Match of the Millennium

Description: Rachel to Nago as she sketches her plan in charcoal. "It seems there are two types of people in this universe. Those towhom motive must be provided to engage in violence. And those to whom violence comes as naturally as breathing... Hmm, where were we? Ah, yes, these two. It would be serendipitous if they could rid the area of that winged vermin while they were at it. I do hope they watch their step, though. That section has been in an awful state of decay for far longer than even I can remember...

[ABIGAIL]
"Hello. I'm here to see someone about a custom.. Monster. Truck? Hello?? HELLO??!?!"

Abigail's deep and rough voice echoes and rumbles violently through the gothic halls, arches and towers of whatever section of this vast and physically impossible space that the behemoth of a mechanic has somehow found himself in. He's long ago left behidn his rented truck in what he assumed was a parking lot - it wan't - and begun trekking through this place with increasing disregard for any potential property damage in his wake as his ire grew and he continued to be unanswered.

"The hell -is- this? This aint Halloween.. Get with the program!"

A wall gives way before him as he plows forward, walking through as if it were so much papermache with his inexplicable strength surging to life to propel the brute onward -- and nearly over an edge to plummet into a hazy abyss as the exterior reveals itself again complete with winding bridges and unsturdy vine ridden and tree gnarled terrain.

"Unnggaaah!"

He wavers, recovering his balance..and then takes the dare and leaps - jumping from the platform he had emerged onto to land at the front of a particularly wide bridge lined with broken statues and strewn with rubble. His impact is a resounding *BOOM* that echoes throughout the vast open space and rumbles up among the gothic towers nearby.

"...Creepy."

[JURI]
"Creepy /and/ dull."

A voice answers Abigail's vocal thought from somewhere behind the massive brute, echoing strangely in the vast empty space. The owner of the voice is definitely of the female persuasion, the tone velvety and soothing despite its slightly deeper pitch. It offers a hint of sultry teasing even in such a short simple sentence as if every word uttered is meant to seduce and at the same time raise the hackles on the neck of anyone who hears them. It isn't a trick that many women can pull off easily, to so thoroughly exude danger and allure with but a few words. And this particular voice is awfully familiar...

Sprawled out in a cat-like recline across one of the many ancient gargoyles that seem to litter the Alucard castle in copious quantities, Juri casually peers down at the noisy giant from on high. The expression on her face is one of abject boredom. She'd gotten an invitation to a fancy party that promised all sorts of revelry, feasting, and entertainment - from a vampire, no less. She wasn't sure precisely what someone hundreds of years old did to have fun but it'd be a cold day in Hell before she passed up the chance to find out. If the history books are even remotely accurate, nobles used to get up to all sorts of filthy and debaucherous stuff. Precisely the kind of scene she could get into.

Much to her incredible annoyance, her time in Castle Alucard has been one of thorough disappointment. Whatever partying might be happening here, it hasn't happened anywhere that she has been able to find. Wandering through a bunch of musty old halls and abandoned bedrooms was sort of interesting for a little while. Kind of like touring a museum devoted to the collection of dust mites and strange odors. But after an hour of encountering nothing but gargoyles and bats her frustration levels were about to go off the charts.

And then some fresh entertainment went and crashed right down in front of her.

The teenager regards Abigail with the kind of look a cat gives a mouse that has just caught its attention. A lazy smile slowly works its way onto her lips as she ponders precisely what to do with this stroke of good fortune, the 'horns' on her head giving her a positively devilish look of mischief.

Her intentions for the evening were to get her hands on whatever alcohol she could find and drink herself into a stupor. An ancient vampire castle has to have some pretty crazy good wine, right? Barring that, she figured kicking the tar out of some uppity Twilight reject would have been pretty amusing. She'd already fought one of their so-called nobles some time ago. He'd actually managed to drive her off - something that happens to rarely she keenly remembers each and every instance of defeat. Getting some revenge on that cape-wearing ponce would have been a solid way to spend her night too.

Sadly for her, none of those things have materialized into reality. She has no wine, no vampires to smack, and was just about to spend the rest of the evening dozing on her little perch when the wall above exploded and almost sent a Buick sized piece of masonry into her lap.

"Hey... don't I know you?"

The girl squints her eyes a little and peers at Abigail more intently. After a couple of moments she grins and snaps her fingers, waggling one of them at him with a look of recognition.

"Oh yeah...! You're that meathead that tried to tangle with me back during the German's little tournament. You got an invitation too, huh? And here I thought these old movie monsters were supposed to have class."

Her grin widens and she leans back against the gargoyle, tucking both hands behind her head.

"But I guess even a vampires need valets."

[ABIGAIL]
"Awwwww...hell naw..."

Abigail's loud groan has more in common with a giant engine droning a refusal to comply with efforts to keep it going as opposed to anything else.

"It's you."

He does indeed remember Juri. That was..an interesting event. A tournament that pitted him against some of the most powerful beings on the planet..including her. As she needles him with her verbal barbs, sultry sounding though they be, his hackles raise..especially at being compared to a valet. But Abigail is not without a biting wit of his own, even if he rarely fights with words over his fists.. He still can't help but have a grin crease his features.

"Yeah, whatever. I mean..you only got bounced from that tournament while I made the top 8... It's almost like you weren't all you were cracked up to be after all. So what're you doin' up there? I thought this was a classy affair. You gettin' a stretch in before you get to pole dancin' for 'em or something?"

He gingerly steps forward, pressing a foot against the bridge to test its sturdiness before taking another step as it supports his vast weight.

"Not that I'd mind seein' that... Yer hot, just crazy in the head.."

Some sort of movement catches his attention and he briefly cuts his gaze away from Juri, peering into the shadows cast by the architecture..but he quickly looks back to her with a lopsided smirk.

[JURI]
Juri's laugh is the sort of thing that sends chills down the spine. Like the rest of her, it's alluring and sensual but carries an edge of instability that hints at the psychotic mind lurking beneath the surface. She isn't crazy, at least not in the way most people use the term, but giving a young woman the power of a demi-god without any sort of oversight is a premium recipe for bad news. Most teenagers think they can take on the world - this one just happens to be right.

"Hahaha! Really?"

The girl waves a hand dismissively at him and rolls her eyes, unfazed by his attempt at boasting. She's gone toe to toe with beings that could annihilate this clown by sneezing at him.

"Don't flatter yourself, lug nut. I had other responsibilities come up. Some of us do more with our lives than wallow in grease pits tinkering with old junk. The fact that a loser like you managed to make it to the finals just proves what a joke that venue was."

Which was mostly true. Her affiliation with Shadaloo is something Juri often can - and does - ignore at her leisure. But when Vega comes out of a months long hiatus and starts handing out personal reprimands to those he wants to fall in line, well, even teenage demi-gods get grounded from time to time.

Of course, she's not about to tell him she got bent over and spanked like a little girl caught running around with her dad's credit card. While that mental image might be the sort of thing that revs his motor, her relationship with Vega is not something she likes to talk about, particularly the part where she's the one playing second fiddle to his whims. Vega will get what's coming to him eventually, just like everyone else that gets in her way.

But, thinking about that particular topic isn't what she's here for tonight nor is it conductive to improving her mood. Instead, she latches onto Abigail's attempt to shame her, seeming more amused by his comparing her to an exotic dancer than offended.

"Like what you see, do you?"

She lays the honey on thick with her words, cranking up the femme fatale vibes a couple of notches. Her hands slip out from behind her head, fingers tracing the contours of her modest breasts as they run sensuously down the front of her dudou. Most women wouldn't have the nerve to wear what is essentially lingerie as casually as if it were a t-shirt but Juri's never suffered from an overabundance of shame. She likes being the center of attention, enjoys it when men turn lusty gazes towards her exquisite beauty.

It makes crushing their little fantasies beneath her heel all the sweeter.

"I came here to find a party but it looks like I've been given the cold shoulder. Maybe if you ask real nicely..."

She slides slowly from her position in the gargoyle's arms down to one of the creature's thick muscular legs, draping herself over it in a way that arches her back to present her lithe form in a manner that could politely be described as suggestive.

"I could give you a private show..."

[ABIGAIL]
"No thanks." Abigail sneers. He waves a massive hand back and forth, dismissively and frowns while pursing his lips, "Did you forget the part where I said you were crazy?"

Abigail. has no counter to her dismissal of the World Warrior tournament mind you but it's clear he knows trouble when he sees it.

"Y'might be a look but don't touch, true enough, but honestly you might not even be to safe fer lookin'."

The gearhead pauses as if having a sudden realization hit him. " Uh..Actually.." Abigail rubs his jaw in thought and peers at Juri before paling and looking extremely uncomfortable as if finally taking note of her youthful visage.

".....You just a teenager aren't you. Oh man...I should go turn -myself- in. Gah. This place is messin' with me! I'm gonna go nuts!"

He begins marching onto the bridge now, making his way onto it with more confidence with the intention of crossing its wide but still dangerous looking paths."It's time t'get outta here.. I feel like I'm being watched..."

[JURI]
"Some people like crazy," she purrs, continuing to give the big lunk flirty bedroom eyes, even as he tries to dismiss her efforts to rile him up.

He can pretend all he likes but she knows how the minds of men work. Even when they don't want it, there's some little part of that old caveman instinct nestled in the back of their brain, a Cro-Magnon instinct to surrender to their base needs. Almost every part of her personality has been molded to key in on that unconscious desire and draw it out, to enhance the secret unspoken fantasies that men harbor in their hearts away from public scrutiny and give them life through her presence.

Of course, her intentions for playing upon those emotions are not pure. Even someone as dense and foolish as the brute in front of her can see that much. She quite literally radiates an aura of malice and wickedness, her psychic presence a palpable tension in the air that stirs unease and distrust in those who hear her poisonous words. Like a spider she weaves a web of lies and intrigue, her sublime youthful beauty and seductive words but a lure to draw in the unwary.

It's rather difficult to trick someone that's already been on the receiving end of her true persona, however. As Abigail rather aptly puts it, it's much safer to look than to touch. Unfortunately, he makes another accurate prediction when he guesses that looking isn't even enough to keep him safe. Unlike a rose, with its deadly piercing thorns that only threatens those that try to pluck it from the forbidden garden, this spider is a predator and once something brushes against the edge of her web she isn't like to let it slip away.

Juri's sultry laugh echoes out into the empty night once again as the question of her age comes up. Of all the things to be worried about in the middle of some godforsaken vampire's castle, he cares about the moral implications of flirting with someone young. How utterly absurd.

"Ahahaha! I knew you were dickless. It's always the big overcompensating knuckleheads like you that end up being complete losers."

Sliding gracefully the rest of the way out of the gargoyle's lap, Juri alights onto the dusty old bridge with hardly a sound. Her bare feet kick up little clouds of white mist as she stalks after Abigail, hurling insults at his back as he tries to walk away from her. She isn't about to let him just up and leave like that. Now that he's gone and disturbed her nap, she's itching for some way to burn off all this pent up energy. He's going to provide her some entertainment, one way or another.

"No wonder Mad Gear crumbled like a house of cards, if idiots like you are an example of their standards. Seriously, you guys got taken down by a couple of greasers and moustache in overalls. What a fucking joke."

[ABIGAIL]
The Mad Gear behemoth glowers. He pauses in his march and turns fully to face Juri now, placing a balled up fist against his waist. The sound of it clenching creaks and rumbles through the area like boulders being splinterd..but he wisely holds his ground. He has indeed been on the receiving end of her malice and while he expects she's going to come wanting some more violence..he's in no particular rush just yet. He's not -that- stupid.

Neither is he stupid enough to let her barbs about his manhood and capabilities stir him up either. There might indeed be some caveman like instincts rumbling in him..but those also include survival instincts.

"What is this, high school? You gonna come at me with insults like that? C'moooooon. What do you even know? I can't even get really mad at ya."

Truthfully...indeed it's not insults that haven't been hurled around before. Or worse. Mad Gear isn't exactly a nunnery.

"Yer problem is that you keep on underestimatin' folk. Like you did me when we fought in the tourney. I landed some good hits on you, didn' I? Rattled your already jacked up brain cage. I went down but you didn't foget me..." he grins and taps his forhead, "So in the end..that's why Mad Gear lost. Belger underestimated Haggar and the rest of those wimps. But me? I'm livin' my dream now so..who cares about 'em?"

[JURI]
Juri's expression sours as her bullying fails to get the desired response. This guy is even more lame than she originally thought. She wants anger - passion! She wants to see him spitting mad, hurling bile and vitriol at her in a blind fury! Not this stupid mature moderated self analysis.

"Tch. Someone's been talking to their shrink, I see."

The teen continues to slink closer, all lithe movements and sinuous grace. Even if he isn't falling for it, her seductive charm isn't something that she just turns off on a whim. It's a part of who she is now, an element of her personality as intrinsic as the deadly power she possesses. The only time this mask comes off is when she's neck-deep in the psychotic fury end of the pool.

"Your dream is living in some greasy junkyard putting toy cars together? What a joke. I'd laugh again if I wasn't so disgusted."

Despite the difference in size between the two, Juri manages to sneer up at him like she spotted a particularly vile insect scuttling on the floor. Her hands rest loosely on her hips and her head cants slightly to one side, emphasizing the arrogant smirk she directs at him with her body language.

"This is precisely why you're a loser. No ambition, no drive to fight your way to the top. You're just some no name grease monkey that no one cares about any more."

She pauses for a moment, letting that hang in the air. Maybe it'll sting his pride a little, maybe not. If he's determined not to play her mind games then there isn't much she can do about it. Well, there is, but she's willing to fling a few more insults his way before just throwing herself into a fight. Pointless brawls aren't particularly satisfying but if it's all she's going to get out of him then it'll do. Sometimes wanton violence just for the sake of it can be refreshing.

"But you are right about one this, at least. I do remember you. Particularly the way you squealed when I ground you under my feet."

She flashes her teeth at him in a smug grin, leaning forward to arch her body in a taunting gesture at him.

"How did it feel, huh? Did getting your ass kicked by a little girl make you feel all strong and manly?"

[ABIGAIL]
That..seemed to have gotten under his skin. Not enough to make him fly off at the handle but close. He knows it's not true but she's got just such a way with words doesn't she. But that's entirely the point.

"That aint how I remember it, sister." sneers Abigail, skin reddening abit as the slightest hint of rage begins boiling up in him and his tanktop stretches from the bulking muscles of his torso. He's not exactly high temperance mind on matters concerning his automotive hobbies and it's really only the fact that..Juri is Juri that keeps him restrained for just a bit longer. Still, this is Abigail.

He glares down at Juri, fuming and probably giving her more ammo just from his twisted expression. He then suddenly grins that full toothd slasher-movie villain grin of his, "I seem to remember treatin' yer body like a punchin' bag and then knocking you down and walking on top of you. Yeah you got the better o'me but that squealin' was probably -you- screamin' in rage that I had busted you up and wasn' just rollin' over to play dead for you.."

He then throws his arms up in the air in exasperation, "And whaddya mean I aint got no ambition! I'm winnin' tournaments, got fans -and- a successful moddin' business! What kinda ambition do I need? What do -you- think I should be doin'? Eh? You know so much, gimme some advice then!"

[JURI]
The truth of the matter is somewhere in between. Abigail had proven a more challenging opponent than she anticipated. It isn't so much that she was arrogant; more that it is extremely rare that her confidence proves to be misplaced.

Vega had put a great many resources into creating the perfect monster to serve as his lieutenant. Despite her young age, the tragedy of her parents' deaths at the hands of Shadaloo and the subsequent years of festering hate have forged her into deadly weapon. Not only is Juri a master of the art of taekwondo and the bearer of the Feng Shui Engine, she is smart, cunning, and wise beyond her years in many ways. Throw in a generous helping of sadism and teenage maliciousness and you have the recipe for a verifiable nightmare.

In the end, Juri had come out on top but she had some bruises to show for the effort. She doesn't forget that sort of thing and Abigail is one of the few people she considers to be worth her time as a result. Of course, being noticed by Juri-sempai is probably an honor most people would rather do without considering her favorite ways of expressing interest in someone usually involves bone-shattering kicks. Lucky him.

Fortunately, there is another pastime that Juri enjoys indulging in that inflicts wounds of a less physical sort. And now that she's started to get a reaction out of the big man her poisonous fangs can't help but try to dig deeper into his skin.

"Maybe you should get your memory checked then. I guess all those smacks upside your head must have rattled a brain cell loose. Lucky for you it seems to have been the one you used to make all those stupid car noises since I haven't heard a single 'vrrroooom' since you showed up."

Abigail's frustration at her constant prodding just makes the girl grin wider, the look of devilish amusement returning to her face. She waves a hand at the air in a vague gesture, shrugging at him like a child that can't solve a basic math question.

"God, you really are dumb, aren't you? You were part of a criminal empire that had the chance to take over an entire city. Hell, if Belger wasn't a complete idiot maybe he could have even run for political office in the government, passed contracts down to you that would make your little garbage heap look like a child's tinker toy. After that, who knows?"

She sighs and rests a hand on her hip, cocking it to the side in a loose stance, shaking her head condescendingly.

"You really don't get it, huh? Any time you think you're satisfied with what you have then you've simply given up on trying. There's always more to achieve, more to take for yourself! Until the day you die you should be fighting for every shred of power that you can get your hands on, clawing your way to the top by whatever means necessary. That's what it means to have real ambition, Tiny."

[ABIGAIL]
Yeah he hasn't said 'vroom' even once! He -can- carry on conversations without doing so mind you. It's when he gets excitable, enraged, in the heat of a fight or just extremely happy about his hobbies and mechanical, death metal or monster truck interests that it starts to come out. Right now, with this sort of passive-aggressive to downright aggressive word play..he can manage. Still it's a surprise to him and he opens his mouth up and then is first to shut it and glare, fume and grit his teeth as Juri begins carrying on once more.

In truth, they are indeed 'both' right in a manner of speaking yes. Half truths and ego and psychotic habits and other sort of things may keep them from admitting this but there is truth in their words. But his rage simmers into some reflection, even in this strange place and bizarre verbal sparring partner, and he grunts out, "Maybe you got a point. I probably could be making bank somewhere designin super weapons or something." No really. He probably could. Perceived as one of the dumbest World Warriors...he's actually a genius at least in his field of play. "Course, my team won King o'Fighters and I'm a Neo League champ and highly sought after for other gigs...but yeah sure I guess I could be more aggressive in getting match ups and aimin' for the top spot. The thing..even if I -am- taking it slow..I'm callin' my own shots!"

He jabs a thumb into his gargantuan chest, grinning like a roided out Cheshire Cat at this self affirmation. "Yeah sure, Mad Gear had a criminal empire and Belger blew it..but even if he did hit the big time, I'd still be working under him. Now -I'm- the Chief. I don't report to -nobody- but me and as I do build my own empire up for what it is..It'll be -me- callin' the shots. Can you say the same? About answerin' to nobody? Cause if so..good! And if not...I'd say you need ambition of yer own! Cause I'm my own man now and aint seen as no Mad Gear flunky but the Chief! I'd say that's a good starting point.."

He seems to consider the rest and then adds, "Yeah....yeah thanks for the motivation!"

[JURI]
This time it's Juri's turn to grit her teeth in visible anger. Not because her words had the opposite effect that she'd intended - in fact, she's rather impressed with Abigail's answer. She didn't expect the big meatball to have that sort of clarity when it comes to self affirmation, looking at him in much the same way most people probably do, judging by appearances first and never bothering to delve any further into the heart of the man lurking behind those roided out muscles. Now she'll have to reevaluate her opinion of the giant.

Ironically, by pointing out his own freedom to act as he pleases Abigail has stumbled upon one of the major landmines buried just beneath the surface of the young girl's psyche. In many ways, she is more free than anyone else alive. The strength that she possesses is such that even entire platoons of military soldiers would struggle to threaten her, much less whatever sort of law enforcement might be sent her way to stop her from committing whatever act she damn well wants. Not even Interpol's finest agents have managed to give her much more than a few minutes of entertainment, toppling like toy soldiers before the might of her psycho power.

And yet, for all that might, there's still a leash around her neck. Contrary to what those aware of her Shadaloo connections might think, it isn't the strength of Vega's overwhelming power that keeps her bound to his side. Certainly, he has managed to overpower her in every direct confrontation they've had thus far and given her commands which she has dutifully followed. But it isn't because she's frightened of him or cowed into obedience by his displays of dominance.

It's the hatred.

Stronger than any shackle that could be forged to hold her down, the loathing that Juri possesses for the Shadaloo warlord is vaster than any ocean. The burning need to tear him down, to break him apart, to tear him apart with her bare hands is an all-consuming obsession. Every action she takes to improve herself, every fight that she seemingly hurls herself into for the sake of slaking her sadistic urges, serves only to fan those flames of fury into a roaring bonfire by which she will be forged into something stronger.

Rage is often something considered by many to be a weakness, a flaw that can be exploited to goad an opponent into foolish action. But the raw volcanic emotion that boils up inside of the girl is something much more than that. It a source of power, a blazing nuclear furnace that powers her lust for revenge and molds it like a crucible towards that one single goal.

A brief glimmer of that star-hot fury washes across her face as Abigail speaks of being his own man. Jealous rage threatens to boil her from in the inside as her blood heats up with psychotic hatred stirred to life by his careless words. He has bested her in the contest of words, of that there is no doubt, but in so doing may have sealed his own fate by poking the hornet's nest of crazy that he had been so concerned about only a few moments before.

A palpable aura of malice flares to life as the girl's emotions start to blaze, manifesting in a shimmering haze of neon purple fire that engulfs her completely. The Feng Shui Engine whirs to life at its mistress's command, her left eye gleaming like a blown out lens flare in a bad action movie as the machine gathers power from the air around her. At the edges of her aura the flames seem to twist and churn with an occasional spurt of black energy, greasy remnants of the vile essence of this ancient castle seeping into her own like oil stains.

"Think you call the shots, do you? That you're the top dog? Hah! You're about to learn precisely how little power you have to decide your own fate!"

The teenager sneers at him, contempt dripping from her words. Crushing Abigail won't change anything. Even if she were to utterly destroy him with casual ease, it wouldn't make her next confrontation with Vega any more likely to succeed. But that's also why she can't just let him say that and walk away. His claim that he's forged his own path is something she can't just ignore because it suggests that his victory over the circumstances life had placed him in somehow makes him better than she is.

He'd torn away from the chains that bound him to another's whims. He'd pursued his dream, his stupid little dream of monster trucks and casual fame. He'd gained happiness and contentment in his successes, no matter how pitiful they might seem. So why hasn't she?

Shifting into what is clearly an aggressive fighting stance, Juri leans forward as she prepares to launch herself at the giant. A manic grin turns her face into something demonic, twisted with the sort of madness that could only have been borne from the aftermath of some horrific tragedy. There isn't any point in trying to reason with her any more - if there ever was at all. Nothing less than violence will slake the bloodlust that has been kindled inside of her now.

A soft chirp at the edge of her consciousness interrupts the girl mere instants before she can act upon that desire. The cutting-edge battle computer within the Feng Shui Engine feeds new data to her mind at the speed of thought, warning of a danger that has until now been little more than a vague uncomfortable sensation. It offers her only a fraction of a second's warning and that proves to be just enough to save her life.

The ancient stone underneath Juri's feet erupts into the sky in a thunderous geyser of broken masonry. She hurls herself backwards in a desperate evasive flip just in time to avoid being shredded by the cone of shrapnel like meat in a blender, landing in a wary three point crouch a couple of feet away.

Something massive and dark emerges from the freshly created hole in the bridge, squeezing through the narrow opening with unnatural slithering movements. Misshapen and grotesque, the thing vaguely resembles a monstrous bat. A long blunted snout filled with dozens of razor sharp fangs snarls beneath four beady black eyes, its face covered with patches of dried blood and rotting viscera. Black leathery hide stretches out across its body, pulled taut where huge bulges of swollen muscle rise like small tumors beneath the surface. Long gangly arms sporting thin membranous wing flaps of loose skin clutch and scramble at the stone as it hauls itself up and into the open.

The bat creature hisses with wild animalistic rage as it turns its baleful gaze upon the two mortals that have dared to enter its domain, clawing at the air threateningly with hooked talons at least a foot long each. It rises up to its full height, its bulk of comparable size to Abigail despite the obvious hunch in its back where the thick muscle has bent the thing nearly in half, and lets loose an ear-piercing shriek that rattles the walls of the castle with primal outrage.

[ABIGAIL]
Mad Gear is not without it's pyschopaths. Maybe not on Juri's level of insanity, no of course not, but Abigail is no fool. He can read people well enough. He may not be brilliant in alot of areas but he's not without his capabilities up top or abiltiy to compare and contrast. Juri might be a particular level of rage but it's cut from cloth he's seen before. Her response, deosn't exactly surprise him. He knew -exactly- what he was implying and based on her reaction..he can surmise that there is indeed a leash held by someone. Who? Doesn't matter to him.

"Beatin' me up aint gonna change the facts, toots." he retorts, "Not to mention, you start this fight and swerve to the left when you should swerve to the right...might not go the way you're thinkin----wha---nnrgghh!?"

The area exploding into rubble and ruin and a creature from the realm of nightmares emerging into view and coming out to play..now that -does- surprise him. To some degree. He -thought- they were being watched. That there was something lurking nearby.

As the sharpnel and debris rains down towards him, he swats a huge arm out and sends a particularly large stone block spiraling away. Smaller pieces cut at his dense hide and thick frame, drawing some scratches but he was far enough away to not be particularly concerned about that. The creature on the other hand.

"Hey! This your idea of a pet?? Why can't you just adopt a dog or somethin' instead?" he calls out to Juri while slowly backing up and dropping into a defensive stance. The roars and shrieks of the demon bat ring his ears and the giant straightens up as it looks between Juri and himself. No doubt seeing Abigail for the meatsack of blood that he is.

Loud *BOOMS* resound as the goliath pounds his chest like a gorilla. -Now- come the car noises: "VROOOOOM!! You think I'm gonna let you take a bite outta me?? Better stay in your lane!"

COMBATSYS: Juri has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Juri has ended the fight here.


COMBATSYS: Juri has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Abigail has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Juri             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Abigail

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Phantom Bat      0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Abigail
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-------|

[JURI]
For anyone else, such a close call might be enough to give them a bit of a wake up call. This is hardly the safest place to be engaging in a fight after all, even without Batzilla stepping into the picture. One wrong step or one good shove from a savvy opponent could end this fight outright in a rather permanent fashion.

But that element of danger just makes things all the more interesting for Juri. The brief look of surprise is banished from her features as the manic grin returns. Her blood is up now, adrenaline and endorphins surging through her veins as her heart thunders away like a war drum in response to the unexpected danger. She'd come here in search of entertainment, the promise of supernatural violence all but assured. Now it looks like she might actually get her wish after all.

"What are you talking about," she retorts, dropping into her signature fighting stance as the monstrous creature wails its fury into the air. "Something this ugly suits you a whole lot better. After all, they say pets take after their owners. If I shave a stupid little leaf into its head the two of you could be twins!"

But, the time for banter is over. Now it's time for banter and /kicking/.

Darting forward in a rapid lunge, Juri comes in at the bat from one side while it's busy trying to intimidate the both of them. Her foot lashes out like the crack of a whip, purple fire exploding to life as she lays into the thing. Her body spins through the practiced motions of violence like a dancer, unleashing a trio of rapid kicks that assault the beast from different angles.

"Come on! I could use a good warm up before the main event!"

[ABIGAIL]
One does not mock 'The Leaf'.

"This leaf is a symbol of my national pride!" thunders the canadian owner of a United States based modding and repair shop who is a fan of Netherlands Death Metal. He's multi-faceted.

"Now you've got me all revved up and ready to go! It's time to push it to the redline!!"

Hardly has Juri leaped into action is the colossus on the move, thundering forward towards the bat from the other side with steady pounding steps that dislodge pieces of debris and send plumes of dust billowing upwards around his feet as he drives in towards the vampire bat. Sadly the pressure he's exerting on the area is only set to increas as he draws near and then comes to a sudden twisting stop to haul a gigantic fist back and then use the transfer of momentum and his brute strength to send it blasting forward at the Bat with such force that one can see the displacement of air as it shockwaves out ahead of his incoming attack.

To be sandwiched between an attack by Abigail and Juri is..not an ideal situation to find oneself in.

COMBATSYS: Abigail knocks away Phantom Bat with Dynamite Punch.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Phantom Bat      0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0          Abigail
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Juri knocks away Phantom Bat with Fusatsusen.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Phantom Bat      2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0          Abigail
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/----===|

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat successfully hits Juri with Cone of Fire.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Phantom Bat      1/-------/<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0          Abigail
[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-======|

[JURI]
Caught between the hammer of Juri's deadly kicks and the anvil of Abigail's bullrush, the monstrous bat quickly learns that its choice of positioning was poor. The blazing purple fire of the psycho power crashes into one of its gangly arms, sweeping the limb out from underneath the beast and exposing its soft underbelly. Another pair of strikes rapidly capitalize on the opening and the sound of its ribs cracking underneath the blows rings out dramatically.

Staggering away from the unexpected power of the tiny girl, the oversized rodent tumbles headfirst into the other attack. Abigail hits the thing like a runaway freight train, taking it clean across its grotesque maw with his mighty punch. The impact lifts the thing clean off the ground, sending it sailing straight over Juri's head on a ballistic arc to crash noisily into the large gargoyle that she had been sprawling upon only a little while ago. The ancient statue explodes into a cloud of tiny stone fragments, all but burying the monster underneath the rubble.

"Shit, was that all?"

The teenager slumps into a casual stance, a hand resting on her hip. She isn't worried about Abigail trying to get a cheap shot in on her from behind. Even without the Engine, she'd be able to hear him 'vrooming' at her from a mile away. More important, her big monster fight seems to have ended in a rather anti-climatic fashion which pretty much puts her right back where she started.

"What a let down. Well, at least I still have-"

Pivoting around on her heel to turn her attention back to Abigail, Juri's alarms beep at her yet again as the fallen debris shifts slightly. This time she proves just a little too slow to avoid being caught in a second surprise attack. The bat lurches out of the rubble, its body torn and mangled. It lets out a pitiful screech of defiance at the two mortals from mangled jaws, half the teeth shattered and foul black blood pouring from its lips.

With that warbling cry comes something unexpected. A torrent of crackling green flame erupts from the creature's mouth in a wide cone. Juri's eyes widen and she attempts to hurl herself backwards in another acrobatic flip but the supernatural flames are too fast for her to escape, catching up to her as she hangs in midair.

A scream of pain explodes out of the girl. She hits the stone bridge hard, landing in a wild tumble on her side rather than an elegant crouch. For a couple of seconds she continues to flop around on the ground, slapping at the malicious spectral fire clinging to her clothes and skin in a furious effort to put it out.

COMBATSYS: Juri gains composure.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Phantom Bat      1/-------/<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/--=====|

[ABIGAIL]
Abigail -- laughs. There's still a little of that 'Mad Gear' in him it seems where the pain of others is amusing. But there's also all of the added benefits as well. Seeing someone arrogant and overly cocky...even super powerful..take a dserved hit to the ego is never going to not lose it's luster or amusement value.

"Ya see? Overconfidence." he rumbles with a finger gun point at the rolling Juri. He knows good and well that will probably enrage her even more but ..honestly what isn't going to? Trying to keep her at peace is like walking on broken glass.

Worse even.

The attention of the bat on her does give him some space of time to work with though and he claps his massive hands together and roars, "Time to kick it into MAX POWER!"

The bat doesn't -seem- to be a threat...lucky hit on Juri or no..so this is as much for her potentially as it is for the bat and it'll indeed possibly gain the bats attention as Abigail roars out, "Rarrrrrrggg--vroooooom!" and his gigantic body, already obscene in muscle mass by any stretch and comparison to even other titans, begins to bulk up and pile on even more sinew. His tee shirt shreds, ripping apart under the behemoths bulking frame. His boiling blood turning his skin beet red and steam now rushing out of his nostrils and mouth. "Let's do this!"

COMBATSYS: Abigail VROOOOOMS!!!

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Phantom Bat      1/-------/<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat takes no action.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Phantom Bat      1/---====/=======|======-\-------\0          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/--=====|

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat successfully hits Abigail with Cone of Fire.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Phantom Bat      0/-------/--=====|=======\==-----\1          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/--=====|

[JURI]
The phrase of the day seems to be: karma is a bitch.

Both of them have done a fair bit of boasting while exchanging verbal jabs. Now both of them have paid the price that the cosmos seems to delight in levying against those who taunt fate with overconfidence.

Even as Juri hits the ground in a fireman's roll to try and extinguish the first burst of spectral flames, the bat heaves itself off the ground and out of the rubble. Four beady eyes, one half swollen shut, narrow on the two humans with primal rage. Though battered and broken, the creature seems more interested in exacting revenge upon these noisy interlopers rather than simply turning to flee.

Its chest puffs out like a balloon as another deep breath is sucked into its ruined face, thick cords of muscle bulging across its gorilla-like torso. A second shrill screech explodes from its mouth accompanied by another outpouring of ghostly viridian fire. The deafening cry and the fwoosh of the rolling inferno blissfully drowns out the big idiot's stupid car noises leaving Juri to enjoy the sound of poetic irony from a safe distance.

"Wow, looks like we managed to find someone that's even more annoying to listen to than you."

Pushing back to her feet earned a pained grunt. She'd managed to put all the fires out before they could do too much real damage, her own aura blunting the worst of it, but there are enough burns on her precious skin that she's going to feel it for a while. Getting burned sucks. It's one of the worst pains that a person can ever experience and it lingers for hours if not days. As much as she'd like to slap Abigail around for a bit and listen to him scream, she's got a giant rodent to exact some vengeance on first.

Once the blaze dies away, Juri takes off at a sprint. She's fast; not like Olympic runner fast but cheetah fast, practically blurring as she darts forward to close the gap between herself and Batzilla. Wounded as it is, those two big blasts of flame had cost it a lot of the strength it had left. Even as she draws near she can see the creature sag, its body slumping from the effort of its attacks. She shouldn't have to worry too much about anything of that caliber from this thing again. Not that she plans to give it the chance to make another strike.

Juri is still twenty feet away from the beast when she leaps into the air, her forward momentum turning her body into a ballistic missile. At the last possible moment before colliding with the bat, the teenager whirls around like a top, one of her long legs snapping out to crash towards the side of the ugly critter's busted up face. She doesn't bother infusing her strike with psycho power this time, seeing little need for such effort to deliver what should easily be the final blow necessary to shuffle this thing off to whatever afterlife demons experience.

"Now die!"

[ABIGAIL]
Poetic justice indeed. Abigail lowers his arms, eyes widening as the fireball comes roaring in at him and then explodes into a blastwave that completely envelops him and the area around him. Bits and pieces of the masonry goes flying as the blast fire flowers into billowing black smoke and leaves a smouldering inferno around the giant. He's used to handling hot things mind you. Overheated engines and more. This is..something different all together.

"Yeaaaoooccchh!" he roars, bursting through the dust cloud and rapidly patting at his clothes..and his hair. He's scorched, sensitive..reddened..but like Juri still quite up and capable.

"Yeah, yeah. Save it for the stand up stage. Yer a regular comedian, you know that? Friggen top billin' in Vegas..."

They aren't exactly being very coordinated here. Hardly a perfect sycnhed team..but nevertheless Abigail is able to wait a split second and then leap, his massive legs pumping him high and high and higher unti he does a full flip and then comes descending down towards where he anticipates the bat to be following Juri's strike. Both of his massive fists raise upward and his fingers lace together creating a sledgehammer like movement as he brings his massive limbs down in a double fisted strike. "KABOOM!!!"

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat blocks Juri's Spin Kick.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Phantom Bat      0/-------/-======|=======\=------\1          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Abigail successfully hits Phantom Bat with Giant Flip.

[                             \  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Phantom Bat      1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1          Abigail
[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Juri             0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Phantom Bat can no longer fight.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Juri             0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1          Abigail

[JURI]
Between the two of them, the fate of the bat is all but assured. Though it manages to turn into the powerful kick and take the blow on its thickly muscled shoulder the impact is still enough to push the beast off-balance and leave it stunned. While not even remotely close to as fast as Juri, Abigail proves quick enough to take advantage of the opening. The sledgehammer blow crashes down onto the thing's skull like a meteor, driving it into the stone path hard enough to splatter apart like a watermelon at a Gallagher show.

"Hey! Watch it!"

Juri lifts her hands to shield her face as brain matter and other unpleasant things fly in all directions. Fortunately, the big man's body is wide enough that he absorbs the worst of it but a few large globs of dark sticky ichor manage to slip past and slap wetly against her chest and legs. The teenager recoils in disgust, wiping at the front of her silky dudou with a grimace.

"Ugh! This is my favorite shirt, you overgrown ape! How am I supposed to-"

Her question is cut short as the corpse of the bat suddenly swells up, the broken limbs twisting and popping as its body tries to expand to a larger size than its leathery hide will allow. A moment later the entire thing detonates in a brilliant ball of ghostly green fire. The explosion rocks the already damaged bridge like an earthquake, sending huge chunks of ancient stone tumbling down into the misty chasm below to crash and rattle against the castle's lower floors.

Once again, Abigail's large size proves to be to the girl's benefit. The majority of the blast slams into him like a brick wall, parting around the huge man and shielding her from much more than a little bit of pressure. She rolls backwards with the shockwave, tumbling cat-like a couple of times before skidding to a halt in a low crouch.

The girl eyes the smoldering remnants of the dead beast for a moment warily then shifts her gaze behind her to regard the gaping precipice which she was only a couple of inches away from sailing off of. Any sane person would be sweating bullets but she just regards the near death experience with another manic grin, turning to see if the titanic mechanic managed to fare as well.

COMBATSYS: Juri takes no action.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Juri             0/-------/-======|=======\====---\1          Abigail

COMBATSYS: Abigail blocks Phantom Bat's Cone of Fire.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Juri             0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1          Abigail

[ABIGAIL]
Again, Abigail is enveloped by the ballsitic explosion created by the creatures death-rattle. FIre balloons upwards around him but quick thinking and instinct manages to cause the brute to adjust his stance and raise his ichor covered arms up before him, forarms crossed and upper torso turtling to brace against the blast and the flames.

Nevertheless, they lick violently at him but he seems to weather them well enough and indeed acts as a meat shield for Juri. Not that he expects any thanks. It'd probably be dangerous to even ask.

"Ugh..gross.."is his first words as he straightens back up and shakes his huge hands to try and dislodge more of the ichor. "This place is nasty!" He owns a scrap yard and mechanic shop in the Bay Area of Metro City. He knows nasty.

After a second he looks around, eyeing the damage and also the danger the compromised structure of the bridge they stand on is posing. From this he eyes Juri and purses his lips together, trying to read her intentions. Then.

"What? You mad or something?"

COMBATSYS: Abigail takes no action.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Juri             0/-------/-======|=======\=====--\1          Abigail

[JURI]
"Mad? Hah! Why would I be? That was freakin great!"

Rising back to her feet, Juri wipes at the black smudges on her clothes a couple of times idly. It doesn't do much except smear the crud even more and she quickly gives up, wiping her hand against one of the old stone pillars.

"Wish we had a few more of those things to play with. We could put on a little fireworks display and have ourselves a proper celebration."

The girl eyes him for a moment and it seems as if she might be about to resume her crusade against common sense by preparing to turn her violent nature his way. But a sharp crack from the bridge beneath her feet sends a sudden tremor through the entire structure. The bridge shudders ominously, listing sideways a few degrees as the superstructure lets out a low groan of protest.

"Looks like we've partied a little too hard already though," she says, leaning against the pillar for support to keep her footing. "Guess I'll have to take a rain-check on beating you senseless. Well, more senseless."

[ABIGAIL]
"Somethin' felt ..strange back there. This place is messin' with me." grumbles Abigail as he thinks back on his last swing on the creature. He then looks back at Juri and waves a huge arm as he begins to turn, "Yeah, yeah. You got a point. No sense in gettin' buried alive or fallin' down to who knows where. Probably some portal to some horror movie or somethin' down there.."

He takes a few steps back, managing to somehow move gingerly despite his vast bulk. Well..gingerly for him.

It does gradually put some distance between the two as he reaches for more stable ground. She can flip and leap and cartwheel like crazy should things collapse. He can't..and while his vast physical capabilities.. 'Superhuman Hot Rodder' levels, even, might help him with a great fall.. the possiblities of truly falling through some portal into who knows where is more then an just an annoyed quip here.

"If yer just lookin' to flex and brawl and manage to make it outta here..you know where to find my shop to cash that rain check."

Log created on 15:58:52 06/15/2021 by Juri, and last modified on 13:47:47 06/18/2021.