Description: Late night in downtown Southtown. No one in their right mind would be wandering the streets at that hour, right? Wrong. Walking along the streets after a gig, Arika and Drake hear a scream and head off to investigate. They save the woman (with a little unorthodox help), but run into much more than they bargained for.
It's past three AM in Southtown, and the city is cloaked in darkness. A lonely place, with the light patter of rain accompanied by steam rising from the sewers. A lone woman, with a bit of a drunk lurch, makes her way along the sidewalk. She's pretty, probably returning from a club. It's not the wisest idea to be out alone like this, as there are dangerous characters about...And more dangerous still. A lone figure is perched on a rooftop, watching the woman. His golden ponytail waves in the wind behind him, as he watches the woman. Attractive, but stupid. Then, something in the corner of his eye catches his interest...His heart beats faster, with a spike of adrenaline. Action! He leaves his perch.
A gruff man wearing a hoodie and brandishing a knife suddenly leaps out of the alley near the woman, dragging her inside as she screams. The screaming is soon quelled, however, by the press of a blade to her throat. She's backed up against the wall in the alley, with the hood pinning her there. Things will not end well for her tonight, as the man tears at her dress with his free hand.
My, but it's late. What would any self-respecting young adult be doing out at this hour? Especially one that likes to keep his looks pristine! Why, attending a concert. Or.. well.. a 'gig', as Arika likes to call them. Drake wanders out of a nearby smalltime club, likely with his blonde teammate. He looks... happy. Subdued, but happy at least.
"So -that's- what I've been missing out on, huh?," he asks aside. "You guys are great. But I still don't like what's-her-face. Marcy, was it?"
But then the scream cuts through the air, and Drake comes to a complete halt. Amethyst eyes widen, left hand lifts to hopefully halt Arika as well. He takes only a second to decipher where the scream came from, and he takes off in the hood's direction.
"Oh, luv," Arika begins, wary if there are any straggling fans about. Must keep up appearances, and fake Cockney accents are definitely part of the punk rock princess' appearance. "I doubt -anyone- really likes Marcy. She's a wee bit of a bi--"
The cheerful demeanor is quickly dropped, her arm shooting out to take hold of Drake's arm. Fingers press into his forearm to keep him from running off. The scream that rends through the air causes the diva to shiver despite the heat and warm rain. Reaching up, she brushes a damp strand of hair off of her forehead and looks back toward the model.
"You are -not- going anywhere without me. I'm worried enough about you as it is."
Having said that though, she releases him and nudges him forward. But she's not one of those girls that's going to stay back and let a man handle everything. As Drake moves ahead, she keeps pace with him.
By the time Drake and Arika reach the alley, the hoodie-wearing man still has his knife to the girl's throat, her dress ripped apart and her panties down around her ankles. She's sobbing silently as tears run down her face, the assailant's other hand fumbling around his pants. It looks like the pair got here just in time.
Above the entire incident, Balrog crouches, watching. The ire is already rising in his throat. A despicable rapist, the worst this society has to offer. Perhaps there was never a more hideous creature. No honor...And vast weakness, despite the worm's show of strength. He'll let the others do the hard part. Then, he'll do the easy part.
The man with blond ponytail wasn't the only one up on the roof top. A light skinned African American was also up there. He wasn't up there to commit heists like he used to once upon a time. He found that the rooftop was the only place he could go where he could clear his mind.
The teenager leaps from one roof to the next and when he gets to the rooftop right above the alley and then hears a scream, the ex-catburglar stops in his tracks. His eyes widening as he looks down upon the man in the hoodie and her would be victim. But from his point of view he can also see two people approaching the alley. Because of this, he doesn't involve himself right away.
Arika's reaching to stop Drake? As if. The moment he feels fingers attempting to restrict him, the model tears away from her and just moves faster. In other words, don't try to stop him when he's out to do the right thing.
Drake just continues to run down the origination of the scream, and when the... rather horrific scene comes into view before him, he simply picks up more speed. At the last second, Drake leaves solid ground to launch himself almost missile-like towards the thug, right foot extended in flying sidekick. The idea is to just bash the thug clean off the woman to free her.
Oh, and for this effort, Drake gives no kiyap. It'd be silly to do that when you're more likely to hit if the person -doesn't- see you coming.
Just stop him long enough so that she isn't left in the dust. Arika picks up speed when Drake begins to move faster; only issue is running in go-go boots really isn't the smartest thing. Drake is launching himself before she makes it to the scene and it's likely a good thing that he does. If the diva had made it there first, kicking the deviant bastard would never have crossed her mind.
But the knife would have.
As the model distracts the would-be rapist, Arika is rushing over to the woman. Attempting to put herself between the victim and the assailant on the off chance that Drake's flying sidekick misses. Should the assailant miss though, she's going to lunge for that knife and make quick use of it on the man that's fussing with his pants. Though, it's not as if it looks like there'd be much to actually injure there...
As the rapist is knocked away, the victim crumples to the ground, leaning against the alley wall and sobbing louder now, hugging her knees to herself. She manages to stutter, "Th-thank you..." And as for the rapist, he climbs to his feet slowly, knife in his hand. His hands move out in fighting posture as he drops low, staring down Drake...And then, suddenly...
A piercing yodel breaks the reverie of the night, as Balrog drops down from the roof. He lands directly on the rapist's back, knocking him to the ground. The man barely has time to struggle before the three prongs of Balrog's claw are plunged into the back of his neck, severing his spinal column at the base of the skull and killing him. Balrog slowly draws the claw out, as it drips in blood. There's a low, feral snarl, as he hunches over the victimizer turned victim, and Balrog's cold eyes stare at Arika and Drake from behind his mask.
Drake lands from his attack in a simple backstance, right foot forward and arms relaxed. Pfft. Some ganger wants to take him on? Fine. This should be all but -amusing- to him. Some witless, desperate, undisciplined wretch... hoping to match his speed and power? Again: as if. He doesn't glance back to look for Arika - she should be coming up any moment now.
But then comes the yodel. A friggin' -yodel-. He has only a few seconds to experience wtfery, as then a very familiar-looking entity drops before him onto his would-be opponent. The next sight is... gruesome, to say the least. Gruesome, but not particularly overt, in his opinion. Drake says not a thing, though. His eyes simply narrow on Balrog, waiting to see what his next move is.
"You're welcome," Arika says quietly to the woman, trying to find clothing to offer to her. Sadly, she has none to spare considering she's just left a gig and isn't as overdressed as some musicians prefer to be. "I have nothing to--"
Deep blue eyes snap back to the assailant. He's getting back up, and now is her only time to strike. Pulling up to full height, she spins on the wretch and then stops as a yodel pierces through the darkness. Someone's been spending too much time in the Swiss Alps.
The yodel, however, is not so disconcerting as the images she sees next. Assailant falling in such a broken manner, blood dripping from... claws? "Oh, bloody 'ell..." Arms cross over her chest and she approaches to stand next to Drake. The poor victimized woman is not forgotten, but now she's got to worry about keeping claw-man away from her. Without glancing over her shoulder she motions behind her back for the woman to run.
The woman hobbles to her feet and disappears into the night, hopefully making it home tonight. What are the odds that she'd be hit twice in one night? Low, in any other city than Southtown.
"Your heroism is appreciated...I hope you don't mind if I finished what you started, but..." His head suddenly cocks to the side, in a slightly disconcerting fashion, as if it was jerking. "I had to make sure this grotesque mockery of a human was put down. It's only what's right...Don't you two agree?" He turns and looks past Drake to Arika, his eyes boring into hers as he smirks beneath his mask. He remembers her. "Ahh, Arika..."
"Uh-huh," Drake replies in an almost nonchalant manner. "Guess our method of correction might differ a bit. But whatever." He's not shedding any tears over the ganger dying. But this guy's fixation on Arika, as Drake recalls, -is- very unsettling. A glance is shot back to the teammate, then back to Balrog. "Don't get any ideas, bud'. I haven't forgotten what you were doing to innocents the last time I saw you."
The woman will make it out safely. There's a nice van full of band members not -that- far off that will help her in any way possible. Something to be said for women that have lived through that sort of thing before; they tend to take care of others in the same situation.
As the last dying footfall of the woman leaving trails off, all of Arika's attention is on Balrog now. "Mm. Good thing we swung by this way. She may not 'ave 'ad to deal with 'im," she says, jerking her head in the direction of the recently deceased, "but she would've 'ad to deal with you." Seems she's not forgotten -him- either.
Balrog lifts the scruff of the dead man with his free hand, before slamming him to the ground. "This man is FILTH, like all I kill. The crackwhores, the vagrants, the rapists, the pedophiles, the con men, the criminals...All of them scum. That woman need not fear me...She is a jewel, in this place of such scum..." He spits, with a low growl that indicates he's sneering, "/Southtown/. I...I find myself coming back here. There is simply too much hell to purge...It's an addiction..." He shudders lowly, revolted by these feelings of weakness. He's a sociopath - he needs control, even if it's delusional. His head, previously looking down at the dead man throughout his rant, snaps back to Arika. "We never began our training, beautiful Arika...Perhaps you and your friend would care for further instruction, hmm?"
Aranha can't help but cringe at the brutal dispatching of the rapist. It's not the murder in and of itself but the process and gory nature of the rapist's death that turns his stomach slightly. The woman is protected and then gets away and now there is a new member to the cast of characters.
He's about to turn to head off to a new rooftop. But from even his distance away he can't help but notice that Arika hasn't shifted out her position to intercept anyone going after the woman. As a result he decides there's a reason to keep an eye on what happens here. This masked man that he was previous sharing the roof tops with.
Drake snorts. "That's what a jail's for, psycho. Never heard of a person reforming?" He doubts he has, so the question comes out a little more rhetorical. But when Balrog focuses his attention on Arika and makes his suggestion, Drake snorts derisively. "The only instruction that'll be had here is you learning the judicial system of Southtown after we haul you in to the local PD." Drake's right hand lifts before his face, then clenches into a fist.
"I've not forgetten what you did to her earlier, either."
"Not disagreein' with you," Arika points out to Balrog. The man -was- filth, ability to reform notwithstanding. Any attempt to handle this calmly now is going out the door with Drake's mounting anger. "But I 'ate to tell you that your style lacks a little finesse. Killin' the man? Very passe. Could've sent the bloke to jail where 'e would'a paid 'is dues." In the form of other inmates roughing him up and potentially killing him.
Shoulders shrug a little, but still the diva stands her ground. "Never pointed out what trainin' entailed, but I -do- recall sayin' that you'd be leavin' what's mine alone for the exchange." Nodding her head toward Drake she coolly states, "'e's one'a mine." Pausing, she glances over to the model and then clenches her fists. "'sides, I still owe you for that lovely gut wound you left me with. Near killed me it did."
Balrog emits a faint yawn, showing his extreme boredom. He steps over the dead man's body, and drops into fight position, his left hand out with his fingers spread, the right in a fist with his bloody claw poised to fight. "No honor, eh? Two on one? So be it. Hopefully, you two 'heroes' don't end up dead. It'd be a shame...Particularly young Arika. I'd hate for her career to be ended by a removed larynx." His left hand moves forward, gesturing both of them forward.
COMBATSYS: Balrog has started a fight here.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|
Drake swings his fist back, setting up into his stance. He starts to just go ahead towards Balrog, but this is halted immediately when Arika speaks. Leave what's hers alone? For an exchange? He shoots a stone cold glare over his shoulder at her. One that says, "We're going to have a very long talk after this."
Fists clench a little tighter, knuckles likely visibly whitened by this, were he not wearing gloves. The model shakes his head slowly. "This time? You're gonna be serving your time. Assuming we don't decide to go poetic justice on you and give you the same curtesy you've been giving everyone else."
With that said, Drake suddenly dashes forward. His hands chamber at his sides for the burst of speed, and rocket out once in range with Balrog in a double palmheel strike aimed for his torso. The moment his arms are extended fully, the hands ignite with a bright, dazzling flash of concussive white energy.
COMBATSYS: Drake has joined the fight here.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Balrog
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Drake
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Arika 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Arika has left the fight here.
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Drake 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Balrog
COMBATSYS: Arika has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Arika
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Drake 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Drake has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Drake
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
"Now now," she states a little shakily to the clawed-man. "Wouldn't want to be endin' my career or disfiguring me, would you?" Arika isn't certain at all what Balrog is intending and... well it makes her nervous. As for Drake and his look she shrugs helplessly. She did -try- to explain it all at the time, and he just told her to rest.
Seeing as it looks as though it's about to come to blows she watches Drake with wide eyes. Sure, she gets the whole 'hero' thing, but does he have to go and throw himself right in the face of danger? Survival instinct was about to tell her to run, but she can't just leave him to fight on his own!
Correction. She -could- leave him here to fight on his own, but she -won't-.
Rolling her shoulders in another small shrug she uncrosses her arms. Neck pops from side to side to loosen it up a little and then she's dashing in as well. Where Drake aims for the front of Balrog, she skirts in behind the man as best she can. A quick jab offered to the back of his head; attempting to knock him into Drake's punch. This follows up with a palmheel strike aimed approximately midback, her left hand flaring with violet energy as it draws closer to striking range.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Drake's Whiteout.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Drake
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Arika's Diva Allegro.
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Balrog 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Drake
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Drake and Arika close in on Balrog, in an attempt to sandwich him in. In a split second, he's up in the air, the pair of them swinging uselessly at each other as he laughs to himself, dancing from alley wall to wall, as if it were his natural environment, as opposed to being a creature of the land. He's a bird, not a snail. He drops down behind Drake, attempting to rake him down his back, with the intent of cutting him open and bleeding him out.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Drake with Flying Barcelona Attack.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Drake watches Balrog intently with a scowl, attempting to keep track of his movements. Only then he's promptly caught from behind and raked down, and deeply. There's a spattering of red, and Drake yelps in pain. He staggers forward, then whirls around to face the ponytailed... whatever he is. Fists clench tighter, and he springs into the air suddenly, twisting in an upside-down pirouette. He aims to down down behind Balrog, except with his back facing him. Hands reach behind him to hook onto Balrog's head as he drops to his knees, aiming to slam the back of his head against his shoulder in a hard stunner.
Blood.
No.
-Drake's- blood.
Here Arika was, trying to play nice. Trying to keep things simple and non-cutting. Someone broke the rules; and this time it wasn't her. Drake might yelp in pain, but Arika cries out in fear. And anger. "Told you not to 'urt one'a mine," she says with a scowl. The diva isn't certain what Drake is attempting, but since he's leaping up in the air she's twisting herself off to the side. Clenching both fists together, she rushes in from her position and then twirls about quickly and attempts to sweep her elbow up toward Balrog's face; particularly his nose.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Drake's Strong Throw.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog fails to interrupt Quick Punch from Arika with Scarlet Terror.
- Power fail! -
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> ///////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Balrog slips out of Drake's grasp rather easily, quite the slippery opponent. He turns about to face Arika, before being smacked in the mask. There's a crack, and he stumbles back a step, tracing his left hand over a hairline fracture. "My...Face...My...FACE!" First, the whine. Then, the roar, "MY FACE!" He seethes with rage, his muscles flexing as he stalks towards Arika, ready to tear her to pieces.
Drake lands in a knelt position, but without a Balrog-head smashing into his shoulder. Dammit all! This guy is -crazy- fast, it seems like. He raises back to his full height and whirls around to face him again.. and sees Arika smash against the mask he wears.
Ooh, it cracked.
Ooh! It did damage!
A wry smile touches to Drake's face as he seems completely distraught over his face. "Fair play, jacka-" Oh, wait. He's after Arika. Drake moves in quickly behind Balrog's back, using the distraction to his advantage. Arms attempt to hook underneath Balrog's, and his hands go to lock behind his neck to apply a sleeper hold. This both hopefully restrains arms and applies pressure to the neck, pushing it forward and cutting off airflow. "Settle down, Goldilocks!"
Training Lesson One: What not to do when fighting a sociopath.
Arika is about to learn that lesson well. As someone who loathes having her face injured, she almost sympathizes with him. Only, she can't really. He's threatened not only her livelihood but Drake as well. "Think we got the point," she says dryly. Boohoo. Poor sociopathic claw-man has an injured mask. So far as she can see she's not noticed any blood so the tiny bruise that may form on his face is the least of her concerns.
With her knight in shining armor moving in to keep the crazed man from her, the diva begins to pop her neck back and forth again; still trying to limber up it would seem. Lunging forward, she swings her head in a wide circle. Once. Twice. Quickly changing directions, she swings it a third time and then slams it forward toward the face again; once more attempting to crack against the nose area.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Drake's Quick Throw.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Arika's Harmonic Headbang.
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Balrog 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> //////////////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Balrog turns about and slams his arm into Drake, knocking him away. He doesn't try to get fancy - he's too angry. He turns about to face Arika again, just in time to face her headbutt down. His left arm whips out, and his palm connects with the head, holding her in place. There's a deep growl within him as his hand grips at Arika's hair, trying to pull her head down to his waist, before sinking his claw into her back and puncturing something vital. Maybe a kidney. "I hope you enjoy pissing blood," he hisses darkly.
"Nnf.." Drake staggers back a little and narrows his eyes tensely. His right foot slips back, left hand lifting briefly. This clenches into a fist and he dashes forward towards Balrog again, still while his back is turned towards him.
"OFF OF HER!"
Drake's right fist swings in heavily, aiming a hard haymaker for the back of Balrog's head. Hopefully in time to help Arika out of her predicament. Hopefully.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Arika with Deep Strike.
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Balrog 0/-------/-----==|=====--\-------\0 Drake
> /////////////////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Arika
A guttural growl is the only warning she has for what happens next. Arika gets captured by a hand that yanks her downward. Struggling and attempting to get away -before- a strike, the diva cries out and just crumples to the ground as the sharp claw sinks past her flesh and into the internal abdominal oblique muscle. The fact that she tightens her muscles on impact may be the -only- thing that's stopped him from piercing her kidney and doing worse damage than she would like. Blood seeps from the injury, a dark pool of it forming on the ground beneath her. Lashes flutter closed over her eyes and it looks like she's out for now.
Only with a great cry of pain, she pushes herself up to her feet and launches herself at Balrog. Running on pure adrenaline, she steps behind him and attempts to lock a foot between his. Should she manage this, she throws her arm up around his head and her free hand makes a weak claw shape which would be sent to twist in at his stomach and force him to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Balrog with Strong Punch.
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Balrog 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Drake
> ////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog blocks Arika's Dominant Diva.
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Balrog 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Drake
> ////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Drake smacks Balrog in the back of his head, and his head jerks forward, with a solid thump. He is about to reply, before Arika attempts to take him down. He steps out of the foot lock, but is struck in the stomach, and quickly backflips into the alley wall, springing up into the air. He perches on a fire escape, smirking beneath his mask, before he drops down to the ground again. He attempts to get behind Arika, grabbing her about her abdomen, before launching into the air. He emits a yodel as they fly, if he's successful, before slamming her headfirst into the pavement.
Drake sneers once his hand strikes head. Well, that was successful enough. Not so fast now, is he? But that might be because he's in the middle of murdering Arika. Eyes enlarge, even as Arika pushes herself to continue brutalizing Balrog. But for now, he steps back and attempts to fix his gaze on the crook. There -has- to be a method to the seemingly random movement and jumps. Has to be...
COMBATSYS: Drake focuses on his next action.
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Balrog 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Drake
> ////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Arika dodges Balrog's Izuna Drop.
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Balrog 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Drake
> ////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Murdering? Not quite yet. Give Arika a little bit of credit. Through pain that is making it rather difficult to function, she watches the masked lunatic. Rain drips over her brow, falling into her eyes as she tries to fixate her gaze on his location. Spying him making his drop, she reaches around herself to take hold of her wound and dash behind a dumpster before he's able to take hold of her.
"Bloody 'ell," she mutters to herself, "wot is it with these blokes and their claws?" She attempts to inhale deeply, but that just causes a sharp jolt of pain to course through her body once more and she winces. Eyes narrow in the darkness in an attempt to find Drake, and as soon as she spies that he's alright, she begins to move.
Keeping to the shadows to avoid being seen, she lurks along for a bit leaving a nice trail of blood against the wall. Running as quickly as she can with the go-go boots on, she tries to rush right by Balrog, sending a very quick double jab toward his face. "S-stop.... with the c-clawin'..." Gasping for breath she squeezes her eyes closed. "K-kitty cat...."
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Arika's Quick Punch.
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Balrog 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Drake
> /////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Balrog doesn't go up into the air, now that Arika has avoided his grasp. He quickly ducks down under the jabs, and immediately snaps back up, his head slowly cocking with manic intensity in his eyes. "Is that all you have? Hold on, I have to maim your friend!" He cackles as he backflips up into the air, doing a perfect trio of somersaults, before landing behind Drake. "Alley oop!" He aims to hook one arm under Drake's, before turning and lifting him into the air and slamming him into the ground, his muscles flexing under the slick sheet of water dripping from above.
COMBATSYS: Drake fails to counter Medium Throw from Balrog with Blackout.
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Balrog 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Drake
> /////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Drake adjusts his footing slightly when Balrog starts to close in on him. He smirks a little and prepares to just grapple with Balrog... only he's a bit faster than he expected. That is to say, he doesn't do what Drake anticipated. He's lifted and slammed against the ground, issuing a small cry of pain. The dark-haired model doesn't stay prone long, however. He quickly tumbles to the side and raises to a crouched position, breathing heavily now.
"Sod off," Arika cries as he takes off after Drake. She attempts to give chase, but the wound is just -throbbing- now. Blood hasn't yet begun to coagulate, so she's having to deal with the loss of that as well. It's making her light headed. Due to this, eyes are squeezed closed as Drake is lifted up. The diva doesn't see what happens exactly, but she hears it well enough.
"Drake!"
Spinning around quickly on her heel, she chambers her right leg up and then thrusts it out toward Balrog. The pointed 'heel' of the go-go boot aiming directly for his chest.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Arika's Heavy Kick.
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Balrog 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Drake
> /////////////////// ]
|-------\-------\0 Arika
Balrog turns from Drake, to face Arika. He's barely in a combat position, rather enjoying the thrashing he's giving this pair, with very little exertion on his part. His left hand snaps up and catches the kick before it reaches him, holding it high and to the side, to throw Arika off her balance. And if she doesn't get her leg back in time, he slashes with the side of his claw's tips at the back of her knee, attempting to hobble her. Take them apart, one piece at a time.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Arika with Medium Strike.
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Balrog 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Drake
> ////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Arika
Drake brings himself back to his full height with a scowl. He's better than this. He -knows- he's better than this. This is just the -last- fight he needs to be fouling up, though. Fists clench, and he shoots a look to Arika. "Watch it!"
'Course, that's likely coming a tad too late.
So instead of bemoaning whatever happens to Arika, Drake attempts to capitalize on it by dashing in towards Balrog, aiming to grab ahold of him by the shoulders while he's distracted. If caught, Drake yanks him over at a half, locking his neck between his legs and arms locking around his midsection to hoist him up into piledrive position.
From there, Drake will proceed to crush sharply along the midsection, muscles flexing heavily in an inverted bearhug. This lasts for a few excruciating seconds before Drake takes to the air in a tall leap. He begins flipping mid-leap, pulling Balrog into the motion along with him, gaining momentum and speed along the way. By the time the leap is on the descent, the two will have blurred into an opaque swirl of motion. The full momentum of the blindingly fast flip along with their combined bodyweights are driven against Balrog's head at the end of the piledriver. Whereupon Drake will simply hop back from him and resume his stance.
Arika attempts to yank her foot back, partially yanking it from the go-go boot. The boot sticks firm though and just before she manages to pull free entirely, she can hear the material of her pants tearing and a sharp stab of pain in the muscle directly behind her knee. Drake's warning comes a tad too late indeed.
"T-that woman was a jewel to you, yet..." Wincing she attempts to crawl away from him. "Yet... you 'appen to be 'andlin' the two'a us like we were worse than that scum you offed." As she crawls, her hands fumble with the corded belt. Untying it, she loops it about her knee and ties it tightly just to stop the flow of blood.
Not the type to whimper too much, she leans against the dumpster and draws herself to full height again. Unable to run toward her quarry now, the diva makes careful strides toward him as swiftly as she can without further damaging the muscle behind her knee. As she draws near, all of her energy is put into an open-palmed uppercut. Fingers curl into a claw formation again and she attempts to take hold of the mask and yank it off as the hand comes down.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Drake's Total Eclipse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/--=====|-------\-------\0 Drake
> /////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog parries Arika's Quick Punch!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> /////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Arika
Balrog steps away from Drake, allowing his attack to go to waste. He again emits laughter, as he turns about and catches Arika's arm before it can even touch him, whipping her away from him. He's like a lion, ripping apart jackals that beset him on every angle. The hunt is joined...Time to finish who Balrog judges to be the worst threat. He spins about and rolls along the ground at Drake, pausing right before him. His claw drops down, attempting to slash his stomach open.
COMBATSYS: Drake counters Rolling Crystal Flash EX from Balrog with Solar Eclipse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/-======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> /////////////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Arika
Drake misses his grab, and he swears profanely in frustration. Indeed, this is being glossed over. Suffice to say that Drake says some things that even Arika hasn't likely heard him say before.
I mean, come on. How frustrating can a fight be? Out trying to do the right thing, and you're all but useless?
But then Balrog has his sights turned on him, and Drake doesn't really have time enough to evade the slash. Instead, his mind analyzes the motion, and the likely outcome - a low slash. This time, the martial artist wrestler is correct.
Hand shoots down to catch the wrist of the arm attempting to slash him, and Drake simply pulls it forward and aside, playing on Balrog's momentum. As he's drawn closer, his other arm hooks between the legs, and Drake simply hoists him off his feet and spins over, driving the madman down hard against the asphalt on his back, while Drake's torso slams down across him as well.
From there, Drake pulls forward to handspring into a flip and land back on his feet, turning to face Balrog again.
Flung aside like a little flea, Arika hits the ground and rolls back against a wall. Energy waning, she remains there while Drake works his magic. Pain is at a near unbearable level, but she shoves it aside for now. Time enough to worry about injuries later. She shouldn't be lollygagging while in the midst of a far more dangerous situation than she would have liked.
Using her hands to push her up off the ground, she approaches the situation again. Testing her weight on her injured leg, she nods. A slow hop back and forth from leg to leg carries her toward the masked sociopath. Slamming her injured leg down upon the ground, she winces and then pirouettes toward him. Her good leg lifts off the ground, body twisting slightly as she snaps her instep toward him.
COMBATSYS: Balrog parries Arika's Rhythmic Roundhouse!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> ////////////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Arika
Balrog is slammed into the pavement by Drake, grunting. As Drake quickly springs away, Balrog leaps back up to his feet, with a curling motion that unleashes Balrog's inertia like a rubberband. He's back on his feet and grins beneath his cracked mask at Arika, allowing her to approach him. His left arm snaps up and he knocks the leg aside, hopefully with enough force to completely turn Arika around. If he is successful, he grabs at Arika's midsection and attempts to suplex her into the ground behind him.
How... strange. Balrog's attention isn't set on him? He expected the assault to continue! But then Arika's making her attack, and Balrog is in the midst of reacting to it. Yet another opportunity, he hopes.
So in dashes Drake, hunkered low, hoping to approach stealthily as much as speedily. Though at the last moment, Drake swerves more towards Balrog's side and raises to his full height, aiming a swift elbowsmash for the masked face.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Arika with Rainbow Suplex EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> //////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Arika
WHUMP!
Arika hits the ground, and she's not moving. Body goes lax and she lays there. Playing possum. Hopefully this means she'll be left alone long enough so that she can roll to the side. Moving her body at all causes her to cough and groan. The injuries are finally beginning to take their toll on the poor punk rock princess.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Drake angling in for another attack and it spurs her to get up to her feet once more. Movements are wobbly now; almost as if she were a bit punch drunk. Looping around to the side, she swings her left fist toward Balrog's temple. Her right sends a hooked punch around to the back of his head hoping to use some of the last vestiges of her energy to knock his head toward the model's attack.
COMBATSYS: Drake successfully hits Balrog with Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 1/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> ///////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Arika
COMBATSYS: Arika successfully hits Balrog with Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Balrog 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Drake
> ///////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Arika
Balrog takes an elbow smash to his mask, throwing him off. He seethes as his face is again damaged, although the mask takes most of it. Then, he gets coldcocked on the back of his head, his face snapping forward. He staggers a bit. He's been getting sloppy. He emits a yodel and leaps into the air, landing on the ground on the tips of his left hand and flipping away. "Time to end this..." he hisses. He suddenly flashes forward, his claw aimed right at Drake's chest. Should it connect, he uses Drake's own ribs to flip him like a flapjack, right up into the air - and down on his raised claw.
COMBATSYS: Balrog successfully hits Drake with Red Impact.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Balrog 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Drake
> ///////// ]
|=======\-------\1 Arika
During the brutal and bloody fight between the three fighters. He leans over the edge making no secret of the fact that he's watching from above. Analyzing from above. "It doesn't look good for them." And then the tandom attack lands on the Spanish Ninja. "Perhaps there's hope for them yet." Of course the fight isn't over yet but he can tell it's coming to a close fairly soon.
Drake smirks when Balrog seems to be jumping off and away. Well, they may not have captured him for jailtime, but-
Wait, he's coming back. And entirely too quickly to be evaded, it seems, despite Drake's remarkable agility. He's stabbed and thrown... but the agility -does- come into play at least mildly. He has the mental collection to twist over as he's headed back towards the ground. The claws slice over his skin, but don't actually -impale- him. Needless to say, though, the impact from the landing, the original toss, and the gashing afterwards has him as quite the bloody, numb mess.
Unfortunately for Balrog, it's this numbness that plays into Drake's favor. Though it's the only reason the pain hasn't entirely overwhelmed him at this point, Drake pushes himself back to his feet and makes another grab for Balrog's shoulders. Again, if caught, he yanks him in to hoist into the piledriver position, inverted bearhug, and powerful piledriving smash against the ground, only to hop away again.
But really, after that? Hit or miss, the pain finally sets in, and Drake staggers back. Trying to hold on, despite, he grits his teeth and forces himself forward a step... only it becomes a very quickly losing battle. He faulters back, then drops to a knee, and finally just slumps against the wall of the building next to him.
COMBATSYS: Drake can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Arika
More blood.
Panic settles in and Arika shrieks, "NEALY!" Lord, she hopes the band is still about. "AMBULANCE -NOW-." She doesn't even wait to check and see if Drake is okay as he staggers back from his attempted attack. Forgetting her own pain now, she moves in again. Once more trying to situate herself behind Balrog. Her right foot attempts to sweep in front of and between his legs while her arm slams in toward his face. No careful placement this time; just her arm slamming forward against that mask - and if her arm just happens to slip around his throat for a little choking action? She's really not going to complain. Should the hold work at all, her hand clenches into the man's side as she tries to force him to the ground.
COMBATSYS: Balrog dodges Drake's Total Eclipse.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Arika
COMBATSYS: Balrog parries Arika's Dominant Diva!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Balrog 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Arika
Balrog leaps high in the air, avoiding Drake's grab as well as Arika's attack. His laughter echoes in the night as he lands on a roof and dashes away, leaving Arika with her doomed companion. Hopefully, he can get help. And if he doesn't? Balrog doesn't care.
That's it? Sociopathic masked-man is just running off? Not even going to stay and finish the fight? Arika picks up a rather large rock from the ground and lobs it in his direction, but it hits the side of the building and bounces back into the dumpster. Cursing, she rubs the heel of her hands against her eyes and then rushes (read: hobbles) toward Drake as quickly as she can manage.
"NEAAAALY! HURRY UP WITH THAT CALL!"
Footsteps can be heard coming from the direction in which Drake and Arika first entered. "Ari, luv? They're on their way. You okay in there?"
"No. I am bloody well -not- okay. Just direct the paramedics in 'ere when they arrive."
The footsteps begin to retreat, and the diva slumps to the ground beside the model. "Hang in there, darling... help is on the way..." Dropping the accent, she reaches for his hand and gives it a quick squeeze to let him know she's there. "Just hold on for me..."
Sirens can be heard across the otherwise silent night as the ambulance makes its way through the city core to reach them.
He can hear and see the sirens from his area. And while he would've had no problem with heading down to help out with making sure that medical assistance arrived for the two remaining fighters. But there's one problem. There's one dead body and there's a body on the ground that /could/ be dead plus sirens. The second problem is that he has melanin in his skin which means he better make himself scarce. Black guy near a crime scene, even as a spectator almost always provided problems. At least that has always been his experience as a youth in Metro City.
He doesn't bother staying around to see what happens. He dashes on the rooftops in the opposite direction of Balrog. Utilizing walls and fire escapes to make his own particular exit as quickly and efficiently as possible. He didn't know how the police system worked in Southtown and had no desire to find out either.
COMBATSYS: Arika has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Balrog 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Balrog has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:42:40 07/18/2007 by Arika, and last modified on 12:10:11 07/24/2007.