Match of the Millennium

Description: Marduk goes to the Live House 'Old Line' to eat a hundred chicken wings and listen to music. However, Iori is playing that night, and apparently has standards and self respect. They scuffle over their disagreements on chicken wings and music, and wreck at least four Escalades in the process.

[MARDUK]
For people brave enough to take a detour into the 'Second South' part of Southtown can find a real treat.

Going down the Sunset Blvd, you'll uncover one of the best kept secrets of Southtown, the Old Line. The Old Line has been around for 38 years, and has been the number one place in town for live performances with R&B, glam rock, and of course, local hard rock bands. Built with brick, they say once you go up those brick steps, you'll find some of the best dining, music, and beer in all of Southtown.

"Holy fucking shit, this is some of the best dining, music, and beer I've had in this shithole of a town!"

That was the sound of the towering lout by the name of Craig Marduk. Marduk, as he is known by the Australian naming conventions that put the family name first, was sitting at the table right by the front stage. The man is seven feet tall, and built like a linebacker. He was wearing only shiny green and purple shorts, kneepads and gloves, holding a sort of beetle shell sheen to them. A talisman hangs from his chest, and his tanned, muscled form has way too much body hair. He was smeared in buffalo sauce, his very chest hair tangled with the thick sauce, as he continues to plow chicken wing after chicken wing. Moaning and grunting at every bite, he has a full pitcher of beer on the side, that he takes every moment to make a guzzling slurp down. "Holy fucking shit, I am going to win this 100 buffalo spicy wing challenge, and then I am gonna get the whole god damn thing free, cause I'm so fucking AWESOME!" He chortles to himself as he slurps his smeared finger tips, running his thick tongue over his fingernails as he lets out another deep groan.

There was no 100 buffalo spicy wing challenge at the Live House.

[IORI]
The entertainment of the evening is a live band. The live band of one Iori Yagami. Luckily, the Live House dabbles in an eclectic mix of music, because this band is weird as hell. Its pendulum swings between Prog Rock, Art Rock and, somehow, tries to turn some kind of Jazz Fusion into Heavy Metal. It seems to work, as they keep getting gigs.

Regardless, Iori, upon the stage, cannot hide his disgust at Marduk's table manners, or distinct lack thereof. Though, that's also hard to tell because the man is a walking scowl. For the moment, he rocks the slap bass and glares at anyone who looks his direction, though that glare seems to intensify whenever he has to look at Marduk.

[MARDUK]
"WOOO!"

Marduk suddenly starts clapping at an inappropriate time. "WOOO! YEAH! God damn I love this fucking song. It sounds a lot like Prog Rock, Art Rock, Jazz Fusion, but with Heavy Metal. It's just like Muse! You know, except maybe a little softer. And too much FUCKING BASS" Marduk does not interrupt his praises as he slurps off more of the chicken bones, his own sounds of chicken-induced bliss drowning out the sounds of the one Iori Yagami. Some of the folks were.... starting to get up and leave. Marduk drains his beer, and suddenly lets out a heaving grunt. "Man, I ran out of beer." He looks up on stage, at the man playing. He starts to shake the pitcher. "HEY! HEY! WAITER!"

"Take a break from playing, and FILL 'ER UP!"

[IORI]
For a moment, Iori thought that this was going to be a normal gig. Show up, play, get paid and leave while his bandmates partied after. Nothing special.

There's no accounting for Marduk. Or taste.

When the big man starts to clap off beat, Iori's eyebrow twitches, but he keeps playing. When he mentions there being too much bass, he grinds his teeth, but he keeps playing. People began to leave because of the man, and then, and THEN. 'Waiter' 'Fill 'er up'.

Iori stops playing. The rest of the band, the drummer last, follows suit. They look at each other nervously, because they know exactly what's going to happen. "This gig is over," he says quietly as he unshoulders his bass and hands it off to a nervous looking stage tech. "Someone is clamoring for my attention, and I'm not in the mood to play anymore."

His boots click on the stage as he walks to the edge of it, his bandmates and techs starting to clean up ''fast''. They've seen this before. He crouches, sneering down at Marduk. "You've ruined my evening. I am not a waiter, I'm a musician. You should probably leave."

[MARDUK]
Marduk was supposed to be working on his temper.

When the music stops, he nods along, a big smile across his buffalo sauced face. "Damn right, I am gonna get my beer." He chortles. But slowly, ever slowly, it dawns on him that Iori wasn't doing what he asked. No, he was leaning down, and had the audacity to say to Marduk that he ruined his evening? And sneer at him? The smile fades, and is replaced by a furious snarl.

"Excuse me, what the FUCK did you say to me?"

Marduk smashes the pitcher on the stage, the shards flying across the floor as he glares straight back at Iori. "What kind of bitchass bass slapping FUCK goes and blames ME for fucking PISSING out of your fucking GIG! No." Marduk growls, grabbing the stage with one hand, shoving the finger with the other towards the sneering Iori. "You don't stop playing until I am fucking done with you. You are staying on this fucking stage and DANCING for me you fucking MONKEY! You walk off fucker?" Marduk pounds a fist on the stage, almost pulling himself up at Iori. "I will fucking come OUT THERE and scrape your fucking ass right out on the street."

Marduk does a brief pause, the gears turning.

"And bitch you better have my fucking beer too."

[IORI]
Marduk has a bit of a temper tantrum, the pitcher shattering less than a foot from Iori's face. He doesn't flinch. He doesn't even blink. He lets the tirade finish, staying crouched for a moment before he rises back to his full height. He stares down at Marduk for a moment and simply steps off the stage, boots thudding and buckles jingling.

He proceeds to wordlessly walk towards the main entrance and out into the parking lot at a slouched, relaxed pace, the fading crowd parting around him. Clearly he is not the least bit intimidated.

Once outside, he moves into a recently emptied section of the parking lot and waits.

[MARDUK]
Marduk handles the quiet rebuttal in a civil and mature manner.

Screaming like a Nordic berserker in heat, Marduk tears away from the stage howling in rage. Gripping his table, he lifts and throws it into the other diners. Shrieking at the hail of chicken wings, wet naps, and tables, Marduk flails his arms around, daring anybody to come in front of him as he eventually works himself more. Stampeding towards the entrance, the crowd warily follows, their evening already ruined by this one jackass.

And may very well be salvaged too in the show afterwards.

Marduk thunders out into the clearing in the parking lot, snarling and foaming as he instinctively lowers into his Vale Tudo grappling stance. Wide and low, he looms towards Iori, his massive body overflowing with unbridled fury. "FUCK. YOU. FUCK. YOU FORGOT THE BEER!" He bellows, his own outrage being the only restraint now at his anger. He makes a miming motion, like he was making a poodle out of invisible balloons. "I am going to pull you apart like a FUCKING ROAST CHICKEN, cover you in HONEY MUSTARD BARBEQUE SAUCE, and fucking do the 100 wing challenge with your FUCKING CORPSE!" Marduk pounds on his chest.

Fighting seemed to be imminent.

COMBATSYS: Marduk has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Marduk           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Iori has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Iori             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Marduk

[IORI]
The sounds of carnage emerge from the inside of the bar, and Iori is not perturbed. He, in fact, stands with his back to the door and waits.

Inside of Iori, there is a door. Behind this door is a voice that asks, begs, pleads, tells, orders, DEMANDS. It demands blood and violence and pain. It craves suffering and death. Iori Yagami, last scion of the Yasakani, holder of the Magatama and bearer of the violet flames, opens that door.

As Marduk comes tearing outside screaming about beer and murdering him, Iori just starts laughing. It's almost unhinged. He reaches up and presses a hand to one side of his face as he throws his head back. It seems that as soon as it begins, it's over.

As soon as the last of the laughter leaves his throat, Iori rounds on Marduk like a feral animal, his fingers curled into claws as he ''leaps'' towards the big man, his one visable eye gleaming with a blasphemous light as he drives his hands down in an X at Marduk's face.

COMBATSYS: Marduk Toughs Out Iori's Aggressive Strike!

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Iori             0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0           Marduk

[MARDUK]
"Don't fucking LAUGH at me!"

Marduk actually turns red at Iori's madness, unable to register the sheer danger he was in. "Do I look like a CLOWN?" Snarls the green-shorted titan as he stares straight back at Iori. "DOES it look like I DRINK FAYGO and smoke the FUCKING DEVIL'S CABAGGE!?" He was charging at Iori now, just as Iori was leaping at him. The two collide, in a way. He was letting him tear across his face... And already bringing his hands up. Not to block, no.

He wasn't slowing down at all.

He takes the double swiped rending face first, raking deep and bloody. Blood was pouring from his face, his pupils pinpricks. But the towering man doesn't even flinch as he attempts to clench his fingers around Iori's waist. He wasn't going to let him get down to the ground. Should he manage to get that grip, he would keep his forward momentum roaring with his captured victim. And promptly -body slam- straight into a silver Cadillac Escalade.

With or without Iori in tow.

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Iori with Medium Throw.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Iori             0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0           Marduk

[IORI]
As he strikes and Marduk just seems to tank it, Iori's face twists into a snarl. Not enough blood. Not enough pain. The fragment of that ancient thing in his blood and soul demands MORE. Even if it's his own. Distracted by his own frustration, Iori doesn't get his feet on the ground in time to evade the grab. He can't completely ignore physics after all. The big man grabs Iori and slams him into the Escalade, crumpling a body panel with his body, making him cough a gout of blood from his mouth.

He just grins madly with blood stained teeth.

Still pinned, Iori swings one booted foot for Marduk's abdomen, aiming right for that sensitive spot just above the waistline, using what little leverage he has to drive the tip of his boot in.

If Marduk is used to mouthy opponents, Iori may be just a touch unnerving.

COMBATSYS: Iori dazes Marduk with Light Kick!

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Iori             0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0           Marduk

[MARDUK]
"BITCH!"

That's all MArduk grunts as he uses Iori as his airbag for the head on collision with the Escalade. Someone in the crowd starts having his own personal meltdown as he realizes he passed on the rental insurance. Marduk sneers cruelly as he staggers back, wiping his face. When blood smears across it, he grunts, leaning over as he backs up. There is a flash of movement and he half-instinctively sweeps his arm around "What the fuck, did you just fucking scratch me like a FUCKING GIRL-"

Marduk suddenly get a boot right above his waistline.

"FUCK! FUCK! MY STOMACH! YOU FUCK!" Marduk -whines- as he stumbles back, grabbing it. He -planned- on tanking through that one too, but- oh god. Marduk moans and groans, staggering around the car clearing like a crippled bull. "I JUST DRANK A BUNCH OF BEER YOU ASSHOLE- BUUUUUAAAAGH" He stops a moment, vomitting on the street, the buffalo chicken challenge pouring out with the cheap watered down IPA. Marduk was blind now, the blood burnings his eyes. The vomit surging from past his lips and mingling with the matted hair on his chest. And his body burning, as confusion mingles with the rage. Blindly, he flails around, swinging an arm low into a hook, before chaining it into a high blow into a haymaker. Staggering ahead blindly, he wasn't sure if he was actually attacking Iori or a guy who looked just kind of like him. Whether or not he was actually ATTACKING Iori, he would finish with a staggering uppercut, trying to knock his victim upwards.

And right into the hood of a silver Cadillac Escalade.

Not the same one but a different one.

COMBATSYS: Iori blocks Marduk's Raging Beast.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Iori             0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0           Marduk

[IORI]
Marduk gets blinded by blood, then staggered by a well placed boot. For an instant, Iori's visible eye glows violet, but Marduk is too busy losing his lunch to notice. As the big man comes flailing, Yagami flows around them like water, the breeze from the big man's swings ruffling his hair. When the big uppercut comes, Iori reaches both hands out to stop the fist, but the power is just too great. He feels it in his bones and joints as the force of it lifts him from the ground, sending him flying.

He maintains control, shifting his weight so that he lands on his feet upon the hood of said silver Escalade. He gazes imperiously, like a mad king, down at Marduk before he almost seems to flicker, leaping high and driving his boot down towards the big man.

Lounging around the front door of the Venue, Iori's bandmates are swilling bottles of beer. "I hate when he does this," the drummer says.

"Me too," replies the guitarist.

"But fuck that giant asshole. I hope Iori beats his ass."

COMBATSYS: Marduk fails to interrupt Diving Kick from Iori with Annihilator Hammer.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Iori             0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0           Marduk

[MARDUK]
Marduk was getting more angry.

As he feels he's made contact with -something- he gives a hearty "YEAH!" As he flexes. And then, he wipes his face with the back of his hand. "OH GOD I GOT IT IN MY EYES!" He moans, as he scrapes it off pathetically. Opening his now bloodshot eyes, he gazes around, staring at the red-haired man on top of the hood of the car. Lips curling in rage, he sways his arms around around as he stomps towards Iori. Swinging his arm back, he attempting to unleash a well-timed backhand to spike Iori -down- out of his dive. Turning, he brings the full force around when-

When Iori just penetrates his guard once more, sending the titan tumbling backwards.

Scraping and rolling, he comes to the stop at the base of a silver Cadillac Escalade. A third one. His head coming to a rest upside down against the hubcap, he groans as he falls over. Gripping the car, he pulls himself up slowly. "You... BASTARD!" He groans. "You... I'm gonna... Chicken..." He lets out a pained groan, as he starts hitting himself in the head. "OH! OH! OH!" He roars.

"It's time to FUCKING GET IT ON!"

[IORI]
Upon making contact, Iori pushes off of Marduk and lands easily, bringing his hands up to the ready. As the big man has another fit, he shakes his head, a bit of humanity shining through the light bloodlust. This isn't the Riot, but then again, does that really matter?

The musician doesn't give the big man time to consider his options, rushing him, his arms trailing. His boots skid on the pavement as he twists slightly, lifting his leg very high and dropping the heel heavily at Marduk.

"You're going to what," he hisses through bloodied teeth. "I'm right here."

COMBATSYS: Marduk blocks Iori's Strong Kick.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Iori             0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0           Marduk

[MARDUK]
Marduk was starting to let his composure slip.

Oh, he was -mad-. That was still true. But as he tries to steady himself out, Iori is already on him. "I'm going to... I'm going to... NNNrrrgh..." That's all he could muster as he falls into his ready position, just in time for the boot to come smashing down heel-first. Catching it with both hands, he lets his shoulder take most of the impact with a groan. Falling to a knee, he pushes back. But the relentless offense was now gone. Neutered. He actually stumbles back into the car, using it as a brace as he steadies against it. Grabbing his gut, he keeps falling backwards. Rolling back on the hood, he scrambles over. "I'm going to... I'm going to..." He swallows a thick rush of vomit painfully, as he wipes his bloodied face again.

"Holy shit what the fuck kind of TWERP fights like this?"

Marduk groans, as he stands up tall on the hood, it crunching under his weight. "Holy SHIT. Don't you know who the fuck I am? I'm NOL BITCH! I'm STOPPING TERRORISTS who are trying to take over the world. I'm looking for SNAKE JERKS who are DOING SHIT. And I am going to stop the whole god damn world from BLOWING! I mean I am on probation because of some SHIT with HR but, what the FUCK EVER!" Marduk snarls as he starts beating his head, and chest, working himself back up in a frenzy. He winces as he hits his shoulder, but he was working himself up more and more. "Holy FUCK YEAH! You know who the FUCK I am? I'M CRAIG MARDUK BITCH! I'm a GOD DAMN FREIGHT TRAIN, and you've got a TICKET to RIDE! I got your BAGS CHECKED, your FUCKING COVID ATTESTATION ONE and DONED! WHISTLES BLOWING! TRAINS READY TO GO! And BITCH!" Marduk tries to tear his shirt off, but he doesn't have a shirt. INstead, he rips out his chest hairs by the short and curlies, ripping them free as he lets out a husky GROAN. And he salutes Iori, thrusting his chin out as he looks down.

"AND you got to be THIS TALL to ride the MARDUK EXPRESS, SHITHEAD!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk gathers his will.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Iori             0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1           Marduk

[IORI]
Marduk does ''even more'' posturing. Iori sways on his feet, loose and ready as he listens. Snake Jerks, he tilts his head. He really only knows one Snake Jerk, and it makes his face twist into a snarl. "''Orochi''..."

It's as good of a guess as any. He could really be looking for Rattler McSnakeman, the Ophidian Bandit who has been knocking over bodegas for chopped cheese and Faygo for all he knows, but, well. He bears a Sacred Treasure. He's got snake tunnel vision. His hands ignite in violet fire as his teeth grind. He howls in fury as the voice in his head goads him into savagery. "OROCHIIIIIII!"

Iori leaps like a savage animal, his wreathed hands clawing in a fit of feral savagery, lashing out as he charges, grabbing at the big man with one hand and, somehow, going to effortlessly toss him behind.

He keeps going.

He whirls in a rustle of buckles and charges down Marduk, swinging his hands, clawed fingers wreathed in fiolet flames. His aim is to grasp the man by his disgusting face to drive him into the concrete, at which point the flames build until they explode in a violent display of tainted heat.

COMBATSYS: Marduk blocks Iori's Kototsuki In.

[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Iori             0/-------/--=====|=======\=======\1           Marduk

[MARDUK]
Marduk was all the way worked up when he starts saying the wrong words.

"Whore O' Chee?" Marduk babbles back as Iori leaps. Braced and steady, the massive titan seems to at least have -some- idea that his opponent is dangerous. But even he seems dumbstruck when he is hoisted over cleanly, and slammed on the ground. Marduk is thumped down, letting out a pained grunt. But he isn't stunned, no, his fighting instinct was full bear. As Iori comes upon him, Marduk does his best that he can on the ground. A hand to the face? Is bullied straight back with both arms, as he clenches one hand over the wrist to let the other one get his forearm. That part he could handle.

The blast of flames, however, is another story.

"FUUUUUCK! FLAMES! Oh FUCK me with a PINKGLOW PINK Pineapple GIFTBOX, the Tropical Fruit Box, OH FUCK!" Marduk's cursing comes out as he basically is caught right outside of ground zero for the tainted heat that nearly nails his own heated taint. The grappler's chest hair takes fire as his face is just barely kept away from the full sadism of the flames. He was on his back, one of those fire users were over him... wait... fire users... Orochi. "Wait a minute... orochi... I know that name!" Marduk knows that name! "I remember that name in a powerpoint presentation!" Marduk tries to turn his block into a reversal; struggling to double his grip down on Iori's arm with the other arm, he tries to bring his legs up to twist Iori to the concrete, and put him on top of him upon his chest. All while calling out his conclusion.

"You must be what's his name, the Kusanagi dude!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Iori with Melon Masher.
- Power hit! -

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Iori             1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0           Marduk

And Marduk takes his mount on Iori's chest, having slammed him on his back.

Marduk keeps up his side of the conversation as he starts alternating his burnt left and his right, punching -straight- into Iori's face as the 7 foot behemoth starts unloading the full wrath of Vale Tudo straight in. "Yeah! I remember you! You were some kind of hot shot, real good with a special flame that's better than all us schlubs. I can't remember your first name though punk. Is it Hyo? Carl? Ryu?" Marduk pauses his barrage of punches to stand up unsteady; the blood on his face was over his eyes again, and his body blows were hurting his breathing now. Coming to a full stand, he goes and -spits- on Iori, finishing up his assault.

"Well what was the name, Mister Kusanagi?"

[IORI]
Iori does not blast Marduk as hard as he wanted to. The big man is just so damn ''tough''. Even in the full throes of savagery, he's still able to be frustrated, and that instant of human emotion makes him pay. Heavily.

He jukes, but it's the wrong way, so Marduk is easily able to heft and drive Yagami to the pavement with a terrible cracking sound. His breath leaves him in a rush, and then the punching starts. His bones creak under the weight of Marduk, the blows raining down on his face, leaving the big man's knuckles a bloody mess. He lies still as Marduk gets up, the only sign that he's even still alive is his breathing. Until a single, almost innocuous case of mistaken identity.

The spitting doesn't help, either.

Almost as soon as the question leaves Marduk's mouth, Iori surges to his feet, looking more ghoul than man. His eyes wild with fury. "I," he rasps, his voice a haggard ruin. "Am Iori YAGAMI!" He then, quite simply, bursts into violet flames and throws himself at Marduk. His clawed hands blur as he strikes and strikes and ''strikes''. Blood boils as it hits his flames, vaporizing into red mist as he roars his fury.

His flurry of strikes, should they land, is finished by Iori reaching out to grab the big man by the neck, lifting and focusing all of his flame power into his hands, localizing a small piece of hell.

COMBATSYS: Iori successfully hits Marduk with Sanshin Waza Korefutatsu.
! VENGEANCE !

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Iori             0/-------/------=|=======\=====--\1           Marduk

[MARDUK]
%Marduk wipes his hands on his chest. Bloodied, bruised, and burnt, he felt it was a hell of a fight. And he figured it was over. He just got the guy on the ground. He punched his face into hamburger. And now he had to make his leave. But when he speaks, he cracks his knuckles. "Shit, you just don't know when to stay down." He growls arrogantly, ready to stack on the pain. As he stares at the man, he even has the gall to sneer. "Uh no, I don't know any Iori, it's- Kyo! That's it-"


And Iori starts tears those cursed flames across Marduk.

The titan tries to throw a defense up; he even had the advantage of position. The problem was, flames. Marduk tries to knock away the fires that rip to the bone, that cleave through flesh and muscle like it's tissue paper. What defense is there, when a successful block was going to cut deeper than any knife? And the moment Marduk slipped, those same cuts were now tearing into his bones and organs. The moment he tastes that corrupted flame in his lungs, rising up from deep below, Marduk absolutely pisses his pants. He couldn't breath. He couldn't think. He falls to his knees, and when the hands are around his throat?

Everything burns. Marduk tries to howl, and nothing but the cursed flames can come out. He draws back his fist. He had to break the flames. He had to stop it. He had to -survive-. There is no sound from him, he can't breath, as he attempts to desperately punch his way out the hellfire. Into the shape, into the shadow of blood and fire, into the -face- of the man who already took too many punches to the face. A staggering right hook, of thunderous power. It was either going to knock Iori back into yet another silver Cadillac Escalade. Or well, uh. Maybe there was no way out of the flames. Whether he punched out or not, well. He was either going straight to the ground, in a dazed, broken heap on all fours, staggered and burnt and clawing his breath out of him again.

Or he was going to be at the mercy of this man with the cursed flame.

COMBATSYS: Iori dodges Marduk's Deathbringer.

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Iori             0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0           Marduk

[IORI]
Iori, despite being in the throes of near madness and rage, does not actually want to kill Marduk. If he dies, he won't learn anything. He lets the flames die down to just licks that dance on his fingertips. He releases Marduk from his awful grip and takes a step back, chest heaving.

That's when the meaty fist comes.

This time, Iori does seem to flicker as he weaves, bending like a reed as the massive blow swings inches in front of him. In an instant, the fury is stoked once more, and the musician races in close, grabbing at whatever tatters may be left of Marduk's ... shirt. It's a generous move to call it that. He twists violently at the waist to drag Marduk off his feet and, hopefully, send him hurtling into, yes, that same silver Escalade.

"Kusanagi isn't here. You chose poorly."

COMBATSYS: Marduk fails to interrupt Sakahagi from Iori with Knee Bar.

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

COMBATSYS: Marduk can no longer fight.

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

[MARDUK]
For a brief moment, Marduk tries to grab Iori again.

Grab him by the legs, by the belt for his legs, just grab a leg to knock him down. But after the punch, after his winding, his hands almost paw at the red head. His eyes blood shot and bulging out, his face bloodied, everything bloodied and burnt. His mouth opens and closes silently. When Iori grabs his 'shirt', well. There was no shirt. It was by his short and curlies, matted with vomit and blood, his chest hair clenched tight as Marduk's eyes roll back to his head. As he is seized by the waist, a thought passes through Marduk's head.

He did choose poorly.

The grappler is ripped off his feet, and then- smashed -fiercely- through the front window of a silver Escalade. Ass sticking straight out, the car alarm begins to wail, as Marduk remains deathly still. "Oh god I didn't get rental insurance!" Cries a man. "Oh thank god, I thought I was the only person who didn't." States another owner of a different Escalade. But the crowd was uneasy. Eyes look from the man who very clearly started the fight... to the victor. There is a moment of silence.

Finally Marduk lets out a savage fart, followed by a moan, to reveal he was at least still alive .

[IORI]
Iori remains in a slightly hunched position after the throw, flames licking down to embers and then to nothing. He breathes heavily as Marduk wrecks another Cadillac, the big man going still.

He pretends not to hear the fart.

He draws another ragged breath through a swollen, possibly broken, nose as he straightens to his full height. He shakes his head and turns his back on the beaten man, just walking away at a casual pace, his boots thudding on the pavement.

"Jesus, he did it again," the drummer says.

"Are you surprised?" The guitarist asks. "Remember that guy who spilled beer on him that one time? I thought we were going to get sued!"

As Iori walks away, his rational mind coming back as he closes the door in his mind, pushing the monster away again, he wonders why the Library would be looking into Orochi. The decision he reaches is not a happy one.

Iori disappears into the night, the last things onlookers can see of him being the crescent moon on the back of his jacket, reflected in the streetlights.

Log created on 20:28:43 03/31/2022 by Marduk, and last modified on 22:55:07 04/02/2022.