Description: Il Paradiso Opera House. A place where the wealthy socialites of Metro City congregate to take in culture and indulge in the arts. A different form of 'art' is taking place here today though as the Opera House plays host to a Neo League event -- one that pits the fighting styles of a hardened criminal against those of a sweet young Tae Kwan Do artist. (Winner: Duke)
Il Paradiso Opera House. A center of refinement for the upscale socialites of Metro City -- a place for the wealthy to indulge in their exuberant tastes in an artform many of them cannot even come close to appreciating. There is an irony here that many of them will never grasp. A fact that they will all remain oblivious to. That all this, all this rich decor and upscale style and class...
... Was built by the hands and vision of a common criminal.
Of course, the facts of who actually built and funded this opera house are unknown to all save those in Duke's inner circle. Still, the imposing man has become well-known throughout Metro as an avid enthusiast of the opera, frequently spectating the various classics performed at the Paradiso. As such, it should be no wonder that when a Neo League is to be hosted -here-, one of the opponents is none other than the man feared throughout the criminal underworld as 'Hell's Executioner.' The tiers of seating are largely vacant save for a few fighting enthusiasts and rich spectators as cameras are set up across the broad stage. It's time for the Paradiso to play host to a -different- form of art today. A much more brutal one.
Standing alone at centerstage is none other than Duke himself, waiting patiently for his opponent. Hands in his pockets, those dark, unpleasant eyes scan the expansive opera house, looking towards the spectators with a stare of disdain and condescension. "Hmph. Worthless," he mutters to himself, even as a single, polished shoe slides backwards. His right hand lifts, fingertips pressing along that jagged scar that marrs his neck, dragging across in what has become a simple habit. He watches, he waits. He doesn't look happy.
But as always, Duke comes to the opera house expecting nothing less than magnificent entertainment.
Metro City -- a place that the Korean has come to call home in recent weeks. For most accounts it is a rather nice city, though she's quite certain there is a lot more criminal activity than would seem on the surface. Several times now she's been set upon by brigands, thieves and petty criminals while walking the streets. Which is why she has been keeping herself busy and not really experiencing any of the finer life that the city has to offer.
Tae Kwan Do exhibitions have been given in the park every day this week so far, and they are the reason the girl is running late at the moment. One such session ran over when a young girl asked her something specific and she stayed behind to teach it, forgetting entirely that the Neo League match at the opera house was scheduled for today. Upon returning to her room and noticing the Post-it note she left on the mirror as a reminder, she hurriedly set about getting ready.
One must look their best when attending a place of refinement such as the Il Paradiso.
Bursting open the doors, she hikes the skirt of her dress up a little and runs down the aisle toward the stage. "I am sorry," she calls out, short of breath. "I lost sight of the time and hurried as fast as I could." Looking up at the tall man, she blinks. Doe brown eyes widen and she bows her head. "I hope I have not kept you waiting long." He does look unhappy, and while she hopes it has nothing to do with her tardiness, she has no doubt that that is precisely the reason.
Letting the dress fall to the floor again, she crouches down and removes the high-heeled shoes she wears. "I know it is breaking dress code to do this, but I would not want one of the spiked heels to impale you accidentally..."
Only then does she make her way up onto the stage, carefully and gracefully so as not to ruin the dress.
And so the competition arrives. Debatably, fashionably late. While Chae Lim has dressed up for the occasion, it would seem that Duke has taken no such measures; his half-black, half-scarlet jacket and the rest of his standard attire adorn him today, and while debatably elegant or stylish, it's certainly not something he would wear to watch an opera. But then -- that's not why he's here today.
Still, as Chae Lim arrives, there is a short, intense glare cast her way. One that suggests annoyance, but also one that makes it apparent that, even if she WAS on time, or even EARLY... he probably wouldn't be any less unpleasant. "..." He says nothing as she arrives and makes her apologies, his right hand dropping at his side as it finishes crossing over the length of his scar. A grunt is all that is offered for her words, at first. It would seem Duke isn't much one for talking. But--
"Let's hope you're better at fighting than you are keeping track of time," is spoken bluntly, deep voice grating out the words in a belittling sort of way. Duke makes no efforts to conceal his nature. He is, without question, a bad, bad man.
Slowly, he turns, moving sharply on a black heel before he takes a second, longer look at Chae Lim as she removes those shoes. "I wouldn't worry about it," he remarks. "People are here to be impressed, after all. Whether you're wearing shoes or not won't matter. Just..."
As his sentence trails, Duke bends stiffly at the waist, giving a surprisingly formal and elegant bow towards Chae Lim; one hand presses against the small of his back, the other his stomach. He slowly begins to straighten, eyes fixed on Chae Lim's... and a harsh smile cutting across his lips.
"... don't bore me. Now, show me what you can do."
He straightens into a fighting stance, his right hand lifting up, and beckoning her. Ladies first, after all. What a gentleman.
COMBATSYS: Duke has started a fight here.
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Duke 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Duke takes no action.
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Duke 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: ChaeLim has joined the fight here.
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ChaeLim 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Duke
Fashionably late and she was not even really trying for that. Cheeks heat up with a streak of red, and the Korean girl looks incredibly chastened by what the man says.
That is not to say that she does not find his attitude deplorable though. A frown touches her lips, causing her brow to crease in a gentle manner as she considers the man. "It matters to me," she replies carefully, after a brief moment. "My intent is to fight, not kill." Chae Lim does fidget a little though as she realizes she may just be a smidgeon overdressed for a fight like this.
To compensate for the dresses length, she pulls it up a little. Advancing upon the man, she falls silent. Quite certain that he's a far more advanced opponent than any she has ever faced before, and it's making her nervous though she's trying not to show it at all. When the skirt reaches her knees, she whirls herself about as quickly as possible and unleashes a roundhouse kick aimed for his shin. A second follows in rapid succession, angling for his thigh. The third whaps out as quickly as her body can handle it, aiming higher still for his stomach.
"I hope that will suffice for an opening act," she says quietly.
COMBATSYS: Duke endures ChaeLim's Ryuusei Raku.
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ChaeLim 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Duke
"Like I said, I wouldn't worry about that..." Duke begins as he falls into that fighting stance, his look wholly unpleasant.
"... You couldn't kill me even if you tried."
Perhaps a jab at her own abilities, but Duke's words come more as an arrogant assertion of his own invincibility; underground rumors and legends that Chae Lim is likely -- unfortunately -- not well acquainted with. But even as the words escape the gangster's lips, Chae Lim is already cutting across the distance between them, making a dead-on path for Duke. And he doesn't even -move- as she comes, opting instead to stand his ground as that roundhouse kick spins out, slamming against his shin, followed by the thigh, followed by his stomach. He offers no attempt at a defense, nor does he even -stagger- as the strikes hit home. And by the third one?
Duke is moving -forward-.
"It'll have to do. GRAAAAAGH!"
One hand snaps out, the exact moment that final kick jams into Duke's stomach. Attempting to exploit an opening, Hell's Executioner seeks to grasp onto Chae Lim's head -securely- with that huge hand, literally palming her face. From there, his following movements are simple. Twisting at one-hundred and eighty degrees, he'll bring her swinging around like a ragdoll before simply -chucking- her, straight into the ground. "More. You're going to need a -lot- more than that, girl...!"
COMBATSYS: Duke successfully hits ChaeLim with Quick Throw.
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ChaeLim 0/-------/---====|=------\-------\0 Duke
Connecting her foot with his stomach seems almost too easy to the Tae Kwan Do artist. Chae Lim swiftly tries to get her foot back to the stage and dance to the side before his hand covers her face, but she's not got quite the proper balance to accomplish this.
Forward she falls into the palm, her words muffled. "Nnnt nare eww boing--" This accompanied by a cry of surprise as she's swung like a mere child's plaything before plummeting to the ground. Rolling into a ball as she falls, she's able to gain her footing again albeit rather shakily. Unfortunately for her, this leaves her back to him.
... or is that unfortunate? From this position, she listens to the sound of his voice. An attempt is made to determine precise positioning, and then the Korean girl grins. Fixing the skirt of the dress once more, she spins about rapidly, foot lashing out with another roundhouse kick. As her foot launches toward the man, a sheathe of raw, wind-like chi forms around it. With the attempt made, she spins around once more to face the man, head cocked to the side as she attempts to anticipate his next move.
COMBATSYS: Duke endures ChaeLim's Tidal Wave Whap.
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ChaeLim 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 Duke
She's swift to recover, she at least has that going for her. In Duke's mind, at least. Even as he takes a signle step backwards after the exertion of his thrust, Chae Lim is already recovering in a roll, spinging back up with a shaky landing just in front of Duke. His left hand clenches tightly into a fist. But then?
He hesitates. Instead of pressing an assault, he notices the intention in her stance, the tensing of her muscles beneath the fabric of her dress. With the rustle of that red cloth, she is suddenly -whipping- out, lashing at him with a rather painful-looking kick. He sees it, sees the chi swelling and bursting free like deadly winds. His decision, then, may ultimately appear foolish:
He moves RIGHT into the kick.
The foot strikes true, lancing into his chest with that painful BURST of wind reddening dark skin. Yet even as it does, even as it elicits a growl of pain, Duke is already lifting his own foot into the air. Almost as if in a kick of retaliation. Yet instead of -that-, he does something entirely different. Hell's Executioner -stomps- his foot into the ground with violent force.
"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!" It might seem like nothing at first, save for a second later when the ground of the opera stage begins to shake -violently- as if in the wake of an earthquake... with Duke acting as the epicentre. It is complemented by a circular -burst- of chi-born fire that races across the ground from him in all directions, seeking to collide with Chae Lim in what will promise to be a very painful blast of Duke's hateful fire if she doesn't deal with it soon enough.
COMBATSYS: ChaeLim endures Duke's Seismic Impact.
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ChaeLim 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\0 Duke
Again, before her foot can find the comfort of the stage, the rather large man is once more moving toward her. Chae Lim braces herself for the impact, as kicks are something she knows well. Holding her ground, she waits, ready to interrupt it with a vertical or thrust kick.
His foot never makes it toward her, and instead he's slamming it down against the stage. Brow furrowing, she gives him a curious look for a moment, and then she sees that she maybe should have actually moved out of the way.
It's quite beautiful, really, this burst of chi that races along the stage. The Korean girl shrieks a little as the wall of flame collides with her body, searing her skin to a pinkened hue, singeing the dress and creating wisps of smoke around her. Though it is just energy that coalesces around her, she does what any person would when aflame -- stops, drops and rolls.
On the plus side, she can always make another dress and after careful care her skin will be back to normal. Oh, and her hair was left entirely unharmed by the angry energy, which is a very good thing. Burnt hair does not smell all that good.
Her competition is expecting a fighter though, and so she cannot wallow on the floor of the stage too long. Squeezing her eyes as the pain roils through her body, she forces herself up to her feet and takes a very deep breath. "V-very nice use of energy," she admits, tone wrought with pain. Swiftly she tries to pad across the stage toward him, arms lassoing out to grasp his waist and throw him over her hip in a somewhat weak hip toss.
COMBATSYS: ChaeLim successfully hits Duke with Medium Throw.
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ChaeLim 1/---====/=======|=======\-------\1 Duke
The fiery chi licks across the ground, dispersing in a wide circle around Duke. Yet, like any chi, nothing alights in flame or catches on. Things are singed, burned, but any immolation lasts a second at most before the chi flames die out. Duke's leg sweeps back, snapping to his side as he stands ready for whatever else Chae Lim throws his way. What he expects, is more kicks.
What he gets is entirely different; instead of another kick, or more chi, the determined TKD student rushes forward, attempting to grip onto him. This time, he takes a slightly different approach. His arms lift in a simple attempt to knock away her own grasping hands, yet... Chae Lim moves much -faster- than he anticipated.
Instead of defending the assault as he intended, Hell's Executioner is gripped, and then swung towards the side of her hip in a toss. It only sends him airborne for a moment, as bulky and large as the man is; he lands in a stagger, but comes to an ultimate halt only a few feet away from Chae.
"... a little better," he remarks in something that might be confused for a compliment. Dark eyes swiftly rotate, however, locking on to the girl. "But not -NEARLY- good enough." Without a second word, the man -lashes- out in a sudden and swift knee to Chae Lim's gut, bringing to bear his unyielding brutality. The force of the blow should be enough to double her over, at which point his leg will rotate in an upwards sweep... before descending in a downwards STOMP meant to impact against the back of her head, to drive her STRAIGHT into the smooth arena floor. "HYAAAAAAAARGH!!"
COMBATSYS: ChaeLim blocks Duke's Light Kick.
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ChaeLim 1/-======/=======|=======\=------\1 Duke
Oh, my... that worked? The Korean girl stares as watches him land upon the stage. Outcome was not what she was expecting it to be, but she is proud of herself for pulling it off despite! Due to the fact that her eyes are still upon him, she actually see's the knee coming up toward her stomach. This, she manages to stop by lifting her own knee up to meet it and attempt to deflect it, however she wasn't expecting the upwards sweep. Hands move swiftly to attempt to stop that from crashing into her, but despite her best efforts her body impacts with the cool, smooth flooring.
"Ugh..."
Kipping back up to her feet, she leaps into a long jump toward Duke. Her foot is extended as she makes an attempt to connect it with his torso and knock him back a few paces. Upon successful completion of this, she continues with a series of swift kicks, all aimed between shins and chest. As the final kick is lashed out, she vaults up and backward before attempting to slam her leg down upon his left shoulder and force him to kneel upon the stage.
COMBATSYS: Duke interrupts Ho'ou Kyaku from ChaeLim with Crack Up.
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ChaeLim 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Duke
Smooth reflexes and good timing on Chae Lim's part keep her from experiencing the full brunt of Duke's swift fury. What she does experience, of course, is no less painful. But it brings an almost irritated frown to the lips of Hell's Executioner, even as she strikes the ground. "You still have some fight in you? You're more persistant than I thought..." Falling back, Duke assumes his typical fighting stance, the violent brawler lifting a hand to press against that deep scar on his neck once more.
"It's not an appealing quality."
Still, Chae Lim proves herself to have more than ample fight left within her. In a matter of moments, she is leaping through the air, -striking- Duke dead-on in the chest. The blow is enough to send him staggering back, just as intended; seemingly vulnerable to the barrage of kicks to come. The pound against his shins, chest, but as the final kick snaps out... Duke's head SNAPS forward, STARING right at Chae Lim.
"Not NEARLY GOOD ENOUGH."
Before the TKD student can finish, she'll find a massive hand gripping onto her hair tightly. Within a second, Duke's -other- hand buries itself deep into Chae Lim's gut in a debilitating body blow, before being followed up with a simple, brutal uppercut to the jaw. He releases her from there, letting her rocket into the air as he winds back, his right arm tensing. And then... "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!" ... he just RELEASES all that pent up force in a thoroughly -brutal- punch to the chest, delivering with the blow enough force to send Chae Lim rocketing into the ground.
"... Hmph. How -pathetic-."
What is appealing to some is obviously not appealing to others. Yet, the Korean girl manages to land each kick until the last. Foot coming down, she suddenly realizes that the very large man is staring at her. Perhaps staring THROUGH her would be more appropriate, because the look he is giving her is enough to chill her. Before she knows what is happening, her hair is being gripped tight enough to cause large tears to well up in her eyes and spill over.
Doubling over with the body blow, Chae Lim cries out in pain becoming quickly winded. Though muscles tense beneath the dress, it comes to late to absorb any of the kinetic force that wishes to send her body sprawling. Regrettably, this is not the end either. The uppercut connects to her jaw, jerking her head to the side while blood sprays from her mouth. Obviously she bit something in the process of being hit, ruby red droplets continue to fall as she rockets upward. Airborne as the final blow strikes, her arm clenches over her chest and she crashes to the stage with a resounding thud.
"N... not pathetic," she squeaks out while gasping for air. Faltering as she attempts to clamber up to her feet, the TKD student hears a distinctive tearing noise and trips up in the hem of her skirt. Barely able to stand on her own two feet, she's not willing to admit defeat so easily. Stabilizing herself momentarily, she whaps her foot out again, attempting to get him right in the kneecap. Her body swings around with another kick, this time a knife-hand to the collarbone accompanying it. Spinning away, she nearly trips up in the dress again but she manages to shoot off a final vertical kick -- this time attempting to crash it into his jaw before she simply falls back to the stage.
Opera finished, and the fat lady never got a chance to sing.
COMBATSYS: ChaeLim can no longer fight.
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Duke 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Duke dodges ChaeLim's Hou'ou Tenbu Kyaku.
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Duke 1/----===/=======|
In an almost casual gesture, Duke straightens out his clothes, tugging out unseen wrinkles in his jacket and ultimately bringing his hands to slide inside his pockets. The message is clear: to him, this fight is over the moment that Chae Lim strikes the ground. Slowly, he begins to turn, presenting his back to Chae Lim in a most arrogant gesture and preparing to exit the stage.
But then she speaks.
"... hm?"
As those words are qeakly gasped out, Duke comes to a slow stop. Looking over his shoulder at Chae Lim, he arches a single, dark brow, frowning at her and her words. "... You think you know better than I do? Then prove it. Show me you're not a total waste." And so she does, or at least attempts to.
With that wobbling stand, Chae Lim strikes out with a single foot aimed for the leg. And yet, in a sudden burst of motion, the large gangster simply moves to the -side-, barely outpacing the girl and letting her leg lance harmlessly just beyond his reach. Everything proceeds and ends with the fall of Chae Lim against the stage, leaving Duke to stand high above her with an arrogant, hateful smile.
"Like I said..." He turns, and walks away once more, hands still securely in his pockets. The lights of the stage begin to dim as he descends.
"... You're pathetic."
COMBATSYS: Duke takes no action.
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Duke 1/----===/=======|
COMBATSYS: Duke has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:47:37 10/18/2007 by ChaeLim, and last modified on 12:37:34 10/20/2007.