Description: Rugal arranges a small meeting with Kain in order to have a rematch and a test of another's skills. The pair meet up at the park in Metro City... and the result is something slightly different than their last SNF Match.
Metro City, at night. This place had once been the sight of a rather heft disaster that went by the name of the Shank Squad. Recently, the city has seen more peaceful times, and has been given the opportunity to relax. Even relaxed, however, there are always those with ill intent that wander this city. Whether the ill intent just be stealing someone's money, or something far worse, is variable. However, tonight...
Seems to be a prime night for the meeting of those with ill intents.
Well... only two. Business associates, working together in goals that are, perhaps, less than properly aligned. Rugal Bernstein stands out in the middle of a mostly abandoned Metro City Park, hands tucked into his pockets, dressed in his standard attire. He's come here for a very specific reason. Not a day or two ago did he send his secretary Mature to meet with one Kain R. Heinlein, to finish business transactions for another delivery of his armaments, and also deliver a message. And Bernstein was very pleased with the results. Here was chosen to be the meeting place for his little spar with Kain; quiet, and with a relative lack of people at night, it suited Rugal's purposes perfectly. He arrived ten minutes early, if only to enjoy the night life... and relax in anticipation for something he's been waiting for, for some time now.
Tests are always good to improve oneself, after all.
The park does have /some/ lighting, but the costs of making the entire place well illuminated would be prohibitive, not to mention the light bleeding over into areas where it's not wanted. All the trees and stuff block lesser attempts. So it's not too surprising that Kain can be heard before he can be seen. The tapping sounds of his shoes striking the path are both a sign of his approach, and a sign that he's not interested in approaching stealthily. If he wanted that, he wouldn't be heard.
As the footsteps draw closer to the spot where Rugal is waiting, there's a small crack as Kain snaps his fingers, and then purple fire flares up around his raised right hand, bringing him into view. "Hello, Rugal. A pleasure to meet you again. I'm dreadfully sorry that I wasn't able to linger at our last meeting, but I'm sure we can make up for that now. And your secretary did such a good job of whetting my appetite for some good combat." Sure, they could discuss business... But Kain has already delivered his payment, and he's not in immediate need of Rugal's services for the time being. Business partners they may be, but this particular meeting is more for pleasure.
Heard first, before seen. The tip-tap of the man's shoes against the pavement causes Rugal to turn his head to the side, towards the source of the noise. There is a grin that plays across his lips, even as a single hand slips out of his pocket. Here would be the perfect place for a fight. No one to interfere, and something different from simply hosting it at Kain's mansion. He could have, of course, invited Heinlein to the Noah... but...
Fighters usually only come up /there/ for a specific purpose.
"Ah, Kain. A pleasure to see you again; and please don't worry. Mr. Garcia ended up volunteering himself to be my and Mature's entertainment for the evening. Too bad you could not have stayed to see, however." Feet spread apart, shoulder-length, even as Rugal takes the other man into consideration. "It has been a long time, hasn't it? I certainly will not disappoint you, sir. You've been waiting for quite some time." Offering a casual bow, Rugal settles into a casual stance, the only thing noteworthy being his curled fist... completely prepared to fight. No, this isn't a time for business.
And certainly not a time for extended conversation.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kain
"Indeed. Well, I'm glad you were able to find something to keep yourself occupied. And now..." Kain lowers his hand, allowing the light to go out. Attempting to ruin your opponent's night vision might not work so well against someone with a cybernetic eye, but it's worth a shot, right? Running up even as the after-images would still be fading from a normal person's eyes, Kain charges in toward Rugal.
In mid-dash, Kain suddenly lifts his right leg up off the ground, sliding forward on his left foot as he spins his body around in a full circle. Upon completion of the rotation he springs forward, purple flame engulfing his foot as he aims a fiery kick for Rugal's chest.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Kain's Schwarzer Stob.
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Rugal 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Kain
Normal people would find the sudden disappearance of light a confusion, something to get in the way. Rugal... sees it as nothing more than something of an amusement. Which is why, as that foot comes out towards his chest --
That single arm is outstretched to block it.
"Good to see you haven't lost your edge!"
And then, Rugal moves in. His technique doesn't quite involve chi like Kain's does, but is no less brutal. One hand clenched, Rugal whips it forward to strike directly underneath Kain's chin in an uppercut intent on sending the white-clad Heinlein heir soaring. Simple, but vicious.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Rugal's Medium Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Kain
Kain sweeps his own arm down at Rugal's rising punch, taking the blow to the limb rather than under the chin. And, while it's not the most common tactic for his fighting style, the situation does offer an opportunity. Besides, it's always good to keep your opponents guessing.
Kain continues swinging his arm down after deflecting Rugal's punch, attempting to clasp his hand down on Rugal's forearm. He then reaches out with his free hand in an attempt to grab Rugal by the front of his suit, then twists to yank Bernstein off his feet and slam him down onto his back. Just doing that alone would be too simple, however. That's why a cloud of flame bursts out from Kain while Rugal is in the air, intended to scorch him as he's brought down to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Rugal with Medium Throw.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|==-----\-------\0 Kain
Not quite fast enough to get out of the way of that throw, Rugal is sent flying through the air. Thusly, the man slams onto his back even as he's consumed in chi. It's not particularly pleasant, but nothing that is going to keep the man down for long. In fact --
He's up almost immediately after, leaping onto his feet with intent of shoving his fist rather firmly into Kain's midsection. If it's successful, it's intent is to send him into the air, where Rugal will be waiting -- to simply PUNCH the man square in the chest with terrifying force and send him flying some distance away.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Kain with Fierce Punch.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kain
Kain spins around to keep himself facing Rugal, but it seems he's just a bit too slow. The blow to the stomach launches him up into the air, and then Rugal's followup sends him sailing off toward a small group of trees. The heir to the Heinlein fortune isn't going to go down /that/ easily, though.
Twisting around in mid-air, Kain summons orbs of purple fire into each of his hands, thrusting out towards Rugal as he sails away from him. The two flames orbit around one another, shooting toward Rugal and leaving a brief, twisting trail behind them. It's almost pretty. But if you like that, you'll probably enjoy the pyrotechnics involved when they explode on impact even more.
And once those are launched, Kain has to worry about landing. One might think he's going to crash into a tree, but instead he twists his body to hit it feet first, springing off and flipping around to come back to the ground gracefully on his feet. Kain's no ninja, but he /is/ decently acrobatic.
COMBATSYS: Rugal overcomes Schwarze Flame from Kain with Large Thrown Object.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Kain
Ah, this technique. He's seen it before, to be sure. Rugal knows /just/ how painful it can be, too, which is why when Kain summons that fire, his eyes narrow considerably. Kain is exceedingly good at using chi to his benefit, so... let's see how well it does in comparison to Rugal's raw physical strength.
The orbs come flying at him, and Rugal? Leaps back several feet. From there, both gloved hands grasp onto a tree stump next to him, and in an impressive show of strength, he uproots the entire thing -- and with very little difficulty, at that. What Rugal does not have in beauty with his techniques, he makes up with sheer effectiveness. The tree stump may not be pretty, but as it's hurled towards Kain's flames? it does a pretty decent job of smashing through that chi.
It's just as Kain lands, that he might notice a giant lump of flaming tree stump flying right towards his face.
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Rugal's Large Thrown Object.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kain
Indeed, Kain does see the tree stump sailing toward his head. His response? His hand begins to glow with blue energy, and with a powerful swing he punches right through the oncoming stump. It doesn't go quite as smoothly as it might; Kain is still struck by a few small chunks of wood exploding out from the stump, but it still does far less damage than getting hit in the face with the entire thing would.
Given the fact that Rugal is quite a distance away, Kain sees no harm in brushing off some of the splinters and dust coating him as he walks toward his opponent. Not that he keeps up that casual pace for long, though. Breaking into a sprint, Kain quickly covers the distance between himself and Rugal, lashing out with a straight-kick toward his opponent's shoulder as he draws in close, blue chi radiating out from his foot to give it some extra 'oomph'.
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Light Kick from Kain with Scorpion Blow.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Kain
The unfortunate thing about this is... Kain's distance, no matter how fast he might run, gives Rugal some time to focus and prepare before the man actually gets to him. Which is why, even as Kain lashes out so quickly, Rugal knows exactly what's coming... and is prepared to deal with it before the man can even prperly respond. With a laugh, Rugal ducks /below/ that chi-empowered kick that Kain lashes out with, letting it soar directly over him. One hand swats the kick to the side, the other?
Grasps /firmly/ onto Kain's face.
Before Kain can defend himself, Rugal lifts the man in the air. One, smooth movement that sends him dangling by Rugal's hands before, with one simple motion, Rugal /plunges/ his right hand deep into Heinlein's gut, to send him flying through the air and away from Bernstein once more.
Well now, Kain wasn't quite expecting /that/ to happen. He's lifted into the air and sent soaring away from Rugal, and this time he isn't able to land quite so gracefully. He manages to get down on his feet, but it's in a skidding crouch, and he actually winces in pain for a moment as he stands up. It's gone in an instant, though, and Kain's calm demeanor returns.
"Quite interesting. It seems you still have a few tricks up your sleeve. I wouldn't expect any less, of course." As for Kain... Has Rugal seen everything he can do yet? Oh, no. The Heinlein heir can be quite versatile, when he wishes. Holding his arms out to his sides for a moment, Kain concentrates, flickers of purple fire appearing in the air around him. The fact that he actually needs to /concentrate/ on summoning his chi energy should be a good indication of something for those who've seen him fight. And indeed, the blaze that suddenly engulfs him (and a fairly wide area around him) will probably be cause for the fire department to come, if anybody notices it. Luckily, there is a distinct lack of smoke, for the moment.
The upshot of all this? Instead of facing Kain, Rugal is now looking at a thick purple bonfire, which presumably contains Kain somewhere within... and the edges of the fire are close enough to Rugal that Kain would be able to cover the distance quite quickly. And, of course, there's always the option of launching attacks from within, hiding their initial trajectory.
COMBATSYS: Kain focuses on his next action.
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Rugal 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Kain
Still has a few tricks up his sleeve?
"... You could say that."
He's dusting off his suit as Kain finally recovers himself, taking a good look at the other man with the slight cant of his head. "Though I imagine, you have some things I'm not aware of either, eh?" Oh yes. Rugal is not dumb, after all; he can surmise that the man has still been holding out on him. That's fine... because Rugal has, as well. Legs spreading out easily, Bernstein waits for Kain to come to him again -- save that it doesn't happen. "Need a breather, Mr. Heinlein--?" No, no he doesn't. That considerable amount of purple fire is, indeed, an impressive sight to behold. So much so that Rugal's eyes widen for a brief moment, before a laugh takes over him. A very easy, very amused laughter. This is good... no, no. This is GREAT. His right hand tensing, leg muscles constricting, Rugal gives a single nod. "Yes!! WONDERFUL!" And then?
He charges forward, /right/ into that fire.
He moves fast, his body becoming a blur as he just punctures that would-be barrier of fire with a single fist outstretched. His intention? To smash Kain in the head, hard enough that it forces him /out/ of the inferno that he's created.
COMBATSYS: Kain fails to interrupt Jab Punch from Rugal with Himmlischer Atem.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Kain
The flames begin turning a darker purple as Rugal charges in; an ominous sign. It seems that Kain is about to unleash something massive on his opponent... but something goes wrong. Whether it's Rugal's speed, a lapse in Kain's concentration, or something else entirely, Rugal's fist manages to connect with Kain's face, sending him sprawling back and out of the inferno, which quickly begins to flicker out as Kain's concentration is shattered.
Flames linger around Kain's clothing for a bit longer, however, even lapping out from his sleeves and the legs of his pants, but eventually even that fades away as he sits back up. His eyes actually look a bit glazed for a moment. Summoning up that much power and then failing to unleash it is /not/ a good thing, and it's even more draining than a successful attack would be. Still, Kain's not completely out of it yet, and with a shake of his head he starts getting back to his feet.
There is no mercy, even in a spar between 'gentleman.' It is fortunate whatever Kain was preparing didn't go off in time, but Rugal hardly pays it any mind. For him? It was simply because he was /that much/ faster than Kain, and nothing more than that. With the other man sprawled as he is, Rugal only pauses a moment to look over his shoulder at the dwindling inferno. "An impressive display." And that is all the time he alots Heinlein in order to recover.
One foot pushes off, sending Rugal /flying/ towards the other man with every intention of swinging his body in mid-air in a spinning kick aimed at Kain's shoulder, meant to drive the man /straight/ into the ground without the slightest ounce of mercy, and with all that titanic strength of his behind it.
COMBATSYS: Kain fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Rugal with Schwarze Lanze.
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Rugal 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Kain
With Rugal coming down toward him, Kain responds by sending his foot swinging straight up to meet the crimelord, intending to blast him away with an explosive kick, thus minimizing whatever damage Kain might take. An interesting fact: Rugal is four inches taller than Kain. And much of a person's height is often in the legs. This may or may not be relevant, but either way Kain has to deal with Rugal plowing into his shoulder, sending him down into the dirt with enough force to leave a noticeable indentation.
It seems Rugal's gained a slightly better footing this time around; an advantage he is not about to let up, either. Kain may be on the ground, but that doesn't stop the arms dealer. Nothing does. The man is as merciless as Kain is, so it should be no surprise to the Heinlein heir that, even as he is buried into the ground as he is, Rugal swoops in low in order to grasp the man roughly by the front of the shirt. If successful, he'll lift Kain into the air, and then...? Channel an immense amount of crimson chi into the man, so much so that it simply overloads into an explosion meant to send Heinlein flying.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Kain with Scorpion Deathlock.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|=====--\-------\0 Kain
Kain tries to roll out of the way before Rugal can grab him; standing up isn't really an option. With any luck, Rugal might be getting a bit worn down by the attacks he's been throwing out. Kain /should/ be able to outlast him in that regard, if he can avoid getting hit. If.
If.
The feeling of being lifted up off the ground is enough to let Kain know that he's in trouble. The crimson energy pouring into him is another good indicator. Kain is good at fighting off chi. Very good at it. But he's worn down, and he's still out of sorts from his failed attack earlier. This is just about it from him. But... There is one thing he can do. Even as Rugal's chi begins creating an explosion to fling Kain away, Heinlein comes up with an explosion of his own, his entire body bursting into purple flames. Whether or not he's still close enough to Rugal for this to matter, though, remains to be seen. Either way, he hits the ground, flames going out, and it doesn't look like he'll be standing up under his own power for a little bit.
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer fight.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal stops Schwarze Kreuz from Kain with Dark Barrier EX.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|
Unfortunately... if anything, Rugal is still fully capable of fighting. He has a good long while to go before he grows too tired or exhausted to fight. As it stands -- Kain seems to be in worse shape than he is. Something clearly obvious as the man doesn't roll out of the way of Rugal's grasp in time. The explosion of chi is just enough for him to remove Kain from being a threat any longer.
Or so he assumes.
Assumptions are never exactly correct, of course. And when Kain explodes outward in purple flames, there is a moment that Rugal looks surprised -- a moment. This is a last act though, he is certain of that much. Which is why he thrusts a single hand forward, as if he were going to punch through those purple flames. The green chi that flares up along his arms might be a fairly good indicator that the man has other intentions, however. As soon as his fist comes into contact with those flames, the chi along his arm explodes outwards into a shimmering green disk, intent on absorbing /all/ of that energy into it, dispersing it into harmlessness. The flames die, the barrier fades, and slowly, Rugal looks towards the other man. He does not offer his hand. Doing such a thing, to Kain, would be something of an insult. So instead, he grins, slipping a single hand into his pocket.
"A good match, Mr. Heinlein."
COMBATSYS: Rugal takes no action.
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Rugal 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal has ended the fight here.
Kain shifts slightly, raising his head up off the ground, but doesn't immediately get up. "Yes, quite a good match. I see, however, that I've spent too long only fighting the weak. Although I suppose it can't be helped... Finding quality opponents can be difficult in some parts of the world."
Finally, Kain lifts himself up to a sitting position, although he seems to be in no hurry to make any really quick motions. "I'll have to spar with you again in the near future, once I've gotten myself back into shape." Of course, 'out of shape' for Kain still means capable of killing a small group of normal men before any of them can blink, but when dealing with those with similar power, even a little slip can mean a lot.
Log created by Rugal, and last modified on 19:05:53 01/17/2006.