Description: Sagat seeks out Kain Heinlein after his meeting with Grant. Sagat continues on his quest to regain his former strength, power and pride. Kain helps him and shows him how much further he has to go!
The grounds behind the Heinlein mansion are quite well maintained, and kept that way by the application of considerable sums of money. Landscapers and gardeners don't come cheap. But it's worth it for a nice view, and so that Kain doesn't need to wade through knee-high grass when he makes his way out to the woods. None of the landscapers go out there, though, if they know what's good for them. For now, however, Kain remains within the open area of the grounds, seated cross-legged in the middle of a stone circle.
Precariously balanced piles of small stones surround Kain, and occasionally one of them wobbles slightly despite the lack of any breeze or vibrations in the ground. Kain sits with his eyes closed, body surrounded by an aura of blue chi as he concentrates on increasing the level of power he's drawing upon while keeping it under complete control. He's quite good at it, but it can never hurt to get better...
So this has been some time in coming. It took a good amount of time for Sagat to locate Kain Heinlein... but he has finally come upon the grounds of the Heinlein Mansion. The Muay Thai Legend hasn't travelled very far, all things considered, but on a mental and emotional level... he has. The Thai Fighter has been directed by Grant to seek out Kain. Sagat's long strides make him appear to be moving at a brisk pace. Each step is measured and far from Sagat's 'quickest'. Sagat will stop not far from the wooded area. He senses the rise in chi nearby and halts. The Legend will stand there with his arms at his side... simply regarding the direction Kain is in with a curious eye.
For several moments it seems that Kain hasn't noticed the new arrival. He's been made aware that Sagat would be seeking him out, as well as some of the details as to why. Enough to be interested in seeing the Muay Thai fighter, certainly. He's not going to interrupt himself just now to speak, but he's almost finished. Suddenly his eyes fly open and his fist lashes out, slamming into the ground in front of him. There's a low rumble and then columns of flame erupt from the earth, filling in the spaces between the piles of stones and towering off into the sky.
And after that brief flash the flames are gone, and not a single pebble has been disturbed. Kain slowly climbs to his feet, showing no signs that such an act cost him any real effort. "Ah... The once Muay Thai Emperor. I've been expecting you, Sagat. I've spoken with Grant, but I'm eager to hear from you yourself your reasons for coming here."
The Muay Thai Legend's eye cuts to the side as he observes the rather sudden and forceful explosion of flames from the Earth. As they die down and Heinlein gets up and speaks, Sagat turns his gaze back to Kain. After his statement is made, Sagat nods his head to the other fighter. Sagat comments, "I do not wish to interrupt what you are doing here, however I have indeed come here with a purpose." Sagat narrows his eye and takes a step forward, "I seek to remove the word 'once' from that title you just referred to me as. I seek to regain my honor, my discipline and rid myself of the intense shame that has replaced other emotions inside of me."
Kain nods slowly, taking a moment to step out from the circle of stones. "Indeed... I am somewhat familiar with your history, as well as your fighting ability. And I know that even at your current prowess, the man who holds the title of Emperor is no match for you... in skill. You've allowed yourself to be held back, but the fact that you now realize it and seek to overcome those imposed limitations is an important first step."
After taking several paces toward Sagat, Kain stops at a respectful distance away from the taller man. "For some, honor is a crutch. For others, it can be a strength. To lose it when it is a great strength, however..." Kain trails off, knowing Sagat is well aware of the results. He then shoots the man a piercing gaze, focusing firmly on his good eye. "Just how far are you willing to go to reclaim yourself?"
The other man's words and his gaze seem to be absorbed by the Thai Fighter. Sagat's head is downcast slightly as he stares back at Kain. He nods a stiff nod as an initial response to Kain. He follows that up with, "I am willing to go as far as it takes. If I were not willing, I would not be here. There was a time when I would not have... lowered myself to seeking out such aid and assistance."
Kain gestures toward the ground. "Sit." He then follows his own advice, once more taking a cross-legged position on the ground. He waits a moment to see if Sagat will do likewise, then begins to explain himself either way. "There are some things that can't be conquered through sheer physical might. A man's inner demons will not fall before the power of his fists. Defeating the external source of your problems can serve you well... But unless you face the root, you will never truly be rid of it."
Placing his hands on his knees, Kain leans slightly forward, looking carefully at Sagat. "So, Sagat... What is it that holds you back? Where did such a mighty warrior lose his way?" Kain is hardly a licensed psychotherapist, but he knows more than a few tricks about the inner workings of the mind and soul. And for someone with enough determination, there are certain problems that you can simply force your way through.
The Mighty Thai Tiger will sit as he is advised to do so. Sagat sits in a cross-legged fashion... a fashion seemingly quite comfortable for that rather large man. He sits there and listens to Kain's words. When prompted to respond; Sagat will do so, "I fell." is the first response the Thai will give Kain. Sagat elaborates eventually, "I fell in my own tournament to a cocky upstart." This would have been the end of his answer were this several months ago. However Sagat is in the present and he continues explaining, "From there I fell into a spiral of hate and loathing which ultimately allowed my former student to take my title away from me." Sagat pauses and closes his eye. He sets his face into a deep frown as his eye remains closed. Sagat continues even further, "And this hate and loathing twisted my sense of honor into believing that I needed revenge for those that have wronged me. Which allowed certain individuals to... tempt me with promises of revenge and redemption."
Heinlein knows about the desire for revenge, certainly. But he has turned his hatred for Geese into a cold, calculated desire to see the man brought low, rather than a gnawing obsession. "Revenge is not always a bad thing... But it often costs more than you can ever hope to gain, as you well know. To allow your emotions to cloud your mind is to open yourself up to weakness in the long run. Now you have seen that... But such insight alone is not necessarily enough."
Leaning back again, Kain now lets his hands rest lightly on his legs. "You have made progress against your inner demons, but will it be enough to let you stand up and face those who have wronged you? You need to cut your ties to that which holds you down, take back your title, and face the one responsible for your fall... And all without letting yourself be controlled by hate and anger, or the cycle will simply begin again. To completely dispell hatred is the realm of holy men, and beyond the ability of most mere mortals... But I can help you bring it under control, so that you will never again have to fear losing yourself to it."
Sagat keeps his eye closed and his head downcast as he listens to Kain's words. He doesn't immediately respond to what the other fighter says. He seems to be absorbing what is said. A thoughtful expression slowly creeps onto the visage of the Thai Fighter just before his single eye is opened. He focuses on the other fighter for a moment and gives a nod to him. He says, "I would very much like to control these things so that I may one day break the chains that I've ensnared myself with..."
Kain nods briefly, then begins climbing to his feet. "Then we begin. First, you need to summon the hate before you can learn to suppress it. Focus on the one who caused your fall. Focus on Ryu and all the pain that has come about because of him." Kain /did/ say that he was familiar with Sagat's history. And that particular fight is rather well known...
"Don't try to fight it just yet. Let the anger flood you." Kain then waits for Sagat to get himself worked up. He doesn't imagine it should be too hard... The Muay Thai Legend hasn't conquered his emotions yet, and he has a great deal of built up resentment against Ryu to work with. Whipping someone into a fervor like this can be dangerous... But Kain knows what he's doing.
Sagat remains sitting and observes Heinlein returning to his feet. When he's told what he needs to do, Sagat closes his eye. Focus on Ryu. Focus on the one who began this spiralling, descending cycle. The Muay Thai Legend's face hardens as Sagat clenches his jaw. What's Sagat focusing on? That fateful moment when Sagat had the World Warrior beaten. The one act of sportsmanship he was going to show Ryu... being taken advantage of. Sagat imagines the sudden searing pain. He imagines the confusion and the memory of being on his back with a mighty gash across his chest. Sagat's face flushes as the anger begins to build up.
Sadly, Kain lacks Kurow's ability with disguises and NESTS abilities to make clones, so he can't pit Sagat against a 'Ryu' right now... But he can make do. "That's it. Feel the anger, but don't let it control you! Keep it clamped down. Now, look at me. Imagine I am Ryu. I struck you down and went onto greater things while you wallowed in your failure and threw your life away. Can you fight me without losing yourself in your anger, or are you just a hopeless has-been?"
Most people would have to be insane to taunt Sagat... But if Kain doesn't get him riled up, this entire exercise is pointless. You can't conquer your anger if you aren't feeling it, and just throwing Sagat into a fight against the real thing without some preparation stands a large chance of being a failure. "Stand up and fight, old man!"
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Sagat has joined the fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Sagat
Sagat's eye snaps open as he simply allows the anger to flood through him like a busted dam. He had spent so long trying to chain it... trying to control it on his own. Now he's being told to unleash it. It doesn't take much goading... as Sagat truly hasn't mastered reigning it in. The taunts.. the images of his failures and events leading to his downfall cascade through his mind almost as fast as the rage that's enveloping him. The prompt to get to his feet falls on deaf ears... as Sagat really isn't listening to anything right now. He gets to his feet due to his own desire. His firey gaze is directed towards Kain in a anger-filled glare. The massive man's hands are clutched into fists... and Kain seems to have achieved the desired effect he was going for...
Kain doesn't necessarily expect Sagat to be able to master his control all at once. But if he gives in to rage and suffers because of it, that's an excellent reinforcement mechanism. But he knows Sagat is strong of will, so just maybe there's a chance he really /will/ achieve the goal Kain wants. It's unlikely to be perfect, but at that point he'll be able to refine it against his /real/ opponents.
So there's just one thing left to do to push Sagat as far as possible. Blue chi engulfs Kain's fist, and then he rushes in toward Sagat. His body twists as he launches himself into a /very/ familiar rising uppercut motion, aiming to drive his fist across Sagat's chest and into his jaw. The form is far from a perfect imitation, but it should be close enough to serve Kain's goals here.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Sagat with Fierce Punch.
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Kain 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Sagat
The rising uppercut from Kain hits the Thai Legend square in the chest, rises up his chest and crushes Sagat's jaw. Sagat lifts up into the air and promptly slams into the ground a moment later. Sagat stood there and simply took the blow... his judgement and reaction possibly clouded by his rage. The strike against him, however, seems to clear the Thai Legend's mind. His head shakes and his teeth clench. Sagat returns to his feet rather swiftly and runs towards Kain. His steps are precise and his task is planned. Sagat will reach out for Heinlein and attempt to grab him by the head. If he's successful he will attempt to slam his knees into the other figher's stomach, chest and face... as a means of attempting to focus his wrath into something more damaging to his opponent!
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Sagat's Tiger Rage.
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Kain 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Sagat
Kain is grabbed by the head, but he's able to predict what's coming next. His arms are crossed in front of his body, absorbing the blows as Sagat's knee is slammed repeatedly into him. At a break in the series of impacts he reaches out with one hand to shove at Sagat's chest, breaking free of the taller man's grip and hopping back a step.
Purple flames swirl up around Kain's arm for a moment and he then sweeps the limb in Sagat's direction. The flames leap outward, forming a fiery cloud which engulfs everything immediately in front of Kain within a dark inferno.
COMBATSYS: Sagat Toughs Out Kain's Schwarz Cutter!
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Kain 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Sagat
The Dark Inferno seems to envelope the Mighty Thai Fighter. Disappearing within the purple flames seems to be a sentence of doom for the Legend. However the Thai fighter will grit his teeth and simply endure the power of the Schwarz Cutter. Sagat pumps his legs and forces himself to lurch forward and push against the power of the flames. He erupts through the flames with a mighty effort. What comes next is a powerful thrusting knee strike meant to catch Kain off-guard. His ability to endure the pain and the flames is something he hopes the other fighter isn't expecting!
COMBATSYS: Kain just-defends Sagat's Medium Kick!
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Kain 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Sagat
Kain's not one to underestimate his opponents. He has a pretty good idea of what Sagat is capable of. And even if you're keeping it in check, anger can help one endure things that might otherwise slow one down. Kain spies the kick emerging from the flames and his arm swings down, brushing the attack off to the side.
Sagat's legs are not to be trifled with, however, so Kain is quick to leap back, bringing himself out of immediate strike range. He thrusts both hands out to his sides for a moment, sparks of blue chi flaring up, then settles them back down as he watches Sagat warily, making sure to watch his eye. If the anger slips free and takes control, Kain will know almost immediately.
COMBATSYS: Kain focuses on his next action.
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Kain 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Sagat
The thrusting kick had little of the desired result that Sagat had intended. After he gets his footing back underneath him, Sagat hops backwards to get away from Kain. He expected a swift counter-offensive... but is greeted by nothing of the sort. Sagat stands there in his fighting posture. He's mildly distracted.. the thoughts of his downfall and his fight with Ryu still fresh in his raging mind. However he tries to calm himself and focus his power. His fists clench... his teeth clench and he just gives Kain a one-eyed glare as he attempts to focus himself.
COMBATSYS: Sagat gathers his will.
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Kain 0/-------/---====|=======\==-----\1 Sagat
Kain can see that it's difficult... But the fact that Sagat is succeeding at all is excellent. Regardless of who wins in the physical fight, if Sagat can keep his anger reined in it will be a victory for him. But it's only a victory if Kain keeps pressing him. Heinlein quickly closes the distance between the two of them, flame surround his right foot as he plants his left just a short distance from Sagat. His right leg shoots upwards in an attempt to drive a vicious, explosive kick into the legend's jaw, driving him up off the ground.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Sagat with Schwarze Lanze.
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Kain 0/-------/-======|=======\======-\1 Sagat
Sagat continues to focus on his own rage... focus on settling himself down... focus on keeping it from clouding his vision as it often does. When Sagat actually focuses not on the battle within him but on the one involving him in the real world... he's met with a powerful Schwarze Lanze technique from Kain. Heinlein lands the explosive kick against Sagat's jaw, as he intended. Sagat leaves the ground he's standing on and careens backwards. He hits the ground hard but manages to use his momentum to roll backwards and return to his feet in a kneeling position. Sagat shakes his head and regards Kain... still trying to fight his way through the fog and keep his attention solely on Kain.
COMBATSYS: Sagat focuses on his next action.
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Kain 0/-------/-======|=======\======-\1 Sagat
The question is, can Sagat fully conquer his anger in time to turn this fight around? But even if not, this is still only the beginning. And Sagat has two teachers available who are very good at exactly what he needs to learn. But this test isn't over just yet. Kain doesn't give Sagat much time to recover, once more quickly dashing over the ground separating the two. At the last moment he leaps up, chi swirling around his foot as lashes out with a heavy sweeping kick at the side of Sagat's head.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Sagat with Strong Kick.
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Kain 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
Sagat is given yet another powerful blow to the head. The angered Thai Legend has been given quite the beating the Heinlein today. Kain's strategy to flood the Thai Tiger with anger and rage is certainly something that the Thai Legend didn't expect... though he's still not thinking too clearly right now. Of course the thinking clearly is being hindered by both anger and rage as well as the blows he's taking to the head. Sagat hits the ground hard. The flaming kick leveling Sagat and sending him a few feet away sliding on his back. Sagat is slow to get up... but when he's back on his feet he explodes! That is he explodes into motion. Sagat launches forward towards Heinlein, "HA!" Sagat will shout as he performs what can only be described as a textbook roundhouse kick. One leg is planted on the ground, the other is raised and extended. Finally Sagat's upper torso twists and sends the kick in a arc meant to crush at Kain's sides.
COMBATSYS: Kain dodges Sagat's Medium Kick.
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Kain 0/-------/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
The problem with textbook perfect attacks is that other people have also read those textbooks. The speed behind Sagat's kick almost makes that a moot point, but Kain just manages to react in time. He pivots quickly, spinning around and bringing himself just out of the range of Sagat's leg.
He ends with his left leg pushed out beside him, and a quick shove off of that foot launches him back toward Sagat. He twists around as he leaves the ground, leading with his right foot in a flying kick aimed for the center of Sagat's chest. Purple fire flares up around his leg and trails behind him as he flies, adding explosive force to the blow.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Sagat with Schwarzer Stob.
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Kain 1/-----==/=======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Sagat
That purple flaming kick slams into Sagat's scarred chest. It's fitting that the last blow delivered to Sagat is directed towards the remains of what caused Sagat's downfall. The flaming kick slams the Thai legend backwards and into a prone position once again. Sagat hits the ground hard and just stares towards the sky high above him. His teeth grit and clench for a few moments before Sagat just relaxes and lets what has happened to him today overwhelm him.
COMBATSYS: Sagat takes no action.
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Kain 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Sagat can no longer fight.
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Kain 1/-----==/=======|
Kain kicks off of Sagat's chest after his blow lands, flipping around in the air to land back on his feet gracefully. He watches the larger man carefully for several moments after landing, but soon it becomes clear that he's not intending to get back up. "Does this bring back memories? Many skilled fighters can forgot just how difficult it is to learn those skills in the first place... And this applies to more than just punching and kicking. Your anger tripped you up, but you didn't allow yourself to give into it. A very good first step."
Kain doesn't walk over and extend a hand down to help Sagat up; that's acknowledging weakness, even if it is only to a minor degree. There's no rush for him to get up, so Kain will allow him to do so on his own. "Both Grant and I can help you with this, and give you a controlled environment in which to test your mastery over your anger... But there is much you must do yourself. Meditation, reflection... Explore your hate, your anger, know everything there is to know about it. And practice pushing it aside, freeing your mind. Any task that requires concentration will help. I'm sure combat is of greatest interest to you, but other forms of practice will also aide you."
Sagat doesn't get up immediately. He doesn't get up after a while. He just lays there for some time. When Kain speaks to him... Sagat just lays there prone and listening. He feels Kain is right. He knows Kain and Grant are right. Back in the day, Sagat was the epitome of a street fighter. He was feared. He was respected. Now he's just a shell of his former might. Sagat sits up and just nods to Heinlein. Sagat says, "Thank you for your help and your insight. There is a lot I must meditate and reflect on. You and Grant have provided me with a lot and I still hope to learn yet more from you."
Kain starts to turn away, leaving Sagat to his own thoughts, then pauses. "I've seen your old fights. You were a fearsome fighter, and you can be so again. There are no costs attached to this; to see more strength returned to the world is itself what I wish to see." It can't be denied that Kain would also like Sagat's assistance in the quest he and Grant are on... But he's not going to trick the Muay Thai Legend into it as Vega did. If you get into Kain's inner circle you aren't a minion; you're an ally.
And with his piece having been said, Kain turns and walks back off toward his mansion. Sagat is free to follow if he desires water or some such... But Kain imagines he'll want some time alone with his thoughts.
Log created on 19:42:25 05/30/2007 by Sagat, and last modified on 16:37:30 06/03/2007.