Match of the Millennium

Description: Just when he'd been nearly lulled into forgetting about the Heart of Ignarok, the fire inside Zog is reignited by the chance appearance of its thief. A chase through Metro Square ensues as Hollyella refuses to surrender her prize to the surly ogre!

[HOLLYELLA]
As she reaches the chaos of Beat Square, Hollyella allows herself to take a moment to catch her breath. She hasn't dared stop to look behind her since she departed from The Metro City Arena minutes before. What was that creature doing there at the final of the 'NFG' competition? How had he followed her to this world? She'd thought she would be safe from being pursued here and had started to let herself relax in recent months.

Of course, it could all just be a coincidence. Maybe Zog was in Metro City on other business. He had seemed pretty pally with the pyromancer, so perhaps the Irishman had invited him for some reason or other. Whatever the motive, Hollyella has no intention of being caught or more importantly, letting him know she still has the ruby.

She clutches her sword in her right hand, running her long, slim fingers over its length and settling them on the gemstone that's embedded into its handle. To her, the sword feels cool and kind but for anyone else who touches it, they'd have a very different experience.

She smiles to herself at this thought, comforted by the cleverness of the mage back in her homeland. Then realising she has rested long enough, she takes off again, weaving her way through the crowd with care.

[ZOG]
Normally, the sight of a nine-foot-plus tall and half-ton-heavy humanoid barrelling down a crowded city street would be cause for public panic. This is Metro City, though, and they have a history as a home to celebrity giants, from the Andore clan to Abigail. Even the heavyweight in question now stampeding down the sidewalk is a known face to many by this point. After all, Zog the ogre has been hard to ignore since he was enticed to join the New Fighting Generation as a sponsor (leading to the I <3 Cuties t-shirt that's currently struggling to contain him). Even those who haven't seen the footage might have noticed the series of commercials he's starred in on behalf of Hadou Pizza lately, where he plays the hungry villain whose appetites and fury are inevitably sated by one of the pizzas being proffered. It's a testament to his acting skills; after all, he's never actually been satisfied after one pizza and normally orders them in bulk, which is how he was noticed by the company in the first place.

"Hadou pizza!"

Hence why a small child whose mother has just pulled him out of the ogre's path suddenly exclaims the catchphrase from the commercial used whenever the hero uses his secret weapon to defeat the ogre, mimicking the motion that has been a brewing point of copyright contention between the Ansatsuken school and the company since its opening last year or so.

"Move it, squeaky!" Zog bellows as he tramples past the tyke and into the square, checking his mystic compass to see which way his quarry now lies. On the other side, it seems, of the outdoor food court. A look up past the sprawl of tables and benches being used for dinner confirms a glimpse of the woman who has haunted his dreams.

"HEY! QUIT RUNNIN', RED!"

Amazingly, as he rampages forward, the ogre narrowly manages to avoid knocking over anything - or anyone - in his way. After all, if there's one thing an ogre respects, it's the right to eat a meal in (relative) peace. Thus, his immense girth swerves and swings past tables and chairs and pets in a series of near-misses.

"I JUST WANNA TALK!" he yells, brandishing a club over his head as he runs.

[HOLLYELLA]
The Hadou commercials have escaped Hollyella but she has certainly sampled their wares. A lovely young girl named Kassie delivered her a Chicken Alfredo pizza one evening that she still thinks about on occasion. Compared to the bland and stodgy food back home, the culinary delights available in this city are immense. She can try a different cusine every evening of the week and still not run out of options.

When she hears Zog's booming voice, the redhead turns to look back in terror. In an open space, she would bet on herself to comfortably beat the ogre in a speed test but here there's people everywhere and without pushing them over, the path is far from clear.

Fight fans are now starting to spill out of the arena and joining the other residents and tourists in town. Excited chatter comes from them, as well as the occasional cheer from those whose favourite fighter has been victorious.

The giant male claims he just wants to talk. The red haired woman is reluctant to believe this. She is well aware that what she did to him was below the belt, an act of thievery and treachery. Perhaps she should be punished for her actions but she has no intention of making it easy for him.

So she pushes on, taking a right as she reaches the other side of the square and slipping down a side street.

[ZOG]
Subterfuge is not a specialty of the Ignarok clan. It's patently obvious to anyone watching that Zog is not simply seeking enlightened discourse with the red-haired thief. Talking isn't even in the top three things that Zog would like to do with her, given the chance. Punishing the scarlet-haired thief and reclaiming his tribe's treasure are the only things on his mind, regardless of what she might have to say for herself. He's smart enough to know that being honest about his intentions won't help him capture his quarry, though; he's just not much of a liar.

Direct pursuit doesn't seem to be getting him any closer to the redhead, though, and all of this running after grazing throughout the Finals match is starting to cause his belly to cramp. He stops just a moment to catch his breath and hold his compass up again.

The arrow indicates that she's moving to the right down the side street up ahead. There's a single-story Japanese joint catering to the elderly called Takoyaki Senpai Kyaku that she's just veered around. Reaching up, Zog grabs onto the edge of the building's gabled roof and pulls himself up before charging across the wooden surface like a true kaiju, sending tiles tumbling away, hoping his diagonal course will cut distance off of his chase until he can leap off of the rooftop, aiming to land in front of - if not on - the fleeing female!

[HOLLYELLA]
Hollyella passes the seniors favourite sushi place and then a shoe store specialising in cushioned soles. Perhaps the positioning is strategic. She hears the sound of the tiles clattering as they hit the sidewalk of the street and allows herself a brief glimpse behind to see what the situation is.

Zog is no longer in sight. She is surprised if he's given up now he's finally found her. Perhaps his pace has just slowed and he...

"Aggggh!" The redhead cries out in pain as she's knocked to the ground by the giant. Pinned beneath his burly body she's struggling to breathe and starts to wave her arms around wildly in protest.

"Get off me!" she gasps grumpily. "Do you wish me to perish before you get what you seek?"

[ZOG]
*KRUMP*

One can see the cracks forming in the concrete from where the ogre landed. Fortunately for her, Hollyella is sturdy enough to have taken the impact of the ogre landing on top of her without being squashed. He can hear her words as he pushes himself up on his hands, affording enough room for the redhead to breathe, but not easily escape. A broad grin crosses his features as he realises that he's finally caught her.

"You sayin' you're gonna give me what I'm after?" he questions as he reaches down toward Hollyella with the intent of flipping her over onto her back so he can get a good look at the face that's been tormenting him ever since her treachery. "'Cause I've been waitin' a long time for it, you cheeky warrior-wench."

[HOLLYELLA]
It's true that Hollyella is a strong woman. A life of training with her sword combined with a hard life living in the mountains have made her flesh firm and her muscles well formed. As such, she is able to survive being landed on by the ogre but being beneath him is still not the most comfortable of positions.

So when he pushes himself upwards, the redhead is relieved. "If I suspect what you're after then probably not" she admits in answer to Zog's question. "At least not without a fight."

She finds herself flipped over like an omlette in a frying pan and now faces the foe she has been fleeing for all these months. "A warrior I may be. A wench I am not. Cheeky? That very much depends on the day."

With a swift gesture, Hollyella reaches for her sword, intending to swing it upwards towards her assailant.

[ZOG]
Zog lets out a huff as Hollyella declares her defiance, his face a mask of anger as he stares down at hers. "Well, that ain't a problem for one of us," Zog says of the prospect of a fight for his prize. "But I'm warnin' ya, it's gonna hurt a lot more if I gotta take it than if you give it to me nice-HEY!"

The ogre tilts his upper body out of the way, narrowly avoiding the swinging blade as he exclaims in surprise, backing up onto his feet as he brandishes his club once more. As he does, the 'I <3 Cuties' shirt splits rapidly in half, the slice from the woman's weapon causing it to sunder against the flesh it already struggled to contain.

"I LIKED THAT SHIRT!" Zog laments as he slams the business end of his club against the sidewalk, causing another crack to form. His eyes fix with burning fury on Hollyella as he rises up to his full, looming height.

"Looks like I only catch you on your cheeky days, then. Just don't go cryin' when your booty gets the whoopin' it's after, little minx!"

The ogre takes a two-handed grip on his club, the sinew beneath his layers of fat showing its power as he winds up like a batter before lurching forward and hammering his massive weapon in a horizontal swipe at Hollyella!

COMBATSYS: Zog has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Zog              0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Hollyella has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Zog              0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0        Hollyella

COMBATSYS: Hollyella instinctively blocks Zog's Fierce Impact.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Zog              0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0        Hollyella

[HOLLYELLA]
As the 'NFG' memorabilia has a parting of ways, Hollyella is exposed to the ogre's fleshy frame. It's a sight that's familiar to her, since he had a fondness for going around in nothing but a loin cloth back home.

"I did you a favour" she snarls. "It was a cheap and sexist garment, mocking both you and the female fighters in the contest."

Zog's claim to only catching Hollyella when cheeky is probably a fair one, since his only other encounter with the warrior woman so far involved her stealing from and tricking him. "I won't be crying when I leave you for dead" she counters boldly.

The club comes crashing down towards her and she sits up, using her body to block the blow. It's a move that sees her saving herself from more substantial damage but nevertheless, a strike from Zog is not something to be sniffed at.

Refusing to admit the pain he has caused her, Hollyella pushes through it, launching herself upwards with her sword in hand. The weapon igites and she seeks to deliver a heavy and fiery upward slash towards him with the intention of knocking him into the air. If successful, she follows his ascent, aiming to knock him back to the ground with a burning overhead strike.

COMBATSYS: Zog blocks Hollyella's Rising Inferno.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Zog              0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0        Hollyella

[ZOG]
Hollyella's snarling derision only stokes Zog's ire and spirals his chaotic belligerence further as he pulls back his massive club once more, holding it at the ready.

"Wha? N-nuh uh! It just said I love cuties! I read it!" He hefts his weapon and huffs. "And I do love cuties! Except when they're tricksy, cheeky cuties!"

His face reddens, the shade deepening when Hollyella announces her intent to leave him for dead.

"You might as well o' done that already when you stole that ruby! If Ignarok notices, he'll puke hell all over our village!"

His eyes go wide as Hollyella's weapon surges with infernal heat. There's something familiar about that fire, but he hasn't seen her wield it before.

"Hey, where'd you learn that -"

Zog barely manages to get his petrified club in the way in time to intercept the uppercut slash, the collision sending sparks spraying across his belly, causing him to stagger and growl.

"Hrrghhhh!"

As Hollyella leaps into the air, he brings his club up again, holding either end in his hands as he catches her overhead strike with the middle of the weapon. This time, the spray of sparks hits him in the face, causing him to howl in displeasure.

"Grrraaaahhh!"

Taking another step back, Zog shakes the embers from his eyes before fixing them on the falling female fighter. He scrapes his sandals against the ground a couple of times before suddenly rampaging forward, aiming to crash the weight his enormous, bare belly into the redhead and carry her across the side street and into (if not through) the opposite wall with all the grace of an angry Mack truck!

COMBATSYS: Zog knocks away Hollyella with Boulder Stampede.
- Power hit! -

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Zog              0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1        Hollyella

[HOLLYELLA]
"Aw, so you're saying you don't love me?" Hollyella questions Zog. "I will consider myself offended."

Zog's statement about how serious his situation is does give the female fighter pause for thought. Did her actions really risk Ignarok destroying the ogre settlement? Even if that was the case, it's too late to change things now. She made her choice and now the ruby is bound to her for life.

In fact, the very fire that ignites her beloved weapon is from Ignarok himself. Prior to the stolen ruby being set in her sword, it had simply served as a blade like any other, albeit one she was superbly skilled with.

The ogre's club comes to meet the steel, sending sparks towards his face. A faint smirk plays upon the redhead's lips but it threatens to be wiped off as he attacks her again, aiming to bully her with his belly.

The formiddable force is far too intense for Hollyella to cope with. Her feet kick out in desperation as she collides with the wall, causing it vibrate with the impact of their combined weight. Her hand tightens on her sword as she tries to hold back the tears forming in her green eyes. "You fight roughly, ogre" she spits out at him, struggling to speak as her ribs throb with pain. Perhaps they are broken but that's a concern for later.

With a sudden and swift movement, Hollyella lunges forward with incredible speed, intending to impale Zog on her red-hot sword. If possible, she'll then lift him up overhead and slam him to the ground on the other side of herself.

COMBATSYS: Zog reflects Crimson Lunge from Hollyella with Belly Bounce EX.
-@- Dazing Hit! -@-

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////                 ]
Zog              0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0        Hollyella

[ZOG]
Hollyella's question finally catches up with Zog as he ends up squashing Hollyella up against the wall. "So, you admit you're cheeky and tricksy?" he bellows, before addressing her protest: "I'da been a lot gentler if you'da just gave it up nice! I already told ya!"

The slippery swordswoman manages to escape the pinning predicament he's put her in as the cracked wall behind her crumbles, and the fighter's greatsword is suddenly being driven through the dust straight toward the ogre's gargantuan gut! His eyes widen in surprise as the hot blade sinks into his flesh - then suddenly start to leer as the tribal tattoos that cover his torso start to glow orange. It might take a moment for Hollyella to realize that the flesh isn't being sliced through, but giving way, held taut as the magic of the mystical wards clashes with the magmic might of the blade. And as Hollyella tries to lever the fifteen-hundred-pound ogre over her head, she'll find that his weight keeps her weapon trapped between layers of flesh like an .

"That's what you did..." he mutters with a mix of awe and anger as the heat of Ignarok rises in his belly. "...you sneaky she-devil!!"

The sword is suddenly forcibly released in a shower of embers as the primal force being channelled through the weapon is returned to its wielder through violent expulsion, sending the redhead into the building whose wall the pair have just caved in. The silhouette of the giant fills the gap as the hot glow of magma fades from the center of his belly.

"Alright, Red! You give me that sword, and I'll let you off with a whoopin'!" he demands, resolve steeled and chaotic rage tempered by his new understanding of the situation.

[HOLLYELLA]
"What you want you will have to take!" Hollyella yells at Zog, her expression fierce.

She feels the blade plunge into the ogre's flesh and a sense of satisfaction starts to spread through her. But what's this? Something stops the sword from slicing.

The adventurer tries to manoeuvre the sword, twisting it to have it do her will but instead it turns against her, forcing her backwards into the bowels of the building. She starts to cough as dust and debris cover her cloak. The abandoned space seems to have at some point been a tailors, smart suits still hanging from racks that are now rusted with the passing of time and the dampness of the downtown air.

Perhaps it's nerves or perhaps it's shock but Hollyella starts to laugh manically, as she pushes a long strand of hair from her face. Rising to her feet, she grips her weapon in her hand and shakes her head. "I have a use for it and it's seeing you off, ogre!"

The redhead starts to spin rapidly towards Zog with the great sword extended. As she twirls and whirls, a swirling vortex of flames is created around her, threatening to burn the brute she is battling.

COMBATSYS: Zog endures Hollyella's Flaming Whirlwind.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Zog              1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0        Hollyella

[ZOG]
Bits of plaster shake from the ceiling with Zog's steps as he tromps into the abandoned shop interior. He shoves a rack of suits aside violently before kicking a work ladder out of the way.

"If you didn't want me chasin' ya, ya shouldn't have stolen my Heart!" Zog declares as he stalks through the dust and dark, only to hesitate when the whirling wheel of fire and steel starts to spin through the shadows toward him. Then, with a grim set of his jaw, he hefts his own weapon, letting Hollyella hurtle toward him. This time, the sword does manage to cut into the surprisingly tough skin of the ogre's side, the wound cauterizing with the heat emanating from the weapon to leave the smell of burnt flesh in the air. As Hollyella spins past, though, Zog himself starts to spin, his technique surprisingly similar but markedly less graceful as he charges in a reckless whirl with his bludgeon, aiming to crash into the fierce female whether by weapon or by body!

"NOBODY SPINS LIKE ZOG!!"

COMBATSYS: Zog successfully hits Hollyella with Hurricane Zog.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////                         ]
Zog              1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1        Hollyella

[HOLLYELLA]
"Your heart? Surely it's the heart of your people. You were merely the guardian of it and look how that turned out!" Hollyella mocks the male mountain.

"When we met you were sleeping on the job. You obviously didn't take your role seriously, so the ruby can't matter that much to you."

She spins into him, her sword striking its target, which brings a smile to her fair face. It seems that she has some competition though, as the ogre puts on a performance of his own to hit her like a hurricane.

The club crashes into her first, knocking the wind out of her battered body and sending her to her knees. Then comes Zog's own heft, which has her flat on her back, looking up at him with loathing. She's fading fast but she doesn't intend to let herself drift off without one final action.

The warrior woman ignites her sword and tosses it into the air, scattering blazing embers on the ground around Zog. Let him try his fancy footwork when his feet are on fire!

COMBATSYS: Hollyella can no longer fight.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Zog              1/-----==/=======|

COMBATSYS: Zog fails to interrupt Ruby Rain from Hollyella with The Hand of Ignarok EX.

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

[ZOG]
Hollyella's mockery causes the meat-mountain to quake with anger as he crashes down on her. Once again, he has her where he wants her - and this time he doesn't intend to let her get away, especially when she's attacked both his ogreness and his honour, cutting him with words and weapons alike.

"I meant it was mine to take back!" he protests of what might have been construed as a Freudian slip. He grabs the fading female by a wrist and pulls her across his knee as he drops onto the other, intent on meting out the justice that the fierce thief so richly deserves and take, as she has insisted he must, what he desires.

"And of course I took my job seriously! I was so good at my job, no one ever tried to steal the Heart 'cause no one was that stupid! It was boring! I mighta dozed off, but you couldn't even sneak past me in my sleep! So who's bad at their job, sneaky-cheeks?!"

He pulls her cloak back to fling it aside, lest it interfere with her coming punishment, then raises his right hand behind his shoulder as it starts to glow with orange heat.

"And then when I let you get off easy, you went and stole it anyway! So now, you're gonna pay!"

The sword is flung toward him in what seems like an especially loose manner, and he hardly even flinches. "Ha! Nice try! I'll just get it after I finish - hey, what's that?"

The first couple of warning embers falls on the ogre, and he reacts like he's noticed a raindrop on a clear day. He shrugs his shoulders and is about to bring the hand of justice down on the red-haired rogue's rear end when more and more embers start to fall on his shoulders.

"Graaaugh!"

The ogre tries to power through and punish the perpetrator in spite of the pyroclastic precipitation, but within a few moments, the flames have started to catch on the disused cloth and cardboard and dust in the environs, and the tailor is starting to rapidly go up in smoke. Zog's eyes fill with tears as he lets the lascivious looter fall to the floor as he stops, drops and rolls across the carpet like a boulder, causing more smoke to rise as the flooring catches fire.

"GRRRRUUGHH! Why you gotta keep ruinin' things, Red?!"

Spotting the sword amidst the smoke, he clambers toward it, intent on rescuing at least one of the ruby prizes he's after - only to have the weapon burn his hand as he grasps its handle.

"YOWWW!"

[HOLLYELLA]
The redhead is moved around like a ragdoll. She may be too weak to defend herself from her opponent but her blade does her bidding beautifully. As Zog is threatened by the flames of The Sword of Ignarok's fire, Hollyella forces her eyes open, partly to witness what will happen to him and partly to be sure she doesn't slip into sleep and perish in the burning building.

She watches in silence as he reaches for the weapon, smug in the knowledge it will do him no good. His fleshy mitt starts to smoulder as the sword rejects him stealing it, staying loyal to its true owner.

Taking her chance whilst Zog is distracted by the burn, she stumbles to her feet and moves over to the blade, grabbing hold of it by its handle. She starts to stagger on to the street outside without stopping to look back at the ogre. For now it seems she has escaped the full extent of his wrath but she might not be as fortunate next time.

Hollyella Hawklight has been humbled here today. She will need to improve her performance should their paths cross again. The time has come for training. Now she just needs some suitable candidates to tussle with.

Log created on 11:02:28 12/21/2023 by Zog, and last modified on 10:28:16 12/22/2023.