Description: Oro shows up in Strolheim Castle to test Krauser's strength.
(Note: This log was taken before the logger had been coded. Therefore, I've had to remove the meters due to formatting issues. Just enjoy the RP.)
In Germany's afternoon, as the sun begins its descent to the horizon, the city of Strolheim is peaceful and calm. One of those lazy Sundays. There are no visitors scheduled to come to the castle today, and certainly no boats have been seen to approach the dock.
So it's probably something of a surprise when a minor explosion rocks the front gates of the castle. There's a neat circular hole where the gate's lock had once been, and one of the doors is being pushed inward.
The intruder? A small, wrinkled man wearing little but a scrap of loincloth.
Normally, Wolfgang Krauser does not personally deal with every single aspect of Strolheim. He does have a highly capable staff, not to mention his second in command, Mr. Blood. However, since the kaiser is indeed inside the castle at this time, things are different. The first tip is that the explosion - the sound of which is perfectly normal with all the fighters around - is followed by sounds of surprise and outrage.
Down below, several students and a few instructors take notice immediately, but because this old man just blew a /hole/ through the gates, they stand back and observe, though their features and stances suggest a will to take action.
Any chance of an eager student questioning Oro is prevented when Krauser exits the keep, striding towards the disturbance. He frowns as he notices the minor adjustment the interloper made to the lock. That gate had been there since before his /grandfather/ was born. The head of Strolheim passes the gathered fighters by a few feet, stopping to call out to the old man.
"You, there! What business do you have destroying my property?"
Oro steps through the door calmly, letting it hang open behind him. His eyes, set in hollow sockets, observe the students gathering around his entrance. When none of them make a move toward him, he displays a yellow-toothed grin. "So they know about Rule #1, at least..."
Oro's head flicks bird-like toward the approaching Krauser. Rather than answer him directly, he grabs the edge of his loincloth and twists. Water pours out of the fabric, and it becomes clear that the old man is completely wet. He must have swam.
Once the majority of the water is out, Oro peers up at the purple-haired man, tilting his head one way, then the other. "So you're Wolfgang Krauser." His voice is dry as dust, but no less strong for that. "I came to say hello." He bares his teeth in another rictus smile. "I'm going to be in your little tournament."
Krauser watches on, silent. Most of the students and instructors relax their postures, now that their master is here - their confidence in his ability has been only enhanced by his recent showings at Howard Arena, and this old man is now a void threat in the majority of their minds. Several more fighters trot up to see what the problem is, but all remain silent upon seeing Krauser.
"I am he. And who, may I ask, are you?" He had other questions, but it would be rude to the man, and dishonorable to Krauser, to progress without a name.
"Just an old monk. I go by the humble name of Oro." He leans over, performing a little bow. He splays his single hand on his chest as his continues. "I'm here for two reasons. This tournament of yours, you'd need to know if someone is qualified to be the mentor, correct? I merely wanted to give you an example of my ability so you would know where I stand."
Oro shuffles closer, only a couple feet away from Krauser now. He reaches out with his hand, poking at Krauser in the stomach. "The other reason is because of you. I've been watching you." One of his eyes glint as he looks up the wall of muscle. "Your success has been incredible. Barely a fight lost. I want to see for myself just want kind of ability you have, young'un."
The hair on the back of Krauser's neck stands up. He was a good judge of fighting potential, able to see tactics and abilities before they fully took effect. A bluff was in most cases ineffectual against him. And now, the monk is giving him a strange feeling. The sudden challenge, the hole through the gate, the fact that the man claims he has been watching. And the name - Oro. It was familiar. Had his father mentioned it?
Wolfgang's musings are kept short, and with only a beat of silence, he returns the greeting with a short bow, taking off his cloak. The nobleman shrugs off his armor, allowing two nearby students to take it away. "I accept your challenge... Mr. Oro."
Oro snaps his fingers, looking pleased. (Having one arm makes some expressions a little difficult, like clapping.) "That was fast, my boy." Obviously, he doesn't have anything to shrug out of - all he does is roll his shoulder and neck. "I thought I'd have to talk you into it." He flexes his hand a couple times, then backs off a few feet. "You know what? I'll be a sport and give you the opening attack." Despite his fighting stance, he looks relaxed, his muscles not tensed. "If I'm any judge, you won't hold back on a challenger just because he's a little old."
COMBATSYS: Oro has started a fight here.
Krauser stands just as easily. It confuses most people - his 'combat stance' is simply standing, arms at his sides. The 'unrefined' aspect of the Krauser Family Arts has served to puzzle many an observer. He doesn't seem to take offense at the fact the old man is calling him 'boy' and 'young'un', nor does he seem to at the offering of the opening attack. He just nods.
"You are correct."
With that, Krauser leans forward, dashing straight at Oro. One hand reaches out, aiming to clamp down on the old man's neck.
COMBATSYS: Krauser has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Oro endures Krauser's Lift Up Blow.
Krauser's much-larger hand closes around Oro's much-smaller throat, allowing the kaiser the opportunity to lift him into the air. Brutally, the head of Strolheim slams his free fist into Oro's face several times in quick succession, allowing the last to carry the old man from his grip and presumably to the ground.
Oro doesn't even move as Krauser approaches him. He allows himself to be picked up off the ground, hanging there as he watches Krauser with those eagle eyes. His head shifts a little as Krauser begins pounding punches into it, but otherwise he appears undisturbed. With the final blow, Oro does a flip midair as he flies backward, landing neatly on his feet. He cups his chin in his hand, musing thoughtfully. "You know, I think I did feel that...you can throw a punch, at least."
Oro lowers his hand, pointing it palm-out towards Krauser. With a light flick of his wrist, a golden sphere materializes, the brightness almost blinding as it streaks through the air, curving upward to strike Krauser in the chest.
COMBATSYS: Krauser blocks Oro's Nichirin Sho.
Krauser's surprise takes the following form: raised eyebrows. Any suspicions he had before are now confirmed, he has never met a fighter who could take hits like /that/. The memory of his father mentioning the name becomes a little clearer: Oro is a name of power. Is this the very same man?
The blast of energy is almost too fast. Faster than Ryu's Shinkuu Hadouken, faster than anything he had seen before - yet, even so, Krauser manages to erect a hasty defense, dashing /towards/ the blast and ramming through it with his shoulder. A good portion of the chi is simply knocked away by the German's attacking aura.
Wolfgang continues his assault, closing the distance to Oro in a moment. Shifting his weight, the kaiser brings his knee up for a smash directly at his opponent's face.
COMBATSYS: Oro blocks Krauser's Knee Smasher.
Once more, Oro appears to like where he's standing, and doesn't really want to leave. His arm drops to his side as he studies Krauser's method of dealing with his Sun Disk Palm, watches the huge man rush straight for him...
..And the instant the knee would have struck Oro's face, he calmly sticks up his fist, letting Krauser's knee crash straight into the back of his hand. His arm gives a shudder, but may as well be made of rock for all it actually moves.
The fist becomes a grasping hand, Oro's spindly fingers seeking to snare Krauser's calf.
COMBATSYS: Oro successfully hits Krauser with Nioh Riki.
Those fingers find purchase, and Oro hauls Krauser into the air over his head, slamming the huge man down onto the ground on the other side. Oro doesn't let go just yet; Krauser comes back over for another slam on the ground in front of him, and once more gets thrown onto the ground behind Oro. The old man chooses to let go at that point, turning around to face Krauser while his finger probes his teeth idly.
Crunch. Crunch... /crunch/. As if he /weren't/ six and a half feet tall, the older man flings him through the air multiple times, each impact jarring the nobleman's very bones. Krauser picks himself up, shaking the stars from his vision and narrowing his eyes at Oro. This was no ordinary fighter.
That acknowledged, the kaiser raises a hand, which is immediately engulfed in flame. He closes it into a fist, compacting the chi into a ball, and in the same motion, hurls it towards the monk.
COMBATSYS: Oro dodges Krauser's Blitz Ball.
Oro picks something out of his teeth. He scowls at it before flicking it off to the side. He turns his attention back to Krauser, nodding in approval as he sees the Blitz Ball being formed. "I'm going to show you a trick," he notes. "Watch carefully." He leaps forward as Krauser sends the ball rocketing toward him. His downward arc appears to take him straight into the path of the ball...
..but in the moment before his outstretched foot would land on the chi blast, a puff of air explodes under Oro's foot. His leg tenses as if he were on the ground, and with barely an effort he leaps higher into the air, the Blitz Ball passing harmlessly under him. "You're skilled, boy, I can tell that much." His new arc carries him all the way to Krauser, his feet aimed for the man's head. When they get close enough, he lashes out with two sharp kicks before he bounces off again behind Krauser.
COMBATSYS: Krauser blocks Oro's Jinchu Nobori.
Krauser watches with rapt attention, not because he was beckoned to watch, but because he is eager to see exactly how the man deals with this. The method is... astounding. Just as Sakura did yesterday, but to a greater degree. To simply step off of a blitz ball like that is worth respect.
Unfortunately, the Jinchu Nobori is much more telegraphed. Again, Krauser aggressively defends against the assault, raising an arm to provide a harder surface for Oro's feet to land on then his, say, face. Wolfgang spins to face the monk. He had never felt such an oppresive power since Omega Rugal, but he had almost /defeated/ Omega Rugal.
And Krauser wouldn't give up, today, either. As the old man rebounds off of the attack, aiming to land behind the head of Strolheim, he leaps for the pursuit. Hopefully, as Oro tries to gain his bearings, he will be ill-prepared to deal with a foot crashing down on his head.
COMBATSYS: Oro blocks Krauser's Leg Tomahawk.
Oro lands on the ground lightly, smiling his yellowed smile at a nearby student. Krauser's fast, certainly - Oro doesn't have time to turn around. But he can feel the motions in the air, has a good sense of what Krauser's likely to do...and for that reason the leg that comes crashing down on him once again meets Oro's single arm, stopping there.
Oro twists his body, hand reaching up to grab at Krauser's leg again while his foot circles around in a low sweep to knock the big man off-balance and send him crashing to the ground again. The bigger they are...
COMBATSYS: Oro successfully hits Krauser with Quick Throw.
...the harder they fall. Again, Krauser finds himself caught in Oro's viperishly fast attack. Somehow, the spindly little leg carries enough force to completely throw the kaiser to the ground. Another bone-shaking impact - he had to turn this fight around, /now/.
Extracting himself from the immediate vicinity, Krauser leaps backwards, crouching slightly. The first sign that he's planning something is the fact that chi is rising from the ground. Great amounts of chi, in fact.
"Kaaaaaiserrrrr..." The tiny sparks flicker into existence, all going to a single point, collecting in a spark that grows bigger and bigger. It becomes so bright that the sheer intensity is difficult to look at directly.
"...WAVE!"
As a punctuation to Krauser's words, the spark explodes outwards. The purple energy rushes towards Oro, spreading into a wall of pain that threatens to crash down right on top of the monk.
COMBATSYS: Krauser successfully hits Oro with Kaiser Wave.
Oro ambles backwards, keeping his eyes on Krauser. His expression had started to fall - Krauser was going down too easily. Maybe the family of Strolheim wasn't that impressive. But what would that say about everyone else he's fought and demolished? Maybe coming out of seclusion wasn't the best idea.
Oro's expression, however, begins to light up as he watches Krauser perform his next technique. "Yesss..." The word rattles in his throat as he watches eagerly. "I'd heard about this..." He crouches, waiting for the chi to gather and strike, and ready to watch it pass underneath him when he leaps.
And leap he does...but the wave moves far faster than he'd been led to believe. The wave strikes him in midair, slamming his frail-seeming body backward across half the courtyard. He barely manages to slow himself down by stabbing his fingers into the ground, drawing deep furrows as he comes to a halt.
Oro gets up slowly, shaking himself out. "Impressive." He claps his...hands. Yes. The portion of his simple garment that had been covering up his left side had fallen, allowing him free use of both arms. "I was beginning to think the Krauser family's arts had dulled with the times. As a reward..."
Oro places both hands on the sides of his head, his eyes squeezed shut in concentration. A moment passes in silence, but soon there's a squealing of metal being twisted. A couple of Krauser's students cry out - the two doors to the castle's gate are wrenching themselves free of the wall. With a ringing *CRACK*, the hinges holding them in place snap and they float freely in the air.
The hard work done, Oro holds both arms in the air as if preparing to conduct a symphony. He holds it for a moment...and with a fluid sweep of his hands, he sends the doors flying directly at Krauser, the two massive gates burning with green-tinged chi.
COMBATSYS: Oro successfully hits Krauser with Tengu Midareishi.
Even as Krauser slumps slightly forward, he watches the Kaiser Wave do its work. It had been a good attempt - but not enough. The effort was insufficient to topple the monk. Grasping for energy for another attack, the head of Strolheim finds his options slipping away in the last moments of the battle.
It is thus when the gates fly towards him, he doesn't get away in time. The hard, reinforced iron barrels into him, dragging him along in their flight path. They seem to lose momentum seconds after the initial contact, crashing into the ground and pinning the nobleman there.
For a moment, it doesn't look like he's able to stand. But, with a burst of speed, Krauser flings the gates off of him, and stands. The expression on his face is one of determination - he will /not/ come so close to beating this man and fail. He will not let this confrontation turn out like the one with Omega Rugal did. It won't /happen/.
Krauser grunts with effort, taking a tentative step. The next one is faster, as are the next. Gaining speed, the head of Strolheim lashes out with his fist once he's close enough, trying to catch Oro by the throat and end this fight exactly as he started it.
With his fist ramming into Oro's face.
COMBATSYS: Oro fails to interrupt Lift Up Blow from Krauser with Strangle Hold.
As in the beginning of the fight, Oro doesn't object at first to Krauser grabbing him by the neck. As soon as he does, however, Oro's hand comes up to pull at Krauser's fingers. Krauser has comparable strength, however, and Oro can't manage to wriggle out in time to apply his own technique. The blows rain down on his face once more. They appear to hurt him just as much - or as little - as before, but his expression as he drops to the ground is more blank than considering. "Stronger...than I figured," he grunts, rubbing at his neck.
Krauser backs up, panting lightly, and wondering why the older man isn't doing the same. Isn't he tired? Was he wrong, did the monk have more power left in him than he thought? Krauser banishes the thought from his mind instantly. It doesn't matter if Oro is one strike away from collapsing or a thousand strikes. Wolfgang would fight him all the same.
Sensing a moment of weakness - comparative weakness, of course, Oro was every bit as dangerous as he was a second ago - Wolfgang attempts to make up the last of the ground he has lost. He raises one leg, bending at the knee. Suddenly, he speeds forward, propelled by a thin layer of air towards his opponent.
COMBATSYS: Oro blocks Krauser's Dual Sobat.
The German's knee impacts Oro's face painfully, but that's not the end of it. The layer of air whirls about, spinning Krauser around in a full circle and pulling him away - so that the kick is at the right-distance to strike Oro's head.
Oro readjusts his tunic, making sure his left arm is nicely tucked into it. He glances at Krauser, then grimaces and puts his hand on his back, stretching. "I'm getting too old for this," he mutters while Krauser races toward him. His arm swings up, blocking the initial strike even as he keeps muttering. "Do you know how bad my back's hurting right now?" Krauser swings his leg around, and Oro's hand snaps out to stop it short a second time. "I tell you, I'm gonna need a nap after this." Once more he reaches to grab Krauser's leg by the ankle, a simple gesture that by now is probably more scary than a floating gate.
COMBATSYS: Krauser endures Oro's Kishin Riki.
As earlier in the fight, Oro grabs Krauser leg and begins to slam him back and forth on either side. Only this time, rather than 1, 2, 3, it's more like 123456789. Or, from an aural perspective...
*WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMHWAMWHAMWHAM*
On the last one, Oro lets Krauser go, flexing his hand experimentally. "You're heavy," he complains.
"Hey! Hey, Uncle, what's all the racket? You're not beating one of those Ansatsuken guys into the ground again, are you? Hey, what's the big dea--..." Strolling casually out the massive gate of Strolheim Castle, Rock Howard is greeted by a sight that... he hadn't quite expected: Krauser, defeated. Apparently. The gates of the castle in ruins. All at the apparent hands of... a midget? "... What the?!"
His jacket hanging somewhere inside and replaced by distinctly visible bandages wrapped around his midsection and forehead after last night's melee, Rock's sprint forward towards the two titanic combatants is somewhat stunted as Rock clenches both fists, looking straight ahead at the Mighty Mite. "What the hell is this?! Who are you?!"
The hand clamps around Krauser's leg, and in that instant, he knows this is the final go. This will be the last chance he has to hit Oro. This is it.
All too quickly, he's speeding through the air, the ground rushing up to meet him. But, before the first strike can be landed, the head of Strolheim summons up the last of his reserves, and clenches his hand into a fist.
The ensuing blast of flaming chi, though aimed point-blank at Oro's face, is lost in the rapid series of slams. The fifth impact sends Krauser into unconsciousness, though, the seventh rattles him back to the world of the living. When Oro finally lets go of Krauser, he lays upon the ground, breathing heavily.
It takes a full second for him to draw in the air to speak, and even then, the effort is interrupted by a hacking cough that spits up blood. Rock is forgotten, as Wolfgang rolls over on his stomach and pushes himself up to a kneeling position, and promptly loses whatever ability to move his muscles he had.
"...who are you, Oro? Are you... the one I heard of?"
COMBATSYS: Krauser can no longer fight.
COMBATSYS: Oro blocks Krauser's Blitz Ball.
The flash of blue light doesn't go unnoticed, and Oro quickly turns his shoulder to catch it. He actually winces at the bit of pain, but otherwise ignores it. Giving Rock as much attention as he's given the other students, Oro kneels beside Krauser, inspecting him critically. "I'm just an old man too long on this world." After a moment, he nods. "You'll be fine after a couple days of rest. You're a skilled fighter, Wolfgang Krauser. In fact," and here his tone becomes distinctly disappointed, "I dare say you're already at your full potential. Or near enough." He sighs, standing up. "A shame. I'll have to look to this tournament for another chance. And you," here he whips a look to Rock, "make sure he doesn't move for a while. Probably want to get a stretcher down here."
Rock clenches both of his fists more tightly, the nails digging into palms normally protecting by leather gloves. "Who do you think you are, pal?!" Gritting his teeth, the blond takes a few more steps forward, edging closer to Krauser as Oro moves nearer and nearer to the fallen giant. But the slowness of his steps reveals hesitation: If this guy beat Krauser, he has to be some kind of monster.
But that doesn't contain his anger, not in the least. He practically barks, hastily assuming his combat stance, unique even among Hakyokosaken users: "Who are you? Why did you do this?!"
"No," Krauser utters. He closes his eyes and winces - but stands. He makes his way to his feet for one reason - if Oro can stand, so can Krauser. This is the second time he has been defeated. The first was in an ambush, he wasn't prepared. But this, this was a fair battle. Challenged, accepted, fought.
The head of Strolheim wavers slightly, then stands firm, crossing his arms. Oro may be a monster, but he is a monster that has been beaten within an inch of defeat. One minor change in the battle could have yielded a win for Krauser.
"You... you are skilled," he says evenly, taking a step forward and reaching out with his hand. Not to grab Oro's throat, as he did before, but to shake his hand.
Oro still pays little heed to Rock's ranting. He steps back, watching Krauser get to his feet in silence. Well, if the young fool wanted to be manly, Oro didn't really care. He eyes the hand held out, then puts his own spindly hand in Krauser's giant one. Despite the difference, his grip is strong, as Krauser probably would have expected. His expression, bland before, does turn a little annoyed after a moment, though. "I can see that look in your eye. How a man got to be so strong without learning to suffer loss..." He actually sneers a little as he takes his hand back. "Don't you go getting depressed about this, young'un. You've still got a lot of years, and you'll probably lose again before you die. Your pride will contaminate your skill if you let it." Shrugging his shoulder, Oro turns for the open gate. "See you at the tournament," he calls over his shoulder.
Krauser's opinion of the man instantly falls, respect being replaced with distaste. The monk leaves without incident, and the expression on the tall German'ss face remains neutral stone.
"He is ancient. I remember his name. I had no right fighting him, if he is who I think he is."
Rock's confusion and anger seems to die down as Oro and Krauser shake hands. It means that the midget isn't here to murder Krauser, or something of that nature; it's vaguely reminiscent of Terry and Krauser's fight, which Rock has watched on videotape more than a few times. But as Oro begins to walk, Rock isn't about to let him go.
Grunting a little, Rock takes off after Oro, making what seems like a distinct effort to make his presence known as he runs after the monk. "I don't know who you think you are, pal--... but I don't see any reason to wait!" Bounding into the air, Rock plunges straight down like a lawn dart, one fist blazing with purple chi as he drops towards the back of Oro's head.
All of his earthly possessions are bequeathed unto Seishirou. Have fun with the jacket and the cardboard box, Sei.
COMBATSYS: Rock has joined the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Oro blocks Rock's Rage Run Dunk.
All this commotion... can't a girl just rest in peace? It was bad enough she had to face down two-thirds of Team Japan in one day -- she was woken up by a pipe organ and then got her face introduced to Krauser's fist three times in rapid succession. One would have sufficed! But due to those injuries, and the ones occurring in conjunction with them, Sakura Kasugano is currently confined to a wheelchair. Not because she really -has- to, but because pulling loose sutures is a really bad thing. And besides, it's fun to wheel these things around. Rolling out from the castle, covered nearly from head to toe with bandages underneath her pale blue fighting gi -- the only loose clothing she brought -- she raises one hand to shield her eyes from the sights, squinting at the sights. "... Wha... what the heck is going on here...?" Sure, she sees Krauser, but more importantly, she sees Rock beating up on an old yellow guy. "Hey, Rock, knock it off, I'm trying to sleep up here..." she jokes, before realizing... holy heck, Oro's putting up a good fight. "... whoa."
Oro pauses at the sound of Rock's bravado, and those who can see his face would see an expression of terminal boredom. He shuffles around to look up at Rock, watching the boy fall. He reaches up...and catches Rock's fist in his hand. The chi singes his fingers a little, but Oro appears not to notice.
"Child, I'll give you a single warning. Remember Rule number one, or you'll meet a fast and wasteful death." He pushes Rock away, freeing his hand. He holds it stretched out toward Rock, but instead of a bright yellow sphere forming, a brilliant green sphere as large as a beach ball coalesces into the air in front of his hand. His whole arm moves this time, not just his wrist, as he flicks the large ball forward, sending it flying at Rock.
Without bothering to see the result, Oro turns and continues walking toward the gate.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to slow Yagyou Dama from Oro with Double Reppuken.
Krauser catches Rock's movement out of the corner of his eye. If he were slightly stronger, he would have the energy to reach out and restrain him, but the battle has taken a lot out of him. All that he can do is stand there, breathing heavily.
"...!" Rock finds himself stopped, right in mid-air. What's more... he find himself getting /pushed back/. Neither of these things is good, as the blond finds himself nailed in the face by what his mind conceives as a planet. It's not like being hit with a chi attack; it's as though he's falling facefirst into the sun. No time to move as the /thing/ flies towards him. Collecting chi across his fingertips, Rock has no time to do much of anything. Propelled backwards, Rock hits the ground and skids a good ten or fifteen feet before he finds himself completely stopped on the floor, groaning with pain and entirely dazed. Ow.
COMBATSYS: Rock has left the fight here.
Oro's trained ear hears no more sounds of angry people wanting to die. Good. The rest of them had some sense, at least. Oro walks down the path, through the open gate. Rather than begin down the walkway which circles the giant stone pedestal on which the castle sits, Oro walks to the cliff's edge, peering over the side. He tenses his legs and, with a leap as graceful as possible coming from a man who looks like a naked mole rat...jumps over the side.
There's nothing but the sound of wind for several seconds, and then far below the courtyard, a small splash can be heard. And then nothing more.
COMBATSYS: Oro has ended the fight here.
Log created by Oro, and last modified on 19:10:54 01/05/2005.