Match of the Millennium

Description: The Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada has played host to countless spectacles of martial and athletic prowess, but the flood which tore through it nearly a decade ago and left its sub-basement forever condemned is what's marked it as the perfect place for NOL's rising star and Hong Kong's action star to meet, surrounded by the watchful eyes of lost, drowned souls.

[FEI LONG]
Condemned. It's an auspicious way to approach a fight, a fight his agent refused to approve, a fight Fei Long had to ditch his security detail to even engage. And now, he's faced with a sign forbidding entry; and a door which he finds unlocked, despite intentions to simply break in.

The action star takes a deep, centering breath-- you wanted gritty, real combat, Fei Long... and you have surely found it. The lithe warrior strides confidently but warily down stained stairways into derelict halls beneath the Saddledrome, flooded out and forgotten, a decaying foundation below a spectacle of glory and fame above.

Playing at the edges of hearing, on the borders of one's mind, a dirge of instrumentation and spirit song seems to filter through the walls, driven by barely heard, scarcely felt drums in the deep. What used to be a storage room is now an opening out of tighter corridors littered with broken pallets and graffiti, tied tightly to the elements of earth and water; an essence of the afterlife, of passage and shadowy rebirth suffusing the water-damaged stone itself.

Another breath. A moment of meditation, eyes closed. Fei Long is already stripped down to soft shoes and a loose, but well-fitted pair of pants befitting a kung fu practitioner; the master of Hiten-ryuu.

https://youtu.be/lnW7bQfMPUs

[MARDUK]
The calm breaks, like a teacup dropped.

"WOOOO!" Roars out the brute of a man within the heart and soul of the arena, the roar of a titan breaking out from where one normally kept the bulls. In the pens, there was a man in the NOL greys, the uniform being dressed up further with purple and green knee and elbow pads. The man was massive; shaved under his beret with a chunk of his ear gnawed off. He was shouting loudly from his corner, shouting at something.

He was shouting at a cow.

"YEAH! YEAH! WOOO! Holy COW you are a FUCKING COW! God damn, this really is a saddledome. WOW! This is absolutely nuts!" Marduk takes off his beret, rubbing his head, before putting it back on. He lowers his voice somehow, almost giving a hamoronious coo. "And that's where we get milk from." He says softly, walking away from the cows, walking past the pens of mooing companions.

Right into the belly of the saddlebeast.

"God damn. Milk. I can't believe milk comes from animals. I wonder if my momma- HEY! HEY YOU!" Marduk stops dead across the dilapidated cooridor, each man on opposite ends of the passageway. "You're FEI LONG right! HEY! I'M CRAIG MARDUK I'M GOING TO FIGHT YOU!" Marduk takes off his beret and flails it in the air, trying to get Fei Long's attention. "Holy shit, I watched a powerpoint on you! You're like Johnny Cage, the actor! Holy shit I had a question, and I wanted to ask the person hosting it, but they have a strict 'do not answer question' policy and it's enforced on me and shit, and well, I gotta ask, and I don't want to be racist and shit but you're the only other person I know that might know." He affixes his beret back on.

"Do you happen to know what a Sheng Long is, and why we need to defeat him to stand a chance?"

[FEI LONG]
There's one clear positive to Marduk's appearance-- that solemn, mournful resonance is dulled by boisterous oblivion. It's hard to miss the massive fighter's... outspoken interviews and public appearances, leaving Craig a figure at once intimidating and confoundingly ignorant. If only that were a unique set of traits.

Fei Long's eyes narrow slightly at the somewhat presumptive and problematic inquiry-- but it -is- a question that he knows. "Shen Long is the dragon of storms, the guardian and source of life-giving rain and the rejuvenating wrath of the flood." Appropriately enough, just now.

"Defeating them would rob you of your chance-- one must be in balance with, and show reverence for the forces of nature and the cosmos, whatever form they take in one's personal myths." Fei Long helpfully exposits, the Hong Kong star cracking his neck, and dancing forward into the makeshift arena on light footfalls, toned muscles flexing as he readies himself, flowing from form to form quite like that water.

"Such is a piece of attaining potential in life, as well as martial arts-- alongside nutrition, diligence, and clarity of one's code!" It's a philosophy one can purchase in surprisingly sincere books and videos on Hiten-ryuu, on the lifestyle and discipline of another Legendary Dragon, and its evolution in the hands of Fei Long.

With the rising fame of the Flying Dragon in the west, it's an artform that's gaining prominence; even as its deceptively small master faces off with the mountain of muscle and reactivity in a dangerous, even deadly street fight. Where's the wisdom in action there, Fei Long?

COMBATSYS: Fei Long has started a fight here.

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Fei Long         0/-------/-------|

[MARDUK]
"The dragon of storms, huh?"

Marduk repeats back what Fei Long says, in the process of demonstrating the wisdom, not unlike a trained parrot or perhaps a politician as he starts walking. "I always thought it was like some kind of secret master or like, a flying uppercut move or something I think it was a translation error. But it makes sense it is a storm dragon, because Long means dragon or some shit. You're a lot smarter than Johnny Cage. He'd probably just smile and make a pun or some kind of crap. Which would be real funny!"

Marduk is picking up speed.

It's almost subtle with his prattling, but Marduk was charging at Fei Long with the speed and grace of a rioting bull elephant. "That's probably why you got in. Cause this tournament is like, all kinds of important stuff which I can't talk about because it's supposed to be really secret and not panick people. But like, you don't seem like someone who would get scared by shit. And you're smart too! I always wanted to talk to someone about how martial arts are good for personal growth." Stampeding at Fei Long, there isn't any sign of him slowing down as he attempts to outright scoop up the martial artist and -slam- him straight into the wall of the corridor, smashing him the remains of some long forgotten Hockey mascot. It's like if the Philly Phanatic and Gritty had a drunken one night stand and the resulting muppet had FAS.

"What are your opinions on a vegetarian diet?"

COMBATSYS: Marduk has joined the fight here.

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Fei Long         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Marduk

COMBATSYS: Fei Long dodges Marduk's Strong Throw.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Fei Long         0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Marduk

[FEI LONG]
"Shen Long is Chinese. Shoryuken-- the rising dragon punch-- is Japanese." Fei Long patiently explains, even as he subtly shifts stance as Marduk accelerates. After all, the titan hits on some points that are, indeed, core beliefs and ambitions for the Hong Kong star. He -loves- to talk about bettering one's self with martial arts, and the importance of good nutrition!

Fei Long also enjoys not being slammed into decrepit, flood-tainted signage. The subtle shift becomes an abrupt rush of fluid motion as Marduk lunges, his grasp finding the empty space from which Fei Long dances backwards, weaves sidelong, and comes up at the behemoth's flank.

"Vegetarian eating demands attention to getting enough protein and diverse nutrients; and saves one's insides the effort of processing excess animal fat!" Seriously-- that stuff sticks and coats //everything//. One doesn't want their gastrointestinal tract TOO flammable. "Yes we should avoid panic-- how much do you already know?" Fei Long probes with a gently baited hook.

It's far more surreptitious than what follows in the same smooth motion, the Flying Dragon snapping his left leg around in a sweep at the charging Marduk's left shin and seeking a point of leverage he would then exploit with a sidelong slam. This could drive Fei Long's own shoulder against the giant's flank and, ideally, propel Marduk over that tripping leg and face first into his own slam target. "HAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk endures Fei Long's Medium Throw.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Fei Long         0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0           Marduk

[MARDUK]
"Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees- see, I agree!"

Marduk flails his arms as he rushes past Fei Long, but he continues on the conversation, idly skipping the boring 'what this tournament is all about' part and focusing more on the important stuff: good diets. "In Vale Tudo, you need the carbs for energy, protein for muscle mass, and fat for increasing your brain matter!" Marduk continues past Fei Long, as the nimble actor darts around him. The towering titan lurches, easing steadily as he brings his feet down hard to stop his momentum. Fei Long's kick is already at his shin, the titan swaying as the force from below is chained with the force on high. Fei Long brings the force along to slam him into his own wall, and Marduk seems to almost come crashing in like a dumb beast. Almost. Fei Long would absolutely see what was coming the moment he comes up at the shoulder, the little actions going by in the blinks of an eye. His massive hand was out to idly embrace that slam, Marduk was going along with the slam.

Because he wanted to -keep- that clinch.

Crunched into the wall with a small crater, the towering titan rebounds savagely, the dust and debris of the wall crumbling off his battered form. "With a vegetarian diet, it's real easy to get your carbs, tricky to get your proteins and fats." That idle hand was now hunting for a target, as Marduk starts shoving his shoulder towards Fei Long. He's bullying for space, for control. "I figure I could guzzle down some oils and beans, but there got to be a better way. I mean you're all kind of scrawny, but your fast and smart-" Should Marduk get that grip? He would go and scoop up Fei Long. And with a swift, rather simple motion, he would try to fold his shin in and -slam- the martial artist's knee full force on his own knee, before dropping and rolling him away.

"What kind of diet are you using yourself?"

COMBATSYS: Fei Long counters Knee Breaker from Marduk with Shoenryu EX.

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Fei Long         0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0           Marduk

[FEI LONG]
"You are thinking of fish fats!" Fei Long helpfully observes. "Not simply meat-- similar complex Omega oils come from a variety of plant sources." Like seeds, and delicious nuts (who are not Marduk). The titan takes the slam, flows with it himself-- less like water, perhaps, but at least like a very dangerous bouncy ball with the intensity of a wrecking ball. Marduk springs right back, but Fei Long does not flee.

"I eat lean, from a variety of fresh sources-- local freshness is more important than specific ingredients-- and use it to fuel a disciplined regimen of exercise and training!" Of course he does.

"Do not underestimate the versatility and delicious nutrition of beans-- or the legendary avocado." Like some kind of performer -used- to doing this during line delivery, Fei Long's fluid motions are perfectly timed, reflexively practiced-- the Hong Kong star weaves -into- Marduk as the behemoth crowds him, and suddenly becomes quite small indeed.

Crouching low on bended knees, the Flying Dragon shifts forward, beneath and inside Marduk's grabby handed grasp for that key, high momentum moment... then Fei Long unfurls. His weight-- but more notably Marduk's own offensive force-- combine into a singular, sidelong elbow-strike to the massive man's ribcage, about level with his solar plexus.

On a lesser foe, this could be a fatal, bone-shattering impact. In this fight, it's a clash that produces a profound, reverberating shockwave even -before- Fei Long shifts his weight around, doubly committing to the motion and slamming a fiery uppercut upwards into Craig's chin with an explosive, oxygen-depleting whoosh of flaming exhaust. "Haaaaa-YAAAAH!!! But none of that touches on the weight of your //true// mission here."

[MARDUK]
Marduk was actually taking notes in his head.

Fei Long had some fantastic dietary advice, that Marduk was eager to follow. He had mellowed out a lot more from his Armor King murdering days, especially in professional fights. Well. Mostly mellowed, until that counter-strike comes fast and hard right into the ribs. Marduk only flails blindly for a moment. There is a sharp crack, as there is a clear and direct rib fracture. There isn't much argument on that, a broken rib is a broken rib. But the sharp gasp from Marduk, the spray of blood comes out; the organ damage aimed through the bones all the way out the back. Even the back of his shirt jolts, like a bullet through the chest. An -elbow- sized bullet, concentrated into a single point of impact. Marduk staggers back, guard open for just the moment for the staggering, blazing uppercut that sucks up that wind, sending him flipping backwards, back down the hallway. After a two-hit like that, a lesser man would be dead. The kombat would have been mortal.

"TRUE Mission?"

Marduk sits up with a moan. He wipes the blood from his mouth, and gives a deep, wet inhale. "Oh man, it's on now. I'm with the NOL, bitch! This isn't about the GUAC man! This isn't about any FUCKING AVOCADOS! I was gonna be nice, but bitch. YOU ARE GONNA GET THE MEAN! AND THE GREN!" Marduk rises up into a stand, and begins ripping up his uniform. Again. He literally is only allowed one for this whole tournament and he is tearing it up. "I got a mission here, and it's not following the trail of POTENTIAL INVADERS from OUTSIDE THIS WORLD! It's not about stopping a potential WORLD ENDING CATACLYSMIC EVENT! Oh no, it's going to be BRINGING DOWN a WHOLE BBQ FEAST of ASS WHOMPING right up your BUTTHOLE! And down here in the Saddledrome, I'm not gonna be ATL Crossing, I'm not gonna be MIA Crossing, but I am gonna DEF JAM it UP in your ASS when I go and LA CRISS CROSS this shit! Now you better get ready." Marduk quickly criss crosses his legs in swift feetwork, before slamming a foot down, coming back to his vale tudo stance, the hands-up grappler stance.

"CAUSE MARDUK'LL MAKE YA (JUMP JUMP)!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk gathers his will.

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Fei Long         0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1           Marduk

[FEI LONG]
One thing becomes clear quickly facing Fei Long: Like Johnny Cage, the star is a Real Fighter first and foremost. Unlike the American Dragon, the Flying Dragon is also serious-minded, focused, ambitious in his pursuit of combat. Bonus fact: He is fast, slippery as hell, and has proven it several times this bout regardless of its final outcome. "Ah! But diet and discipline are important even for //that//!" Fei Long insists, with a stalwart sense of certitude.

Only a moment is taken to shift between defensive and offensive as Marduk makes no immediate reprisal, instead setting the Flying Dragon's neck hairs turgid with his surge of inner power and outward ire.

"Without them, you cannot focus and fight to your fullest, or hold mental fortitude in the direst of times!" It's only a moment. There's no hesitation, only a rhythmic sense of flow-- Fei Long all but bursts into Marduk's personal space anew, once more seeking to deftly weave betwixt the titan's grasp-- or so it seems.

The sudden charge is only halfway to a feint; Fei Long gets within arm's reach, and seeks to use one deceptively powerful, corded arm to leverage the behemoth towards himself, and slightly off-balance in an ideal world.

The follow-up would come in a fierce uppercut from the opposing arm, carrying Fei Long's weight and lunging, shockwave-displacing momentum behind it-- with enough force to knock even Marduk somewhat airborne. In the air, Craig would find himself intercepted by the Flying Dragon's backflip, with a scything, dual-legged kick reversing that ascent into a violent crash landing.

"Hyaaaaaaa-HAAAAH!"

COMBATSYS: Marduk blocks Fei Long's Tensou Tousaikyaku.

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Fei Long         0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1           Marduk

[MARDUK]
"Shit, are you serious?!"

Marduk's rage breaks as Fei Long makes a valid point that even when he needs to lay the smack down hard on Fei Long's dank kung fu hiney, he would need the right balance of nutrients and calories to keep up his martial power. As Fei Long explodes into the grappler's zone, Marduk was mostly ready to meet him. A halfway feint is met with surprisingly careful reserve and control, the smaller fighter getting in position for his leverage, and having it steadily neutralized with both hands. That doesn't do much for uppercut, but Marduk does a hefty body check on that, bringing his elbow around to take the brunt of the upward force. Sending up in the air, he releases his arms and meets the final backflip with his knees, the best he can muster with essentially all four of his limbs. Landing back, his body is burning, blazing with pain. But he wasn't falling back, as he lands on both feet.

Which ends up being a good position to counter-attack.

"Dammit I want to have some food now! Like a real sandwich!" Marduk was snarling out, flinging out a stabbing kick to open up his momentum, canceling out the backwards force to lead in his forward assault. "BUT WHY IS IT-" Marduk roars as he hurls out swift and brutal one-two combination, a rapid assault that comes with the constant forward feet work, the brawler stampeding at and into Fei Long with brutal rhythm "-THAT I CAN'T MAKE A SANDWICH AT HOME-" He swings another fist, the momentum building as he unleashes a body blow with the right, the assault not quite stopping, but slowing down enough for an opening. "-THAT TASTES LIKE ITS FROM A DELI!"

"Is it because I'm using the wrong kind of bread?!"

COMBATSYS: Fei Long blocks Marduk's Raging Beast.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Fei Long         1/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1           Marduk

[FEI LONG]
Wham. Crack. KAPOW. CRUNCH. Fei Long weather the storm with impressive resilience that once more belies his smaller stature; the Hong Kong fighter is all muscle, coupled with a keen sense of positioning and timing as he raises guarded arms, tensed abdominals, and a carefully paced retreat from the rampaging Marduk to absorb the bulk of that force into a now-bruised guard, the intense onslaught painful despite the demonstrated skill and precision applied to counter it.

"Of course!" Fei Long isn't the kind of guy to lie about something as important as nutritional balance and discipline! "Bread, condiment deployment, ingredient balance and layering order-- a true master chef would be better advice, there." But growing up on the streets of Hong Kong, Fei Long is far from a movie star who's never had to make his own sandwich-- or serve someone else one.

The final blow saw Fei Long skid a short distance away-- but it's as if he never left at all. Launching right fist first, the Flying Dragon all but translocates back onto the offensive, snapping a sharp, fire-wreathed jab up at the center of Marduk's face.

One good turn deserves another, and so Fei Long seeks to drive the titan right back the way he had raged, following up with the opposite left into an underhand slug aligned to sear Marduk's guts like the spiciest challenge wings. This leads fluidly into a fluid, powerful spin, driving the Flying Dragon's leading fist around in a brutal, fiery backhand seeking to launch Craig away in explosive chi-laced focused fury.

Water flows-- but it also crashes. "Haaaah-- HAAAAAH--- HHH-YAAAAHH!" Each strike brings enunciating kiai with a tense re-setting of stance and weight, maximizing the point of impact-- and the intensity of each individual blow.

COMBATSYS: Marduk interrupts Rekkaken from Fei Long with Gator Slam.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Fei Long         1/-======/=======|=======\===----\1           Marduk

[MARDUK]
Marduk wasn't done yet.

The surging tsunami of man meat (as one might imagine with Abigail) comes roaring through, even as Fei Long deftly defends against each strike with careful dilligence. As the actor is sent shuffling back steadily, Marduk was still coming, still moving forward. The opening was there, Fei Long took it, and Marduk takes the punch to the face. Turning away, the slug to the gut comes. It's like hitting a brick wall, but Fei Long has already proved he could tear through the mound of muscles that was Marduk. It hurts, it hits. But as the spin comes, the rapid backfist? Marduk actually -grabs- the fist as he grunts from the body blow, groaning as he roars out point blank.

"BULLSHIT!"

Marduk whips Fei Long back, tearing him out of his rekka like a ragdoll on one hand. Swaying him back, he prattles on. "I'm here in this tournament to find out how to make a FUCKING GREAT SANDWICH!" Marduk announces, forgetting the reason why he was in this tournament. With a groan, he -slams- Fei Long savagely on the ground like a pool noodle, slapping him down brutally right at Marduk's feet. And there is a gleam. A gleam in Marduk's eyes, like he was looking at a lumberjack submarine sandwich (which is a Dagwood, as it is known in the states). Licking his lips, he rubs his abdomen, blood running from his busted lip.

"And you are TOO SMART to NOT KNOW how to make a FUCKING GREAT SANDWICH!

[FEI LONG]
The air leaves his lungs in a rush, cracks spread along the already cracked floor. Fei Long chokes for breath, for just a moment, before even trying to recover his footing. "Then you should--" Gasp. "-- //WANT// to learn from a master." And in this topic, that is not the Flying Dragon.

Refusing to stay down in turn, Fei Long erupts upwards with a flaming fist leading, and a ferocious kiai. "This layman has already given you the broad strokes he knows!"

His morale unbroken by confirmation of the raw power within his towering adversary, the Hong Kong star seeks to slam that fiery punch into Marduk's solar plexus, immediately following it with a punishing uppercut from the opposite fist.

Then, the Flying Dragon is true to his name once more, launching like a missile in flight led by a warhead of a leading foot in a flying kick that lights up like a torch, leaving the fighter-slash-actor surfing across a brilliant plume of chi-flame, and threatening to blast Marduk away with the fervour of the same.

The rapids truly churn around them now, a roar behind the bout as the spirit drums reverberate with growing intensity in the back of one's mind, and Fei Long dives into the flow, coursing to another crashing wave, a perfectly poised, airborne interception tracing meteoric trail in the space between the pair-- and once more seeking to show a titanic warrior that his diminutive mass should not be underestimated; not in matters involving the strenght of Kung Fu. The artistry of Hiten-ryu!

And a balanced diet, of course; even if other people -do- make better sandwiches.

COMBATSYS: Fei Long successfully hits Marduk with Ryuu Yassai EX.

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

[MARDUK]
Marduk is already over Fei Long, when the fiery martial artist bursts up.

The grappler is actually taken aback by the sudden surge, the flaming fist giving him a wordless bellow. Marduk gasps, letting out a heaving groan as he staggers, as he sways. The blow to the chest was just as terrible as the earlier elbow, the penetrating power piercing his pulsating plexus with ease. And more, it stuns him. And once he recovers in that split second, he -sees- it. When he sees what's coming next, he braces in, digging his heels in as he

He starts moving in on Fei Long.

"Excuse me, but it seems to me you are a fucking MASTER!" Marduk snarls as Fei Long takes flight. He leans in hard with his shoulder, his only tool against the mix of raw physical power and blazing energy. The tidal wave of flames, of kicks was overflowing over him, ripping through, shattering into his shoulder with fracturing, blazing force. It's a hit that should have killed a smaller fighter ten times over. He was burnt, blackened, bruised and bloodied. But it seems that Marduk was too dense, in many ways, to take such a lesson to heart. "Layman, fuck." He shoves back hard at the final dive, bringing his other hand around to snatch Fei Long by his leg, to do whatever he can to keep Fei Long from rebounding back. "I'm about to =lay= you out." Should he get a grip?

He would attempts to heave up Fei Long by the knees, to send him right back upon his back again-

COMBATSYS: Marduk successfully hits Fei Long with Skull Crusher.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Fei Long         2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|==-----\-------\0           Marduk

And he slams Fei Long on his back.

Marduk immediately sits on the smaller man, pinning him down. "You know how FUCKING HARD it is to make a GOD DAMN SANDWICH!?" Marduk snarls as he begins to punch straight into Fei Long's face. Left and right, right and left, he opens up a can of Marduk straight into the martial artist. "You have MUSTARD! You have MAYO! You have MEATS AND CHEESE! It's a GOD DAMN ART AND SCIENCE and WHERE'S THE DEGREE!?" Marduk begins to stop his punches, and just grab Fei Long by his head, and straight slamming it, twisting and slamming as he stands up from his mount. Staggering away from Fei Long, he finally releases the man as he snarls furiously.

"WHERE"S THE BEEF!?"

COMBATSYS: Fei Long issues a challenge!!

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

[FEI LONG]
It all happens so fast, but it seems, at least to Fei Long, like it takes much longer. From the first glimpse of Marduk, the Flying Dragon knew a priority was keeping the behemoth from getting a good hold on him-- and this proves a case study in exactly //why//.

Upended and descended upon by his titanic opponent, Fei Long's face swiftly shifts from a winpose portrait to the battered and bloody losing side-- blood and bruising are immediate, swelling soon to follow, and bone cracks tangibly under Marduk's rampaging fists.

For a lingering moment, Fei Long lies on the ground, and groans, as Marduk rises and bellows on. The Hong Kong star groans. He spits blood to the side. Then he laughs hoarsely. "Not as much of a master as I need to be even in my //actual// field... You--"

Is this the birth of answering ire? Insults to the man's lackluster intelligence and violent belligerence? "-- might enjoy my DVD set on eating well and sourcing food to fuel your fighting spirit." Fei Long observes instead, with somewhat less overt enthusiasm than moments before. Go figure. "You are strong-- the kind of opponent I hoped to face in this competition." If maybe not so //abruptly// and //painfully//.

It'll take a bit for the Flying Dragon's dashing good looks to recuperate, at the least. There are, of course, degrees to pursue in culinary arts indeed-- it's not so simple, it can be quite frustrating. "Let's FINISH THIS!" Fei Long encourages, kicking back to his feet and then launching off one anchoring leg to whip a hopping axe kick up and in on Marduk's meaty mass. "HYAAAAH!!!"

COMBATSYS: Fei Long successfully hits Marduk with Shokkarakusho.

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

[MARDUK]
Marduk dusts off his hands.

Turning over, he spits out a mouthful of blood and saliva, before wiping his lips. "Okay, now this is the part of the FATALITY I think. I mean, I don't know how I would do that." Marduk continues, as Fei Long gradually revives. "I could sit on him and punch his head, but I just did that, and- Finish this?" Marduk turns around to the laughing Fei Long, and almost looks aghast at what he sees. "Buddy, what the FUCK are you doing UP!?" Marduk bursts out, exasperated. He was coming back. Like a zombie- well no, Mortal Kombat tournaments would never do zombies. Well, never do zombies well. As Fei Long kicks back up on his feet, Marduk almost half-heartedly falls back in his grappling stance. "Like shit YEAH I'll buy your DVD set because holy shit I love eating well and sourcing food to fuel my fighting spirit-" Marduk brings his hands up, but as he catches the kick, well. He -can't-, the speed and power slicing through his defenses. Marduk takes the full force axe kick to his shoulder and-

And he's not selling it.

There's an audible -pop-, something has gotten out of his shoulder. But Marduk isn't selling it. He's getting this weird, tensed up, kind of constipated look on his face as he doesn't seem to fully register that the fight was going on. "DAMN! Hang on, uh, this is all going really fast- I need to think about this-" Leaning back, he kind of muscles with his bruised, torn shoulder to pop it back into the socket, all while shouting out. "LOADING UP THE SASQUATCH CANNON!" Marduk bellows out as he, well, -fires- the SASQUATCH CANNON, unleashing a swift, battering straight kick aimed in the general center of mass. He was beginning to slow down, he was off his feeting now.

But it didn't seem like hurting him was gonna make him any slower than he is.

COMBATSYS: Fei Long fails to counter Light Kick from Marduk with Gekirinken EX.
- Power fail! -

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

COMBATSYS: Fei Long can no longer fight.

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

[FEI LONG]
And here Fei Long thought they were building the bonds of FRIENDSHIP! ... or something pugilistically adjacent to it.

The Flying Dragon kicks off of Marduk, as much as through him, and seeks to recover some measure of stable footing. He -may- have taken harder head hits than he realized, however, as the moviestar turns his back to the titan, sidelong.

"Come at me--" He spits out a bit more blood, "-- From any direction you like!!"

It's a challenge Fei Long is not up to, however. And rather than a graceful midair spin that stops Marduk dead with a perfectly poised jump-kick and turns the tide of this fight back in Fei Long's favor-- he gets kicked in the back, mere instants too slow in reacting.

His ribcage cracks, his spine deforms for one agonizing moment, and the Flying Dragon-- well-- flies forward, crashing into a rolling skid across the floor. On one bent arm, he tries to rise-- and fails, flopping facefirst, hard, to the unforgiving tunnel floor.

"Well-- fought." Fei Long congratulates... through a hoarse, breath-seeking hack. "You might is formidable; good fortune to you in the fights ahead."

[MARDUK]
"YEAH! YEAH! NOW I- Oh."

Marduk was getting ready to follow up his assault with something else, but like. Fei Long was doubled over with a snapped rib too. Marduk shakes his fists half-heartedly, as he looks over at the flopping, fading Fei Long. "Yeah, uh, good fortune, up, and DVDs. It was fun! I like you, uh, Fei Long. But like-" Marduk didn't know how to put this. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do next. Like wasn't he supposed to do something... extra. Marduk looms over Fei Long, thoughtfulness and hesitation coming over his face. And then, something breaks the silence.

"Do it now, Marduk!"

That's the voice that comes out from behind Marduk. turns at the figure, and stares. It looked almost like a werewolf, with it's fluffy ears and long snoot. It wore a pair of red trousers, and though it's mouth was open, there was nothing long and dangling from within. Marduk stares, jaw slack. He eagerly waves at Marduk in an exaggerated mascot manner. "Hey they sport! I'm Harvey the Hound, the Calgary Flame's official NHL Mascot! There's nothing more important than firing up the crowd, and that's what you need to be doing. So do it now, Marduk! KILL FEI LONG. Make it bloody! Turn his head into HAMBURGER HELPER! It's the Descent! He'll survive anyways! So there's no consequences to doing him in! KILL HIM MARDUK! BRING ABOUT THE FATALITY!"

"No! STOP MARDUK!"

A long, flappy red wet felt thing waggles in the air. It also has a ghostly aura, but also it somehow was talking. "I'm Harvey the Hound's tongue! In 2003, Harvey was maliciously taunting the Oilers behind their bench! His relentless and insensitive showboating enraged their coach! The coach then ripped me free from my oral coil, and then the Oilers scored three times! I mean sure they didn't win, but it was the thought! You need to respect Fei Long! Tell him that even though you are down to fight, deep down, he needs to be your friend! Just think of him like Abigial! A Dude into lotsa fighting!" The tongue makes wet slapping sounds as it jiggles, inviting Marduk to make the right choice.

"What the -FUCK-"

Marduk states flatly. Looking down at Fei Long, he looks back up. "WHAT THE =FUCK!= HOLY SHIT! Are you seeing this man?" Marduk points at the two hideous apparations he sees, shaking his head. "It's Harvey the Hound, and his tongue, and one of them wants me to kill you brutally, and the other wants me to tell you that I am DTF and is gonna be your down deep friend!" Marduk rests his battered, bruised, and bloodied cheek into his fist, deep in thought as he looks from one to the other. "And I'm not sure which one I want to listen to! What do you think Fei Long?" He gestures a hand to the hound. "Should I listen to Harvey, and give you a consequence free Fatality?" He gestures to the gyrating flesh tongue. "Or should I listen to the tongue, who wants me to make you into a DILF." He taps his chin, and then he places a palm over his bruised, swollen chest.

"Or maybe I should just listen to my kokoro!"

[FEI LONG]
Wait. What? Isn't Fei Long the one who took the heavier hits to his head? Suddenly, it seems unclear; and not just because it takes a moment, and a fair bit of squinting, for the Flying Dragon to get his vision to focus properly on the confused titan.

It's a difficult time to demand quick thinking, and a downright confounding way of presenting the quandary in the first place-- but diagnosing derangement is not the Hong Kong star's forte... nor does he particularly want to die, whether he'll be reportedly resuscitated by dark magic 'consequence free' or not. Nonetheless, a wise response takes just a bit of time to concoct; sometimes it pays to be charismatic, and empathically attuned!

"Well--" Fei Long posits quietly, pausing to take a long, hard swallow. "-- whatever happens afterwards, my management team didn't want me here in the first place. If I wind up killed or maimed they're not going to be very happy and will try even -harder- to clamp down on my ability to seek out /real/ fights." It's true. That helps sell the story, right? "And I-- don't really want to be pals with someone that inspired to bash my brains out with that level of finality."

Beat. "You -do- mean Down to Fight, right?" That's an important distinction, here, and he gets back to it-- sooner rather than later, overall. "Because sure, we can train, I can fight -even harder- in the future, but sporting rivals shouldn't be looking to uh, murder each other, even-- especially-- at some sorceress' dark bidding. I'm afraid I'd have to take that quite personally."

Fei Long doesn't mention this might mean they'd fight again, anyway; Marduk is too easily confounded, and it seems GROSSLY unwise. "Surely your heart tells you that is not the path to balance, or even greater glory; only a lonely, brief existence of less satisfying, more malevolent violence." Plus, Fei Long might ban Marduk from the merch site; and then how will he balance his fats and proteins?

[MARDUK]
"Wow really?"

Marduk nods along. "That's the opposite of me, my Management -really- really wanted me here!" As Fei Long explains about DTF and the like, Marduk pauses a moment, and then snorts. "Yes of course I mean down to fight! Just because you're a big named celebrity doesn't mean I'm going to give you a Lightning Spangles!" Marduk just laughs a little longer, before his face droops. "Oh uh my supervisor asked me to stop using that phrase. Would you believe it's incredibly sexist?" Marduk wasn't looking at Fei Long when he talks about that, but to his side.

There is a silence.

"No, Harry, I don't think I should Lightning Spangles my supervisor either!"

Another silence, and Marduk glares angrily over his shoulder. His hips begin to gyrate. "See? Your tongue understands! You can't just Lightning Spangles the whole world, Harry!" Marduk leans down, extending his hand to help Fei Long up, his hips still shaking. "Lets get you all put together, buddy, and we can talk about fixing my diet and buying your DVDs, and then all four of us can watch them and chill! But uh. Ix-nay and shit on the dark sorceress stuff that's supposed to be a secret."

* F R I E N D S H I P ? *

Log created on 15:32:33 07/05/2022 by Marduk, and last modified on 09:04:37 07/16/2022.