Description: A recent conquest in the campaign led by Igniz and his NESTS forces, Southtown Hospital is currently, much like the city itself, on heavy lockdown, with the patients and resources within purportedly being used for plans of questionable ethics at best -- all overseen now by NESTS' own third-in-command, Krizalid. With the hospital now serving as one of NESTS and Shadaloo's primary strongholds, Mr. Big has been tasked, along with the British brawler known as Birdie, to take down the hospital and the men occupying it -- by any means necessary. With the hospital and the lives within at risk from the inevitable conflict between the Syndicate and the invading forces, there is only one man who can possibly save them: Kyo Kusanagi...!?
The overhead lights have been all but shut off.
Making use of his natural ability to see in low light, Krizalid had immediately had all the power to the lights cut to emergency levels when he first heard about the break-in. Still angry from his crushing failure to defeat K' in what seems a wound fresh from yesterday. In truth, those wounds healed long ago.
But it doesn't mean that the clone has forgotten.
The last person to accuse Krizalid of being unreasonably angry got mildly agreed with. Then thrown out a window.
Heavy footfalls pace the halls of the hospital, in which every door is vacant. This was some of the lower wings, where they'd cleared out the patients--either by merciful euthanization (the will of Igniz, and that) or by moving the viable samples up to the upper floors, where most of the NESTS detachment under Krizalid's command had locked the patients. Unforutnately, there was already a huge mess when the attack occured. Quite a number of the door guards had been cut off from radio contact in the first few minutes. It was bad. And Krizalid had had quite enough.
The young coated man's bootfalls squeek across the high gloss commercial tiling as he rounds the corner to face straight down the main hall. A livid voice sounds, dark and enameled, from beneath the collar of that coat. "Who--in their right mind--would dare."
It's all he's gonna bother to ask before someone loses their voicebox.
From outside there is a reasonably loud scuffle beginning. NESTS forces meet some of Southtown Syndicates roughest and toughest goons. Radio silence is the only thing that could possibly be silent here and now.
Cries from both sides go out as everything becomes a weapon. Street signs and street poles are not uncommon. Not even mailboxes are safe from the malice that presently occurs in the front of the Hospital. Even benches become fair game to the thugs of South Sydnicate.
Among many of them, Birdie lurks, along with another large named thug called Tweet. Maybe one of Birdie's accomplaces or underlings. Still, he's with Birdie and that's all that matters right now. Like a bull Birdie doesn't even thinks about going around NESTS forces, instead forcing himself forward head first. Think? Hell, he thought this out well. He's plowing towards the Hospital front. Right through NESTS barricade. Tweet follows along, looking almost like Birdie if he was white and was less muscular.
"Gwah ha ha!" Birdie laughs as he hurls himself through, "This is bloody fine!" Birdie cries, "Cannot get better!" Tweet stays silent other than his "Uhuhuhuhuhuh." Laughter accompanying Birdie as they force themselves in, with a whole lot of men behind them.
Hopefully they'll be unmolested as they get into the hospital by busting through the front door using Birdie as a battering ram. On the other hand...
Well, it could go either way. Resistance would be fun right about now.
Yes, who WOULD dare? Seriously, it's a hospital, and there are still some civilian patients left inside. Come on guys, don't be such a bunch of jerks.
With NESTS and the Southtown Syndicate about to clash, isn't there anyone thinking of the welfare of those innocent people, left defenseless against the schemes and plots of the Cartel and its bevy of mad scientists? Isn't there a person out there who can stand up for the downtrodden people, who couldn't put up a fight even if they /hadn't/ already been in the hospital when things went tits up in the first place? As it happens, there is such a person. There is someone, perhaps sent by merciful angels, making his way through the hallways, though something seems... Off... About his stride. The rhythm isn't quite right, and there's a quiet 'thump' accompanying every other step, which feet can't account for.
*** HOURS AGO ***
Kyo Kusanagi was just minding his own business, as usual; since the attack by Zero and Kula, the Kusanagi estate managed to be a sort of island of peace and quiet in the midst of the chaos of Southtown besieged, although there was a distressingly large number of Canadian cyborgs occasionally camped out. Then, his phone started to buzz; a text message.
From Whip.
As usual, the message from the Ikari Warrior was less 'hi, how are you doing?' and more 'here's some intel, go do this', and long-suffering Kyo heaved a long-suffering sigh, and put on some pants so he could go save the day. And thus...
*** NOW ***
Step, thump. Step, thump. None of the guards along Kyo's path managed to raise an alarm, either because he avoided them, or because they simply weren't an impediment to the World Warrior. Step, thum. Step, thump. Presumably about where Birdie, his mook and Krizalid will encounter each other, perhaps mere moments after they /do/, someone emerges from a side hallway. Someone in jeans and plain black shoes, a white dress shirt left untucked casually from his pants, and a black blazer overtop; someone with black and yellow fingerless gloves on his hands, made of some unidentifiable material. Someone who is Kyo goddamn Kusanagi.
For some reason, he has... A cane?
"Hey!" Kyo calls, completely ruining the mood. "Guess who I'm supposed to be?"
He sounds really pleased with himself.
There's no point in discussing morality with NESTS. They're beyond that, as masters of darkness should rightfully be. They were worms that were beneath Krizalid's interest, pointless quivering larvae, who should beg to have the privilege of thanking Igniz for his grace in allowing them to be part of his grand schemes.
Krizalid had only a fraction of his normal acute eye for detail, his passing interest in the implementations on the upper wing dimished. He finds himself growing ever more distracted as hours counted since that moment he hit the ground wore on. The moment since he came to and realized he'd failed.
White teeth flash in the shadows beyond that collar as Birdie batters down the door, sending wood and steel flying to every direction, scattering the second inner guards. In an instant, wired senses from the battlesuit he'd taken up measure the carnage outside. It looks like a tornado hit.
Enamel squeals for mercy as Krizalid's fangs worry against his lower incizors.
"Just some thugs," he murmurs. "What a fucking joke."
These were all just worms.
But he wasn't distracted enough to think that they weren't /his/ worms.
He drags steel across the ground as he latches onto an abandoned hospital bed towards the approaching onslaught. "Do you know who you're dealing with here?!" He drags the bed forward. "You and your friend are dead!!!" His leg stretches, snaking out from the shroud of the coat and beginning to lift high--
Then Kyo shows up. Luckily for all of us he did in fact remember to wear pants.
"_KUSANAGI._" The clone snarls, an ancient grudge worming its way into his voice despite himself. "What the hell are you--" pause. "Huh?" He doesn't even pretend to understand what the antiquated genebag was talking about. Some cartoon?
Birdie snorts as he looks right up towards Krizalid as he busts down the door, almost looking like a shadow background as he looks about. His figure swivels about as Krizalid begins to come forward with a hospital bed. Tweet doesn't move that far from Birdie right now, content to stay besides the thugs side. There are strength in numbers. At least thats what he hopes.
Doing almost anything for money or power, Birdie cannot say very much about morality. Whoever pays the most is obviously right. Its the exact same thing with Politicians so why should it be any different here? Exactly.
With a grunt, Birdie prepares. Krizalid is definitely pissed off, and now Birdie's ready to do anything, Tweet standing ready for Birdie's word. "Hey what the hell." Tweet says.
Only, the attack stops. The hospital bed never comes only for Kyo to show up. Both crazy haired thugs turn towards Kyo and raise and eyebrow. What the hell does this guy think he's doing. Walking into a damn hospital to watch? Birdie snorts.
"Bloodly hell is this a reunion or some bloody shit?" Birdie snorts, "Ain't that precious. Gwah ha ha!"
And Kyo's marvelous imitation is met with... A total lack of recognition? Apparently neither NESTS nor the Syndicate bothers to spring for FOX. Which is weird; Kyo had totally figured that the Cartel was all about horrible reality shows. WHEN CLONES ATTACK!!
"Philistines," Kyo sighs, tossing the cane to one side. "So, look: It's kind of embarassing, but the truth of the matter is, I'm here to save all the people Mascara Man and his buddies," he points directly at Krizalid, though otherwise he doesn't show much recognition of the NESTS executive, "have got locked up. I'm guessing you guys were about to have a big knock-down brawl, so why don't we skip the part where we all declare our undying hatred for each other, or whatever, and proceed right to the part where you tell me where exactly all the patients are."
Kyo smiles at this, as though it were the most reasonable suggestion in the world. Which, you know, it just might be.
"It'll get me out of your hair, and then you guys can oil each other up and talk about how your fathers never loved you, or whatever." The World Warrior champ pauses, looks at Birdie and Tweet, and then at Krizalid. To the latter, he adds: "Yours really didn't, by the way. And why would he, I mean, look at you. What are you, some kind of K' cosplayer? Jeez."
Kyo shakes his head, rife with disappointment.
The scarred boy blinks slowly at Kyo.
Then, his systems boot up.
Readouts come online with a ridiculous amount of data flooding past Krizalid's vision, an expanded battle data record coming online in his vision, as well as info strips for tactical, health level, defense condition, and overload countdown. To tell the truth, he hadn't bothered only a moment prior. But now?
He scoffs lightly underneath his coat, his pupils narrowing to pinpoints as his eyes warily flick from target to target. Something white-hot breeds underneath that thing, just behind those eyes, just inside the confines of a skull that seemed at this moment far too small.
...before Krizalid chuckles easily. "Reunion...yeah. I like that. But." He points at Birdie and Tweet. "You're gonna wanna shut up and pay attention. I'm about to show you a little mercy and give you a demonstration of what you're about to go through."
"...Cus I think I can get a promotion just by shutting that mouth of yours," he says to Kusanagi, his voice dripping venom, every bit the counterpart to that easygoing banter.
Then he puts a boot on the hospital bed and tears it in half with the other when he kicks high, his coat curling and whipping in the wind as he cuts a spinning high kick through the air in a feat of trademark NESTS bonelessness. He doesn't so much cut the thing in half with pure force as he does rip it in half with a torrential whirlwind caused by the sheer velocity of his curling leg, churning the sheets and frame of the bed into steel confetti along the ragged edges, blowing either to the side as he just rips through the air with charged force, throwing off a pure whirlwind of destruction towards Kyo.
He doesn't make overt mention of it, but if he tears the discarded cane in half with the sheer amount of collateral damage he wings Kyo's way, he probably meant to do it. Bastard.
COMBATSYS: Birdie has started a fight here in the center.
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Birdie 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Goon has joined the fight here in the center.
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-------
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Krizalid has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
> //////////////////////////////]
|-------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-------
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Kyo has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Kyo 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-------
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-------
Birdie can tell rather quickly that everything goes to hell really quickly. Krizalid goes off like a rocket on Kyo, not even waiting for the man to speak once more before breaking out with his own strike, his own biting criticism and truthiness fueling his hatred.
Now, Birdie can think and listen enough for both him and Tweet. Obviously if Krizalid wins, well, they're going to have the man on their asses. That wouldn't be really nice, especially if he threatened to kill them both. Scratch that, that's pretty shitty.
Look at Kyo then, obviously he's going to turn on Birdie and Tweet just because of their lifestlye. To be either ironic, hypocritic or both it exists here at a level that is fairly obvious.
Looking towards each other, Birdie and Tweet nod with rather festive grins on their faces as they moves. Birdie attempts to grab the bed that Krizalid had originally aimed to kick and swing it around, attempting to slam it right against Kyo as he spins, "GHWAAAAAAA!"
Tweet however attempts to get a hold of a seat from the waiting room and go after Krizalid, attempting to slam Krizalid with a seat that many obese people obvious sat in. "Waaaughhhh!"
It's a pair of thugs. Thugging around. Meat meat meat meat meat meat.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Krizalid's Typhon's Rage - Strike.
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Kyo 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
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Goon 0|-------|-------
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Birdie 0|-------|-------
COMBATSYS: Kyo counters Random Weapon from Birdie with Nue Tsumi.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-------
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|--=====
"Oh, please," Kyo says, when Krizalid mentions 'shutting his mouth'. "Like you're the first person to try." Since this whole situation started, Kyo has found himself face to face with Vega, with the combined might of Zero and Kula Diamond... And now he's got a guy who looks like a copycat K' who expects to be the big dog? "Believe me, you won't be the last, Chuckles!" The impressive technique of Krizalid bears down on the World Warrior champion like an oncoming storm, rushing wind force shearing towards him, tearing up the floor and the acoustic tile ceiling, demolishing whatever random hospital items might be around him and Kyo...
Kyo is a bulwark against the storm, deflecting the cutting wind with his own power as much as a physical blocking, turning it aside on his Kusanagi gloves. The poor cane does, indeed, get destroyed. It's okay though, Kyo just found it on his way in; Krizalid might also be heartened by the small cut the wind manages to open on the Kusanagi heir's cheek, drawing blood.
And then, Birdie decides to draw attentionto himself.
The bed doesn't manage to actually /hit/ Kyo, as the Scion of Flame instead steps to the side and catches it, pulling it along to let Birdie's considerable momentum work against the gangster. "Hi," Kyo says, as his other hand comes forward, balled into a fist, and impacts quite roughly with Birdie's facemeats, unleashing a blast of sacred Kusanagi flames at the point of impact, an explosion that echoes all down the hospital corridor.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid dodges Goon's Random Weapon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-------
[ ||||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|--=====
If it were any kind of quiet in the room, you could hear the bones in Krizalid's hip pop and twist as the clone lands, dropping his heel in a thuroughly inhuman fashion to balance himself before standing to his full height again, less gathering himself and more flowing from a low stretched out position to a fully standing position, those wired claws only visible from the wrists of his coat from the multiple braces and limiters that tighten around his arms.
"Who said anything about being the first?!" Krizalid snipes, his eyes catching the trail of crimson in a homunculus perception of the scene around him. Even though Kyo stopped him, he bleeds. It's only gonna be the start. The engineered human raises a talon, crackling with black force.
"--I wanna be the LAST!"
/!\ Alert!
Krizalid's eyes crawl to his left as his suit sensory realms notify him. He spits a curse before trailing force twists in the wind, just along the path of Krizalid's abrupt exit before a chair cuts the space he just occupied. The aborted blast in his arm builds up to a feedback pulse that charges along the clone's arm and empties into his shoulder socket in a blast of venomous pain that just .. barely .. tears Krizalid's attention away from Kyo.
"You're in the way," he says, voice muffled behind his collar.
Then, raising a leg in a double-jointed rendition of a snap kick, he tries to step on Tweet's neck.
COMBATSYS: Goon endures Krizalid's Strong Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|=======
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Birdie 0|-------|--=====
Birdie and Tweet find out how much life can actually hurt as they both meet the two interlopers. In this case, they aren't really interlopers as much as they are monsterous monsters that seek to destroy everything that both Tweet and Birdie are capable of.
Birdie finds out that Kyo isn't as weak as he looks, burning the hospital bed and even seeking to burn the hell out of Birdie, sizzling across his face and sending him backwards due to the terrible power of the chi.
Tweet finds Krizalid something else as well, being hurled backwards by the monsterous snap kick to his neck. Birdie flies one way, Tweet, in a last moment, attempts to use it to his advantage, turning towards Kyo.
Birdie and Tweet fly by each other, each moving with new found momentum towards the other targets. Birdie coming head first, his body looking red due to the chi and other sorts of meat magic, grunting as he attempts to slice into Krizalid's chest with his hair peice.
Tweet flies towards Kyo, attempting to deliver a powerful straight. If it strikes, he'll knee Kyo once and then finish with a head butt. "GOD DAMMIT!" Tweet cries in pain.
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Goon's Crude Rude Combo.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 1|-------|=======
[ |||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|---====
"Yeah yeah, I've never heard /that/ before," Kyo grouses, at Krizalid's declaration, but of course they've each got some sort of thug missile headed their way, so there's not much time for further witty repartee right at this precise instant.
Tweet's mighty straight punch... Smacks right into Kyo's open palm, sending a brief sting of pain along the World Warrior champion's arm, but otherwise not managing to slow him down appreciably. "So... What part of attacking the best fighter in the world struck you as a /good/ idea, huh?" the Kusanagi heir wonders of the goon, demonstating his legendary humility and good nature, topped off with an extremely dubious and disdainful expression directed at poor, ill-fated Tweet. One hopes that the Syndicate has good health benefits, though it seems more likely that their coverage largely involves dumping severely injured employees in a ditch somewhere and hoping for the best.
Or the worst.
Operating on the presumption that Krizalid is at least going to be busy for the moment dealing with the razor toupee'd meat bullet that is Birdie, the Scion of Flame shoves Tweet back, and steps in as he twists to the side, bringing one foot up in what might be charitably called a /kick/, but in most civilised parts of the world would be better described as 'attempting to step on the guy's throat while he's still standing'. "Tch-!!"
COMBATSYS: Krizalid blocks Birdie's Bull Horn.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||||||||| ]
Goon 1|-------|=======
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Birdie 0|-------|--=====
Well, one should hope that Kyo isn't as weak as he looks. Krizalid might take at least a little offense to his modifications being based off of a retarded man baby. He doesn't have much time to respond to Kyo, since Kyo's mouth occupies the last bits of time between their enchanting conversation and about a million metric meat-lbs of well-moussed Krizalid-seeking hair missile crashing into the clone.
An instant before the massive chocolate warrior ruins his day, his battlesuit glows, just barely visible beyond his coat. Then the sound of a horrendous impact, the shriek of giving substructure, and ascending sparks.
Like a samurai warrior, Krizalid's caught Birdie's glowing holyshithawk inbetween two palms, his talons pressing together as if fending off a battleaxe. His body tenses as most of the force is absorbed through his frame int othe ground underneath him, tile buckling beneath his flexing iron stance. He mutters quietly. "I told you two to sit. You kids don't get it, do you..."
"Forget about that rat K'..."
Bitterness seethes behind every word.
Who is Kyo to say that he emulates his own miserable little copy? His body flexes, as if to turn Birdie's head to the side, yanking the hair blade out of his chest, leaving damaged circuitry and blood in its wake. He releases, before barreling at Birdie, exploding from that tight space into a full momentum of his own, trying to catch Birdie off-guard, drag him off his feet and whip the massive brawler behind him with engineered strength belying his relatively diminutive size.
Before touching him with an outstretched claw, and discharging a small city bus' worth of kinetic force down his limb at him.
"I am the one and _only_ ultimate Kusanagi form!!!"
COMBATSYS: Goon interrupts Heavy Kick from Kyo with I've Got a Freaking Crowbar.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-======
[ |||||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|--=====
COMBATSYS: Birdie Toughs Out Krizalid's Desperate Moment!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-======
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|=======
Both Southtown Syndicate members fly towards the other opponents as if to switch. Not entirely purposely, if only because Kyo and Krizalid hit their said opponents so hard that they flew across the hospital entrance. Now, upon Birdie finding Krizalid and Kyo finding Goon, each come under assault from either member.
None of them are running.
Tweet finds Kyo attempting to step on his throat. His throat, well, thats not a really good place to have stepped on right now. Especially since Krizalid just stepped on it moments ago. Tweet manages a grunt as his hair flops around, high and blonde, almost as if it were knives. Hyo comes down.
Tweet's crowbar comes up, meeting Kyo's figure even as his neck is crushed by the boys foot. "Graahhhhh... you're the best fighter in the world?!" Tweet announces with his teeth clenched. "Fuck!" This doesn't stop Tweet from striking out, brining the crowbar hard across Kyo's waist as he comes down. After the strike, Tweet explodes backwards and into the front desk, coughing up blood. He's pretty sure he lost that meeting there but shit that was his best option.
Birdie on the other hand finds Krizalid bearing down upon him with a monsterous force. Birdie doesn't even attempt to escape, throwing himself into Krizalid even as Krizalid brings an outstretched claw down upon him, clenching him and bringing down a monsterous force. Being a bull, Birdie fights, gritting his teeth with a grin.
"Bloody... hell... you git!" Birdie snorts as every muscle in his body tenses before he explodes forward with an unforseen speed, attempting to slam into Krizalid's figure with his hair in a 'peck' like head butt. Then rush backwards, and do it again. Five times total with a monsterous helacious heag butt. "EEEEYyahhhhh!"
Well, Tweet might be in a bad situation, but at the very least he can rest easy in the knowledge that he gets to see something very few people ever have: He gets to see Kyo Kusanagi caught completely off-guard. Not at all expecting to get smacked with a crowbar, Kyo doubles up as the steel smashes into his waist, driving him back a few steps... But yes, he probably comes out of that particular exchange a bit better off than Tweet; if he was going to give up just because he was treated to a new and exciting bruise, well, the Kusanagi heir wouldn't be where he is today. Instead, he'd probably be at home, and not wearing any pants.
With Birdie and Krizalid continuing to tangle, Kyo is left with a wide variety of options, a real embarassment of riches in the strategy department. Naturally, most of these options involve him being a jerk; does he attack Tweet while he's down? Birdie while he's preoccupied trying to headbutt Krizalid so much that his head comes out his ass? Krizalid while he presumably attempts to avoid the impending head/anus inversion?
He's like a kid in a candy store, here.
In the end, though, some sort of common wisdom prevails; don't underestimate the little guy and then turn your back on him to attack the bigger guys. Come on, Kyo isn't some kind of supervillain here. That's Krizalid. A snap of Kyo's fingers brings a spark of flame to life, the fiery power wielded with an almost contemputous ease by the true heir to the power of the Kusanagi, before he tosses that spark lazily towards Tweet; it strikes the floor and flares to life, burning a streak along the linoleum as the blossom of flame tears towards Tweet. "Say goodnight, loser."
COMBATSYS: Krizalid endures Birdie's The Birdie MAX.
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Kyo 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-======
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
It's getting brutal over there.
With monstrous forces being lobbed around like tennis balls, Krizalid and Birdie seem less like men and more like whirling animals in the wicked exchange of headbutts and force blasts. But finally, Krizalid frowns, one eye opening wide asymmetrically as Birdie just shrugs off the cannon force levelled by his own personal form of that damned One Inch punch and barrels through to him, flattening him with headbutt after huge headbutt, the NESTS commander just gored by the horn of the bull time after time again. And the truth is, Krizalid doesn't seem to be putting a whole lot of stock in defending against it. His HUD blares visual warnings into his cranium.
/!\ Damage exceeds expectations.
/!\ Attack power abnormally high.
/!\ Recommend emergency defense patterns E-A0106, E-V2203..
-+- Battle data captured. New acquisitions internalized.
Krizalid grins.
Weight is the vector for Birdie's huge damage--that is, Birdie simply weighs more than Krizalid does, which is directly affecting his ability to move Birdie around as efficiently as he'd like to. He's seen it now, the way Birdie almost subconsciously acts against his moves, outweighing him instinctively and making it impossible for him to attack. Mass is a physical trait--it cannot be simulated. But weight is part mass... and part gravity.
Krizalid explodes forward from the earth that crumples beneath his own weight and force. In a flash of fire, acceleration is multiplied by wired muscles and chi so much so as to multiply the force that is achieved from his cutting liftoff to match the force exerted by Birdie's mass. Krizalid will hit him in the chest with both knees--and seem to weigh about twice his natural weight--if his suit's data is just right.
Then he'll flip.
And lift Birdie into the air by the throat on one outstretched leg, trying to crush his voicebox shut as Krizalid just kind of dangles, leaving the clone's body, with his coat fully burned off now a kind of afternote to the perfect pillar of support that his 180 degree split forms.
"Do not fear me... I am the beginning. and the end... heheh. eheheh. ... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!"
Part mass. and part gravity. Plus strength. You do the math!
We don't know who yet, but somebody's getting slammed today.
Somebody.
COMBATSYS: Birdie blocks Krizalid's Lethal Impact.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ |||||||||||||| ]
Goon 0|-------|-======
[ ||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|----===
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Goon with Yami Barai.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||| ]
Goon 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
[ ||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|----===
It's a mixed bag as the Southtown Syndicates men have to fight two of the stronger men in this encounter. Between Krizalid and Kyo, Birdie and Tweet have been holding themselves valiently against the continued assaults. Then again, they're expendable thugs so the more damage they do, the better.
Well, that is the whole point of it after all. Then again, neither Birdie nor Tweet actually think about losing. They can only win, right?
Birdie holds out agaisnt Krizalid as much as possible. Krizalid uses Birdie's own assault as a spring board. Something horrifying for the brawler, for the bulls horns to turn on himself. Krizalid attempts it, using his terrible speed and acceleration to attention to catch Birdie off guard. By some sort of luck Birdie holds out, the assault that comes still obliterates his defenses, even as he manages to bring his arms against it, to fight off Krizalid for the moment. Birdie uses his own mass to slow Krizalid down, but not enough to escape most of the strike. He's flipped and brought down in a horrifying drop. Birdie's own mass stopped much of the assault, but as he lands, Birdie rolls about towards the wall, slowly getting back up. His breath is labored. That sorta hurt.
"Haaahhhhh. Tweet... how you doing Tweet?!" Birdie grunts, his head still swimming from the assault.
Tweet gets to see something unexpected all right. As he gets up he can see Kyo, and for a split second, he knows he got the best of the boy. That second disappears when flames is all the man could see, brought up as the rush against his vision. Even as he moves to hide behind his arms the fire overtakes him, the Kusinagi flames ripping and searing through the man's resolve. Gutteral moans of the pain echo through Tweet as hes blasted backwards. Gritting, Tweet explodes forward in a single spark of anger, attempting to take Kyo's throat with him with the mother of all Haymakers, literally throwing himself into the assault. Wherever he lands, be it Kyo or the wall he smashes against, Tweet's going to fall unconscious. "Gwaaaghrhrhhh!"
"Uh.... alright bloke, don't go too hard on him. Hehehe." Birdie snorts, turning his attention back towards Krizalid, "Right, what were you saying? Soemthing about you being a video tape?"
COMBATSYS: Birdie gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||| ]
Goon 1|-----==|=======
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
COMBATSYS: Goon can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
COMBATSYS: Kyo blocks Goon's Wicked Powerful HAYMAKER EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
Hopefully Tweet remembers that moment for the rest of his life. Tells that story to his grandgoons, stuff like that.
"Hmph," mutters Kyo, as the Syndicate mook... Keeps coming at him despite eating that blast of Kusanagi flames?! "Jeez... Some people just don't know when to pack it in," the World Warrior champion says, seeing Tweet's next - and final - move coming from a mile away. There's a lot of power behind that haymaker, though; Kyo can tell that from the way the other fighter is moving, and especially how he throws his entire weight behind the attack, committing completely. It doesn't quite pan out, though, as Kyo brings up both arms to block the fist, feeling the impact and sliding back an inch or two from the sheer /force/ of it, but ultimately the strike is blunted, causing a mere fraction of the harm it probably would've had it landed cleanly.
In a way, Kyo /almost/ feels bad. It seemed like Tweet was really trying, there!
"Right, that's that," Kyo says, shaking his arms out a little as he looks towards Birdie, and past him Krizalid. One hand, his left, rests casually akimbo, while he half-raises his right, palm up, cupping a raging flame there. "Warmup's finished. Are you guys going to get the hell out of my way now, or am I going to have to start busting heads?"
COMBATSYS: Kyo gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
"Hahaha..."
His voice lilts cold on the astringent hospital air, the clone stretching out like a cat as electric impulses crackle all along the frame of that battle suit, now fully visible and still steaming from the earlier rush of fire that reduced his pristine coat and limiters to ashes and tatters. Ashes and tatters that still roughly cling to his frame.
"Not bad," he has to admit. He thought he had Birdie beaten like wheat when be first lifted off, but to see the thug still standing a moment later, albeit slightly more groggy from the experience, the NESTS commander can't help but be impressed.
"Tell you what," Krizalid admits openly, his hands canting on his hips in a friendly, if cocky, kind of way. "Swear allegiance to /me/, to /NESTS/, the masters of darkness, right now, and I might not tear you open when I'm done with Kusanagi over there. If you refuse.."
He stares evenly.
Battle data begins to create scenarios, and according battle plans. Reticules begin to form, delineating attack points and potential weak spots on Birdie's body. Even as he begins to measure Kyo's threat potential. "...I'll tear you in half right now, and use the pieces to beat Kusanagi," he states with some mix of delicacy and emphasis on the word 'beat.'
"Either way, you're gonna end up on my side."
Breaking the tension, Krizalid grins, whites of his teeth showing.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid calculates his next move.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Kyo 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
Birdie sure has an interesting vision of Tweet falling flat on his face after Kyo manages to return the assault upon the man. Birdie just shakes his head and takes a deep breath after hearing what worlds of wisdom (haha) that Kyo offers them.
"Well, bloke, sorry but I'm not done here yet. Poor Tweet though, that's a shame. That's gonna hurt in the morning." Birdie grunts, turning his attention towards Krizalid who pretty much mimics what Vega had told him, and then what Billy had told him. "Gwah ha ha ha! Yeah, huh? Whats in it for me. I got many other offers for my talents, and they don't come cheap." Birdie grins, unraveling his chain infront of Krizalid as he moves to actually lick it right there and then, right across the many links that he holds taut. On the side of his head is a pink heart tattoo.
"He's my answer, bloke." Birdie says as he swings his heavy links towards Krizalid's feet, attempting to get it around his feet, just enough so that they stick so he can pull rather hard.
If so, Birdie's got himself a catch, attempting to rise up Krizalid by bringing him up and over his visage before continuing the assault, bringing it him down towards where he had picked him up. Of course, if he's unable to get a perfect catch well.
That's entirely different.
See, Birdie's got stones. Kyo can respect that. Not to mention his lack of turning around and joining Krizalid; Kyo respects that, too.
With Birdie's back to him, Kyo looks to Krizalid and shrugs helplessly, making a 'well, what can you do?' expression, mostly just to be a jerk about this turn of events. It's Kyo Kusanagi we're talking about, though, so what else would you really expect from him? The question now is, what exactly should Kyo do about it? He could just sit back and let the two wear each other down, but he doubts they'd let him get away with that... Krizalid, especially. He seems like kind of a douche, from Kusanagi's perspective.
So, it seems like the World Warrior already has his answer, and as Birdie whips his chain around to try smashing Krizalid around, Kyo dashes in and tries to take advantage of the NESTS executive's hopeful indisposition, his right fist lashing out in a hooking punch, flames trailing behind the motion of his fist, and erupting in a small explosion at the point of impact - if any. If he lands that first punch, of course, Kyo won't stop there; his next move will be to drive Krizalid into the floor, painfully, and then strike a third time... A straight punch right into Krizalid's damn head, with a final, thunderous explosion of sacred Kusanagi fire!
COMBATSYS: Krizalid blocks Kyo's Aragami.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\1 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|------=
COMBATSYS: Krizalid interrupts Bandit Chain from Birdie with Rising Darkmoon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||| ]
Birdie 1|-------|=======
"Oh.." Krizalid snickers. "That so?"
He's almost amused by Birdie's point.
Almost. His expression darkens considerably.
See, it's a matter of math. And Kyo is really the type you want to piss off more than Krizalid. That sacred fire bites into the lineaged clone, hooking into his side and swiftly catching Krizalid's attention with pure pain. That's when the clone whirls on Kusanagi, hooking an arm about him to scatter Kyo's attack wide, his body weight shifting against Kyo to throw him off the trail of further beatings. Unfortunately, that chain of Birdie's is a murderous thing, whipping heavy iron links around Krizalid's ankle. Kyo punchings or no, there's simply not much more of Krizalid left to punch when Birdie snatches him away. "Gk--"
Comically, he mutters as he's yanked away. "Fucking Kusanagi.."
The first smash into the earth is cataclysmic, sending the NESTS commander's blood streaking off the tile as he's drug away slowly in a sick sound of raw meat being sucked off the ground.
At least, that's the sound until Krizalid gets angry and just about tears Birdie's chain in two.
He doesn't so much rise as descend on Birdie, following up the chain like a flock of spiders to ground, catching a boot in the hook and using it as a brace to run down the length of it. Biting wind, fire and pure negative force accompany hands rendered absolute murder by a set of talons wired into them. The bloodied commander snarls. "I'LL MAKE YOU THE BEST OFFER OF ALL!!" Maybe Birdie needs a little convincing. Or maybe he just needs to learn some things.
He's going to try to rip Birdie's torso open on the spot.
He might be thinking about killing Birdie right about now.
It's .. actually unclear whether Krizalid even prioritizes Kyo in the face of someone who just laughed at him to his face. It's not really making a whole lot of sense for the clone, even given that sacred fire. Right now, Krizalid's trying to tear Birdie open with some of it as we speak!!
Holy Ow.
Birdie's chain manages to strike hard against Krizalid... Haha just kidding. Krizalid manages to get right through Birdie's chain, even as he uses the lengths of it to blast wind fire and negative force towards Birdie as he has him by the chain. Birdie's chest feels a lot worse right about now, if only because of Krizalid attempting to rip into him.
Birdie grunts and fights but Krizalid just comes down on him like a monster, ripping into Birdie as if he was a vulture of a bird of prey attempting to eat for the day.
Birdie fights, finally pushes off Krizalid, which is, well, by the time that Krizalid is done. Birdie's bloody as all hell even as Krizalid attempts to rip him open. Oh, but whats this. Krizalid got close to Birdie.
Great.
Birdie does what he does best, attempting to grab a hold of Krizalid with the lengths of the chain still yet, attempting to wrap the lengths about Krizalid one more time in an attempt to tie the beast up so that Birdie could give him a little taste of his own medicine by tossing him around instead.
"Blood... fucking... helll." Birdie announces as Krizalid speaks, "You bloody git! I SAID NO!"
You know, Kyo is starting to feel a little put out by all of this. He probably shouldn't be; probably, he should be glad that the other two are preoccupied with beating each other up and largely ignoring him, except that Kyo has that annoying pride of his which, just sometimes, is acutally more of a nuisance to /him/ than it is to other people. One can only imagine what sort of strange planetary alignment must have presaged and caused this turn of events.
"Man," says Kyo, giving his head a slight shake. He's really dealing with two persistent crazies here, isn't he? So what's a guy to do, under these circumstances? He doesn't want to just hang out here like some spectator; that sort of thing just doesn't suit him! And honestly, Krizalid pisses him off way more than Birdie does, even if he's probably supposed to be saving the people here from /both/ of them. So, once again, Kyo picks his moment, and suddenly he lunges forward, hoping to catch the NESTS executive either while he's being bounced around, or while he's working at keeping himself from being bounced around. The initial lunge is elbow-first, trying to stun Krizalid with an armor-shattering blow to the sternum; the followup is a sudden twist, Kyo's other hand lancing forward with every intention of catching Krizalid by the throat. And if that happens?
If that happens, Kyo lifts Krizalid right off of the floor, gripping him by the throat. And then, Kyo makes a single, imperative command:
"/Burn/," is what Kyo says.
And then there's a huge-ass explosion of Kusanagi fire, centered right on Krizalid.
COMBATSYS: Krizalid dodges Birdie's Murderer Chain.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Kyo 1/-----==/=======|=======\===----\1 Krizalid
[ |||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
COMBATSYS: Kyo successfully hits Krizalid with Koto Moon Positive.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kyo 1/---====/=======|=======\=======\1 Krizalid
[ |||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
Krizalid's up to his elbows in Birdie's meat by the time he's torn off the thug, the whites of his fangs displayed only a moment prior now stained thuroughly with blood that isn't all his, the blood streaking up to the NESTS commander/killer's exposed biceps, his suit twitching with all the new data as his boots skid across the tile. But Birdie's not-yet--DEAD!! "You made your choice, pinhead!!!" Krizalid snarls, making a darting run towards Birdie, wanting to just tear through him like a little piece of nothing on his way to Kyo, a footnote in what's going to be the greatest day of his career. He runs so hard it takes his boots a moment to gain traction on the slick floor.
Of course, when the battle analysis comes up that Kyo is still at at least 56% viability, Krizalid dutifully ignores it. It won't matter. No matter what K' did, Krizalid is still the strongest.
Of course, Birdie attacks him as he closes the already tight ground a second time. He closes, but he slips off to the right faster than a sidewinder as Birdie's chain arcs only inches in front of his face. But now he's past Birdie's guard. "It's useless," he snaps loudly. He can murder him from here--
Still the greatest, not even that new toy can--grkkkgnnhgnhauughh!!!
Krizalid's train of thought comes to an abrupt end as Kyo just hits him in the armor, battle damage registers going off all over his sight as Kyo just picks the executive right up off the floor, the section chief's legs kicking like an angry snake as he suspends him. In the next instant, Krizalid's throat explodes.
Blood.. gets.. everywhere.
Gasping. Coughing. Writhing, the commander ends up flopping like a gutted fish in his own viscera, his body hissing and steaming as meters spike all over the right side of his vision, stained red with blood and red steam. It takes everything he has jsut to get to a kneel. Drawing a little of it himself with his claws unintentionally, Krizalid grips his own throat, staunching the flow of damage there with searing heat, and throughout his own body with the same. He climbs his internal temperature to levels that would kill normal human beings, to literally boil his own blood. He tries to say something pithy. "ghhg--" -- "--gwogh"
Fuck it, Kyo needs to die before he can show the thug.
The boiling blood is needed for the next part of this. Krizalid spreads wings of sacred Kusanagi fire wide enough to set off the sprinkler systems at every level, but there's not water that can put this shit out. His hand drops away from his throat, now a mangled mass of scorched tissue. Getting close to him doesn't even seem possible; His body is now literally glowing hot, angry haze limning his form in molten flesh, the exposed steel parts of his battlesuit glowing forge orange. It's okay. He only melted off the first version of his battlesuit. This one.. it could handle it.
It could handle it at least once.
His claw limns itself in fire, holding the Kusanagi flame in his own hand as his sensors struggle to draw on his vision. From that point onward, Krizalid uses pure instinct, his wings beating the air....once.
Before Krizalid stretches out longer than a cat, his limb flicking out to drive that ball of fire, that concentrated explosion not just into.. but /through/ Kusanagi.
He's got the one true fire, and he's gonna show it, right now!!
Birdie falters, falling over himself as Krizalid escapes his amazing manuever. Krizalid wrigles out, but Kyo is the one that gets the attention now. Birdie is forgotten mostly by Krizalid if only because Kyo himself has declared the main threat.
Bad for Kyo's. Good for Birdie's. Birdie, for once in a while, gets to not explode violently from one of the two monsterous fighters here.
Birdie's even saved by Kyo, which, as oddly as it sounds, Birdie is greatful for.
Unmoving immidiately, Birdie decides to sit whatever explosive conclusion this strike has out, leaving Kyo to deal with the blunt headed assault of Krizalid.
He'll be over here, watching the fighters.
COMBATSYS: Birdie focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //// ]
Kyo 1/---====/=======|===----\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
COMBATSYS: Krizalid successfully hits Kyo with End of Eden.
?!? Weird Hit! ?!?
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kyo 1/-======/=======|===----\-------\0 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
There we go, /that/ got Krizalid's attention.
This might not be a good thing.
Make no mistake, Kyo is fully certain that he outmatches Krizalid; so far as he's seen, none of NESTS' little science projects have been close to maching the original. But that doesn't mean they aren't /dangerous/. Krizalid's overwhelming power and heat don't escape the notice of the Scion of Flame, and when the NESTS executive launches at him, Kyo plays it safe, shifting his stance in an attempt to deflect the incoming rushing Krizalid and his ball of flame... Except this proves to be the exactly wrong thing to do. Krizalid might be running on rage and instinct now but Kyo manages to fall right into his trap, the attack colliding with the World Warrior and sending him flying. It burns and sears, and hurts quite a /lot/.
In fact, Kyo appears to be still on fire as he lands, taking a moment or two to push himself back up to his feet. The flames rise off of Kyo, and rage all around him, filling the corridor as he stands up. Plastic melts, the very air around him distorts and warps, between the heat of the flames and the sheer overwhelming power of the Kusanagi clan. "That actually /hurt/, Bondage Gear," Kyo says, his voice strangely modulated from the power. Echoing. "So, how about I do you a little favour, since you're so keen on copying me?" The Ever-Burning Flames of the Kusanagi, that sacred power handed down from generation to generation, is like a living thing. It seethes, and rages, and sends little runners of flame ahead of Kyo, along the linoleoum floor. Kyo raises his right hand, and the fire burns hottest and brightest there, a seed of what's to come. After a moment, Kyo swings his right hand back, and then sweeps it down, across his body, and /unleashes/ the flame, as much as he 'throws' it.
Kusanagi fire tears forward, raging through the hallway, demolishing the corridor. Bearing down on Krizalid and Birdie both, with a complete lack of mercy. And with it comes Kyo's words: "I'LL SHOW YOU THE REAL THING!!!"
COMBATSYS: Krizalid fails to reflect Orochinagi+ from Kyo with Typhon's Rage - Reflect.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
COMBATSYS: Krizalid has reached second wind!
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Krizalid
[ ||||||||||| ]
Birdie 0|-------|-======
The heat bleeds off of Krizalid's body like ice off a warming car.
The executive is silent, partially because of the damage to his throat, and partially because there's nothing to say. Krizalid steps forward, his boots sizzling and warping the tile as he does. Whipping the still burning blood off his arms with a disgusted look on his face, he leans back.. and points at Kyo. He grins.
At least, he grins until Kyo starts up with his fire.
--shit.
Krizalid doesn't like to think this way: but in his condition, even someone like Kyo might be able to beat him, facing both Birdie and Kyo has drained his power by a bit, and truthfully, while he was sure he could kill one--both? THe fire fills the corridor, and Krizalid honestly questions whether the better attitude might be to give up and run. -- but to acknowledge Kusanagi--/anyone/--as superior to him and his ability as NESTS' third?
To hell with that..
The corridor is absolutely ruined, but Krizalid doesn't turn tail. He stands his ground, kicking high into the air and churning a windstorm on the spot as the sacred fire on his side of the corridor seethes and impacts against it, boiling against his own chi, derived from pure science as Kyo's was generations. The wind churns--and boils, and begins to dissipate. "N--no," Krizalid manages to choke out, before whipping around and kicking another whirlwind into the air. Another. And another. Not again. NOT AGAIN--
Krizalid is vaguely made aware of burning. Scalding. His armor is more or less blown off in the din, his suit ruined in an instant as he sustains more damage in a second than most people sustain in their entire lives. He is carried by the blast wave clear down the corridor and ends up knocked through a reception desk, as part of the ceiling simply collapses on him.
He sits that way, for a time long enough to be uncomfortable. For a time long enough to be rightfully considered dead. For the smoke to clear. He is motionless, buried beneath the heap.
Press key to start _ _ _
/!\ Vision tactical missing. Systems restart override authorized.
The mound of debris... shifts.
"You know what I don't like about you, Kusanagi..."
His voice is still raw from the blow Kyo dealt him. Krizalid digs himself out of the heap, bleeding, scorched, and altogether in a bad way. But he still stands. Most of the suit over his upper torso is missing, revealing dark injured flesh thick with scars, slick with sweat and blood, and dirtied over by the chalky discharge of vaporized drywall and mortar.
But he's still.. gonna.. stand.
"... you just don't get, that you're the past. Just second rate...those flames of yours... fuckin' hurt, by the by... but in the end?" He sweeps a hand, "They're ANTIQUATED!"
COMBATSYS: Birdie fails to interrupt Orochinagi+ from Kyo with Bull Spike.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Krizalid
[ ]
Birdie 2|<<<<<<<|<<<<<<<
COMBATSYS: Birdie can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Krizalid
Kyo most surely made sure that, while Birdie was waiting for an attack coming from Krizalid, he gets it up the ass from somewhere else. Birdie was not prepaired to deal with a monsterous ball of fire that comes at him, screaming at him as he had experienced many times earlier. And here it comes, once more, in a wall.
Well, that's pretty much the end of that.
Birdie doesn't show fear, however foolish that may be against a wall of fire thats closing quickly. Throwing himself head first directly into the assault Birdie isn't able to make any headway into the assault as it blasts him back, burning at his denim and skin.
Birdie rolls backwards in an expected turn of events, coming to a stop somewhere at the bottom of a staircase. There Birdie passes out.
Hell you cannot do anything other than that.
The hospital corridor is - let's face it - pretty much ruined. The overwhelming power of the Kusanagi clan raged freely here, and frankly the place wasn't up to taking it. Neither, it would seem, was Birdie... But somehow, Krizalid persists, managing to get back up after that hellacious assault, that ancient technique handed down through the centuries. So maybe the NESTS executive isn't quite as crappy as most of the other Weird Science rejects the cartel keeps pushing out, huh?
In the aftermath of his own powerful attack, Kyo takes a slow, steadying breath, considering Krizalid and his words. Antiquated? Hmph. Whatever his thoughts on the matter are, though, Kyo instead lets out a faint chuckle, his mouth pulling into a grin. "Heh, persistent, ain't you? Kinda like K' that way, too!" It's possible, just possible, that the Kusanagi heir is trying to needle the possibly unbalanced experimental supersoldier with these words, and while taunting somebody like Krizalid might not be very wise, well.
Nobody's ever accused Kyo Kusanagi of an excess of wisdom.
"The thing is, you can't beat me. I mean, you're barely managing to stay on your feet, here. But I know, I know... You're not just going to give up, you're going to be the one that proves me wrong, blah blah blah," Kyo gestures with one hand at this, a vague gesture that implies he's heard this all before and really just wants to get on with it. "But I'm not really in the mood to play games anymore."
Rushing forward at Krizalid, Kyo lunges with his left hand to give the dark-skinned NESTS agent a quick punch to the chops; it's not much, really, and it exists purely as a setup, as Kyo follows through by suddenly reversing his momentum and lighting his right hand on /fire/, leaping off the ground in a rising, whirling uppercut, possibly attempting to knock Krizalid's block right /off/. "URAAAA-!!"
COMBATSYS: Krizalid blocks Kyo's Oniyaki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Kyo 0/-------/----===|=======\==-----\1 Krizalid
"Think you're any better off...?"
Krizalid has been watching Kyo. And though he's rightfully baffled and dismayed that the scion managed to remain standing through his onslaught, he doesn't need the full sweep of his suit's sensor suite tp te;; what happened. His channels must have malfunctioned somehow in the hellion of an attack. THat must be what happened. At ful power, Kyo would have been hard pressed to avoid being ashes let alone avoid defeat. Krizalid was certain of it. He doesn't need a lot of things.
He steps forward.
"Bravado doesn't go far enough when I can smell your blood on the air, toy." Once Krizalid gets to this point, there's no going back. THe executive has simply no interest in Kyo's meaningful retreat. no more than he has his own. STanding one stumbling step from the heap of debris, Krizalid's body jostles back into play, curling forward in a lizard's fashion to face down Kusanagi. K's win over him was secondary, a mere inconsistency of the body, systems going haywaire from the lack of his suit. That was all. And Krizalid aims to prove it.
Krizalid is quicker than most people give him credit for, eeling forward to throw off Kyo's chops punch with a swept arm, linking before him in acrosslinked form. Energyy trails across it even as the temperature of his body again reaches a dever pitch, spiking again in front of Kyo. One could swear Kyo did it directly. One could swear they heard the churn of a turbine sd Ktixslif begins to glow again.
"Come. Come and fear me like all the rest.." Krizalid begs lightly, but blinking once. "But you're still not shutting up. Why don't you? Why an't you?" Mentioning this thing about K'. This blasphemy. KRizalid can't even stand it anymore. His hands knit into open claws at either shoulder.
%y"Shut up.... shut up.... SHUT UP.... SHUT UP OR I'LL SHUT YOU UP!!
Math rolls through his mind in time with the urge for blood as Krizalid simply shifts from that gard dog position and coulf just really cut loose. Collapsing the level above Kyo is no challenge for him when Krizalid whipes down his talons crving massive blaedes of fire almost enough to slice the lonely little hospital clear in half, slicing it into pieces simply to leave Kyo no defense against his own channeled fire. To leave him no recourse in his slicing frenzy.
No, not slice.
Tear. Into quarters, if necessary.
he corridor simplu collpases in on itself.
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! I CANNOT HEAR YOU KUSANAGI!!" the experiment froths.
COMBATSYS: Kyo just-defends Krizalid's End of Heaven!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > // ]
Kyo 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Krizalid
There's just one problem with Krizalid's plan: Naturally, that problem is Kyo himself.
"Ah, shit," mutters the Kusanagi heir, seeing that enormous outpouring of fire from Krizalid, and knowing full well that it probably has unfortunate consequences for the hospital as a whole. It's not like it's in the nature of NESTS to care about the little things, like buildings, or innocent civilians. Honestly, Kyo would rather it wasn't in his nature to care about those sorts of things either, but, unfortunately...
/Unfortunately/...
Most people would probably try to avoid Krizalid's attack and save themselves, or something like that, but not Kyo Kusanagi. Kyo instead steps into it, to meet those blades of fire before they can truly tear apart the corridor and possibly do some real harm to the building itself, and brings his own flames to bear. The true Ever-Burning Flames, the sacred power that NESTS wanted so badly to copy; Kyo meets the cutting blades of flame with his own, and simply stops the whole thing cold.
"Yeah," Kyo says, as the fiery conflagration passes, leaving him unharmed but the corridor creaking dangerously close to collapse. "You can't /beat/ me, either."
And then Kyo lunges at Krizalid, swinging his right fist in a vicious, explosive fiery punch aimed at the side of the NESTS executive's face; if he lands that first strike, Kyo steps in to repeat it with his left, and then follows /that/ with a third strike, hopping in close and bringing his right fist up to the underside of Krizalid's jaw, with a final eruption of divine flame! "It's OVER!"
COMBATSYS: Krizalid fails to reflect Aragami from Kyo with Typhon's Rage - Reflect.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Kyo 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 Krizalid
COMBATSYS: Krizalid can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ <
Kyo 0/-------/---====|
"SHUT UP!! SHUT--UP!!!"
Maybe it's the fact that Krizalid has simply lost it, but all he sees right now is Kyo's blood, sprays all over the floor. It's almost a trivally easy thing at this point, the radius of his killing wave is too wide to escape, and it simply will not suffer being blocked. THe arc like flames just shear throguh the ceiling like paper, but--that's all they get to. THe twin of the executive's specialized flames rip forth from Kyo, forming a huge cancellation nova, culminating not in a building-rocking blast of flame, but a breeze of dry, arid heat.
Even with the sprinkler systsems going at full blast, there's not much that can parch the amount of fire that just ripped through the room.
Stunned, Krizalid has barely any response. He attempts to summon chi to his defense, but ultimately it fails, Kyo hammering away at the executive until knocking him clear off his feet in a final punishing uppercut of fire that leaves a tangible blast of carbon across the youth's dusky skin as he lays in a puddle of translucent red, still thuroughly shell shocked.
"M... my career..." Krizalid murmurs, staring at the ceiling in a rage so livid that it simply has no motive force anymore. An axle spinning without spokes.
Is this really going to be his future?
"you fuck..."
He slides a hand into his pocket. And trips a switch.
/!\ Activating self-destruct countdown.
Panic lights shine all throughout the hospital as its fire alarm is retasked by NESTS systems, triggering the upper floor uatodestruct countdown. Krizalid isn't going to settle for Kyo having his way here. He's going to kill every last one of the people he'd come to save in a series of deotonations supplised by charged wired to NESTS technology. He's gonna kill everything. And probably bring the building down on top of them too--its foundation is thuroughly ruined, now.
"I... I was supposed to be the ultimate.."
Krizalid passes out.
Kyo has ten minutes to save them.
And you know, just when Kyo was going to get a really good smug on, Krizalid had to go and ruin it with a scheme so evil it actually gives Kyo douche chills.
"Oh you little shit," Kyo says, his ire raised by what's happening; he doesn't need a Ph.D. in NESTSology to know what's going on, he's seen plenty of action movies. Muttering imprecautions to himself, Kyo reaches into his pocket long enough to pull out his cellphone, flip it open, take a quick picture of the fallen Krizalid for who knows what purpose...
And then he's off like a shot. No point in worrying about the elevators, those sure wouldn't be working. Kyo doesn't know what kind of a time limit he's under, but what he does know is that there's no way in hell he's leaving people to die in this place, even if it means he has to actually act like a... Ugh... A /hero/. Practically vaulting up the stairs with the speed and endurance only a fighter of the highest caliber could muster, he gets up to the upper levels - where the intel he got from who knows where (Whip) said the prisoners were probably being held. And once he gets there?
It's probably a surreal sight, Kyo Kusanagi of all people going around and freeing the NESTS prisoners, sending them running for the stairs. The ones who can't walk will, of course, have to be carried by those who can; but knowing NESTS, only the able-bodied patients and staff are even still alive.
It's a strange day when Kyo gets a good righteous fury worked up. And the clock ticks down, when he doesn't even know how much time he has...
..In what is probably a modern miracle, though, Kyo races from room to room, liberating the remaining patients and setting them to free others, usually with some sort of insulting repartee delivered towards NESTS' former lab rats; the really weird part is that it /works/, probably because the poor schmucks who were caught in the hospital when NESTS took it over are grateful to be rescued by anyone at all. In short order, there's a stream of patients, doctors and nurses fleeing out of the fire exits to the street outside, evacuating about as orderly as a bunch of people who were just expertimented on by a bunch of lunatics for days on end can be: Which is to say very, because they're all pretty much checked out, emotionally speaking.
Kyo is the last one down on the first floor, as unknown to him the timer counts down that last couple of minutes; passing through the entry corridor, he spies the unconscious forms of Birdie and Tweet, and sucks in a breath between his teeth as he realises what he's about to do. Dammit, dammit, /dammit/. Grabbing the two big palookas, the World Warrior drags them out, complaining the whole way, and not being overly careful about making sure they don't get more hurt by scraping them over some sharp-edged debris or some glass or something, or bump their damn fool heads. It's bad enough that he's saving them, he's not going to go out of his way to make sure they're /comfortable/. By the time he gets out there, with the crowd of evacuees, Kyo is breathing raggedly; he drops the arms of the two Syndicate goons, leaving them lying on the ground, and flops unwillingly to a seated position...
..Just in time to see the hospital explode and collapse in on itself, like a perfectly timed demolition.
"Goddamn," Kyo says, wide-eyed. Well, he was expecting a kaboom, but that's really something, right there. Coughing from the dust that erupted out around the collapsing hospital, Kyo - now ragged and dusty, on top of bloodied and burned and generally not doing super awesome - gets to his feet and turns to the people he rescued, who all look at him with a sort of dull-eyed expectancy. "..." Yeah, this is what you get, Kusanagi. "Come on," he grouses, starting to lead the way through the besieged city. "Let's get out of here."
The real question is: What's he going to do with all these people?
Log created on 23:13:42 04/15/2009 by Kyo, and last modified on 00:28:38 04/19/2009.