Match of the Millennium

Description: China's Lin Kuei Forest is said to be haunted by demons. Luckily, the Shaolin prodigy Liu Kang and Stellar Assassin Zafina are well-equipped to face whatever might lurk in the shadows beyond the encroaching trees of the deep, dark woods.

[ZAFINA]
Zafina walks inside the forest to the area she was told the fight would be in. To be fair, she is in this tournament for one reason and only one. There is evil in this tournament. She had a premonition, and she had to come, see for herself. At the moment, it's not her opponent she feels as evil, but what's lurking in the forest. There are demons here. She is sure of it. After this fight, she will check this forest further. For now, she needs to take care of her opponent.

She has absolutely nothing against Liu Kang, at least currently. She simply needs to go further in the tournament to find the evil she felt.

Her demonic left hand is throbbing a bit. It feel like it is excited to be here. Zafina stares at it a moment and whispers to it. "Don't get any idea. You won't take control.". After this little talk, she waits, ready to start this, in this weird, evil forest.

[LIU KANG]
The White Lotus Society has a duty to protecting Earthrealm. As the direct descendant of the Great Kung Lao, Liu Kang knows the weight of that duty more than most. This is what brings him to the hazy mist of the Lin Kuei forest. This is what brings him to follow through on this tournament invitation. There is likely evil here. Likely evil that will threaten the greater parts of Earthrealm if it is allowed to flourish.

He knows of his first opponent. He knows that though there are no spectators, that he is still being observed. The eyes of the trees watch. Their gaping knot holes contorting as though to follow. Holes in trunks warping to facsimiles of furious maws gnashing teeth before shifting back to dead wood. Yes, the darkness in this forest is clear and present. It surrounds Liu Kang. So much as he expects it surrounds his fated opponent.

He is present in a small clearing. Near the appointed grounds. Before approaching, Liu Kang finishes a kata to put his mind into the right place. Fluid motions end with a firm stomp on the forest floor as the Shaolin finishes his preparations. And then, with the dutiful sternness that his training and the weight of destiny brings him, he steps toward the fated spot.

"I'm sorry," he states on approaching, seeing the woman apparently staring at her arm. "If I'm interrupt anything."

[ZAFINA]
She looks up from staring at her hand. If one could feel evil, there was evil in there, big evil. Of course, the purple energy color of her hand would give a good hint too. She speaks with a middle eastern accent. "You are not. I was expecting you, Mr. Kang. I have nothing against you. Let this be a good clean match. Give it your all, and I shall do the same." She inclines her head in respect yet always keeps her eyes on him now.

Once she is done talking, she gets into her stance. Yet she does not strike. She also allows her opponent to do the same. Liu Kang is not the enemy. Simply someone here for his own non-evil reasons.

The things in the forest are also watching with keen eyes. They wish to see blood and feel the pain of those two fighters.

COMBATSYS: Zafina has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Zafina           0/-------/-------|

[LIU KANG]
Liu Kang bows with a gentle fist placed in the palm of the hand opposite. "I have nothing against you," he confirms. "Other than I must not allow you to continue in this tournament." He grows a slight smile as his feet begin to move, his whole body slipping into an easy bouncing posture.

For a moment he seems to think, to quickly calculate his approach. He does not sense an evil intent in the woman, and her presence isn't giving off any sort of malice. But she is an opponent, and Liu Kang must give every ounce of himself into a fight.

He moves quickly, leaping high toward the woman opposite him. A distracting flourish of a maneuver, to get him close in enough that he may begin a whirling dervish of body blows from left and right. Quick snap series to draw and drive wind from the woman's lungs. All to be quickly capped off with a deftly spinning backhand punch. An opening gambit to stun and to pressure and to test his opponent's deftness in Kombat.

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zafina           0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0         Liu Kang

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang successfully hits Zafina with Windmill Punch.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Zafina           0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0         Liu Kang

[ZAFINA]
Liu Kang is pretty fast. Zafina keeps observing him. The jump is not the danger. But what comes after, the body blows. They are, and each of them hits their marks. Powerful blows from a powerful fighter. She brings her arms up to block the spinning backhand punch, but even that passes through. As things stand, that's a pretty poor performance from the guardian assassin.

Those blows were no jokes, and they have an impact on the strange woman, but she is not out of this yet. She gets back into her stance. "Well done, sir Kang." She takes a deep breath then white psionic energy motes flow around her body. Then she brings her good hand back, charging slightly before spinning into a knife-handed strike toward's Liu's head. It also would give her a good idea of how he deals with things.

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang blocks Zafina's Gilgamesh Blast.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Zafina           0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0         Liu Kang

[LIU KANG]
A complimentary opponent is an unexpected one. She is not wholly as quick as Liu Kang had hoped, but he holds out that she may yet surprise him. There was something else about the woman, after all. And the white energy flowing out from her is more than enough to prove that true.

Her strike comes and is met with a sharp defense from a snapping forearm block. Holding for the moment, the reverberations of the blow and the flow of energy rolls through the man. "You can do better than test me," he tells her.

While the silent spectres surrounding salivate for the hope of blood, none has been spilled yet. Their bated breath palpable as the mists of the forest grow thick and blinding. Closing the world about the two fighters in a cloak of grey.

Liu Kang snaps around. He brings his blocking hand down as his knee rises to a single leg stance. The center of his body shifting and flowing with the swift adjustment of his breathing and mass. A snapping fist rises, and from about his forearm also rises a spark and a rolling flame that barks outward toward Zafina. A fierce fireball shot for the woman's face.

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang successfully hits Zafina with Snapping Dragon.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Zafina           1/----===/=======|=======\-------\0         Liu Kang

[ZAFINA]
Zafina feels a bit sluggish. Her blow is blocked rather easily by Liu Kang. She wonders if the evil in this forest, mixed with her evil hand, is working against her. It's not time, however, to think of this, not time for excuses as Mr. Kang is going for his next attack. He even tells her to go on ahead. He knows she is not giving 100%.

It's a fireball this time, her opponent sents toward her. She moves to get out of the way of this flames projectile in a jumping spin attempt, yet it's not good enough. At least her face is spared, as her chest ends up taking the brunt of it, searing her clothes and what's under them. She drops down to the ground with one knee and one hand touching it. She can't stop there. Not like this. Screw this stupid hand. She will not go down without a fight.

She rolls herself toward Liu and gets up. She aims a reverse kick at his stomach, trying to stagger him back. If this works, she then crawls quickly toward him and does a forward flip doing two quick kicks in the process before finishing the flip into a double overhead smash with her hand. She turns her back to him and leans back to punch him toward his chest before charging a massive amount of psionic energy into a large claw over her bad hand. She turns around and slams it out to grab Liu to drain from him before finally ripping that claw from him and leaving him to fall. Liu wanted her to show herself. She does now

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang counters Bloody Saif - Execution from Zafina with Hidden Lotus EX.
- Power hit! -

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Zafina           0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1         Liu Kang

[LIU KANG]
Fire burns bright! The hungry ghosts of the forest silently thrill in the sudden violence from the dragon warrior. Burn. Burn and bring forth the bound demon in the young assassin's arm! Contorted grimaces in the fog grin and leer at the fighters. Let there be blood! Their demand grows nigh palpable. They crave the falling of two good souls to the violence of Kombat.

The White Lotus warrior is still in the moments following the spout of flame sent scorching Zafina. Quickly, though, he returns to his bouncing posture. An ease that is almost taunting, almost knowing, of his skill and his Destiny. "Are you taking it easy on me?" he asks.

The Shaolin is swift. He seems ready for Zafina's vicious approach. The sudden roll and the reverse kick cut through the air. Her heel slicing out. A moment of contact, a rolling downward sweeping block travels along with Zafina's kick. Touching, and then gone in a flash of firelight.

The roar of flame announces Liu Kang's reappearance behind the assassin. While the force of Zafina's kick has her focus away from him, Liu Kang brings down a hard striking punch upon her. The strike punctuated by a sharp, echoing kiai that cuts the general silence of the forest depths.

[ZAFINA]
There are days things are not going your way or circumstances or other things that make it so, one is doing very poorly. Perhaps such a moment is happening to the assassin. Perhaps, The White Lotus warrior is simply that much better.

Zafina was starting something that would be painful, but Liu Kang stops it in it's infancy and turns it into his advantage to damage her further. There is no evil intent from her opponent. She can't be mad at him for what's happening. Even the hand can't push her to be angry at him. At herself, on the other hand...
% Liu appears behind her, and she's completely opened to it. She receives the punch into the lower back with the force of truck, or so it feels like, and she falls into the ground, grunting in pain. There is no blood from it, yet pain itself is palpable.

The hand feels the evil desires in this forest and lets it empower itself. Zafina should regroup and rethink her next move, but instead, with difficulties, pulls herself back up for another attack toward the warrior.

She turns around. "You're only making me look like a fool by being so much better than I am. You are humbling me warrior!" She then steps forward to do a spin into a strong overhead stomping kick with her left leg while white lightning-like energy ripples over her body. The voice of reason deep in herself, burried by her hand, tells her that's a bad idea too. But doesn't have enough influence right now to stop her from attempting this move.

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang counters Ereshkigal Stomp from Zafina with Dragon Parry EX.

[                                < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Zafina           1/-======/=======|-------\-------\0         Liu Kang

[LIU KANG]
It was a brash attempt. Sometimes, brashness is rewarded with great opportunity. There is no shame in burning bright. The Shaolin can see, and feel, the dark chi within the hand of the assassin. He can feel it's pulsing resonance with the forest. He can tell there is a great deal of danger in allowing the monster to be unleashed. Inwardly, he commends the woman for her restraint. But he knows he must end this as simply and quickly as possible.

The Lin Kuei forest cries for blood. But Liu Kang has no plans to water the trees and sate their lust.

He snaps forward in a sudden shot to seize the initiative. As Zafina's leg goes high ahead, Kang's rapid motions bring him snapping hard with a sweeping roundhouse burning with brilliant flames. "I am sorry, but I think the forest is tempting you," he tells her even as he strikes her hard enough to send her to the ground, cast aside with the force of dragon's fire.

The momentum of his kick swings down, and Liu Kang's whole body arcs in a fluid stomp to press Zafina to the earth. "The spirit's here are hungry, I do not think either of us wish to feed them," he tells her, standing, waiting to see if she has anything else to fight with. Any demonic energy to expend.

[ZAFINA]
Today was not meant to be. A shamely defeat for the assassin. A delight for the hand and probably the whole evil side of the forest.

Again, an attempt is made by Zafina. One made in anger instead of wisdom. Again her attempt is stopped and turned against her by Liu. The kick hits her hard and sends her flat on the ground. Unmoving.

The hand wishes to continue this fight, Zafina does not. There is nothing she can do to win this now, and even if she could, it is not her who is meant to handle the evil in this tournament. She was only sent here to be see there was someone handling. Someone better suited for this tournament. So she stays down. "Beware Liu Kang, there is evil in this tournament, and you will have to face them and stop them. My part stops here." Her voice is filled with pain at the moment, but she will be alright. She knows as such. She lets out her anger and tempation of the moment and lets her body rest there.

COMBATSYS: Zafina takes no action.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Liu Kang         0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Zafina can no longer fight.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Liu Kang         0/-------/-------|

[LIU KANG]
The fight is over. Liu Kang will not give the hungry forest its violence. Not to one so well intended as his opponent.

He steps back from her. He bows to her for her efforts. "I am here for the same reasons as you are," he tells her, "I will do everything to defend this world. You have my promise."

He turns from the fallen woman, and he walks into the foggy mist. Around the White Lotus, the Lin Kuei forest wails for its denied blood. The spirits fester and foment their rage, but they know that it is only the beginning, and that there is much more pain and suffering yet to come. They will feast. They will certainly feast.

COMBATSYS: Liu Kang has ended the fight here.

Log created on 18:53:33 07/10/2022 by Zafina, and last modified on 09:00:35 07/16/2022.