Description: The majestic mausoleum of a historical emperor of India plays host to a free for all match between Rolento Schugerg, Ash Crimson, and Kula Diamond. A mid-match alliance is struck that strongly sways the outcome, but will it pay off? ( Winner: Kula )
It's amazing what wealthy rulers of old were able to get built for their final resting place. The two floor, domed structure stands over a courtyard of fine, red gravel covered paths, carefully maintained hedges, verdant lawns in the midst of a hot, aired environment, and a stone lined reflection pool. Once a tomb, now a tourist attraction, the building will serve as the backdrop for this week's bout. The grounds have been cleared of the public, cameras situtated by the best in the business, and the trio of powerful fighters brought in all in the hopes of making people consider a trip to India in their future vacation plans. Even this late in what the world calls 'winter', the temperatures stay over 30 degrees Celsius much of the time.
The fighters were given a lecture on how irreplaceable the building is, and how they should be careful to keep themselves and their high flying, dangerous 'POWERS' from damaging the building. One of the three, young Kula Diamond, has already strayed from the sidelines into a self-guided tour of the grounds, bringing her to a stop at the edge of the reflection pool. Rich violet leather jacket and chaps provide NESTS engineered protection, lending a bit more durability to a figher so young, while her hands and feet are concealed by insulated gloves and boots. In spite being nearly completely covered with the layered clothing, she seems comfortably at ease with the weather.
Gingerly, she places one foot down on the shallow pool's surface and a small portion of it solidifies into ice, giving her a place to stand. Step by step she crosses the pool until she stands at the fountain in the center. A very dead, dry, inert fountain. "This guy must not have been very important if he couldn't even get a working fountain for his tomb," she muses, leaning over the silent stonework curiously, hands clasped behind her back.
Well, a terrorist in India, nobody will ever find Rolento here. The air boils with the advancing helicopter, swooshing down low and rippling the water of the Kula-freezing pool wildly. A tan figure shifts himself out, leaning over the edge. This Saturday Night Fight happens to intrigue him more then might be suspected, as it involves a person he's not met in a few years. Suddenly he leaps, falling a good hundred feet. At the last moment, a nearly invisible black line is yanked, slowing him a scant foot from a head first fatal impact. Flipping forward, the scarred man lands in a splayed crouch as his sleek baton is pulled free and twirled lazily in his fingers.
Telling Rolento not to blow anything up is foolish. He has no concept of value, in terms of antiques or art. Paper is paper, stone is stone, and he will not allow them to inhibit his combative performance. "Kula Diamond." he offers, peering at her distantly. "How is Foxy doing? I've not encountered her since she was abducted." Obviously from the statement, he's revealing he knows both her relationship with the girl and her affiliation with NESTS... at least, formerly. Of course, the ice queen would know he's one of the organization's bigger thorns as well. The other person is inconsequential; a minor fighter who lingers in the shadows of questionable sexuality. At least he will gain some information on the curious Ash in the course of this battle. As useless as that information is!!
Late once again, if the fighter known as Ash Crimson was on time for anything, it'd probably be due to a disruption in the time-space continuum. His aggravating habit is such that even if the enigmatic man were standing on the outskirts of the property itself, he'd STILL to be late by at least ten minutes or more. The reason behind this is that Ash's attention often wanders, and today, it's due to admiring the architecture... despite having seen it all before. Yes, there was a brief stint where the Frenchman lingered in the southeast Asian country, and visited this here tomb turned tourist attraction, but that's all in the past. Look at me, veering completely off topic!
Though his entrance is nothing along the lines of leaping impressively from a helicopter, nor does he walk across the water (even if it's just due to the pool being frozen underfoot), the flamboyant flamewielder still manages to make a commotion regardless, caused by his own tardiness. Right when he walks up, instantly recognised, the Saturday Night Fight support staff rush the man through the regulations for this fight, to which Ash carelessly shrugs with a smile that isn't meant to put them at ease, "Whatever happens... happens, mon ami." He says in a musical, but flippant, tone before giving the attendant - who looks like he's about ready to cry - a friendly salute.
Slipping smoothly underneath the roped barrier meant to separate the crowd from the battle, Ash joins the other two fighters in the proverbial 'ring'... and doesn't know either of them by appearance alone, so he doesn't bother to call out or anything. Ash also never bothers to read up on just who he'll be facing, prefering the pleasant surprise of a match. So instead, the exchange is simply observed for a moment before he idly picks at a bit of dirt underneath finely manicured nails. Ho-hum, that Rolento guy looks like he's overcompensating for something - or maybe he's the one with questionable sexuality, because there's two types: The girly boys and big, buffed up 'LOOK AT ME I AM CARRYING ITEMS TO PROVE MY MASCULINITY' men - and that girl looks pretty young... She's sorta dressed like... K'?! Suddenly, the Frenchman chuckles softly to himself, because he's just weird like that.
Her quiet inspection of the fountain is cut short when the water at her sides gets whipped up by the blades of an incoming helicopter. Turning around, the girl lifts her right hand up to her hair, keeping some of it in check, out of her face and over her ear. The mist carried up by the vehicle when it drops low turns to small flakes of snow as it flies past the crimson eyed girl.
The files on Rolento are thick, but reading them wasn't really within her job description. An engineered weapon, she gets treated to little information most of the time, but rather pointed in a particular direction by those who 'know' better. Still, as Rolento descends and addresses her, the extent of his own knowledged about the raised killer becomes evident. Her eyes blink at the mention of Foxy's name, putting together the implications quickly. "Better since then," she answers rather simply, taking steps back toward the edge of the pool, retracing her small ice bridge, stopping somewhere in the middle. It seems she's content to wait there until the match starts rather than getting any closer to the mercenary leader.
And they have some time, at that, before Ash steps into view at last. The girl gives him a cursory inspection, her left hand coming up to rest two fingers against her cheek as she considers this third challenger. She gives him a quiet, friendly smile back, interpreting his chuckle as some form of friendly greeting. The officials are in a rush to get things going though and Kula steps the rest of the way off of the reflection pool.
Standing there, arms resting at her sides, she hardly seems to be combat ready at first. But the instant the match is called to begin, she shifts, putting her remarkable speed to use, darting for the renown terrorist, feet slipping over the gravel as if atop smooth ice. "It seems I'm being used to evaluate how far you've come since. But you probably already knew that too." she admits openly. Her right hand leads, fingers clenched into a fist, as chi flows easily over her forearm, behaving almost like a fluid - liquid nitrogen. Toward his center of mass, the girl attempts to slam the armed man back with a frigid explosion of energy!
COMBATSYS: Kula has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kula 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rolento
COMBATSYS: Ash has joined the fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Ash 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Kula
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento interrupts Fierce Punch from Kula with Patriot Circle.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
Rolento stands up straight, adjusting his bandolier with a mild jingle of grenades. "What about your meaningless existance as a tool?" Offhanded and conversational, although he seems to be watching Kula much closer since landing. Something seems to catch his attention, and a man as perceptive as him can read novels between lines. "Irrelevant. This will be an interesting chance to assess the evolution of your capabilities." Ash is given a sidelong look, and it's obvious the man is somewhat annoyed. "Your reputation precedes you. I had anticipated negligence for timelines." Yet his attention quickly returns to Kula, sliding into his own unique fighting stance, focused entirely on balance and open options. Ridiculous as it might look to the uninformed! "Thanks to the research I acquired in my raid of a sensitive data facility, I am significantly more operational then the last time I worked with your organization... I shall gladly demonstrate!!" He rears back his own arm, and begins to viciously spiral his weapon. As she slams her fist in his direction, he brings his own towards her, twisting away and to the side. She glances his vest, thick frost covering one grenade. It would of been a miss, effectively, if not for the explosion. Yet he retains his stance, booted foot sliding across the ground as he heaves his spiraling baton into her ribcage, staggering Kula backwards!! But that is only the start. Advancing forward, grunting loudly, a second swipe is thrown towards her chest, significantly more decisive... and then a final whirling uppercut to send her backwards, all force and less finesse while her guard is fully shattered!
Taken by amusement only briefly, at that quiet and friendly smile, awwwww! Isn't Kula a darling? He'd liken the girl to a little sister that you just can't help but take out for ice cream, but Ash knows better than to judge one by their appearance. If she's here, in this makeshift arena, then that child is hardly as helpless as she may appear. There's no need to hold back, in other words! The way she looks is just a disguise for the naive, after all.
As Rolento calls actual attention to him, at first, the Frenchman does nothing but blink. He has a reputation? Interesting! Wonder what else people say about him! He'll have to look into that. For now however, Ash just shrugs, because he doesn't really care, "Be careful of that chip on your shoulder, monsieur. It might break your back, ahaha." Then reaching up, he twists a lock of white hair around one slender finger as the exchange between the two continues, almost as if he hadn't interrupted or existed at all. Honestly, the flamewielder is starting to find himself... quickly growing bored. He even goes so far as to contemplate maybe taking a seat and busying himself with daydreaming or something until Kula and Mr. Terrorist sort out their differences. The bell or whatever rings though, and not wanting to be caught unprepared, the lean man... Well, Ash slips a hand into his pocket and sighs, looking skywards. Wonder what time it is, hmm!
The weather here is very pleasant, he notes while the engineered weapon goes for the starting punch. So much nicer than Southtown, really. When it's almost mid-winter and he's able to just waltz about in his fighting attire with no jacket or anything, Ash is most definitely a fan. Pulling his gaze back to Earth, the Frenchman then looks not at the fight, but at the crowd... Or, well, that was his intention, until a sudden explosion leaves his ears ringing. Attention instantly returning to where it should've been all along, he frowns at the baton weapon and maybe even feels a shred of pity in his blackened heart for Kula being on the receiving end of those strikes. Can't say he envies her.
"I suppose I should do something." Ash muses finally, but there's no committment to his words. He also can't really think of anything. With both of these fighters being unknowns to him, the Frenchman doesn't feel a particular draw to start off attacking either of them, so instead, he simply remains standing there, watching... But the air around him does not remain stagnant, because it's soon alive with energy, which is pulled in towards him. A green outline, barely visible in the light of day, flickers to life around him as he gathers his will.
COMBATSYS: Ash gathers his will.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
She darts in swiftly, her hand swinging, charged with enough liquified, freezing energy to deaden several layers of cells in an average man. Her aim is dead on, but as he speaks, she flinches, jaw tightening. Already it's clear he knows far more than she would like. What files he must posses on her background - born without family, raised by scientists and researchers. The girl grits her teeth, not even aware that she's walking into the first strike of three as the impact connects with her ribs. Her leather, armored jacket helps deaden the blow a little, preventing a fragile rib from breaking, but it stuns her all the same.
The next strike crashes into her chest and the girl reels, left open for the uppercutting baton to her chin that takes her clean off her feet and sends her crashing to the sand, sliding fair enough to leave a trench in her path. She scrambles quickly, sitting up, left hand going to her jaw, a small bruise already showing on one side of it.
Back on her feet a split second later, she's not down long enough to be caught off guard. A quick inspection of Ash reveals the one she knows the least about is hanging back. A guarded glance is given toward Rolento, but in the end the girl decides to make Ash feel welcome... Leaping into a slow arcing jump, she flips at the apex, sweeping her arm out and leaving a thick swath of ice in its wake. Her leg comes around for the follow up, hooking into the risidual energy and slamming it down toward the energy-building Ash Crimson.
It happens so fast, it might be hard to notice that the attack literally takes on the form of a giant snow flake, each length ribbed with short, needle-sharp spikes of ice. The inocuous looking chi bomb is set to land near Ash's feet, whereupon it will simply explode into a giant hemisphere of bladed ice and freezing energy. Kula lands an instant later, half crouching before rising back up to standing, a soft exhale escaping her lips, her breath as vapor visible for a brief moment.
Well, the first skirmish goes to Rolento. He is brushing at the thick layer of frost that her detonation caused, shrugging away the last of it in a scattering of ice. He is poised to evade, but when he notices her going to the far more sedentary Ash, a small smirk creases his rugged features. Well, he approves of getting people initiated into the fight properly. Reaching into his vest, three heavy throwing knives are procured and then fanned between his fingers, before he pivots sharply at the waist and hurls them in tandem; such adds significantly to the force of the heavy duty instruments, not neary the slim shuriken of ninja acclaim -- each is nearly a combat knife! The intent is to pepper about Ash' torso, or at least irritate him sufficiently that he should attack ONE of them. "I do not approve of cowardice, or laziness! Do you have both, or merely one?!" He hangs away, making any retribution from either fighter require them to advance a few meters, be it projectile or fist, and hopefully giving him more time to react.
COMBATSYS: Ash blocks Kula's Diamond Shoot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Ash with Large Thrown Object.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
It would seem that rather than ignore him - which he was actually quite content with - both parties are now going to make the conscious effort to include the Frenchman in the fun. Simultaneously, even. How lucky for him! Really! --Okay, who am I kidding? But there's nothing he can really do about the situation, so the best way to deal with the double-threat is to simply confront one attack at a time, in the order of most imminent... Which would be Kula's snowflake, ice-spike... thing. When the chi bomb strikes the ground at his feet, Ash assumes a defensive stance, the strange emerald aura dispersing instantly. He also leans back instinctively, which saves him from maybe being stuck with those blades of ice springing up dangerously at him, but that can't prevent the energy around him from coating the sleeves of his jacket, leather gloves and the skin on his hands with a biting frost. The Frenchman HATES the cold too, damnit!
As he moves to brush the remains of frost away from his hands at the very least, unwisely and perhaps unexpectedly, Ash suddenly then freezes (ha ha). He hadn't really been looking for it here, and certainly never thought that the possibility of a power connection existed, but he can practically smell it... Chi similar... No, it IS Kyo Kusanagi's, just like K', but altered to take the form of ice... The smallish blue eyes fix themselves on Kula with interest, and it's interesting how she reminded him of K' in attire, but now there's another thing the two share. Wonder why? He almost goes so far as to bring this up, but through the melting blades of ice come those of another type, made of steel. Having forgotten Rolento, Ash curses outloud in French and can't even do much of anything to prevent being struck by the throwing knives, which cut through fabric and skin indescriminately as they reach their target. Slashed by two, one actually has wound up imbedded in his torso, but not deep enough to do any significant damage. As such, the combat knife is pull out swiftly and the lean man grips the handle with a terrible smile.
"You know," Tossing the knife up into the air, it spins full-circle before he catches the handle again, blade and blood flashing in the light of the sun overhead, "they say that tactics such as these are the height of cowardice, oui?" Ash doesn't really care what methods people use to achieve their goals, just as long as he isn't on the receiving end of it, but he still knows what constitutes as 'honourable'... And his smile grows colder. Suddenly, a tendril of green flame travels up his left arm to the tip of the knife, evaporating his blood from the steel edge before the Frenchman carelessly tosses it over his shoulder, discarding the weapon. "Your approval means absolutely nothing to me, old man." Because Ash is beholden to NO ONE, and believe it or not, he doesn't actually dislike the douchebag who's done nothing but harp at him since this all began. Swiftly, he cuts through the air in front of him, then follows it up with an identical action from the other arm. What materializes in front of him are two crescents of that unique fire, which are sent crashing forwards, across the distance that separates the flamewielder from Rolento.
Landing, Kula rises back up to standing out of her crouch, a small, localized storm whirling about her - risidual energy left by the giant attack she dropped on Ash from above. It calms slightly, turning to harmless, /small/ snow flakes that drift to the heated ground at her feet where they melt quickly. Attentive, she's staring right back at Ash as he seems to take interest in her for a moment; his focus not seeming combat related but rather the look of one spotting something familiar or recognized.
It gives her cause to blink, crimson eyes narrowing back, trying to identify the link by which she should expect to have a similar familiar recognition in reverse, but nothing comes to mind. The moment passes suddenly as Rolento's knives get Ash's attention next and Kula is left to herself for a moment. She stands quiet for a long moment, letting the two converse, lost in her own thoughts. 'Testing' Rolento's capacity to fight has been forgotten for the moment. She's already earned a couple bruises in that analysis anyway, which is good enough for /her/. Right now she wants to know more about this stranger from France.
As he weaves his chi through the air and sends it flying Rolento's way, Kula starts again, noticing the fire he controls more carefully now that it's being used in an attack. A slight eyebrow twitch marks her silent thoughts; for as annoying as the element is, she's been equipped with the tools to deal with it. She can't let it affect her at all. Shaking her head, she reminds herself that being distracted in the fight will just get herself hurt. Turning on Rolento, she sprints forward quickly, lips drawn tightly in concentration.
Her right hand rises, clenched tight, a casing of solid, hard as diamond ice covering the fist, including a small spike jutting out past her knuckles. It is this strike that Rolento has to contend with next should she get close enough, deciding to veer more toward speedy, surgical strikes than the more showy explosives she's used so far. The strike would be quick before she would snap her hand back, drawing back, hoping to avoid retaliation from that baton of his.
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Ash's Ventose.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Ash 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rolento dodges Kula's Medium Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Ash 1/-------/=======|===----\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
"Cowardice is not fighting at all. In combat, any tactic is acceptable." Rolento retorts smoothly, finding to absolute no surprise that he rather dislikes Ash. Such arrogant rebellion. The green fire rippling about gives the man more then enough time to predict that it will be hurled in his direction. Crouching down, one hand braced upon the ground, he hurls himself straight up in a sweeping backflip that clears the wisps of fire by a fair margin. Descending with eerie speed that cannot be pure gravity, he curls into a ball just as her cold imbued fist sweeps at him, explosively launching himself out of it just as Kula attempts to gain some ground. Such turns her attempt to evade into a liability, as her options are further limited! "HRRRAUGH!" he offers, ignoring his own business with the girl and her curious dynamic with Ash. By swinging one steel toed boot towards her face, lashing with more raw speed then anything else. He has no issue pressing the offensive!
He... actually starts outright laughing at those words, politely covering his mouth but without any real intentions of stiffling his apparent amusement. What an interesting fellow! Ash was only just citing the beliefs of others previously, so he has no particular attachment to them or the response, but it's... Rolento's /SO SERIOUS/. And there's one teensy little point that the Frenchman kinda disagrees with: To chose not to fight, isn't that pacifism? If he were simply running away from the match, sure. Or if Ash bothered to engage in such unnecessary, dishonourable tactics, fine. Shaking his head, his evaded flames simply burning out shortly after, "Mon dieu," Ash remarks as his giggles die off, "On t'a berce trop pres du mur?" AND WHAT, ROLENTO DOESN'T LIKE HIM? Shame.
He actually says 'awwww' when Kula misses by an large margin, comparable to his own attack, but though the terrorist attempts to turn her committment to the action into his advantage, so too does the Frenchman hope that preoccupation will enable him to so the same. Any tactic is acceptable after all, and there's no rules against focusing on one opponent for a bit. Jovial smile gone from his sharp, freckled features, he springs forwards across the sand or dirt - whatever it is, anyway - one glowing hand extended as Ash attempts to wrap those long fingers around the back of Rolento's skull and possibly give him the worst headache he's ever experienced. There's also the possibility that the larger man will also have his hair set on fire, but them's the breaks.
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Kula with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Rolento has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
COMBATSYS: Ash has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 0/-------/--=====|
COMBATSYS: Kula has ended the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rolento has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento has ended the fight here.
COMBATSYS: Rolento has started a fight here.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Rolento has ended the fight here.
Her hand slips by, leaving Kula extended a bit too far to respond quickly. She pays for her eagerness to deal with the distraction named Rolento by taking a steel tipped boot to the side of her face, however. The force is enough to send her reeling, feet slipping through gravel, her cheek bleeding from a cut left by the impact. Her hand comes up, brushing blood away as a quick inspection is made to check on her condition. She'll be okay, though the repeated strikes to her head are starting to take their toll.
Dazed a little, but not out of it, she listens to Ash and Rolento's exchange. Unfortunately, part of that exchange is in French, and she just blinks helplessly at that point. Two steps back are taken, putting distance between her and either opponent, as she takes a moment to clear her thoughts and let her instinctive combat routines drive the way again. Too much thinking clouds the engineered routines, and so far it's just gotten her kicked and smacked by Rolento.
Catching her breath, she leans forward, planting her hands against the ground, fingers splayed. And out from around her an ice slick glows, expanding slowly by certainly, changing the rough gravel into a smooth, frictionless surface - perfect environment for her, temporary as it may be, lending greater speed to her already swift style of fighting.
COMBATSYS: Kula focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Rolento with Brumaire.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 1/----===/=======|
"I had no cradle." Rolento responds to Ash, seeming to verify that he knows French but doesn't wish to taint his tongue repeating the foul language. "Du werdest eine krankenschwester brauchen!" This is mulled out in a gutteral voice, tightening one glove while slipping his stance tighter. He slipped up his own hand, trying to catch Ash's own. But those girlie wrists are deceptively strong, and he powers through to get a handful of palmanade. The eruption of chi earns a loud and violent curse, Rolento tearing away and stumbling a fair distane while patting at smoldered hair. His hapless red beret is quite askew, but survived unscathed. A good thing, as no force on the planet would have saved someone who disgraces his hat. Now he looks mad, completely ignoring Kula as he twists to face the frenchman. "I've had enough of your face!!" he offers, before suddenly cartwheeling forward. He moves remarkably fast, swinging his weapon in a brutal overhead arc and attempting to /slam/ the baton right upon the other man's nose, hoping to shatter it. And maybe some of the surrounding head, if he's lucky! Kula gets a 'get out of focus free' card for the time being.
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Ash with Mekong Delta Air Raid.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 1/---====/=======|
Quirking one pencil-thin eyebrow at the response, Ash then utters a soft "Oh ho?" before his hand does indeed close on the man's head. Congratulations, mon ami, you understand French, and how sad that you had no cradle--What's that you're saying? A Nurse? Sounds German. Oh well, whatever! /KABOOM/! Forcing chi through his arm into a burst of explosive green flames, the thin fighter's cheeky smile returns, now complete with obvious satisfaction as Rolento curses and stumbles away. He also glances in Kula's direction briefly, observing her distance and lack of immediate threat, before returning blue eyes to the terrorist. Can't go ignoring participants in the fight again, after all. That would be unwise.
At the declaration that someone here is just a mere spoil-sport, Ash just rolls his shoulders in yet another carefree shrug. Too bad about having enough of the Frenchman's face really, but then Rolento's going so far as to attempt to make some permanent changes to it! THAT does not make for a happy Crimson. Eyeing the baton as it's swung up, then brutally downwards once the distance has been closed, the flamewielder merely attempts to do what is in his best interests: Get the hell out of the way. He moves back and attempts to dodge left, but instead the weapon makes a clean connection with his freckled cheekbone - so his nose escapes unscathed - and follows through by scraping down his face to the shoulder. Features contorting with pain and anger, he's nearly forced to his knees by the other man's strength, but no. It ain't happening. Ash leaps back from there, reaching with a hand to gingerly prod at his injury.
His fingertips, as they are pulled back from his cheek, are dotted with blood from an unpleasant scrape (Which better NOT scar.), and the skin underneath his eye smarts painfully, but otherwise... Shen's hit him far harder than that. Is that really the BEST you can do, Rolento? Regardless, there's still fury welling up inside him however, and tempted though he may be to this take out on the old fart RIGHT AWAY, perhaps... There is a more favourable alternative to just rushing in. A strategy that will benefit him, even. Turning to Kula again suddenly, Ash's expression now is fairly pleasant and amicable, despite how uncomfortable it is for him to smile all friendly-like, "Cherie, this fellow certainly dampens the atmosphere here, doesn't he? And kicking you in the face, what a barbaric thing to do." Gesturing towards Rolento, he offers, "What do you think about forming a temporary alliance? Afterwards, it's a little late for dinner, but I'll take you out for all-you-can-eat dessert, ahaha." The last bit is only jokingly suggested while he moves to focus on the terrorist, but if she goes for that instead of naming terms for their teaming up against the larger man, then all the better. ASH LIKES ICE CREAM, AND SO SHOULD EVERYONE ELSE.
COMBATSYS: Ash focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Ash 1/--=====/=======|=====--\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 1/---====/=======|
Back and forth the two taunt one another, the tension easy enough to detect not just in the words said but in how they regard each other. Kula takes her moment to collect herself and, at the expense of a minor time investment and a healthy dosage of ice, created her own ice slick around her. A surface upon which she can navigate easily, without any trouble. It isn't able to spread so far as to encompass the terrain occupied by the other two, however. Ash's own presence seems resistant to the expanssion of ice.
It will do. Satisfied, Kula stands up straight again. Glancing back and forth between the other two fighters, she seeks for openings, weaknesses, ways to turn momentum to her favor by taking advantage of the slightest opportunity. But opportunity presents itself easier than that, when the forced friendly smile from Ash catches her eye. The girl pauses, crimson gaze shifting from Ash then back to Rolento. It's the first time someone has tried to form a temporary accord in the midst of a match with her, and she looks confused for a moment as how to interpret it.
Her conscious mind is unsure what to make of it, but her passive, cold combat algorithms determine the best course of action to be to take it. If it's a trap, the worst that could happen would be him attacking her... which was already a risk in a free for all anyway. And if it isn't a trap, she has the chance to focus fire on one opponent at at a time, which also may prove advantageous. Her response comes in the form of a quiet, faint smile. Her right hand extends out to her side, drawing up a sizeable amount of frozen matter from the slick at her feet, forming a sphere of diamond-strong ice around her fist.
"I'm not sure why - but perhaps it's because you don't like your opponent, Rolento. But whatever your reasons are, it sounds good to me." She bolts forward then, speeding across her self-made ice slick, her right hand snapping out toward Rolento from a yard away. It isn't her fist, but rather three long, sharp lances of variable length that she tries to skewer him with that he need worry about. The speed of movement, coupled with the lethality of the attack, make it one of her more deadly techniques. And right now it's aimed right for the mercenary leader!
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Rolento with Critical Ice.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 1/--=====/=======|======-\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Unsurprising. Rolento is hardly the type to rally people to his cause. His baton is twirled between his fingers, shifting white eyes from one fighter to the other. "An acceptable tactic. Yet such will not allow victory, Ash Crimson. I gained my combative information!" The helicopter overhead slithers over, as the mercenary watches Kula warily. He seems to believe her the more dangerous of the pair. One hand clenches air tightly, as he makes a token effort to lunge away from the ice queen's crystalline blades. It doesn't work; the distance gained is eaten up by just making them longer, and all three sink into him in tandem. He grimaces in rather obvious agony, landing in a skid. "Hah... hah..." He's got no chance to survive. Must make his time. "...ready?" he wonders towards Ash. This seems a genuine question. Before he yanks up his fist, and a wire erupts from the ground. It shoots across the intervening distance, right where the other person is standing. From the arrangement, this would be a useless attack had Ash been standing anywhere else. The intent is for it to catch him by the throat, tight as a noose, as his helicopter lowers down overhead...
COMBATSYS: Rolento successfully hits Ash with Take No Prisoner.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|======-\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\\\\\\\\ <
Rolento 0/-------/--=====|
...dutifully snared, he then leaps straight up, hooking one end of the wire over the bottom of the hook. Before descending, throwing his weight and a powerful jerk of his arm to pull the other man straight up. Then slams his knuckle towards the ground as he lands in a crouch. A scant inch from contact it stops, pulling rather taut. A few seconds are given so Ash can enjoy being a humiliating queer pinata, before he twirls his baton and taps the wire with it. It snaps instantly, and allows him to unceremoniously fall!
Aw, it's not that Ash doesn't like Rolento - aside from the obvious damage to his face (which would make just about anyone mad), the Frenchman really has nothing against the man, nor does he have anything for him. Simply put, the red-clad fighter doesn't care. The tension only exists because he's been getting totally ragged on by Grouchy McTerrorist for the entire duration of the fight, and responded in a manner that may very well be intentionally infuriating. Who can say? Sometimes Ash isn't the most mature of individuals. However, regardless of how Kula may see the situation - or how it actually is - she still agrees to the temporary alliance that most definitely is advantageous, and he's pleased to observe how she turns that frosty attack to Rolento, rather than himself. Now wouldn't that be a surprise double-cross if the Anti-K' behaved differently?!
Unfortunately, though Kula's attention may be focused on Rolento and she succeeds in her attempt, the terrorist's attention does not shift away from targetting the Frenchman. What's worse is that while such an occurance is rare, Ash can't predict this opponent, and luck has not been with him today... When the wire starts erupting from the gravel, he's caught completely off-guard. The cord wraps around his neck and he automatically reaches up to rip it away, but the attempt is futile. He's dragged off the ground and into the air, strangled, when Rolento descends after his leap, and while it may be humiliating, Ash isn't really thinking about that. He's more concerned with, you know, breathing, as that's kinda important... Oh, and the fact that he's soon FALLING.
Managing to collect himself enough that he lands on his feet at the very least, the impact is such that his legs go instantly numb and he isn't able to stand up again until a few moments have passed. When he has though, playtime is over, mon ami. "Looks like things are actually going just the way I wanted them to, old man," Meaning the temporary 'partnership' with Kula, at least... The information thing is just left alone, and since Ash was already angry before, he channels that emotion through his body, into his glowing hands as they reach above him. At his feet, a green ring of flames has appeared, and as he then extends his arms to the sides, the energy starts to coil around the man and expand, as if creating a sort of protective emerald barrier. The roar of the fire is deafening within the circle, warmth enveloping him as he leans back, eyes closed blissfully, but the strange display doesn't last... Soon, those brutal, unforgiving flames are crashing forwards in a wave, vaporising the stagnant pool water, attempting to sweep up Rolento into fire without mercy.
Drawing her right hand back, Kula withdraws the blood tinged lances, her own hand slipping out of the sphere as the ice molds around it like water. The risidual ice falls to the ground, shattering upon impact, as the NESTS operative keeps her distance for a moment. Eyes widen as the wire rips up from the gravel, entraping Ash as intended, causing her to immediately pay careful attention to the ground beneath her /own/ feat, as if wondering if Rolento had prepared more traps for this terrain ahead of time. It seems his approach to fighting is as sneaky as hers is ruthless.
No aid is offered to Ash as he's hefted up by his neck. It seems she doesn't feel the terms of their alliance include actually /helping/ him avoid injury or pain,. She turns her attention way from Ash for a moment as he crashes down, forced to pull himself back up following a painful landing. But as the swaths of unnatural looking energy are created, she can't help but look back toward the Frenchman, paying careful attention to just exactly where he's targeting with all that unleashed power.
Another conflict presents itself. Her cold, ruthless combat algorithms determine Rolento to no longer be a threat. She should take the opportunity to turn on Ash. But her conscious has her not wanting to double cross him until Rolento's defeat is assured. It should't take much... just a careful application of pressure...
The girl darts in, slipping through flame and energy, seeking to get a tight hold around his neck with both of her hands. Freezing energy courses along her arms, threatening to sink into his throat should she get a tight enough hold. Any indication that he's no longer fighting will be met by flinging the man aside, turning her attention back to Ash Crimson to finish this match.
COMBATSYS: Ash successfully hits Rolento with Sans-Culottes.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kula
[ \\\ <
Rolento 1/------=/=======|
COMBATSYS: Kula successfully hits Rolento with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kula
[ <
Rolento 1/----===/=======|
Well, this is certainly uncomfortable for poor Rolento, who witnesses the precise onslaught from both fighters. He is resigned to the upcoming pain, really; an attempt to stave off the flash of fire completely fails, and it roars over him with a muffled curse. He is staggered backwards a few steps, clothes blackened and doubled over, breath coming harsh. Only to find himself being strangled thoroughly from behind, ice flashing into his veins. Yet he does fight, fiercely; by reaching into his vest, and pulling out a handful of knives. With oddly unwavering hands, he places them atop his baton. "Rrrgh..." he offers Ash, before snapping his arm seemingly wildly in the air. Only then is he hurled aside, to roll away coughing and obviously out of commission. His random knife assault... then proceeds to heavily rain down over Ash's head, attempting to penetrate him with a good dozen vicious razor sharp knives. Will his last hurrah work to make Kula the victor?!
COMBATSYS: Rolento can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kula
COMBATSYS: Ash dodges Rolento's Steel Rain.
[ \\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Kula
If he were watching how the wave of fire crashes down on top of the terrorist, Ash might be feeling vindicated right around now, but he sadly isn't. In fact, the Frenchman doesn't even open his eyes again until it's all over, remnants of energy coursing around him, snake-like in their movements. His hair slowly falls back into place, and then he simply observes impassively as Kula strangles the larger man from behind. "See what I mean?" Running slender fingers through his long bangs - ew, there's blood in his hair! - he moves that hand to his hip afterwards and appears rather relaxed. An obvious deception, of course, as the pupils in those blue eyes narrow the moment Rolento is unsheathing those knives. Yeah, Ash remembers the first time he got stuck with those, but he's not going to make the same mistake twice... So he hopes, anyway.
The fact that the weapons somehow wind up raining down on him is a little unexpected, but it doesn't matter. The last-ditch effort luckily results only in failure regardless, which is to Ash's tastes. He finds this outcome VERY agreeable indeed. Sorta like how when Kula doesn't double-cross him until Rolento's downfall is absolutely assured; that also benefitted him a great deal, and is preferred. Head falling back to look up at the incoming blades, the very first of them are melted down to nothing by a quick wave of fire overhead, and during that moment, he springs out of the way of the rest, which imbed harmlessly into the gravel.
Committing himself to forward movement, he swiftly darts past the obviously defeated Rolento, heading straight for Kula since... IT. IS. TIME. "Ahaha, cherie, though our little alliance is now moot, let's have fun, shall we?" And as he says this in that musical sing-song, Ash hits the ground hard, leaping up into the air and kicking out with a long leg, intending on bringing it crashing down onto the girl's shoulder. UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE, the freckle-faced Frenchman doesn't go for the FACE.
COMBATSYS: Kula interrupts Light Kick from Ash with Behind Slash.
[ \\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Ash 0/-------/=======|=======\=------\1 Kula
Releasing her hold on Rolento, Kula takes a step back, liquid energy pouring from off her gloved hands only to freeze into a smooth slick at her feet. While she is hardly an expert on the limits of the human body, the routines placed in her by diligent NESTS scientists, on the other hand, are. And they deem Rolento's participation in this match to have come to an end. Peripheral attention is paid, just in case, but right now her focus is back on Ash. If the young man manages to avoid Rolento's parting shot, she has to be ready.
She doesn't attack him first - not out of any kind of agreement, for the alliance has certainly run its course by now, but out of not being sure of his condition, or what it is he might intend to do next. His style was unfamiliar in action, and the girl has already gotten hit enough in the head for being aggressive against Rolento to leave her eager to charge in recklessly again.
His evasion transitions into an attack, the young man charging forward, taking the fight to NESTS little princess. But she shakes her head, a rueful smile crossing her lips, "There's nothing fun about fighting," she declares. It should be a warning that the girl intends to put an end to this match as swiftly and decisively as possible. She ducks low under the kick, but doesn't avoid it, rather driving her shoulder into it earlier than he might have anticipated. Her right hand sinks into his sternum, a clenched fist, driven with more brute force than one might expect from a fighter so frail looking.
It's her left hand that is the real menace, however, as she flicks her wrist, causing ice to be ripped out of the slick at her feet, forming into a hovering spike behind the young man's back. And then with a second gesture of that left hand of hers, she paints his back in crimson as the spike moves to her whim, carving a line across his upper back. She pushes back at that point, taking steps backward herself, using that brief moment to evaluate the final outcome.
"At the start of the match, you looked at me strangely," she states, citing that moment that did not escape her attention. She lowers her hands, the ice put to use as an impromptu weapon collapsing back into harmless shards and falling to the ground. "Why?"
Though he isn't quite so conditioned to recognise when a person has reached their limits, he knows what desperation looks like, and... What? Nothing fun about fighting? That would really depend on who you talk to, Ash would think. Personally, there are times where he honestly does it for pure enjoyment, and then the times when he fights to achieve certain ends. Of course, the Frenchman shares nothing of his thoughts, but he can't help but picture Shenwoo's reaction, if someone said anything of the sort to his brawling roommate. The berserker would probably look comically flabbergasted, before throwing a fist just because. Oh well, whatever. This kid has no sense of play. That's neither here nor there, though.
Unable to make any changes to his momentum, or alter his actions when things don't seem quite right, with his leg impacting on the girl's shoulder earlier than anticipated, it pitches the flamewielder back regardless. He thusly doesn't actually need that added strike to the sternum in order send him into the ice spike, however it certainly helps! And not in a good way. Ash hisses through his teeth as the cold pierces him, bothered by that more than the tear of his jacket and subsequent cut up the back, but hey, at least he wasn't impaled or anything, right? Right.
Hitting the ground heavily afterwards, the lean fighter straightens slowly in the space that he's granted and... Yeah, the flamewielder could attempt a final attack, since there is a little bit of energy in him to do so, but at her words, Ash just decides it isn't worth it. Only a few people have ever been granted such an honour, to see him actually TRY. He instead smiles mysteriously, though the scraped cheek hinders him from maintaining the expression for very long, "You reminded me of someone, but who that was... It's a secret." ... Well, in a way, she did, right? Oh Ash, you jerk. One hand covers the knife wounds marking his torso from earlier - these are going to need to be seen to soon. "So, cherie, ice cream?" She never said if there was anything else she wanted, after all. "Or does the first favour require nothing but gratitude?"
COMBATSYS: Ash takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Ash can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kula 1/-------/=======|
The girl is still in rather good health - all things considered, both Ash and Rolento suffered the majority of the attacks being flung their way. Even as she wavers for a moment, wondering if he will try to attack again, she seems quite ready to defend herself. Half of her techniques for avoiding getting burned haven't even been put to use during the match. He half-answers her, withholding the core of the secret behind that enigmatic expression of his, and she frowns slightly but says nothing further.
At the mention of ice cream, however, she brightens, hands coming up, clenched at her chest, "Yes!" is her unreserved answer. But as she glances up and beyond Ash, she notices the mob of scientists and handlers that escort her to her weekly 'training' matches slipping under the ropes that had cordoned off the area. Always eager to collect post-match data on their living weapon, they appear to be wasting no time in mobbing Kula. Her expression falls slightly, shoulders lowering, arms dropping to her sides, "Er, ah, but maybe another time..." she murmurs, disappointment heavy in her tone.
That is the last thing she manages to say before she's surrounded by six doctors who immediately begin checking her over. Shining a light in one eye, injecting a needle into her upper arm, through jacket and all, and generally milling about the living experiment. She's ushered off shortly after, managing a glance over her shoulder toward Ash Crimson as she goes. Her mouth curls into a parting smile, her right hand coming up with a tiny wave, before she's surrounded by too many people to even be seen anymore.
Log created on 20:11:18 11/22/2008 by Kula, and last modified on 19:55:59 11/29/2008.