Description: Oswald treads a bit far on Duolon's territory, and the assassins settle the debate in stunning displays of martial skill. (may be missing poses because Oswald's player is a total newbcake. :U )
In a city where organized crime lords run pretty much everything, it's nothing really new when another street tough, thug, gang, or what have you tries to muscle in on some territory. After all, when you start up any business, even the business of crime, you always look for prime locations to set up. Setting up a major crime ring in a city like Southtown was just good sense. There was a lot of competition, but at least there was less hassle with pesky things like law enforcement and non-corrupt local governments.
Assassins, however, were something different. You needed skill to become an assassin, or at least to -keep- being an assassin. Most would-be assassins in this city were, frankly, little more than hitmen. They could get the job done, but they were ultimately burdened with things like security systems and witnesses. A good assassin would never be seen by either. Most assassins that come to Southtown are NOT good, and so the Hizoku assassin Duo Lon doesn't pay any attention to them. But every so often there was one that rose to his notice... mostly because they started taking his job prospects. And he didn't like that.
It wouldn't be hard to track another good assassin's movements, when you are also a good assassin. If you know of a job prospect, but then when you inquire about it, it turns out it's been 'filled,' you can sort of guess that the other good assassin has taken the job. From there it's not hard to just find out the name of the hit, and then simply be there before the other assassin.
That was what Duo had in mind, and so, here he was.
The hit was on the top floor of an expensive hotel, one of the rare few in Chinatown. It wasn't a very tall hotel, because ALL of the rooms were expensive - there was no need to accomodate 'lesser' people here. So, naturally, being on the top floor, it was prudent to enter the building from the roof. Too many security cameras in the lobby and the elevators and the like. Duo had already done the job - the man lie dead in the room just beneathe him. Now, he simply stood on the roof top, hands folded into his sleeves, eyes closed... waiting. He was fairly confident that if the assassin we a good one, he'd want to know who got to his mark before him - a lesser one would just run away and claim it was he who had done it. A good one would also know, upon entering the room, to look for the traces Duo had left behind... to let him know that the killer of his hit was still there, and was on the roof. Waiting.
There's a single 'clap' that signalled his presence. It wasn't one of hands, but something more contempoary - it was a cellphone, some voice still squaking in mandarin on the other side as he simply hangs up. The shades were up and the fancy hat was held in the opposite hand, though it didn't take long for him to bring it back up to sit upon his head. The gloved hand gives a little flick to the rim as it settles, giving a sort of pre-cursor punctuation to his words.
"I suppose I have you to thank for /this/." he makes no motion to indicate what, the subject itself had enough weight, tossing the phone aside on the ground as it starts to vibrate again, letting it skitter on the roofing-rocks in the process, "All the pay without the hasstle. A lesser man would smile at such an easy paycheque."
He had followed the clues and traces, all right. He was no fool and age had dulled his wit and awareness none, he hadn't even enough time to take his gloves off before arriving to the roof - which was probably for the best. "I don't know who you are - but I suppose you have a good reason to interfere in my ..." A pregnant pause fits in quite nicely to this sentence as his lips curl into the tiniest of smirks, "...particular business."
Opening his eyes halfway, the Hizoku lifts his head and turns it slightly, to regard the other man over his shoulder. He is quiet for a moment as he takes in the appearance of the person he lured up here. Grandfatherly appearance, almost old-world English gentry, in some respects. Except for the rose-tinted glasses, anyway. Turning his head back to stare straight ahead at the lights of the city, the pale assassin finally speaks up in a quiet voice, that somehow manages to carry. "You shall receive your pay... but the hassle has yet to come."
With that, he steps backwards, and turns softly about to face Oswald, hands still clasped together in his sleeves. "A lesser man would not have understood that, and walked away smiling, before I ruined his career." The Hizoku then bows partly, not quite completely at the waist, but nevertheless making more of a bow than just dipping his head. "Ni hao. Wo xiao Duo Lon," he says, and then straightens. "I believe you can guess at my reasons for interfering. Being alike of trade, we would have crossed paths sooner or later. And it is my belief that, in this case, sooner is better than later. I bear you no ill will, but..." he makes another, slighter bow, then straightens up, his hands sliding free of his sleeves and then extending forward, palms down, with his foot sliding forward. An unorthodox, but perfectly recognizeable fighting stance. He says nothing else, simply watching Oswald.
"Hmh." He gives a little groan at the mention of ruining his career. While he would have laughed in the face of most that would do such threats, Oswald knew well that something was definately not on the level here. A suspicion was confirmed as this most odd looking stranger shows good respect, but does clarify that both he and Oswald share a simliar lifestyle.
The first bow wasn't much responded to, though the raise from the second does show that he lifted his hat a tad, offering not so much a bow as a short incline of the head and shoulders, and recognizing the fluid-like transition into a fighting stance, lets the fingers flick the hat away by the rim to accompany the discarded phone.
"Duolon." He repeats the name, narrowing his eyes and nodding to himself as he adopts a most unorthodox stance of his own1, "Oswald. I hope you will make this interesting."
COMBATSYS: Duolon has started a fight here.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Oswald has joined the fight here.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Oswald
And there it is. There's no more words to be said. They simply need to finish their business and be done. And while others might let the 'newcomer' in this situation have the first attack, Duo seems to not be like the others. A step forward is taken, and then it begins. And it begins... with a blur. The Hizoku assassin's form becomes indistinct, and then simply fades to black colors that streak over the roof top towards the white-haired assassin. Though there was a considerable distance between the two, it is closed in mere fractions of a second, and suddenly there's the Chinese man, right in front of Oswald, with both of his hands already moving. Palms out, hands pressed together, they seek to strike the man in the stomach, followed swiftly by a uppercutting palm strike to the jaw. If all goes well, it'll finish with a twist of the pale assassin's body, moving to shove his shoulder into the other man, knocking him away.
COMBATSYS: Oswald dodges Duolon's Shaki Juuryuu.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Oswald
He expected an assault. He didn't expect quite /this/, however. The greyed eyebrows raise in the moment that the blur overtakes the visible form of the assassin, head tilting down to look over the bridge of the specs - as if he believed that it would allow him to this just a little better - but the first reaction isn't as steady as one may expect.
The furthest foot scrapes down and purposefully slips inwards on the gravel upon the roof to give him a slightly narrower stance. The arms come in, elbows down to protect his sides as he tries to cover the most obvious of angles - but finds that his preparation is for naught. It's a tad ungraceful, but he gives his hips a twist down and away, letting the finely polished shoes draw wide lines upon the rooftop as his body turns out-and-away from the thrusting palms, brow furrowing a bit in that moment of confusion.
He is quick to follow through with his move, moving back with the motion to give distance between his body and the strangers. There's another body or two of space between them again now as Oswald keeps a somewhat-sideglance upon the chinese man, eyes narrowing in vicious scrutiny. "You've already fullfilled my condition." He intones quietly, "I am pleased."
The old man returns to a stance now, feet grinding into the ground to move anything slippery away this time - but instead keeps his eyes trained upon Duolon, reaching up with one hand to push the specs proper upon the bridge of his nose.
COMBATSYS: Oswald focuses on his next action.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Oswald
The old man dodges, twisting away from his hands with an 'ungraceful' graceful move. Ceasing with his attack as it's avoided, the Hizoku turns to follow Oswald, but doesn't immediately pursue, instead leaping backwards a small distance to put even more space between the two. Clearly he was expecting some kind of reprisal, but it never comes. Instead, the man seems to be... watching him. Eyes narrowing in return, the younger man crouches, and then leaps forward, again covering the distance quickly to attack his opponent. Landing on one foot, he twists his body, bringing the other leg around in order to try to hook it along the back of Oswald's neck and drag him forward with the leg. If successful, he'll then push off with his other foot, leaping -past- and above Oswald, but not before pressing both feet to his back, pushing him to the ground roughly, should it connect.
COMBATSYS: Duolon successfully hits Oswald with Suishu Makyakuho.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Oswald
Blindingly fast. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. As Duolon charges, Oswald squares up as he watches the leg come up and around - expecting some sort of roundhouse, but instead finding that the crook of the knee moves passed and around his neck, and he finds his body first twisted and pulled, but then kicked and pushed.
The hands come down in front of him quickly enough to keep his face from smashing into the ground, using them to brace himself from at least that much of the impact, though he lands unceremoniously upon the ground nonetheless. The hands push up hard, with a short grunt of effort after the hit - no roll-with or such provided, taking the brunt of the result of his underestimation.
Looking behind and over his shoulder, watching Duolon in mid-leap, Oswald lifts an arm into the air, and with a quick flick of the wrist and snap of his fingers, a card soars out and swoops down, catching a ride on the current of air that Duolon leaves in his rapid wake...
COMBATSYS: Duolon dodges Oswald's Queen.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Oswald
No dodging this time, and Duo feels this with some satisfaction as the older man is deposited onto the floor, face-first. His own momentum carries him backwards, landing a distance away from Oswald once again, with a much easier time of returning to solid ground than the other man did. Shifting into a fighting stance fluidly as he rises from his crouching touch-down, he looks up just in time to notice a small bit of white flying towards him. A... card? It was moving too fast to be a piece of trash, having the unmistakable urgency to its movement that let the Hizoku know that, despite it being a card, it was a weapon. Rather than simply avoiding it, he steps forward into it, raising a hand as he does, and then... catching the projectile between two fingers. A simple touch tells him he was right, the card was made of some material that would've cut quite fine if it had struck. Moving forward with the card in tow, he continues on to rush at Oswald. "An interesting weapon," he says, and then lifts his hand. "Have it back!" And with that, he'll simply move to strike at the other assassin with the card, slicing in a diagonal across his chest.
COMBATSYS: Oswald dodges Duolon's Random Weapon.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Oswald
This was no game of attrition. This stranger was good. This stranger was skilled and he was out for blood. Oswald thought he was taking this seriously enough for his own good. The Irishman turns himself around to assume his stance proper just in time to see the assassin rush toward him, card in hand. Shoulders twist to profile despite the mostly squared hips as Duolon cuts in with the card that he just used.
"No thanks." He grunts as his left hand grabs at the wrist of the slashing arm, as he hefts a foot up to kick at his attacker's midsection, "Gifts aren't to be returned."
COMBATSYS: Duolon interrupts Strong Kick from Oswald with Genmu Hishou Keikou.
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Duolon 0/-------/--=====|====---\-------\0 Oswald
This was no game of attrition. This stranger was skilled and he was out for blood, and it was a shame to say, but the Karnoffel player hadn't expected /this/ much resistance at all; overall, Oswald thought he was taking this seriously enough, but perhaps not enough for his own good. The Irishman turns himself around to assume his stance proper just in time to see the assassin rush toward him, card in hand. Shoulders twist to profile despite the mostly squared hips as Duolon cuts in with the card that he just used.
"No thanks." He grunts as his left hand grabs at the wrist of the slashing arm, as he hefts a foot up to kick at his attacker's midsection, "Gifts aren't to be returned."
The foot kicks out, and impacts squarely against the Chinaman's midsection, as intended. It looks like a fairly solid blow, enough to stagger most normal sized men, and Duo isn't precisely as stout as a normal man. Being reed thin, he'd likely be staggered and winded and quite hurt besides. In fact, this does seem the case, as Duo's chest seems to cave in! And then, as the foot follows through, something quite disturbing happens. The Hizoku seems to literally explode from the kick, the force sending bones flying every which-a-way, and the man seems to just simply disappear from the shoulders down. That's about when Oswald would probably notice he's not holding Duo anymore, but in fact a skeleton, that soon will disintegrate into nothing. The real Duo re-introduces himself by suddenly being there, behind the man, drill kicking him into the roof before leaping off and back.
Duo wasn't there to see the wide-eyed reaction to holding skeleton shell of what was once his opponent. His mouth opens to shout, but the act is cut short as his lungs are robbed of wind from the kick, this time his hands didn't have time to square up for the fall.
The side of Oswald's face impacts hard against the ceiling, and for a moment and just a moment, he lays there just to let the sensation soak in. One leg comes up beneath him, and then the other, raising up the man to his full height, bringing a gloved hand up to the cheek that is now cut and scraped to brush the back of the leather along the wound.
"Well done." He turns his head and spits, reaching up and whipping off the now damaged glasses from his face, the leather creaking as his fingers curl in and ball into very tight fists, "An aggressive player, I can respect that." He rolls a shoulder and slips back into his fighting stance, "And I have a feeling I've yet to see everything in your hand."
Now it was his turn to rush forth, fists unfurling to let the fingers draw out cards as he lunges in to return the favor, slashing in the general area of Duolon's face.
COMBATSYS: Oswald successfully hits Duolon with Fierce Strike.
- Power hit! -
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Duolon 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Oswald
Clever. 'See everything in his hand' then attacking with cards, yes. Again leaping away after his attack is made, the Hizoku puts some distance between himself and his opponent, calmly watching as the card-using assassin stands up and tosses his glasses aside, paying a compliment as well to him. It's when he attacks that Duo gets a surprise himself. Feet shuffling, he attempts to manuever himself out of the range of the cards, but the reach, not to mention the odd amount of manueverability they offer, being lighter than knives even, takes its toll on the assassin's perceptions, by letting the cards get to him, rather than being able to dodge them. A large, deep cut appears on the pale assassin's face, a lighter one over his throat, and then one completely through his shoulder, eliciting snarls of pain. Staggering back, the Hizoku wipes at his facial cut, coming away with a good deal of blood as he does. Looking... well, annoyed, he glares at the other man across from him. "Your cards are deadly indeed..." and that's when the purple chi begins to flare about him. Or rather, 'bubble' about him, rolling and frothing up his body and into his raised arm. Extending said arm, the energy collects about his hand. "But you've yet to defeat me!" And with that, the energy releases as a massive ball of chi... that, oddly, warps as it flies. Black holes appear on the purple surface of the fireball, making eyes and mouths as faces writhe to the surface of the chi flare, beginning to scream as they fly towards Oswald.
COMBATSYS: Oswald reflects Hiden Genmu Juu Onshii Kon from Duolon with Heart.
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Duolon 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 Oswald
(ed: log was turned off for a few turns. I can't pull poses back, but this is what happened csys-wise)
COMBATSYS: Duolon blocks Oswald's Reflected Hiden Genmu Juu Onshii Kon.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Oswald
COMBATSYS: Duolon focuses on his next action.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Oswald
COMBATSYS: Duolon dodges Oswald's Medium Throw.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Oswald
'Shadowy warlock fire'? That was a first, but certainly something he's not going to stop and balk about. It had a certain appeal to it. He'd have to keep that one in mind. Still, he doesn't have much time to respond even if he wanted to, for the older man is already in motion, reaching for his collar, intending on grabbing and lifting him up and throwing him. While the other assassin is fast, Duo proves the faster in this one instance, by simply rolling his upper half backwards, out of the immediate grip of Oswald, then spreading his legs and ducking low to remove himself from any follow up gripping hands. Planting his own hands on the floor, he then turns his body, bringing his legs out from under himself in order to kick upwards, a sort of rising uppercut kick, aimed right for Oswald's jaw.
COMBATSYS: Oswald dodges Duolon's Strong Kick.
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Duolon 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Oswald
He had put quite some effort into the throw, enough for him to groan with muted frustration and effort as the hands grasp little with the motion and subsequent work to keep his balance from the missed throw. It's a fast but telegraphed kick, and in the same guise as his opponent's moves, follows the motion through. It's a duck and side-roll to draw his head away from the arc of the kick, ducking downwards and bringing his arm up and crooked in, elbow out and high, forcing his legs to propel him toward the twisted body of his opponent. The shot is aimed in a sharp and downwards angle, dropping in down upon the Chinaman's torso as he bends far back...
COMBATSYS: Duolon fails to interrupt Medium Strike from Oswald with Genmu Hishou Keikou.
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Duolon 0/-------/----===|=======\=------\1 Oswald
In the same way that his kick is somewhat telegraphed, the attack that follows up the evasion of his strike is likewise telegraphed. Or rather it should be said that Duo can expect what's going to happen next. But rather than do something, say, SENSIBLE, he appears to be going for something flashy. As the attack comes, Duo's form flickers, becoming somewhat indistinct... but whatever he was going to ATTEMPT, it fails, and the strike hits home, causing the Hizoku to stagger away, snarling in pain. Righting himself after a moment, he shakes his head slightly, either to clear his vision, or as if to admonish himself for letting himself get struck while doing something he shouldn't have. Turning back towards Oswald, he crouches into his fighting stance, awaiting.
This one was full of tricks, but this devious addition thankfully didn't trick him. With the snarling Hizoku sprawling away and bringing himself postured and ready, Oswald is much the same, standing at the ready, one arm up with fingers splayed with the other down lower. Was Duolon simply waiting there for his attack again? In an uncharateristic show of emotion, one eyebrow raises over the other as his head turns a bit to give a rather odd look toward his most unique opponent.
Oswald stands his ground, this time and keeps his weight spread well and balanced, flicking the wrist of the lowermost arm and bringing it up before him. It's the back of the card, keeping the value and trump hidden for now, half obscuring his face, just enough so one can only see a half of the mouth as it curls into a smile. It's a wordless display of both compliment and confidence, just before the arm flicks out once more, sending the card into a fast spin, sailing quickly through the air...
COMBATSYS: Duolon dodges Oswald's Queen.
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Duolon 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Oswald
...And Duo simply tilts his head, letting the card sail right by him. But there's likely no time to regret the lack of the card hitting its intended target, for the Hizoku is already in motion, moving forward into a charge to close the gap between himself and his opponent once more. As he reaches Oswald, his pale hand flashes out, fingers kept straight in a knife-hand jab, aimed directly for the older gentleman's stomach... only for it to turn out to be a feinting jab, meaning to distract from the other hand coming up in a stiff palm strike to the jaw. Even then, he'll continue to turn around with the momentum of his swing, and the likely thought would be that it's meant Duo would be aiming for a mule kick. This would be incorrect, however, as Duo's real objective soon becomes clear, as does the reason he keep such a heavy bauble in his hair - the long ponytail comes whipping around, aimed to impact, surprisingly roughly, against the other assassin's head.
COMBATSYS: Oswald blocks Duolon's Medium Punch.
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Duolon 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Oswald
The arm was left in reserve after flicking the card out. The gambler's body turns as Duolon rushes forward, favoring to expose the left side of his body to the assassin. The arm stays tight against his side, bending in to protect his body as the fingers drive forward but twist away. "Wh..?" he barely has time to utter the first syllable of his question as the cascade of hair whips up and toward him.
Both arms come up in an 'x' to cover up his head, the ornament bouncing off the forearms and wrists, continuing past the body as he turns with the blow. It was his turn to twist into a kick, lifting the leg high up now that he was in close proximity, pulling it down in an axe kick, aiming to catch Duolon while he was still turning to face forward...
COMBATSYS: Oswald successfully hits Duolon with Strong Kick.
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Duolon 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Oswald
And so it hits. The axe kick connects solidly with his shoulder, just as he was about to face forward again, and causes him to lose his support in one knee, his leg going out from under him. Falling onto one knee with a stiff cry of pain, he practically collapses before the other assassin... and remains down. Panting for a bit, he doesn't rise again for a few moments, and instead begins to laugh softly. It's mostly just a quiet chuckle, but the amusement is genuine. "Seems I just kept underestimating you," the Hizoku says, and then finally rises... only to, just as he straightens, have his form blur, and then shift -backwards- and away from Oswald, standing at the edge of the roof in the blink of an eye. "To say 'I permit you to work here' would be an insult to your skills," he says, and folds his arms into his sleeves once more. "You deserve the respect any other top tier assassin does. I simply needed to see where we stood. Perhaps next time I won't be so... arrogant." He then bows in a respectful way... but takes no offensive measure.
COMBATSYS: Duolon takes no action.
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Duolon 0/-------/-======|=======\===----\1 Oswald
Oswald was no barbarian. He felt the crumble of Duolon's body when the kick hit, bodies always seem to react much the same way when 'enough was enough'. The wavering and shifting form of his opponent gives him reason and warrant enough to do a bit of positioning himself, preferring to create a bit more distance between the two bodies.
"Good enough." He says flatly, though his lips had a somewhat-grin on them; it wasn't one of gloating or even accomplishement, there was no victory, no ego here, "It is a matter of..." he chooses his words carefully, "...personal honor to share territory with someone of culture and skill."
He keeps his eyes on Duolon even as he crouches a bit to pick up the hat which was discarded at the start of the battle, setting it atop his head and tipping it with a finger to his opponent, "You have my respects. I haven't had a good fight in a very long time. I would say tea sometime, wouldn't be all too objectionable. Now, I have business to attend to..."
COMBATSYS: Duolon has left the fight here.
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Oswald 1/---====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Oswald has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:29:40 07/01/2007 by Oswald, and last modified on 23:51:29 03/06/2008.