SNF 2006.12 - Hidden Strikers! Vega vs Kain

Description: Forests. Why did it /have/ to be forests? (Winner: Kain)



Forests. Why did it /have/ to be forests.

'Give me a desolate plain, a war-torn battlefield.. something that represents decay and destruction and death', the Shadaloo master thinks as he walks towards the field that will house his latest battle. He's been told to expect a combatant within, and that the match would be watched remotely, to be shown by Geese's production. This was something that did not bother Vega - in fact, it was useful, a time to be able to set and send a message to Geese Howard - a message that Vega was still well and alive - and setting up something special for him.

The forest that Vega hates so is dense, tall trees that block vision and hide his opponent from his view. As he makes his way towards its' center, he calls out in a gruff voice. "Are you prepared for the day of your destruction? This is no game, no 'toyed match' - you face a true warrior!" Well, as much a warrior as anyone does, one might suppose. Vega's not above dropping the whole 'warrior' act if it will get him an advantage.

COMBATSYS: Vega has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-------|


Kain, on the other hand, is quite at home in the forest. He may not have the survival training that some of the more militaristic fighters have engaged in, but the training grounds right outside his home are in the middle of the woods. The lack of clear vision is only a minor concern, since Kain has other senses that he can rely on for accurately tracking his opponents. The more powerful they are, the easier it is. And although he can cause a lot of destruction, he usually has to actually try to start a real forest fire, so there's little downside for him.
There's a brief rustle in the canopy, and then Kain suddenly leaps down to the ground, having kicked off the trunk of a tree some distance away. He lands only a few yards from Vega, his white suit still pristine despite the time spent walking around in the woods. "While I am always prepared for the day of my defeat, I don't believe we'll be seeing that today. Although I'm sure Howard would love the ratings it would draw in." Kain reaches up with his left hand, pulling tight the glove on his right. "We'll just have to see what a 'true warrior' can do, hmm?"

COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Kain             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Vega


COMBATSYS: Kain has joined the fight here on the right meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vega             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain


How does he /do/ that?!

Vega has been within the forest for a quarter mile and he's already seeming to be trudging mud and marring the lovely lines of his blood-red uniform. How Kain manages to keep himself /pretty/ in his white suit, well - these are wonders that will never cease, and quite possibly things that should not be attempted to be understood. In fact, well - they should just be crushed. Vega knows that blood will show on that suit, and well - he aims to prove it.

"Bah. Howard's 'ratings' mean nothing to me. This day, I send a message to him - and to whatever poor fool he sent to test me. This is bigger than you - and it will be only the first stepping stone to my true goal." Alright, megalomaniac checklist taken care of. Vega steps towards Kain - but then stops. These trees are far too close, and... well, they're going to cause some problems for the fight to come. So it's time, well.. to get rid of them. He throws his arms out wide, his head tossing back, and growls towards the sky. There's a palpable sensation of power that swells up, the black aura that is his source of strength seeming to explode from the black bones of the earth - to armor and gird him for battle. The effect this energy has on the trees in a small radius of him? Shocking! Beech that have stood for years upon decades wither and die, clearing a small area to fight within - if Kain is willing.

COMBATSYS: Vega gathers his will.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Vega             0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0             Kain


When it comes to a fight, Kain certainly isn't going to put any effort into keeping his clothes looking neat; vanity of that sort is just asking for a savage beating. But when simply walking through the woods? A little extra effort then is no real drain on Kain's resources, so why not? Appearing well rested and in complete control is a sound psychological tactic, as well, although of minimal use against someone of Vega's standing.
As the waves of energy wash over the ground, they also flow over Kain. The only sign that it affects him is a tiny flinch, there and then gone in a flash. Kain's chi defenses may not be of much use against Vega's powers, but he's also too strong willed to be knocked around by just the dictator's aura.
Holding out his arms to his side, Kain summons purple flames into his hands. They leave short trails as he swings his arms up in front of him, pointing the palms of both of his hands out toward Vega. And then with just a thought, the flames leap forth, two blasts of fire spiraling around one another as they streak toward Vega.

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Vega with Schwarze Flame.
- Power hit! -

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////// ]
Vega             0/-------/-======|==-----\-------\0             Kain


While Kain may be too manly to be knocked about by Vega's aura, it seems that Vega's aura is not near manly enough to stop the purple flames of Kain's chi from simply blowing through a half-thought out block. The explosion of light and sound is amazing, the 'Whumpfh!' of enegery internalizing into a body before it simply sizzles and surges against him.

Vega attempts to shake it off, to look unhurt by the attack - but he is very much failing his attempt. His hair is singed, skin still steaming from the suddenness of the attack - and he is much, /much/ more serious as he approaches the other fighter. The time for posturing is over - the time now, well - it is now time to simply start crushing Kain beneath his feet. One of the said feet whip up, a feint. As it lands, he leaps off the back foot, and attempts to plant it in the man's kidneys. If he can, well - good. If not, well... bad.

COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Vega's Medium Kick.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Vega             0/-------/-======|===----\-------\0             Kain


Kain leans back slightly as the first kick lashes out at him, correctly judging it to be a feint. The real attack requires a bit more effort, however. Kain turns himself slightly to the side, lifting up his leg to block the incoming kick. The two men's legs clash, and Kain holds his ground. The Psycho Energy is considerably more painful than simply a kick on its own, but still not enough to give him pause.
Kain drops his leg back to the ground, reaching out with one hand in an attempt to grab Vega by his extended limb. It's just for a handhold, though, as Kain jumps up into the air. He twists his body so that his legs are oriented toward Vega, then lashes out with both feet. Flames swirl up around the soles of his feet, and should they connect with Vega they erupt into an inferno as Kain kicks off from the dictator and flips back to his feet on the ground.

COMBATSYS: Vega interrupts Schwarzer Stob from Kain with Psycho Wave.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Vega             1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1             Kain


Connect with Vega? Oh, oh yes they will. Those feet are going to impact into Vega's chest, pushing him backwards and burning his clothes again. But will that flip away be so easy? Oh no, no it will not - difficult in the extreme, in fact. Vega is ... unwilling to lose. And holding back looks to have been a sure way to do so. Instead, well - it's perhaps time to punish the other fighter for daring to stand toe-to-toe with the Master of Shadaloo.

Without a word, he steps forwards as Kain begins his backwards flip - hands coming up into the air behind the other man. They rake down the air behind him, and a wave of dark purple enegery explodes behind his digits, swelling outwards like the flow of an oil-slick. Except more violently. Much, much more violenetly.

Caught in mid-air, mid-spin, is a bad place to be when an explosive wave is crashing down over you. There's very little that Kain can do to prepare for it, except try his best to keep his back to the explosion. It still slams him down into the dirt and leaves on the ground, burning larges holes through the back of his suit. But with a shake of his head, Kain climbs back to his feet, with blue chi swarming over his hands.
Kicking off the ground, Kain spins around and begins dashing toward Vega in one smooth motion. His feet barely even seem to touch the ground as he covers the distance between them, apparently gearing up for an overarm swing. But as he closes in he suddenly ducks down low, before lunging out with a straight blow aimed at the dictator's sternum.

COMBATSYS: Rolento has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rolento          0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1             Kain
[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             1/-------/=======|


Yet more then any other in this forest, Cammy White included, Rolento is within his element. For countless years this was his home in the Mekong Delta, the twisted branches, the ferns, the shadows. It's different here, but not nearly enough to offset his skills long honed in the battlefield. Rolento shifts amongst the treetops, tracking the fight by sound rather then sight -- and given the nature of his ability being nothing but skill, he might register invisible to both the combatants given the notable distraction such an intensive conflict can cause. And as his que is called, Rolento finally springs into action. There's a whisper of leaves as the mercenary bursts out from behind Kain, tightly balled and whirling at monumental speed. A split-second sound would be the only real warning.
In the midst his baton snaps out, Rolento putting a considerable amount of force in an attempt to smack it straight into Kain's head, thereafter moving to land in a crouch and sideflip into the lower branches of an adjacent tree. "Kain Heinlein... It seems I am to be your opponent as well!" His scarred visage smirks, as if this is rather amusing on some level. No hint of any relation, however; His work with Kain is secret bred on a lone meeting, and hopefully the other man knows better then to jeapordize such. One glance is spared towards Vega, who is the /actual/ enemy here -- Rolento's made himself a thorn more then once to Shadaloo, if not directly...

COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Kain's Medium Punch.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rolento          0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1             Kain
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             1/-------/=======|


There's a solid sound of impact as Vega's hand moves to block the incoming attack from Kain, metal forearm guard taking the brunt of the blow and bending outwards from the impact. Vega does not move backwards, oh no. Instead he just lets the impact push his left side away, turning him side-on to the other man.

And then, well - things get crazy. Rolento's in the treeline, and this fight has just become a unfair one. This has never really bothered Vega before, oh no. But now, well - it does. He'd expected to prove his worth to the world today, to crush a man beneath his feet and walk on towards his eventual revenge with Geese... And instead, people are destined to interfere. This is absolute /bullshit/, and not to be taken lightly. As Rolento gives Vega that glance, he may see something psychotic *snap* in Vega's mind. He ignores his 'real' opponent, and launches himself towards Rolento, seemingly determined to wipe the man off the face of the earth for daring to interfere. "You.. INSECT! This battle is /mine!/" The aura he hides himself in blazes to light, dark energy exploding outwards as he flies right at Rolento, fists outstretched!

COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Rolento's Mekong Delta.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////          ]
Rolento          0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1             Kain
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-------|


The power radiating off of Vega does do a good job of masking anybody lurking about in the background, but once Rolento actually switches himself over to preparation for actual combat, and draws in close enough to launch his attack, Kain can sense his presence. As his right fist slams into Vega's guard, Kain flings up his left arm. The baton strikes him with a loud smack, but much better to take it on the arm than the back of the head.
"While I have no particular objection to fighting you, Mr. Schugerg, I'm afraid at the moment I'm more interested in matching myself against Vega. I'm sure you understand." Shifting his arm from a blocking position so that his palm points at Rolento, there's a flare of blue energy in the center of his hand. A moment later this erupts into a solid beam of chi energy, blasting out in an attempt to engulf most of Rolento's body.

COMBATSYS: Cammy has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Cammy            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0          Rolento
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vega             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain


To say that Cammy is... unhappy with the arrangement is very very understated. Kain--well, he's beaten her twice, badly, but she can't hold a personal grudge for that. That's the way fights go. But Rolento, and Vega... well...
Like Rolento, she's been lurking in the woods, using her stealth and speed skills to her advantage. She's been biding her time; her first instinct was to leave, but with Kain on 'her side' she stands a better than even chance of actually defeating Vega, at least for this one time. And that... would make her feel a lot better about things.
Unlike Rolento, she isn't currently being sandwiched between a rock and a hard place--or rather, a Psycho Crusher and some huge blast of chi. She'll just wait 'til the furor dies down a bit then drop out of the trees silently and run up on Vega, attempting to leap up and just karate-chop the hell out of his neck, as she shouts, "GREETINGS FROM DELTA RED!" Yeah, she's got a lot invested in this fight.

COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Rolento with Himmlische Seele.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Cammy            0/-------/-------|=======\-------\0          Rolento
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vega             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain


COMBATSYS: Vega successfully hits Rolento with Psycho Crusher'.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Cammy            0/-------/-------|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2          Rolento
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Vega             0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain


Rolento's been in a lot of bad situations. But never, in his decades of life, has they reached this point. All of Metro City, the pinning of the Vietkong, the shrapnel, Guy in a speedo, were an inconceivable preference. Maybe not the last one, in actuality. The flare of cerulean and violet reach widened eyes, and there can only be a snarl before both intermingle; Kain's blast whirls amidst the psycho energy, and an assault that would destroy most any fighter consumes the hapless commando. His literally blackened body descends with a horrible thump, rolling to a stop with heavy smoke billowing. It's a good thing his grenades did not detonate all at once, or his career would be over in quite literally the most unexpected fashion. But that fierce willpower and resolve ignite anew, and with a trembling arm he pushes up to a kneel.
"..." Eyes lid open, observing the form of Cammy White as a helicopter can be heard overhead, whooshing wind through the trees. "...N-Negative..." is hissed out, bloodily. "Further interference in this fight... is inexcusable..." If Rolento had not laid this trap already, he'd be unable to do anything. But being prepared is a small blessing.
"...Ready...?!" And then he yanks up his arm, a wire shifting up through the dirt. Heading right towards Vega. ...Diverting with a snap of his hand, and instead going towards /Cammy./ It seems that, at least for now, Rolento's willing to do his part to allow this to be a mono y mono affair.
He'll just reap his horrible, horrible vengeance LATER.

COMBATSYS: Rolento can no longer fight.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain
[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-------|


COMBATSYS: Vega fails to interrupt Fierce Punch from Cammy with Psycho Crusher'.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0             Kain
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/------=|


Personal grudges all /over/ the place. Grudge against Rolento for getting in the way, grudge against Kain for still standing (but kudos for the help, though Vega will never admit it) and... er. That voice is awfully familiar. Camille White, whatever name she gave herself, she's still the Killer Bee in Vega's books. He sees her as she starts to drop, his eyes going wide with shock, and the joy. It was time to return her to the fold, to bring her back to the womb of Shadaloo, to be her mother until... well, he became her and got to prance around in tight leotards. ALL DAY LONG.

Vega may be distracted by this, but he's not about to let her simply get the drop on him - his body seems to draw in his power again, preparing to use it to launch himelf straight at her.. But the effort leaves him tired, weaker, and well.. he gets pasted on the nose but good by the karate-chop, blood going anywhere. Ouch! That had to hurt.

As Rolento goes sailing away, Kain lowers his hand. What, another person interfering now? Well, at least Cammy seems to be more interested in attacking Vega. She'll be dealt with if she tries to turn against Kain. For now... Pleasant as it would be for Kain to defeat Vega by himself, it seems that it's already a bit too late for that. He's willing to settle for simply pounding Vega into the ground, anyway.
Flames spring to life in Kain's hands once again, and once more he hurls them in the direction of the Shadaloo dictator. There's no particular effort made to ensure Cammy's safety, but Kain is much more interested in hitting Vega. So as long as she doesn't hop right into the path of the attack, she'll probably be okay.

COMBATSYS: Cammy blocks Rolento's Take No Prisoner.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Kain
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/------=|


Chop successful. That heartens her a bit more; she felt that Vega was going to Try Something(tm) and it appears it failed. That look in his eyes, though, that's definitely not a good one to see... but then, there's this little matter of a wire coming up to find her neck. She twists, her eyes flying open in recognition of the attack; she backsprings, but it's just enough time for her to get one gauntleted arm up to prevent the wire from getting the grip it was meant to. Now there's a laceration on her neck, bleeding, but it didn't hit the jugular and it'll heal. Another scar, if it does heal that way.
Like Kain, Cammy is pretty pragmatic in a fight--she doesn't expect that Kain will want or expect thanks, but he'll have them all the same as she uses her newfound distance to tumble forward, seeking to clamp her strong legs around Vega's head--if she does, she'll twist and fling the big dictator into the ground.

COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Cammy's Cross Scissor Pressure.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0             Kain
[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-----==|


COMBATSYS: Vega negates Schwarze Flame from Kain with Psycho Shot.

[    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0             Kain
[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/-----==|


'Pragmatic.' 'Logical.' Bah!

He is the threat, and so, he is attacked with ferocity, alarcity - but he will show them yet. Vega does not quail at the awesome might that is Kain and Ca... the Killer Bee turning on him at once. Though he may fall, he will show them that true power withstands their puny efforts, and through the test of time, he will march on.

As the Bee leaps towards him, Vega moves - his arm getting up and in the way of allowing her to truly clamp down on the throw she's attempting. He starts to roll her towards a more brutal grasp, an attempt to punish her for her temerity, but... He sees the flames again - those flames of Kains, rushing towards the Bee and her Master. And he cannot allow her to be hurt - not by him. His free hand comes up, and a wave of energy is blown forwards, cutting into the Schwarz Flame, and bubbling it out around the two locked in their battle. Vega does not speak to the Bee directly, oh no. He bellows into her mind, with the full force of his psyche.

'Killer Bee.. you are /MINE/! You know your mission, now /EXECUTE/!'

At the same time, well - he tries to twist her off him towards Kain... An attempt to see if any of the control he once had on this 'Perfect Shell' still exists.

Vega may have some other goal in this fight besides defeating Kain, but Heinlein has no such handicap in regard to Vega. He's already moving toward the master of Shadaloo as his fireballs are blasted out of the air, and he leaps right through the fading remnants of energy left by the clash of the two attacks.
Vega may be surrounding himself and Cammy with Psycho Power, but that's not going to slow Kain down. His foot is engulfed in blue light as he reaches the bubble of energy surrounding the other two fighters, and he lashes out with a sharply rising kick aimed to smash right through any defenses that the field might provide. Once through that, the final goal is to slam a vicious kick right into Vega's temple.

Any control? No, not at all. But the shouting into her mind, that shocks her. He -could-... no. He couldn't. She's still too strong for it. But the force of the shout pushes her away, and she disengages with all speed, backing off even as Kain is coming in--instinctual, as she reminds herself that she is Cammy White now. Not the Killer Bee. Not Vega's Zero Doll or Perfect Shell. Her eyes blaze and she utters a short scream, wordless--a scream of rage.
"YOU!" she shouts, as she recovers herself, taking one, two, three big steps forward, then twisting around to her right, whipping her body through a full three-sixty before sending an elbow-backfist combination straight for Vega's chin, "YOU DON'T CONTROL ME!!" It seems the effort may have backfired... or maybe Vega is testing her resolve? Who can say; the results are almost pure instinct on Cammy's part.

COMBATSYS: Vega blocks Kain's Medium Kick.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0             Kain
[                      \\\\\\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/----===|


COMBATSYS: Cammy successfully hits Vega with Axle Spin Knuckle.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Kain
[                          \\\\  <
Vega             0/-------/---====|


So that's how it is to end, then? A battle to the death for the three of them, a war that will end when one of them drops? Bah - Vega was here for a proper battle, not a war. He was prepared for the single combatant - but when the third... and fourth entered, his distaste grew. He was willing to explore just how far Kain would be willing to go - and to test the limits of the Bee... But enough is enough.

Again, Vega's forearm is in the way of Kain's attack, the giant boot crushing metal and sending it skittering off through the forest like a frightened squirrel. Vega has no eyes for him, oh no - his entire focus is on the Bee, on her attempt to throw off the control he once had in her. It saddens him, somewhere where he may actually feel emotion. He's lost the one thing he truly needed in this world, and the effort to regain it may be more than he can spend. Disgust shows on his face, in that split second before her fist hits, disgust for what she's become, so weak and pitiful, and disgust for Kain at continuing this mockery of a battle. Just as her backfist closes and crushes on his chin, his aura flares up, purple psychopower washing over his form -

And he's gone.

COMBATSYS: Vega takes no action.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Kain


COMBATSYS: Vega can no longer fight.

[     \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Cammy            0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0             Kain


Kain blinks for a moment as Vega suddenly vanishes... But that level of power is difficult to hide. It's clear that Shadaloo's master has left the vicinity, so Kain calmly lowers his foot back to the ground and takes a relaxed stance. Despite the damage to the back of his suit, Kain appears in fairly good shape. Far better shape than most people who face Vega one on one for even a short while can hope to be in.
Heinlein looks about for a moment, then shrugs to himself. Vega's made his escape, and he's sure Rolento's people will arrive for him long before any medics arrive to take care of him. That only leaves Cammy. But Kain wasn't told anything about having to beat /her/, so he simply nods in her direction and begins walking off.

COMBATSYS: Kain has left the fight here.

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


The whole thing leaves Cammy just kind of scratching her head... and as Kain walks off, Cammy does likewise. She feels no particular desire to 'test herself' against Kain--she's done that quite enough as it is. Vega... well, he's prone to disappearing like that, particularly after a loss like this one... the victory, such as it is, feels like a hollow one. But she isn't ready to face the dictator alone just yet. It was foolish to come here--foolish to beard the lion as it were... but Vega already knew of her existence, so it isn't as if a big secret was just unveiled.

Log created by Vega, and last modified on 19:06:49 01/03/2007.