Description: Taking a huge risk, NESTs agent Cecilia ends up facing Rugal Bernstein, catching him in the act of bringing aid to the the Thai resistance army. Then things get crazy as lost-again Shoma joins the fray. It takes some convincing, but he comes around to the 'right' side eventually... or did he?
When it comes to normal business transactions, Rugal Bernstein wouldn't bother actually being present to oversee it. That's what minions are for, after all. But the deals the "R" Organization are engaged in here in Thailand require... extra supervision. The type of warriors that exist in this wartorn land are far more than typical thugs or henchmen can be expected to handle. No... Rugal and his higher ranking employees are having to actually be on hand, not just to make sure everyone is working hard, but because of the likelyhood of powerful interference making the deals go south.
The present location is along the shore. A small wooden dock extends a little ways out into the water. Judging by the craftmanship and the materials, it was built recently and rather hastily at that. At the end of the dock in the water is a large boat. And on the shore itself is a large, flat bed truck. The back of the truck is slowly being loaded with crates being carried by "R" minions.
The contents? Small arms. Grenades. Rockets. Other military tools used for death and destruction. The truck has to be loaded up so that the goods can be taken inland to where they are supposed to be delivered. The question is... to whom are these weapons being provided? If they are going to Shadaloo, then stopping this operation would be of great interest to anyone who hopes to see the occupying force expelled. Denying Shadaloo a shipment of weapons and also getting those weapons into the hands of the resistance would be huge. And "R" has had weapons deals with Shadaloo in the past... However, there are reports among the ranks of Shadaloo that someone seems to be supplying modern, cutting edge technology to the resistance as well. Is it possible that Bernstein is playing both sides in this conflict?
Standing off to the side, his arms folded over his chest, is Rugal Bernstein himself. The tall, powerfully built man observes the crates being carried, spekaing up after a few moments of silence, "Pick up the pace. Here on the shore we are vulnerable. An attack could come from any direction at any time!" He sounds impatient, a little agitated. The shore is open and Rugal prefers to operate in secret...
Shoma seems to have gotten lost again. He /was/ at the hotel Chizuru and Rose had led him to, but he needed a snack, so he stepped out. He was glad for the change of clothes, the black track suit being better for not sticking out, because he seemed to have happened upon something he shouldn't have.
He crouches behind a rock and waits for a moment; he's not entirely sure what's going on...
"Huh," Cecilia Ramirez says as she lowers the binoculars from her crouching posture up in the rickety attic of a shorefront building. She keeps her voice low. "You guys aren't expecting any guns, are you?"
She hasn't moved for the last five minutes beyond a faint hint of breathing, so this may relieve Katelynn if she's paying close attention. In either case, she stands up, putting down the binoculars and stepping out the window - which, naturally, has no glass - to clamber with efficent, lizardlike motions onto the roof. Someone looking right at her might see it, if she was moving at the time.
She speaks from the roof. "Approach from the ground," she says, towards the girl (girl? she thinks for a moment; she's like, my age). After this, she takes advantage of the lack of local lighting to stand up, stepping carefully with her head low along the roofs of the village, heading towards the fisherman's houses.
Long jump from there, she figures, but she'd be able to hear them talk. Maybe they just didn't tell her anything.
This is definitely the type of stuff they don't teach you in Shotokan Karate. In fact, this is the stuff you'd look for in stunt school. But nonetheless, Katelynn is here alongside Cecilia, and listening intently to her instructions.
"You got it," She replies to Cecilia when told to approach from the ground, and that's exactly whate Katelynn does. Making her way to the ground with quick movements, making sure not to be seen, Katelynn prepares to move in.
Back and forth the men go toward the boat. This seems to be quite the haul, to say the least. One man, much smaller than the thick muscled goons doing the heavy lifting, approaches Rugal, flipping through various papers attached to a clipboard. Thin glasses rest on the tip of his nose as he seems to be pouring over numbers and spreadsheets. "Well?" asks Rugal, one eyebrow raising slightly.
"Okay, we're almost done. That's two hundred AR9-59 assault rifles, four crates of fragmentation grenades, two crates of EMP detonators, twenty surface to air shoulder mounted rockets..." He continues rattling off the figures, but Bernstein seems to be paying little attention. The minutia of specific numbers aren't really the important details here. Getting the job done is all that matters. Eventually he raises one of his hands, palm forward, a gesture for the book keeper to quit wasting his time with the report.
Nodding neverously, the glasses-wearing man adds, "This is a lot of fire power. Between this and the other shipments, I can't see how they'll lose this war. I sure hope these deals end up being worth the trouble though!" He turns and hurries off to continue supervising the work while Rugal simply waits, now clasping both of his hands behind his back.
Shoma grips his bat as he overhears the chatter; he never goes anywhere without the embodiment of his soul. From the sound of things, they are working for Shadaloo.
It bears mentioning that Shoma hates Shadoloo with a passion that burns hotter than a thousand suns. He pulls a baseball out of nowhere, and grips it tightly.
He knows this is a bad idea...
Cecilia crouches near the edge of the fisherman's house, listening. Those are a lot of guns; she even recognizes some of it, although the EMP stuff puzzles her. (She knows it by a different acronym.) She tries to figure out who this guy is, although when he starts saying 'this is a lot of firepower' and 'they can't lose with this' it becomes clear that, by the logical process of elimination (and the lack of a pickup mechanism) that the resistance is being supplied.
She feels a faint quirking urge in her mouth, and she indulges it in a small, almost shy smile. She then lowers her body, letting her thighs and calves tense up, before she leaps forwards, leading with her arms.
She has time, while in flight, to bring her arm around, grasping the crooked one with the other to reinforce it from the blow she is about to deliver. She sails forwards, aiming towards the soft and skinny neck of the clerk with that elbow, a hundred and sixty pounds of lean muscle and bone behind it. At the last moment, she slams it forwards to add increased impetus to the strike, and there is a wet snap as the man falls to the ground.
He isn't dead, because if he was dead there'd be less gurgling and muffled screaming. Cecilia lands in a crouch, on one knee, facing towards Rugal; she stands a moment later, dusting herself off, before looking at...
The little smile that her face had held goes away once she realizes, largely from the sight of the eye, that this is not some shipping lieutenant sent to oversee the delivery. "Allo."
Once Cecilia is done with all of her dirty work, Katelynn decides to make her move. Again moving quickly and quietly, she keeps her eyes and ears peeled for anything suspicious, knowing it could come at her at any time. Fortunately, everything seems pretty quiet, and once she meets Cecilia on the dock, she gives her a quick nod to indicate all is going well.
The poor clerk gets blindsided out of no where. He never saw the attack coming in the darkness. The cries of pain as he impacts the ground get everyone excited. The headlights of the flatbed truck are turned on, bathing the area with a sudden burst of white light. Staring almost directly into that light without so much as a blink is Rugal, his expression already darkening. This what he was afraid of. Interference that keeps his plans from moving along smoothly. Not that he hadn't expected it to happen eventually. The country is crawling with agents on both sides of the war. While many deliveries have gone off without a hitch, there's always the rare exceptions...
All of the "R" minions, roughly fifteen in number, stop in their tracks, looking ready to assault the female that appeared out of seemingly no where. "Keep moving the crates," growls the suited crimelord. "There's nothing she can do to stop this operation. I'll deal with this distraction myself..." He doesn't advance on Cecilia just yet, simply standing there, his right hand unconsciously folding and unfolding the end of a black scarf that hangs open around his neck. But with the way his body has tensed, it's quite clear that he isn't going to let Cecilia move away without him moving to try and intercept her. She's in his camp now, for better or worse.
In the darkness, a red glow appears on the right side of his face where his eye should be. A cyberntic eye, a gift from technology to replace the natural one lost so long ago. Impassively, he studies the young woman, only to glance to the side a little as she is joined by Katelynn. "Well, well..." His hands clench, powerful fists tightening. "Is this all you brought? And for a moment I thought this might actually put us behind schedule..."
OH CRAP! CYBORG! And additional challengers. This might work out for the best. Shoma ease out from his position, resetting his bat on his back for a moment as he kicks one leg into the air in classic pitching style. He brings the baseball waaaaaaaaay back...
...and then hurls a one hundred mile an hour fastball at Rugal's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Rugal has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rugal 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Cecilia has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
COMBATSYS: Shoma has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-------|
Cecilia is standing weirdly. It isn't something that an untrained eye might notice except possibly as a slightly off-balance stance, but Rugal can probably tell it is not normal from lengthy and intricate experience of fighting styles. It doesn't have any glaring deficencies except, perhaps, a lack of balance.
Cecilia doesn't move as the lights come on, beyond a slight flicker of the eyes. She opens her mouth to answer - and then there's the noise of an object whicking through the air, and she opts against it.
She snaps her fingers. "Knock him down, girl," she tells Katelynn, although she doesn't leap forwards into the fray. Either she'll beat his ass, Cecilia reasons, or she'll get HER ass beaten, and I'll see his moves close up. Either way, the winner is clearly her!
COMBATSYS: Cecilia focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-------|
Knock him down? Cecilia's asking Katelynn to knock him down? She must be psychic or something, since Katelynn had that in mind all along. A sly smirk appears on her face as she nods in acknowledgement to Cecilia. "You got it!" She says.
She then turns her attention towards Rugal, and her smirk forms into a bit of a grin. Her eyes don't waver one bit, instead they remain focused on him with a look of determination on her face. It's obvious that she's ready to take this guy on.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Shoma's Fast Ball.
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/-------|
With the instructions from Cecilia to Katelynn, he quickly establishes the pecking order of the two coming at him. The taller of the two with the strange stance is clearly in charge.
Ah, so there is another. Rugal hears Shoma move off to the side and a faint smirk works its way into his expression. He isn't aware that they aren't acting together quite yet. It seems like a typical ambush - two obvious targets in front while someone else flanks in from the side with the surprise shot.
Without even turning to look, the man turns his torso just slightly, bringing one of his hands around to catch the fastball right in his palm. Perhaps he had expected something besides a baseball though, because the moment he clenches it, there is a flicker of surprise. What kind of weapon is this? Not one to spend too much time thinking about it, the same hand that caught the baseball is bent back then flung forward as he literally rockets the projectile toward Katelynn. It isn't a professional baseball pitch by any means, but there's power behind that thing now.
Shoma scowls. The baseballs, while TOTALLY in his idiom, are proving to be utterly ineffective out here. No matter, it's a jungle! Plenty of other things Shoma can fling at people. He reaches over for a medium-sized boulder, and with a bellow of "TAIYOOOOOOOO!" he rips it free from the ground and over his head. With another roar, he hurls the massive boulder at Rugal. It's doesn't travel that fast, but being as large at it is, it does not need to...
This is bad, Cecilia thinks. She is briefly annoyed when Katelynn seems to take her sweet time about lunging forwards, and it gets worse when the ball gets knocked aside and redirected. The solution is to not get too damn close.
Her eyes widen as she stares at Rugal. This is not very intimidating at all, until /something/ happens - there's a sudden hiss and faintly glowing red liquid seems to burst out from her very eyes! Two thin beams of high pressure fluid jet out, fast enough to have barely any curve, towards Rugal's body.
They're going fast enough to hurt on their own if they impact; what is probably worse is that they feel like some sort of overheated acid, although as the energy imbued with them fades, the searing pain (if Rugal would even notice such a thing) fades rather quickly.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Katelynn with Thrown Object.
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|
Apparently, dodgeball is not one of Katelynn's favorite sports, since as she attempts to move out of the way, she's hit hard in the face. This causes her to stagger backward with one hand on her face (and don't even think about mentioning that infamous scene from a certain sitcom!)
"Owwww..." Katelynn says, bringing her hand away to find blood has stained it a bit. Yet, through some dumb luck, the blood is already starting to clot, meaning that Katelynn only needs to wipe her nose and face a little using her sleeve.
"You picked the wrong girl to mess with," Katelynn shouts, now devoid of her bring it on attitude, instead filled with a fiery rage as she rushes towards Rugal and brings her right leg up towards his stomach.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Shoma's Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal endures Cecilia's Eyes on Fire.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to interrupt Heavy Kick from Katelynn with Genocide Cutter.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/---====|
It's the sound of Shoma shouting off to the side that gives Rugal cause to pause yet a second time. Did he just say Taiyo? As in the High School back in that oh so interesting city of Southtown? Bernstein is well aware that Shadaloo has been 'enlisting' some of the High School students into their ranks. But he's seen what their minds are like. They would bear no loyalty to their campus of old under their /new/ lives. That suggests he isn't with them.
But the other two? Cecilia he's not sure about, but there's something about Katelynn that seems just a little off. He'll have to study her more in a moment. But first! There's the matter of that incoming large rock. Crashing his fist out to his side, Rugal shatters the boulder into a thousand fragments that go flying off in every direction. "Do you even know what you're DOING, boy?" he challenges, eyes finally locking onto Shoma for the first time. Just a kid. Probably another tool of the resistance... He can appreciate that. Desperate times, desperate actions, and all that...
Then comes Cecilia's attack and he looks toward her just in time to see the high pressure fluid flying at him. Quirking an eyebrow just slightly, he actually decides to ignore the energy sent his way in order to concentrate on Katelynn's incoming kick.
An error in judgement, a twist of fate, or just poor timing - Rugal lashes out toward the young woman, intending to match her kick with a powerful one of his one. One that has shattered opponents, crushing them to the ground. But her leg comes in and strikes him in the chest at the same time he was launching himself into her. The combination of unexpected force as Katelynn stands strong sends Rugal staggering back a step, one of his hands lifting to wipe small flecks of spittle from the side of his mouth. "Well then, it seems there is no need to hold back..." he growls, digging his feet into the sand to brace himself for more.
He DID just say Taiyo. You know, the school with the spirit that burns like the sun? Shoma frowns at Rugal, "YEAH! I'm going to KICK YOUR" *BLEEP!* Shoma kicks his leg up again; having scooped up another, smaller rock. He's not a schooled fighter like some but he knows that with two people already in Rugal's face, that he'd just be getting in the way.
The rock is thrown, low and fast. It almost kicks up a trench of dust in its wake as it flies towards the R Boss...
This is probably bad, Cecilia thinks. He's handled all of this and he doesn't seem to be more than scratched. The girl lunging forwards seems to be doing pretty well, and so Cecilia is not certain, for a moment, just what it is she should do.
The obvious answer occurs to her shortly after, and she leaps down off the dock and onto the beach. She lowers her head, perhaps confident in her ability to track Rugal, and runs forwards, drawing one hand back to administer an elbow strike towards his midsection! And also putting herself in close range, which may, of course, have consequences.
The kick hits its mark, which makes Katelynn's frown turn into a slight hint of a smile. But it's short lived, as the rage continues to flow through the woman's veins. She merely shakes her head at Rugal's failed effort to counter her attack, but doesn't let up on her defense in the least bit. Instead, she takes advantage of the situation to launch a beach ball sized blast of chi from her fist at the large man, wondering if he can do better this time?
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Shoma's Thrown Object.
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Rugal dodges Katelynn's Energy Fist.
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Cecilia successfully hits Rugal with Strong Punch.
Glancing Blow
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/----===|
Again with the rock throwing. And the bravado. Rugal grunts, dismissing Shoma for now. He'll have to deal with him in a moment. He needs to focus on Katelynn for now, the girl having proven quite capable of slipping attacks in in spite his efforts to the contrary. And now that she's in close, he can get a better look at her... The small sphere of bio-technology in his right eyesocket locks on the girl, analysing everything about how she moves, how her muscles contract and relax to power her attacks, and how her mind... her mind... "Heh, another mind controlled Shadaloo tool..." Rugal grunts.
And then comes the next wave of attacks. The incoming rock is avoided simply by stepping to the side, black polished shoes kicking up a small splash of sand with the speed of the movement. From his new position, it takes only a slight lean to successfully avoid the chi blast from Katelynn as well. Cecilia's pressing the attack however, and Rugal reaches out with his hand at an angle, causing the elbow strike to glance off at an angle, leaving him hardly phased in the slightest. He continues pushing with that hand to nudge the young woman to the side a little.
Why? So he can lunge forward for Katelynn, both of his sleeve covered arms out at his sides as if he intends to just barrely into her directly, his fingers extended into claw-like positions. "RAAAH!" When he gets close, he stops, pouring all of that powerful momentum into a swing toward her cheek, his hand closing into a fist as he does so. Whether or not that connects, his other hand swings low, a powerful palm press toward Katelynn's stomach. The force this man strikes with is enough to shatter bricks. What it will do to the young karate fighter remains to be seen...
Shoma frowns. Dude's too dodgey; looks like up close is the only way to do it. Shoma shrugs as he pulls the bat free, and charges Rugal at a full sprint. He roars as he leaps into the air, closing the distance with disturbing alacrity. Once there, Shoma reaches for Rugal to try and toss him into the air before attempting to smash the bat into the evil man. He didn't hear Rugal's comments about Katelynn's...current employer, which is likely just as well.
When her elbow strike glances lightly off of Rugal and does not seem to leave an impact, Cecilia's head cranes to look at that elbow, then briefly back towards the dock, where the man with the decidedly broken neck is still screaming.
She then turns her head to the side, the rest of her body going still for a long moment. She studies where Rugal is going, and she thinks she can see an opening, or at least, a relatively imperfect defense. If he's using both hands --
Well, Shoma's moving, but in either case, Cecilia strides forwards and twists around to aim an arcing roundhouse kick at Rugal's back at about kidney level. It's a takedown blow; her reflex is to get it over with, fast. Maybe this guy isn't as tough, she thinks, as advertised. She was not chosen for her intellective capacities.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn fails to counter Medium Punch from Rugal with Palm Blaster.
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Shoma 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
That's a good one, punching at Katelynn. Here, let her show you one of her best-- OOOF!
As luck would have it, Katelynn's attempt to send a chi-covered palm strike at Rugal is cut a bit short by the punch, which sends her across the dock. Unfortunately, the stars aren't done spinning around right away, meaning that she's left sitting there a bit dazed and confused.
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Shoma's Grounder Hit.
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Shoma 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rugal counters Heavy Kick from Cecilia with Scorpion Deathlock EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
"Heh," Rugal chides as Katelynn's attempt to stop his incoming attack sends her flying back a ways. He doesn't have time to run after her though, as he has two others determined to give him a challenge tonight. When Shoma runs up to try and grab hold of him, Rugal frankly looks confused. "Have you lost your mind, boy?" The data he reads in merely a passing glance indicates that the boy is practically half Rugal's weight. And strong as he may be, the crimelord doesn't believe it's even possible. After Shoma tugs at him for a bit, Rugal ends up just shoving him away with a hand pressed to his face.
But then there's Cecilia's incoming attack from behind. It's uncanny the way Rugal turns around and catches her foot in his hand with a resounding thud as her limb stops. Unfortunately for her, he uses that leverage to reach out and grab hold of her green T-shirt up near the coller and pulls her even closer while he pushes her limb away.
"Tell me..." Rugal demands, pulling her face closer into his, his human eye and metallic eye boring into her. "Are you prepared to die for this cause? Who do you fight for? Is it Lord Vega?" He almost spits the word 'Lord', the derision in his voice impossible to miss. "Are you ready to become just another casualty of war? Another statistic to fill the papers with when this is all said and done? Just how committed are you...?" He lifts his other hand, the one he used to knock aside her kick, and with a vice-like grip applies a tight, choke hold to her throat, a torrent of lightning-like chi pouring down his arm directly into the poor woman's neck. When it's over, he throws her aside into the sand, extending his arms to his side as he looks over the three that have decided to test Rugal's might this evening.
Shoma is stopped cold by that technique hated by all short people. Shoma staggers back, and brings the bat to bear once more. Rugal might notice that for a kid his size, his strength IS kind of freakish. Might have to do with the size and heft of that big red bat he swings about four thousand times a day.
The same bat screaming a path for Rugal's midsection, in fact, "GRAND SLAM SMASH!"
The immediate response of Cecilia when she's yanked in is to try and make her eyes do that trick again. It doesn't work. The tear ducts are still refilling and the blood isn't flowing completely. She stares at him, eyes rolling left and right in a nearly-mindless way. She doesn't answer even as the hand tightens around her neck.
She makes a 'gkhk' noise - now she CAN'T really answer, especially when the chi flows into her and her back arches, arms spreading as the raw force arcs around her body! For a moment the flow of energy almost reveals the inner lines of her body - but then she's thrown, brutally hitting the ground and bouncing once, laying still in a broken-seeming heap for the moment.
She twitches once. Then twice. "Yuh," she says. "Yuhhh..." Is she saying a name?
She plants one hand in the sand, then pushes... rising upwards, stepping to her feet as she pops her neck to the side, perhaps reseating her spine right. "Useless..."
She stands, then, one hand still outstretched, and goes still. Then, savagely, she rakes it along the underside of her left arm, that red and faintly luminous blood seeping out. She crooks the arm down behind her, facing towards Rugal, the other arm raised as if in self-defense.
Then she waits. She may have forgotten Katelynn existed, at this point.
COMBATSYS: Cecilia focuses on her next action.
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Shoma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/------=/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
Katelynn has finally gotten back onto her feet, and is shaking off the dizziness and wiping the blood away (again.) Her vision is getting a little clouded, but there's no way she's giving up that easily. After all, she's with Shadaloo now! And those guys (and gals) don't believe in giving up.
"Persistent, aren't you? Well, this should teach you a lesson," Katelynn says as she proceeds to fly at Rugal with her leg extended in a flying kick stance, except she's flying directly at him, propelled off of her rear foot!
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Shoma's Grand Slam Smash.
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Shoma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/------=/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rugal fails to counter Missile Kick from Katelynn with Medium Kick.
- Power fail! -
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Shoma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/------=/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 1/-------/=======|
When Shoma comes at him again, Rugal lifts an arm and intersects the bat, muscles tensing as he finds the blow actually hits a bit harder than he really expected. "You got guts, kid," he mutters, forcing the bat back again in an attempt to put Shoma off balance. For some reason, the crimelord seems to be holding back on the young ball player...
When Katelynn comes in with her foot, Rugal lunges at her with a kick of his own, but once again when it comes to trading hits with the girl, he comes out on the losing end as his foot misses her by mere centimeters. Her foot strikes him in the chest and the man grunts, flexing once to push her back. Though she did get through his kick, he doesn't seem TOO devastated by the attack.
Judging from the way that Rugal is laying into the other two girls, Shoma's getting the distinct impression that he's not getting Rugal's A-Game. While this is /good/ for Shoma's continued existance, it pisses the youth off something fierce. The fact that he's beating up on said pair of girls does not help the Slugger's attitude.
"Why you...!" The Taiyo pinch-hitter fires off a quick jab, desperate to tag Rugal with /something/.
"Useless," Cecilia says to herself. "Useless, useless, useless..." Her hand curls tighter around the blood in her palm, and she raises her head. Her eyes are wide and she's grinning, now. "Is this all too much for you!?" She doesn't scream, not yet, but now she actually DOES run, lowering her head as she dashes forwards and then leaps up and past Rugal.
When she's /going/ past him, she twists her hand around, throwing the strangely bilious-looking fluid forwards in a fan-like pattern down towards him! It hisses at the touch of the air, possibly eating holes in his outfit if it does nothing else at all - Cecilia twists in midair, aiming to land in a curiously balanced stance with her feet and legs together, her arms spread out, and her hips pressed backwards as her upper body leans forwards.
That MAY all go to hell.
Katelynn grins, happy to see that one of her attacks finally succeeded again. But now she's starting to get a tad bit worn out. Despite being Shadaloo, her energy isn't endless. She steps back a little and takes a moment to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Shoma successfully hits Rugal with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Cecilia successfully hits Rugal with Black Blade.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
Shoma's jab punch strikes Rugal in the side, but the young man doesn't seem to get his attention too well from that. It's Cecilia that has his attention now, the suited tyrant focusing on her intently. There's been a shift in her demeanor that is impossible to miss. The cool composed woman doesn't seem to be there anymore. He knows just the type of people who would employ someone like that too. A faint smirk crosses his lips. NESTs.
When she charges at him, he raises his arms, allowing the acidic liquid to strike against him. It ends up doing far more than he anticipated though, the fluid burning through cloth, the smell of heated flesh filling the air. The man grits his teeth now, looking at the bat weilding boy with intensity, finally focusing on him as he had perhaps wanted all this time. "Use your head, you /fool/. I would hope they still teach logic and reasoning in that school of yours. Who do you think they /work/ for? Does that woman seem sane to you? Do you think she would be trying to stop me if I was here to deliver weapons to Vega's men? That truck is destined for a resistance camp several miles inland. You are directly interferring with one of the largest shipments of weapons the resistance army will ever see!"
It's hard to say if that will get through the eager young man's head, but it may at least explain why Rugal hasn't been striking him even given ripe opportunities to do so. Reaching up with his hands, the man rips the white, dress shirt open with brute force, shrugging it and the now ruined suit coat off his shoulders and throwing the fabric aside into a heap on the ground. This leaves him with a dark green muscle shirt that reveals the perfectly honed muscular body the 'businessman' really has.
He lunges for Katelynn again this time, trying to take advantage of the time she spent catching her breath. "You will not stop me now!" he yells, clamping both of his hands together and slamming them toward her in a hammering blow toward her side with enough strength to perhaps send her flying. "RAGH!"
Shoma stops short. He blinks once or twice at Rugal. He takes a short hop back, and tries to hash this situation out. He uses the moment to catch his breath a bit while he is at it.
After all, Cecilia is definitely NOT normal. She might be working for Vega.
COMBATSYS: Shoma drops his guard to recover.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 0/-------/=======|
Hey, Cecilia realizes, he's telling details about where this thing is going to be going! Several miles inland, eh? There's only so many several miles inland possible! Of course, it's the jungle, and the locals may have learned from some old fellows just on the other side of the sea how to dig complex tunnel compounds, but -still-.
She doesn't really notice the insult to her sanity, if only because she's too jangled up from all that chi that was forced into her body shortly before. She does have the presence of mind, as she steps to keep up with Rugal, "Girl, report!" Hopefully she'll catch on, even as Cecilia brings one leg up in a sharp side kick at the side of Rugal's leg.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Katelynn with Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 1/---====/=======|
Oof! Katelynn is hit hard yet again. And this time, she sails into some nearby crates, which results in a rather nasty crash. Unfortunately, she seems to be down for the count, since she shows no signs of movement. Someone will probably come to recover her so nobody can get her away, but she's out of the fight.
COMBATSYS: Katelynn takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Katelynn 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Katelynn has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Rugal endures Cecilia's Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 0/-------/------=|
Unfortunately, Katelyn's chance to escape to make her report is cut short by the double-fisted smash into her side from Rugal, the man literally spinning on his feet with the force he put into the hammering blow. Given the disparity in the two fighters, it's not surprising that the crushing strike takes the fight right out of the poor mind controlled girl.
"Think about it boy," he continues trying to coax Shoma. "If I was delivering these to Vega, do you think I would be unloading them on this makeshift dock I had my men build just hours ago? Where are the tank escorts? Where are the military vehicles and troops to defend this precious cache...?"
Though speaking to the young ball player, Rugal keeps his eyes on the woman in front of him. When she kicks in at him he simply lets the blow land without any attempt to defend against it, tensing his leg and digging his foot into the sand to keep the strike from knocking him off his feet.
And in the next instant he lunges, literally hurling himself toward the young woman, his arm out at his side as if to crash into her with a clothesline-hook around her waist. The speed he moves with now is incredibly fast as he pours all of his leg power into this next attack.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Cecilia with God Press.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
"GRAH!" Once his arm finds purchase around her waist, Rugal continues forward with an incredible amount of momentum and ends up slamming her directly into the side of the flatbed truck, literally rocking the large vehicle and almost threatening to knock the mounted crates completely off. But he doesn't leave her there, either, brutally slamming the poor girl into the hard dirt the truck was parked on.
Rugal, evil man that he is, raises excellent points. He winces a bit sympathetically when he smashes Cecilia into the truck though, but it looks like he may have made up his mind. He glares at Cecilia.
"What's your excuse lady? You work for Vega?" Shoma's grip on his bat tightens.
COMBATSYS: Shoma takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
Cecilia is caught as she stands completely still. She breathes in and then leaves her mouth open as she's slammed; her body feels resilient. Rugal can probably tell that; she's not dead, or limp. Just, probably, /massively hurt/. Getting a flatbed truck in the kidneys tends to take the fight out of you; being hurled into the ground hard enough to have road burn all along your front takes a back seat in comparison.
She lays there for a moment, breathing with difficulty. Her head lifts up slightly when Shoma speaks. Hair stays in her face, hiding her eyes. "I work... for..."
A gulping swallow, perhaps to get blood out of her mouth. "I work for..."
She speaks more clearly, after another pause. "I work for... a reasonable hourly wage... plus medical, dental..." And with this, she shoves herself forwards, at Rugal's leg, aiming to hook an arm around it, turn her head, and sink her teeth into his calf!
COMBATSYS: Rugal blocks Cecilia's Good To Feel Hungry.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-------/=======|
The curious counter attack from the fallen woman comes in faster than Rugal would have expected, given the abuse she just took. She gets her arm around his leg, but the moment she brings her head in, he reaches down with his hand, stopping the attempt to bite him by sheer force of pressing his hand against her head. "Nice benefits... you're going to need them," he chuckles, tightening his grip and attempting to lift Cecilia right off the ground by her head.
COMBATSYS: Rugal successfully hits Cecilia with Scorpion Blow.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Rugal
[ \\\ <
Cecilia 1/-======/=======|
Once he has lifted her up to the level of his face a second time, Rugal glares into her eyes, shaking his own head slowly. He can see that she's practically at her limits now. It's unfortunate - those who pick the wrong fights like this. Truth be told, he bears her no malice. She had her job, he has his goals. Unfortunately, those two paths collided much to her detriment.
The next attack comes in the form of a crushing blow to her stomach, slamming her right back into the side of the truck as he releases his hold on her head. One crate of weapons topples off of the piles and shatters, spilling rifles across the ground.
Turning his back on her now, perhaps believing her finished, the man who literally towers over Shoma begins to walk back toward the young man, studying him now, perhaps seeing the indecision in his eyes. "What are you even doing here..." he states, sounding tired. Perhaps the fight the three have been giving him has left him more worn out than he was willing to show. "Shouldn't you be back home, enjoying school, playing... games?" He continues to stride forward slowly, one hand pointing behind him, pointing to where Cecilia fell, "Do you have what it takes to fight wars, boy? Could you kill her now? A defeated foe? Do you have it in you to snuff out her life to protect the secrets she now knows? About the weapons, the camp inland? If she tells Shadaloo of what she now knows, the resistance could be harmed and my aid to them will have to cease... If the decision was in your hands, could you make the right choice...?"
Shoma frowns. That doesn't answer the question directly enough for his liking, which really settles the issue for him. He pulls the bat free, and steps in. Without saying a single thing, he swings low, attempting to jam the end of the bat into Cecilia's midsection.
COMBATSYS: Cecilia fails to interrupt Fishing Swing from Shoma with Harvester of Eyes.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Cecilia has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Shoma 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\1 Rugal
[ \\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
Shoma, having 'caught a big one,' spins once, spins twice, and with a mammoth sweep of the massive bat, sends Cecilia flying for the river. Hope for her sake there's no pirhanas or the like. Shoma's head is bowed, his eyes shadowed, "I won't kill. I don't have the right to take a life," he points the bat to where she landed, "But she won't be saying much of anything now." Note that he doesn't answer the question of what /he/ is doing here...
Cecilia vomits, rather noisomely, at the blow to her stomach. She goes flying back, embedded into a heap of rattling assault rifles. Her eyes seem to roll up in her head as she lays there, twitching, jerking forwards as the bat jams back into her abused midsection. "Guooh-"
The spin comes. She passes out, although her eyes seem to burst in a bleeding mass along the way. Whatever the hell it was, it probably was not healthy, and she flies, like a rag doll, towards the turbid waters of one of Thailand's many rivers, landing, at last, with a wet and deliberate splash...
She has the sense to stay under for nearly a minute, before lifting her head - very slowly - just above the waterline. Hopefully, the glare from truck lights, as well as the reflection of the moon, will keep her from being spotted. She IS practically near the other bank at this point.
Rugal arches an eyebrow at the young man's vicious strike with the bat. While he may deny it for now, the crime lord begins to suspect that Shoma might, with proper... guidance, be someone useful down the line. "Interesting," is all Rugal states, his voice thoughtful as he gazes out toward the water. Whether he is replying to Shoma or contemplating something else entirely is difficult to determine.
There is a flicker of a smile, even, as his enhanced eye detects movement a ways off. It would appear that the young agent who faced death at his hands today will live to fight again. It means the information she carries in her head is on its way to the powers vying for control over this wretched country. Just as well, just as well.
"Quit standing around," Rugal growls now, pointing toward the spilled guns, "Pick those up and stuff them into the other crates." Toward Shoma he faces now, reaching out to place a powerful arm on the boy's shoulder, "Good luck in your fight, boy. Your side needs all the help it can get," he chuckles, shaking his head. "If you want a ride to the camp, feel free to jump on back of the truck." Rugal walks over to study his poor, abused clerk on the dock, the man having passed out some time ago. "Get him aboard the boat," the crimelord barks an order to another man nearby. "And start dismantaling this dock. We won't be coming back to this beach again."
COMBATSYS: Rugal has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Shoma 0/-------/-----==|
[ \\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
Shoma rubs a finger under his nose, and shakes his head, "I'll pass, thanks. I think I know where I am going." With that, Shoma heads back into the woodline. As far as he knows, this one can be chalked up to Team Awesome.
What he doesn't know won't hurt him for now...
COMBATSYS: Shoma has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\ <
Cecilia 1/-----==/=======|
COMBATSYS: Cecilia has ended the fight here.
She doesn't know if she's been spotted or not. Cecilia can remember things reasonably well, though; she ducks her head under the dark water and turns, wading towards the far shore.
She then curses to herself. Those binoculars weren't cheap! Oh well. Maybe it'll go on the expense account.
Log created on 22:07:03 06/23/2007 by Rugal, and last modified on 03:09:07 06/24/2007.