her legs lift to support herself against the crush, not to expend her effort, but to simply keep herself stable and keep some of that pressure off her back.

Even as the heat rises. Her glasses fogging to opaqueness and sliding down her nose, Marz still looks back at Kotal. "Is it?" she asks, grunting, panting as all of her focus is kept on keeping her breath and steadying her head.

Marz is not the best fighter of the Dolls, but she has a strong mind. There are fool's challenges and though the heat of the sun god rises, Marz maintains her cool.

COMBATSYS: Marz gains composure.

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

[SATSUKI]
Satsuki lands unevenly from the backward hop, narrowly avoiding the reckless swing of the macuahuitl. As she ends her leap she has to shift to keep her balance, planting her palm as she goes forward to keep from toppling over.

The wakizashi goes back into its holster as Satsuki raises her head, stifling a cough. She can still feel the burns from the solar blast earlier, even if the fire itself seems to have been put out.

But even so, Satsuki does not let the challenge stand. "You know nothing of me!" Satsuki shouts, launching toward Kotal as Marz composes herself. The ninja's leap brings her toward Kotal's neck, the smaller fighter attempting to grapple him around the neck, plant her feet, then wheel throw him over herself.

COMBATSYS: Satsuki successfully hits Kotal with Medium Throw.
- Power hit! -

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

[KOTAL]
Kotal can feel the bones grinding beneath his grip as Marz braces against the strain. Can feel the sun pounding down upon his back, strengthening him. Power courses through him, working to undo the damage that has been done. Slowly, the wound on his abdomen begins to draw closed. The slash in his side scabs over.
Teeth bared, the god stands his ground, practically daring Satsuki to act.
The lightweight ninja's much smaller form impacts his back, outstretched arms just able to loop under his chin and grip onto his neck. Flexing, he shifts his weight to counter the sudden backwards force being applied to him, loosening his grip on Marz as he does. it is that that dooms him, the blood-slick girl squirming free and throwing his balance off yet further. As the German escapes, the god overbalances backward and his hauled free of the earth, flipping ponderously backward before crashing down head-first with enough force to crack the cobblestones on impact.
Abandoning his sword to clatter to one side, the hulking god slams one fist into the ground and surges up to a knee, bits of rubble falling away from him as he pries free of the earth. Bracing himself, he explodes upward into a rising tackle that would make any professional player shit his pants.
Bulky form aimed to crash right through Satsuki, Kotal brings his glowing right hand around in a blazingly hot, bone-jarring smack aimed squarely for the side of her head, attempting to flatten her across the cobblestones and stomp right over her on his way toward Marz. There is no protest. No angry words. Only the oppressive heat and burning weight of his presence, dust from his recent fall cascading from his shoulders and dripping from the feathers of his helmet. It seems he is beyond talk now. All that remains is the lesson.

[MARZ]
Saved. Satsuki comes in to pull Kotal back, and in slamming the god back, it opens up Kotal's arms so that Marz may hurl herself away to freedom. She rolls in the air, tumbling gracefully until she lands like a cat on all fours. Quickly, she catches her glasses before they slip from her face.

Marz pushes her glasses up, looks toward Kotal and his might assault aimed square for her sister. Now is not the time to hesitate or to waste. Marz may have her faults with people, but she does love her fellow Dolls. Shadaloo programming only goes so far to isolate and dedicate to Vega.

With a cry, Marz dashes to her feet. Unlike Kotal, Marz has not dropped her weapon of choice. The heavy laptop held low and in both hands. She brings the reinforced edge swinging around like a flail toward Kotal's meaty breadbasket. An explosive, angry violet burst of Psycho Power! flaring in the wake of the swing. And assault capped with a second, upward, spiraling spike of a kick. Satsuki helped her, she would not fail.

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Satsuki with Mahtizquia EX.

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

[SATSUKI]
Satsuki lands from the throw in a near-prone position, her momentum having carried her that far to complete the throw. Her bones creak. The burns ache. Everything still feels like its on fire. Maybe it is.

BUt now, the sword is discarded. For Satsuki, this would be foolhardy; no, this would be a death sentence. Giving up her blade would be akin to discarding a piece of her soul and the lifeblood of her fighting style. For Kotal Kahn? This is simply a change in strategy.

There's no dodging, no amount of movement will get her out of the way of the incoming charge. Instead, she's caught in it like someone being like by a man-shaped bulldozer, Kotal smashing into Satsuki's ribs hard enough for her to go airborne. She does have not have time to linger there.

The smack sends the world spinning as Satsuki is smashed aside. She makes an abrupt stop against the cobblestones. The world keeps moving. That is, until Kotal's boot comes down on torso. The stomp knocks the wind out of her lungs, and everything goes dark as she loses consciousness.

COMBATSYS: Satsuki takes no action.

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

COMBATSYS: Satsuki has reached second wind!

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

COMBATSYS: Kotal endures Marz's Crash To Desktop EX.

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

[KOTAL]
With one doll discarded, body left limp and broken in his wake, Kotal lumbers forward toward the second fool that has dared challenge him. it is clear to anyone watching that the brute has taken damage. Blood still oozes from the slowly healing gash on his stomach. One side of his helmet is dented in slightly from where it impacted the ground. Powdered rubble clings to his blood-slick hide like gritty makeup. But none of these things have dampened the burning rage that blazes within his eyes.
Lowering his head, the hulking monster charges forward into Marz, her Psy-infused laptop arcing up into his face with a meaty crunch. Blood sprays, Psycho power snapping into the wound and coursing down his body in a violent wave. But when it fades, it shows a very angry god, nose flattened, and teeth bared in fury. The follow up kick hits him hard, Marz's foot driving into his already bloodied abdomen, but he charges right through like the juggernaut he has proven himself to be.
"HRAH!"
Mouth dropping open in a primal bellow of pain and wrath, Kotal sweeps his right hand high overhead, unleashing a brilliant pulse of scorching hot chi. And, where once there was nothing but empty air, a heat shimmer forms, then solidifies into a heavy stone tablet the size and shape of a manhole cover, its face and edges inscribed with burning golden runes.
Looming over Marz like the light that eclipses the sun itself, Kotal hurls the heavy tablet straight down toward her, attempting to drive it through her body and send both it, and her spinning off toward the ground and an eventual fiery explosion.

COMBATSYS: Kotal successfully hits Marz with Sunstone.

                 [                           ||| ]
                 Kotal            1|--=====|=======
[                             \  < >  /////                         ]
Satsuki          1/-======/=======|=======\==-----\1             Marz

[MARZ]
The world bathes in light.

The crash is felt in a body of radiant force. The world doesn't come to vision until Marz is already sprawling, scattered, shattered. The sky above. The small whirring drone above.

Marz smiles. The call should already be out. She's done it. Right? So much pain, but it's worth it to put that revolutionary in his place. The so-called god against two of Vega's Dolls.

No. No. No no no. He's still standing, in the blinding light his shadow still stands. Marz rolls onto her side. She breathes heavily, her glasses askew, all she has to go on in the shapes and shadows against light. And she can see past Kotal. Past to the shape of Satsuki. There was yet hope in this moment. A shade against the glaring light.

"For Satsuki!" she shouts, but the words come out choked and tired. Beaten and battered and exhausted, Marz calls up the last of her remaining Psycho Power. And she lets loose a quick, sharp dart of pure Psycho Energy lancing out toward Kotal with an explosive force.

And then light fades to darkness.

COMBATSYS: Marz can no longer fight.

                 [                           ||| ]
                 Kotal            1|--=====|=======
[                             \  <
Satsuki          1/-======/=======|

[SATSUKI]
Satsuki heaves suddenly, gasping for breath as she jolts awake. Perhaps it's a dogged determination to not stay down. Perhaps she's driven by something nefarious done to her by Vega. In any case, the Doll summons up her strength as Marz pours the last of her own energy into an attack. The blow comes, but Satsuki does not wait for a conclusion. Instead, she blitzes into action.

Her bones ache and her lungs burn. The whole of her body feels like it could fall apart, but there's a mission to complete. A mission she set out to do here---

---until the parameters changed. Marz is down, and Satsuki has a new goal. She surges forward and moves under the other doll, aiming to shoulder her up and onto her back as she dashes away from Kotal. As she goes, the ninja drops a smokebomb in her wake, hoping the explosion will provide enough cover if Marz's attack isn't enough to fell the god.

COMBATSYS: Kotal blocks Marz's Cascade Failure.

                 [                            || ]
                 Kotal            1|-======|=======
[                             \  <
Satsuki          1/-======/=======|

[KOTAL]
Battered, bloodied, but still standing, Kotal's burning gaze sweeps across the battlefield. No curious citizens remain, there are only the bodies of the fallen, whether doll or trampled civilian. To one side, the ruins of the stage smolder gently in the burning light of the sun, every shadow cast sharp and stark beneath its glaring gaze. It is that which now powers the god. The fountain from which he drinks, body alight with limitless energy even while his body grows sluggish from lack of blood.
Faint motion draws the towering being's attention back to Marz as she struggles to rise, the last of her power gathering around one hand. Too far away to physically stop her, reflexes dulled by repeated contact with the awful energy, Kotal can only watch as the purple energy lances out of her finger on a direct course toward his chest.
Lifting his left arm defensively, he catches the bolt of energy on his bracer, muscles flexing and aura flaring as chi battles Psy in an epic explosion of purple and gold.
Dust and bits of debris are thrown out from the impact zone, pelting Satsuki's back as the ninja takes this moment to bolt over and collect her sister. The bomb is dropped, smoke billowing out to cover their escape, and a limping dash later, they are able to find cover.
Meanwhile, the dust begins to settle at ground zero of Marz's final attack. A thin layer of powdered stone descends to gently coat the head and shoulders of Kotal, who still stands, golden aura boiling out of his tattoos to fill the central square with light. The drone above has a near perfect view as he lowers his arm, takes a single stomping step backward, and stoops to collect his saw-toothed weapon from the ground.
Standing, Kotal glances up toward the softly buzzing mechanical fly and cocks his arm, hurling the war club end over end through the air. The massive weapon grows larger and larger in the cameras view, before the feed dies in an explosion of static.

COMBATSYS: Kotal takes no action.

                 [                           ||| ]
                 Kotal            2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
[                             \  <
Satsuki          1/-======/=======|

Log created on 21:24:07 08/28/2018 by Kotal, and last modified on 21:45:16 09/11/2018.