Description: Welcome to the dusty trails of Montana, where two of Shadaloo's finest pose a criminals and two of... well, there's no relationship at all between Cody and Frei but they're the law in this town! Free inside: gunplay, dodging, and Cody hulking out... literally. (Winners: Juni and Vyle)
Main street, Bannack, Montana
If there was ever a place that old western town would apply to in the thoroughly modern day, Bannack certainly fits the bill. One could hardly be blamed for mistaking it for the real thing upon noticing the dusty roads, Old Tyme Saloon with honkeytonk music pouring out of it just over the sound of rabbel rousing inside, and hitching posts set out at the front of every building, and various other stereotypes of the old west. Is that a covered costanoga wagon down the road? Sure is -- no expense paid in this bit of tourist trap heaven.
The town itself isn't the main point of interest right now. Or at least this particular block of it. It's up the road a ways that's the most interesting. See that, where the gunmen are standing off in front of each other just outside the town bank? Even the stupid tourists are starting to get the idea that something special's going on down there. It's not every day, after all, that a bank robbery is staged.
Holding the unfamiliar weight of her six shot revolver in her right hand, Juni glares across the dusty street at the opposing tag team, the newly appointed deputies. Those orange eyes are hidden in the shadow that her black stetson hat provides, protecting her face from the snn beating down from above and baking the streets. Black hats, black vest, black pants and belt--all made out of leather. She, and her partner in crime Vyle, are definately the hollywood badguys in this act; if the clothing didn't make that clear, the big white bags conspicously labeled with $$'s would.
"I reckon these lawmen aim on stoppin' us, Vyle... Why's there always gotta be at least one or two lawmen too stupid to stay hid under their beds when the Shadaloo gang rolls into town?" Juni asks, doing her best to sound like a western desperado.
Juni's partner, both for the match and in crime, the poisonous rogue of a rustler known as El Vyle? Well, he's busy spinning his six-shooter around on his finger, looking into the rising sun as shadows shrink along the ground. Him....unlike Juni's stylish (if sweltering) black cowgirl set, Vyle is true to form in his own way. A green sombrero with purple stitching (both colors much more muted than usual) and purple poncho hide his more mundane dusty shirt and pants, the only other flair of color on him being his gold spurs. "Si...los cerdos have to have the desert fever, senora. I suppose another set of graves will have to be dug out, si?"
Tilting his sombrero up, he finally holsters his revolver, glaring across as he cracks his neck ominously. Oh yeah....he's into character as well. Most definitely into character. A little too in character, judging by the culturally insensitive bottle of tequila he holds in his other hand.
It's his first SNF since... 'the incident', to use the melodramatic term. But Frei didn't want to hide from the professional circuits, regardless. If anything, he knows that participating in this sort of event is exactly what he needs to do. It gets him out of Southtown and away from physical reminders of what happened, and it gives him a chance to test the skills he's retrieved from the fog of childhood on the actual battlefield. The now white-haired fighter perhaps feels a pang of regret that he's... likely to deep six his partner's chances at taking home an official win, but... one nevers knows. Frei is open to being surprised.
Case in point: The costume he was provided with when he showed up for this match certainly came as a surprise.
In the dusty afternoon sun of the Montana plains, in a ghost town to end all ghost towns, Frei emerges from the SNF trailer looking... like a clash of cultures. His standard grey shirt and jeans remained; over them is a fringe jacket and black leather chaps. Sneakers had to be given up for ostensible cowboy boots and while he has the ten gallon hat, it's currently behind his head rather than on it, hanging around his neck by the length of cord included for just such a purpose. 'Six-shooters', of a sort, are buckled onto his waist. As is, for a somewhat crowded effect, the blue lacquered saya of the blunted katana he has recently begun using.
Juni and Vyle are sort of forgotten, for a moment, as Frei looks down at himself, extending one arm and twisting it this way and that. "Cowboys, plus a sword... I'm like Oniichanbara, all of a sudden."
This being a cowboy-themed brawl, certain racial insensitivities had to be seen to as part of the casting. Vyle more than fulfills the insensitivity towards the noble Mexican, but that still leaves one group to deliver devastating insult to; one group that, it could be said, are more American than any others alive then or today.
The injuns.
Cody Travers stands beside Frei, clad only in an enormous feathered headdress, a pair of faux-deerskin leggings, and a pair of faux-deerskin moccasins. In his left hand is clutched a flint-headed tomahawk, and in his right is a Colt Peacemaker. Both arms hang limply at his sides, and suffice to say, Cody does not look happy to be in this situation.
"Yeah, well, this whole fucking thing is stupid," Cody murmurs fervently to his partner, careful to stay quiet enough that the microphones don't pick him up. With an irritated huff, he turns his gaze back to the two across from himself and Frei, lifting his left hand and the tomahawk to scratch irritably at his right arm. In the sun, the track marks stand out something fierce.
"Alright, well, let's get this over with," the blonde, blue-eyed, fair-skinned indian grouses. He takes a step forward towards Vyle and Juni... and then pauses, struggling to remember his 'line.' It's almost four seconds before he remembers it, gives a short, stiff bow, and issues a formal declaration of challenge the only way Indians know.
"How," Cody declares, dourly.
At least it's not a fat suit this time. Juni can almost get into dressing up in the western motif--at least she doesn't look like an overstuffed marshmellow.
Face to face with the two deputies, Juni looks all squint eyed from one to the other and back again. Some sort of sword wielding gunman and the injun... odd deputies this town has. Small, lithe hands reach for her pistols as her attention shifts back to Frei again, fingers wavering about them in the classic gunman stance.
"Draw" Juni drawls out -- half a second after she reaches for her own guns. She's supposed to be the badguy here, right?
COMBATSYS: Juni has started a fight here.
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Juni 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Cody has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Juni 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Cody
COMBATSYS: Frei has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Juni 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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|=------\-------\0 Cody
COMBATSYS: Vyle has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Cody
As the face off goes on, El Vyle simply has to smirk, eying the white-haired Frei, smirking from beneath his sombrero. He has to force himself not to comment...something that eventually fails as he finally as to aside to Juni under his breath. "Shanghai Noon and Little Poisoned Veins..." Shaking his head, he looks on, eyes focusing...
...and in almost unison with Juni, he starts to draw himself, right before her call for it. He may not be a gunslinger, but hopefully its made up for with cheap tactics as he tries to snap out a shot straight toward the western samurai.
COMBATSYS: Frei overcomes Medium Shot from Vyle with Strong Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Cody
Well... Cody makes an impression, this much is clear. But if he's the Injun, does that make Frei the sherrif? "Because," the sword-and-gun-wielding-fighter says out loud, "that is really wrong on a number of levels." He feels entirely safe uttering this sentence because, considering this scenario, it is relatively applicable to just about every aspect of what's going down. The only thing with even remote connection to 'real life' is that the dastardly bank robbers happen to be Shadaloo operatives, not that Frei himself knows that. The one who hates Latinos looks vaguely familiar but the thing about a costume is that it, you know, disguises people.
Nevertheless, Frei can empathize with Cody's lack of enthusiasm for 'wackiness'... he himself sort of enjoys the weirdness of SNFs now and then, but Frei's fought with and against plenty of fighters who don't 100% buy into it. "I find it's best to just... go with the flow," he says to his partner, turning to face Juni and Vyle. Oh yeah, and the latter is shooting at him.
Awareness. Awareness, awareness... that's the key to swordsmanship. Speed and power are nothing without it, or so Frei is led to think. And here he is, caught unawares. That said, instinct appears to be filling in where actual awareness is not; his hand whips to his side and draws one of the provided pistols. However, rather than firing one shot, Frei... panics, holds the gun with both hands, and opens fire. A lot. 90% of the shots go totally awry; 1 hits the bullet intended for him and both ricochet into the distance, and one last shot heads for Vyle. Poorly aimed, and thus not... quite as strong as it could be. But: better than getting shot himself!
COMBATSYS: Juni successfully hits Cody with Medium Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Cody
Juni goes for her gun, and Cody's feet dig into the earth beneath them, sliding a few inches as he braces for impact. This is the same as any other fight; it won't be necessary to change his tactics. Gunfire rings out, a bullet streaks out of Juni's gun down the street towards Injun Cody, the man grits his teeth and prepares to retaliate...
The bullet strikes Cody in the chest and flattens, falling to the dirt at his feet. His flesh welts, a purple bruise slowly spreading across his chest from the point of impact, but he doesn't seem terribly put out. Just as importantly, however, he seems... confused.
It's one thing to be hit by a fireball halfway into the fight. Then, he's already psyched up, already possessed of momentum. But this... he was just... just kind of shot, and Juni's still all the way over there. Cody finds himself decidedly unsure of how to proceed.
So he does what the cool kids are doing. Exasperated, he lifts his gun and fires wildly, sending a single bullet back towards Juni without bothering to do any silly thing like 'aim.'
COMBATSYS: Juni dodges Cody's Strong Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Cody
That entire aiming thing has been known to help get bullets within half a meter fo their target. As it is, Juni doesn't react to Cody's shot as she's not really sure who he's trying to aim at, herself or the tree behind her. If it .was. the tree, then very good show, Cody just shot the hell out of it; the poor tree will never be the same again.
Juni never was that fond of guns. They're good when you're trying to take down a target and you don't want to start a big hand to hand blowup, but this is a SNF contest, dammit, and getting into a huge melee should be part of the act! Having fired the requisite shot with the pistol, Juni decides to bring her fight to Cody where she wants it: Face to face, mano a mano.
She darts forward with a rather surprising burst of speed; there's even an after image trailing behind her as she charges Cody, pistols blazing all the while in his general though not quite perfect direction. When she gets with in 5 feet of him, the girl drops to a kneeling position. Rather than stopping her momentum like the move should, Juni only seems to speed up -- only this time she's practically flying forward, her entire body a few inches off of the ground as she throws herself horizintally towards Cody. It's like sweeping into home.. though with far more malicious intent than a friendly game... and she's still firing at him with a seemingly endless supply of bullets from her revolvers.
COMBATSYS: Vyle overcomes Strong Shot from Frei with Venom Breath.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Cody
Guns are nice. They have a nice heft to them, and they can definitely become an equalizer in the case of a down and dirty fight for life. But...they aren't ALL that. It doesn't help that almost no one in this fight seems to actually know how the hell to properly aim one, or at least aim properly in order for a kill shot.
So it's no surprise that Vyle wasn't banking on making a serious shot on Frei with his quick draw. What he DID do at least was force a panic attack and get the white-haired former chi-battery to waste his ammo firing wild. Smirking, he quicly drops his gun, prepping in a more proper wrestling stance before a putrid mass of green mist sprays out, throwing off the trajectory of Frei's final shot enough that only the luchador's pancho is damaged. And as for the mist itself?...well, Frei maybe should've hoped for a bandanna to cover his face with to avoid the potential poisonous burn waiting for him.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Vyle's Venom Breath.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Cody
Did... did Cody just... pecsmash a bullet? It's not to Frei's benefit that he stops, blinking, to pay attention to that, but he does. How can you NOT? His partner is... amazingly buff. The 'sherrif' lets out a low whistle. "That was... uh... it was," he finishes lamely. It was pretty amazing. Sadly, Vyle doesn't really give him much time to think about how awesome it was. Why? He just... well it's not entirely sure WHAT he just did. It's just obvious that there's... something gross coming his way.
Rather unlike his previous reaction, however, Frei is a little more at home dealing with strange phenomenon. His ammo count becomes irrelevant, as he drops the six-shooter in his hand to the ground, leaving him with one more in his belt... but it's the sheathed sword he reaches for instead. Taking a quick step back, he spins and slams the entire thing, saya and all, into the dusty, rocky ground. What rises up is a cloud of particulates and stones, perfectly poised to deal with the incoming venomous... whatever. Most of it is effectively dispersed in a cloud of green poison and tan dust, but a little bit of it remains to strike Frei on the cheek, of all places. Grimacing, he reaches up a hand and wipes it off, then wipes his hand on the chaps. Apparently the little bit that got through didn't hurt that much. "That... was gross," he says distractedly, before adding, almost as an afterthought, "...pilgrim."
Sadly, that defensive maneuver cost him some initiative and distance, but Frei doesn't hang around on the defensive. Ducking forward, he decides to drive right at Vyle in a most un-cowboy-like manner, planting his foot and swinging the scabbard of his sword up and hopefully into the underside of the luchador's chin. Not a crippling blow, but quick enough to get him back in the fight.
COMBATSYS: Cody endures Juni's Spiral Arrow.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 Cody
Cody's bullet blows a tree into splinters of wood, but he doesn't even notice; he's too busy glaring at Frei's appreciative look. "What?" the blonde demands angrily, obviously misinterpreting the look and stammered statement. "Fuck you, man, they made me wear this."
More bullets whiz past Cody, and the projectiles draw his attention back to Juni. He braces his feet again and stands his ground before the charging woman, even as she fires wildly. One bullet passes by his head so close that is blows a few feathers out of his ridiculously enormous headdress, but he doesn't even blink.
Finally, she launches herself into a spinning girl torpedo, and crashes feet-first into Cody's leg. The flesh distorts and bruises instantly, and Cody slides about two inches back... but he doesn't go flying, and he doesn't cry out in pain. Cody is reacting even before Juni has time to recover from impact. Mouth spread into a toothy grin, he springs forwards, planting one foot against the woman's stomach, and then swings the other foot forward to press it against her face.
Of course, Juni is slippery, like an eel - or a wizard - and the success of such maneuvers are by no means a guarantee. But should his foot find its destination, Cody rocks all of his weight forward onto Juni's head, slamming her down out of the air into the ground head-first, grinding such trivial things as 'her skull' into the dirt under his moccasin-clad foot.
COMBATSYS: Juni blocks Cody's Bad Stamp.
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Vyle 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
Juni's been in worse places than a stocky guy trying to grind her face into the dirt, but it's still not something she enjoys. Especially when he's using it to demonstrate his ability to throw off one of her more effective techniques. Eyes grow wide for a moment when she sees that foot coming down hard on her head, then she brings her hands up to prevent him from trying to do to her head what thugs do to pumpkins the day after halloween.
There's a bit of struggle between Cody trying to push down and Juni trying to keep up. Her teeth clench, eyes narrow and her knuckles go white with the pressure of holding him back, but she finally manages to push his curb stomping foot to the side. It leaves her with some major arm strain, but there's certainly worse results.
It also leaves Juni staring directly at the man's crotch, which is something Juni, by law, can't ignore. Fortunately for the blond man, Juni's playing the lawbreaker today. Rather than go for the cheap shot, she pushes herself into a hand stand; the earlier effort of her hands is leaving her usually rock solid handstand a bit wobbly -- but she doesn't need it to stay upright for too long, simply long enough for her to wrap her legs around Cody's thick neck and try and bring him back down.
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Vyle with Quick Punch.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
Despite the distance he forced on Frei with his Venom Breath, Vyle findshimself forgetting about the little range equalizer that Frei has, finding the scabbard swinging up to clip his chin. Head snapped back, he stumbles a little, sombrero nearly hanging off his head from the hit. "You just made your own grave, gringo," the rudo snaps, somehow managing to keep in character despite it all.
Sprinting toward Frei, he suddenly dips low in before leaping, trying to swing his body around before leaping and snapping out a rounding kick straight for Frei's brain stem, costume fluttering wildly in the dusty western sun.
COMBATSYS: Vyle successfully hits Frei with Light Kick.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
It's interesting, what happens. Frei blinks, sees Vyle kicking at him after this attacks lands. It's not surprising that he's attacking back, but rather that the angle of said kick is a little unusual. Frowning -- particularly since Vyle just said his grave was dug and all -- he turns and tries to swerve to the side to avoid it. Instead, he takes the kick to the face instead of the back of the head. Surprisingly, it doesn't bowl him over or anything. Despite being somewhat slight and short, Frei is amazingly resilient for this sort of thing. It's not taking a bullet to the chest and nosell-ing it, but it is surprising, depending on your point of view.
Frei says, around Vyle's boot: "Ow."
However, he then moves right into action, looking to shove Vyle's foot out of the way, then reach down to the sword at his side. Two cuts get made; the first is an upper draw, the blunted sword flashing out in a 'slash' from Vyle's lower left to upper right, and then Frei does a half turn and immediately reverses it, cutting from Vyle's left shoulder to his right hip. It's a classic battoujutsu double cut, and though the sword is blunted, it's a bit like getting smacked with an iron bar, twice. A heavy one, at that. "CHEST!", Frei adds, for full sword-on veracity.
COMBATSYS: Cody endures Juni's Strong Throw.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Cody
Cody's grin widens as Juni struggles against his foot, rocking as much of his weight onto his forward foot as he can without removing his other foot enough to let the woman simply squirm away. It's like the kids say; her resistance only makes his-
Finally, Juni manages to shunt the foot off to the side. Most of Cody's weight crashes into the ground so hard it causes a tiny crater in the dirt. The sudden lack of resistance unbalances the blonde, and he staggers forward onto his front foot long enough for Juni to push herself up into a handstand and wrap her legs around his neck.
Cody finds his balance as Juni's legs close around him, and he slams his feet back into the ground as solidly as he can, digging them into the dirt once again. Juni yanks, and Cody's grin twists into a snarl as he struggles against being pullled off his feet.
Technically speaking, it would be easy to let her topple him, and to roll with the impact. But that would entail taking the fall, and only /bitches/ take the fall. And so he struggles against Juni's pull, neck occasionally popping or cracking loudly as his vertebrae are shifted violently out of place, until she finally exhausts her momentum.
At which point, as per usual, he strikes. Stepping forward suddenly and pressing himself against the handstanding Juni to throw off her balance, Cody lifts the tomahawk in his left hand. It doesn't have a real edge, because it wasn't actually designed to be used. The crowd, the makeup lady told Cody, would want to see gunfire, not toy axes. But it's still got real heft to it, and it'd still hurt like a bitch if it were, to say, strike Juni squarely in the stomach.
Which it just might, as Cody whips the axe around the woman's body and swings it back in towards her midsection. Clearly, taking his vengeance on Cammy's uterus in his last SNF simply wasn't enough.
COMBATSYS: Juni dodges Cody's Random Weapon.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Cody
Not that the dolls, and Cammy specifically, have much use for their uterus. Not one of them's likely to be pregnant, and no one would want to behold the horrors their twisted bodies would produce anyways. Still, pain is pain, and that's not something Juni's all that interested in experiencing from a guy who's twice her size.
Which is why she doesn't stick around for much longer after she realizes there's no way this guy's going down. Sure, she's made his spine go all snap crackle pop, and not in the-sort of painful but feels good a half hour later-experience you'd find from a chiropractor, but he's still on his feet and now he's swinging blunt objects at her stomach. She lets go of his neck with a final parting twist and drops into a roll away from him, Cody's toy axe just missing her falling body by an inch.
As she rolls backwards, Juni reloads her revolvers with speed loaders, the guns ready to go just in time to fire off a few more shots at point blank range.
COMBATSYS: Vyle dodges Frei's Tsubame Gaeshi EX.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Cody
...brain stem, face...whatever. What matters is that Vyle managed to get in a nice boot on Frei, a wide smirk as he drops to the ground after his Enzuigiri-turned-Gamengiri. Better than anything. And one good thing about that kind of attack...if it hits, it's hard to get countered quickly.
Case in point, when Frei draws his blade, Vyle is far too low aginst the ground for the slash to hit, having dropped flat and low. When the return slash flashes out, the luchador rolls out and away, twisting and pulling his pancho away with a snap. "Your chest isn't what you should worry about, pendejo," he snaps, the pancho quickly rolled up, and flung out, trying to catch around one of Frei's legs and pull it out from underneath the wannabe samurai for what hopes to be an...uncomfortable trip down.
COMBATSYS: Frei fails to counter Quick Throw from Vyle with Zanshin.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/-----==|=======\-------\0 Cody
He's mouthing the word 'pendejo' when he gets basically dropped on his ass. It's a little ungainly and unlike a blow to the face when someone decides to slam you, you basically have to just take the fall. That's the POINT of a slam. Thus Frei's fall is bad, first on his legs -- which, surprisingly, splay a little as if he'd been ready to move when he falls -- and then on his ass, and then on his back. For a moment, he's left to stare up at the high noon, or high afternoon, or high early evening, sky. Whatever time of day it is the sky is really high up there and that's what he's looking at.
After a second or two, though, the sage-turned-swordsman kippups back onto his feet, brushes off his chaps, and points an accusing finger at El Vyle. "Hey! This show has kids in the audience. Watch your language, mister." Did he know what 'pendejo' means after all?
Almost as an afterthought, remembering he's supposed to be sherrif, he tacks on: "...in the name of the law!"
COMBATSYS: Cody fails to slow Power Shot from Juni with Trick Shot.
- Power fail! -
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Cody
Far be it from him to ever say it, but Cody was actually kind of impressed with what he caught of Frei's first reaction out of the corner of his eye. Deflecting a bullet with another bullet? Frankly, that's pretty sweet. But how hard can it be, really? It's this line of thought that leads Cody to try the same thing when Juni rolls away from his wild tomahawk swing and comes up shooting.
Cody lifts the revolver still clutched in his right hand, swinging the barrel up to line up with the angle of Juni's guns. His finger begins to tighten around the trigger, an-
The gun suddenly flies out of his hands as the first of Juni's bullets strikes it. With a yelp of surprise, the rest of the bullets crash into Cody's body... and, primarily, his hands. By the time the salvo finishes, Cody's hand looks like it just fought a meatgrinder to a standstill. In a few places the flesh is actually pulverized, and the entire digit is covered in blood. It seems, caught off guard like that, Cody just wasn't able to stop bullets with his bare hands. How disappointing!
Even more disappointing is the fact that he seems to be going into shock. He stares down at his mangled hand in a mixture of frustration and apprehension, and slowly stumbles backwards, collapsing to his knees after a few steps. "Now you... done it," the man gapes. And then he slumps forwards onto both hands, without regard for how messed up his hand already is.
His breathing quickens, and so does his heartbeat, rapidly climbing towards approximately a mile a minute. Is he having a panic attack...? If he is, the few actual cameramen around apparently don't want to deal with it. Very slowly, every camera crew in the vicinity starts to back away from the collapsed Cody.
In the spreading pool of blood around Cody's injured hand, a single rivulet of neon green appears, slowly trickling outwards from the wound...
With Cody laying on the ground like that, Juni has a moment to check out how the other fight is going. Fairly well, from the looks of it, though nobody seems to be having the upper hand. On the contrary, it seems that they're taking careful pains not to actually hurt the other person. Juni tsks under her breath at Vyel. "We're here to fight, not." She mumbles something under her breath about pillow fights.
With Cody having his panic attack, Juni decides to sit this one out for a bit in favor of watching Cody have this panic attack. It's a strange emotion to be having in the middle of battle -- he's not even doing it the M.Bison way, which Juni's quite familiar with.
COMBATSYS: Juni gains composure.
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Vyle 0/-------/-----==|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Cody
It's easy for Juni to criticize. She's got an opponent willing to be a damage sponge, whereas Frei is a little more elusive, requiring more of a finesse approch. El Vyle realizes this, not to mention lacking the kind of immediate impact ability to break open a fight from the start.
"Language is the last thing you should worry about, gringo," the formerly pancho'd luchdor sneers, almost giving out a full on cackle before he gives a sharp step forward. Hand glowing a dull ugly green, El Vyle snaps out and tries to drive in a spearing hand straight for Frei's chest. Oh yeah, he's going for blood here.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Vyle's Injector.
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Vyle 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=======\-------\1 Cody
There's a cross between a metallic *clang!* and a ceramic *thnk!* as Vyle's glowing fist suddenly meets the decorative scabbard of Frei's katana, brought up with surprising speed into the path of the attack. The force of it still jars his bones, forcing him back a half a step, but the deflection cuts down on the force of the blow considerably, and it also keeps that sickly green chi from touching his body. The sword-wielding sage breathes out -- a sigh of relief? -- and takes a step back, giving Vyle the eye. For a second or two he scrutinizes the luchador intently, then says, in a nonchalant tone, "...do I know you?" A beat. "'Gringo'?" You can hear the fingerquotes in his voice.
A glance to the side reveals that Cody is in... not so great shape. And is leaking green. That... gets a raised eyebrow. Sadly, Frei doesn't have time to worry about him, not with Vyle up in his grill.
"Sorry, 'pardner'... but you're gonna have to do a little better than this if you want to put me 'six feet under'." With that, he does something... rather unorthodox: he throws his scabbard in the air in Vyle's direction, then rushes the wrestler. Is it an extremely, extremely stupid and flashy way of doing a battou-style slash?! Is Frei doing grandstanding for the first time in his life?
Of course not. Hoping that Vyle's eyes are on the scabbard, only briefly, he pulls out his other revolver mid-stride and fires it. Hopefully, the shot will land and Frei can catch that scabbard before it hits the ground. Hopefully.
Cody continues to freak out on the ground for several seconds. Slowly, the kuminescent, neon green in his blood spreads farther and farther throughout the pool as more and more of his blood comes out green instead of red. As the color spreads, his muscles begin to spasm and swell, and one could almost swear he seemed to grow an inch or two.
Suddenly, with a violent roar, Cody wrenches his mangled fist off the ground and slams it back into the dirt, punching yet another small crater into the earth. He lifts his eyes away from the ground... and when he does, they're a solid, glowing green, the same color as the blood pooling beneath him. With an animal roar, the man hauls himself easily to his feet.
Fueled by an adrenaline-induced Glow overdose, Cody launches immediately into rapid strides towards Juni. A few steps away, he lifts his right leg and slams it out like a piston. The force of the strike is so great that it sends him lurching forward, his left foot dragging a furrow through the dirt underneath it as he slides towards the woman foot-first.
COMBATSYS: Juni interrupts Ruffian Kick from Cody with Cannon Spike.
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Vyle 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1 Cody
Hmn. Green. Like that Immovable Bulk character she reads about in the funny pages sometime. He's also good and pissed off, and charging at Juni like a runaway train. Which, frankly, makes him a rather easy target to read. Crouched down on one knee with her hands resting casually at her side, Juni waits for the perfect moment to strike.
There, when Cody's leg is lifted up to full height and he's balancing himself, however briefly, on one leg.
With almost casual ease, Juni flips herself upwards, her foot lashing out at the last moment to catch Cody's chest with a foot blazing bright purple -- a color that contrasts quite badly with his green motif, mind. It's a solid slam, enough to knock him back on his ass again, but it doesn't quite keep Juni out of danger. That leg still does come down after all, though not nearly as hard as Cody had planned. Instead of being pounded into the ground from the impact, Juni grunts and rolls off to the side. Her ribs are aching to be certain, but she has no doubt that Cody got the worse of that exchange.
"Phah. You know how go get angry like Bison, but you have no idea how to hit like him, do you? You'll never win this match upset like that." Juni scolds, of course hoping to get Cody even more pissed off.
COMBATSYS: Vyle dodges Frei's Trick Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Juni 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Cody
"Tch..." Vyle keeps forgetting about that damn sword. Both the blade and the scabbard. And its becoming just a little frustrating for him. His stabbing shot clanging off the scabbard, the luchador pulls back, glowering toward Frei. "Nnn....you'll know me..."
Then the scabbard flies up, and Frei charges. Thankfully, rather than confront the charging swordsman, he opts to dodge altogether, leaving him out of the line of fire as the sneaky shot flies out. "Lo siento, but I think you're outmatched, senor." Shooting forward, he tries to do something relatively simple...or at least it looks that way. While he seems like he's going for a straight out tackle, he instead tries to loop around once more, trying to hook at Frei's arm and swing him into a rather acrobatic arm drag into the ground.
COMBATSYS: Vyle successfully hits Frei with Strong Throw.
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Vyle 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/----===|=======\====---\1 Cody
To the ground he goes. Just because he's using the same sword his swift-footed forebears have doesn't magically give Frei their speed; he tries to duck out of the way and ends up borne to the ground for his trouble, landing for the second time on his back and this time getting the wind knocked out of him for his troubles. It's not fun at all... yet in defiance of everything, lying prone as he is, as the scabbard drops out of the sky he reaches out one hand while lying on his back, and into it the sword he threw drops, landing safely in his palm.
As he gets up, Frei gives Vyle an even look. Something in the way he chose his words... yeah. The sword-sage radiates a sort of glacial calm. "Ah. Now I think I remember."
He's not doing so hot in this fight so far, and part of him would like to stop and reevaluate the situation. But, he's not SUPPOSED to be doing that. He's supposed to be indulging the swordsman side of his heritage, and the part of him that says he's supposed to be aware of battle conditions says now is not the time for a nap. Instead he flexes his fingers a bit, glances at Vyle, and gets into a classic battou stance... one leg back, crouched slightly forward, left hand hovering over the hilt. "Here we go." He might not have super speed or whatever, but Frei is pretty high on the 'knowing where and when to strike' list, given his experience. He takes one leading step forward and then draws the blunted sword in one swift motion, looking to slash across Vyle's stomach at speed. "And I know all about you that I need to."
Juni's energy-clad foot crashes into Cody's chest with such force that he's blown off his feet. He flips backwards, head over (under?) heels, and crashes into the ground on his stomach. In short order, with a snarl, he hauls himself into a kneeling position and then rises once again to his feet.
Despite Cody's drug-addled state, Juni's insults appear to hit some sort of nerve. With another snarl, the man launches himself forwards again, coming in low at Juni. As he closes, he lashes upwards with his mangled, bloody right hand, swinging it violently upwards at Juni's chin.
As his arm nears its full extension, he gives his forearm a sudden twist. A second later, an eight-foot tall whirlwind, laced with thin lines of chi the same color as Cody's eyes, erupts into being in front of him, where Juni (hopefully still) stands. It roars with enough strength to send a woman like Juni flying... but even if it doesn't get the chance to do that, at least it looks cool, all spinnin' and throwin' dust into the air.
COMBATSYS: Cody successfully hits Juni with Criminal Upper.
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Vyle 0/-------/----===|======-\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Juni 1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Cody
Flying and spinning, then abruptly landing on the ground several meters away looking like she just got ran over by a truck;sShe's even managed to lose her hat! Previously secured around her neck by a small string, it's over yander looking like someone just not even involved in the fight just randomly dropped it off. Juni should, perhaps, consider herself lucky that her head's still attached to her shoulder instead of filling that hat out
Juni's not down for long though, and with a neat kikkup, the doll's back on her feet. She's still missing her hat, but she seems to be recovering from everything else quite well. Even the bruises on her face start to heal quickly, psychopower ensuring that she doesn't show physical trauma for too long.
Juni's eyes flash darkly as she considers her opponent and chides herself for being too slow to get out of the way. She, too, can build up energy... a large burst of dark purple psi flaring up in front of her. She holds it for a moment, feels it, shapes it, then lets it launch directly at Cody. The energy .screams. as it's released, a dozen harpies released for the kill, and while the massive flare of psycho energy bears a crude resemblence to a human form, it flickers and warps in midair, making it diffult to tell who, if anyone, the figure is supposed to represent.
Flying and spinning, then abruptly landing on the ground several meters away looking like she just got ran over by a truck;sShe's even managed to lose her hat! Previously secured around her neck by a small string, it's over yander looking like someone just not even involved in the fight just randomly dropped it off. Juni should, perhaps, consider herself lucky that her head's still attached to her shoulder instead of filling that hat out
Juni's not down for long though, and with a neat kikkup, the doll's back on her feet. She's still missing her hat, but she seems to be recovering from everything else quite well. Even the bruises on her face start to heal quickly, psychopower ensuring that she doesn't show physical trauma for too long.
Juni's eyes flash darkly as she considers her opponent and chides herself for being too slow to get out of the way. Perhaps there's something to be said about bullets after all. They'll at least give Cody something to charge through if he intends on attacking her again, and Juni's fairly confident he has no plans of just sitting there and being shot at. Frankly, she expects to have him at her throat again in seconds. Just enough time to fire off two shots, they'll have to do.
COMBATSYS: Vyle fails to counter Satsujin from Frei with Antidote.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Juni 1/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Cody
Perhaps Frei really has figurd Vyle out. Not that the luchador was hiding his identity. But...it seems more than just about who Vyle is.
The arm drag goes off wthout a hitch, leaving Vyle to flip over onto his feet and level a look toward Frei as the swordsman gets up. Narrowing his eyes he watches that stance come into play. "And here you die, hombre..." he mutters, this time trying to meet Frei headon. Big mistake.
Misjudging the timing, the blunted sword strikes straight across his stomach. And while he doesn't suddenly see his intestines spilling out onto the ground, the luchador does end up knocked back and sporting one hell of a nasty looking straight red mark across his stomach, one that's sure to look even more violently painful once it's given time to bruise. "UGhhhn...you....sonova......." he groans, clutching his stomach as he's fallen to the ground.
Well, of all the swordsman's arts, Frei has the elaborate spin and then resheath down; it really does have the same execution one sees in samurai movies all the time. Who knew that such things were actually taught by masters in the real world? Or as real as this world is, anyway (SUCK IT FOURTH WALL). "Arrogance," the sage-turned-swordsman says calmly, over the metallic *sheen!* noise of the katana sliding back into the scabbard, "is the first step toward downfall, I think. Or is that a little too Eastern for our little country and western setting?" the white-haired fighter finishes, ruining the effect rather awfully.
Vyle's stumbling backward gives Frei a few moments to step over and retrieve the guns he's lost since the fight starts. One goes into the holster opposite where his scabbard would go on the belt, but the other he keeps in one hand, and the scabbard he does not reattach by wrapping its silver cord through his belt loops, as usual; instead he holds it parallel to the ground and, of all things, aims the pistol he got back over it, squinting one eye shut. "Ready for round two?" he asks, firing off a shot or two Vyle's way.
COMBATSYS: Cody endures Juni's Strong Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////// ]
Juni 1/-------/=======|=======\=======\1 Cody
When Cody's whirlwind sends Juni flying, he only pauses long enough to let the tornado fade... and even then, only barely. As the lasts wisps of wind and chi fade from sight, Cody strides right through them, continuing his inexorable, Terminator-like advance towards Juni.
Technically speaking, the bullets do give him something to think about... but they come a long way from stopping him. The rounds crash into his stomach and, like the first bullet of the night, flatten against his abs, bruising the flesh underneath and then dropping to the ground.
They barely even slow him down; he flinches briefly, and hesitates for maybe half a second, but then he's right back to his forward stride. SOme ten feet away, he suddenly drops into a crouch and then springs into the air, launching himself in an arc towards Juni with surprisingly alacrity. As he drops in towards the woman, his faux-deerskin clad feet lash out in a blur of motion, striking at her chest. Even with the impressive leap, it's far less fancy than the things he's been doing.. perhaps he's running out of steam?
COMBATSYS: Juni endures Cody's Light Kick.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Juni 1/-----==/=======|=======\=======\1 Cody
Right, like Juni expected, the bullets barely even slowed him down. It did give her a chance to prepare though, to focus on the spark that lights her psychopower to one of her most impressive displays with it. She's so focused on internal methods that she barely even recognizes Cody's kick. A glance tells her that she'll more than likely survive the initial impact and that's all she cares about. Her head's jarred, but that's to be expected when you totally ignore a kick of any sort to the head.
And then there's a large burst of dark purple psi flaring up in front of her. She holds it for a moment, feels it, shapes it, then lets it launch directly at Cody. The energy .screams. as it's released, a the sound of a flock of harpies released for the kill, and while the massive flare of psycho energy bears a crude resemblence to a human form, it flickers and warps in midair, making it diffult to tell who, if anyone, the figure is supposed to represent.
COMBATSYS: Vyle overcomes Medium Shot from Frei with Medium Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Juni 0/-------/------=|=======\=======\1 Cody
Reeling, the only GOOD thing to come out of that shot to his stomach? Vyle finds himself back next to his gun again. Which is a pretty good thing, as he finds himself beset upon by Frei, pistol aimed and braced on the scabbard, leveled straight toward the rudo.
Scrambling, he evades the first shot, turning to snap off a shot of his own to intercept the second. Wasting little time, he cocks the hammer back again, firing off another round straight toward one of the swordsman's hands....or at least TRIES to. Guns are tricky to aim for amatuers, remember.
COMBATSYS: Frei blocks Vyle's Medium Shot.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Juni 0/-------/------=|=======\=======\1 Cody
What follows should theoretically not be possible.
Having fired his shot a long time ago, Frei discards the gun; he finds them stupid and clumsy weapons in the first place, and just doesn't feel right using one. He figured it might be a good distraction, a hunch that proves correct. His firing hand leaps immediately to the hilt of his sword and, eyes locked on Vyle's gun hand, he tracks the wrestler's shots. In many ways, this isn't even about the SNF anymore, nor is it about winning. It's about seeing what he's capable of... what he can do. There's the bang, as the gun fires.
A flash of silver, and it's over.
Once he's done, Frei's left re-sheathing the katana. If there's any sign he got shot, he doesn't show it. For all intents and purposes, he slashed the bullet straight out of the air with a drawing slash. The truth is that you can't really cut a bullet with a blunted blade, you can only deflect it; said bullet grazed Frei's hand on its way away from his body, doing at least a little bit of damage, but nothing that the resilient sword-sage can't handle.
For a second, he looks at the hilt distractedly. "Interesting."
Then he's closing the distance to someone again, but not Vyle, surprisingly. Instead he switches targets, deciding he's let his partner go unaided for long enough. "Sorry, 'kemosabe'," he says to Cody, even as he dashes to Juni's side and lashes out with a high kick to the Shadaloo Doll's shoulder. "I'm a little late to help."
COMBATSYS: Juni successfully hits Cody with Psycho Streak.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ]
Juni 0/-------/------=|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Cody
Guns are annoying, but that's about it. It's like being stung by a supersonic bee. But fireballs... or, in this case, fire, uh, silhouettes... they're something else entirely. If a bullet is a bee, a fireball is a bee that calls you a faggot and also eats all your stuff, and also insults all of your favorite things, up to and including Mr. Miyagi, who, let's be honest, is basically unassailable on a moral or philosophical level.
At practically point blank range, Juni unleashes an enormous blast of energy into Cody's chest. By now in a strangely subdued frenzy, Cody digs his heels into the earth and bares his chest to the sphere of energy, unleashing an animal roar of projectile hate.
It doesn't help at all. The blast connects with an enormous flash of light, and for the first time in a long time, Cody unleashes a scream of pain, oddly modulated by the drugs pumping through his system. He staggers backwards, clawing already-ragged fingers at his chest, where purple energy still lingers.
Cody wasn't looking too hot before, but he looks even worse now, Possibly even superbad. Reeling from Juni's assault, Cody sways back and forth, apparently suddenly having trouble staying upright. He finds his footing long enough, at least, to lift his mangled right hand, drawing it back into a fist even though he's some ten feet away from Juni.
Suddenly, a circle of neon green chi flashes at Cody's feet. For a split second, time freezes, the man's hand drawn back, the entire world focusing briefly on him as the air around him fills with what science calls 'totally sweet action lines'... and, even more oddly, his entire body flashes intermittently with a bright yellow sheen.
And then suddenly he's moving, and moving far faster than a battered, obviously exhausted man who just got pegged by a giant energy person has any right to. His fist slams forwards with such strength that Cody goes skidding forwards across the ground, trailing hazy, semi-transparent green afterimages, his feet dragging through the dirt as his fist tracks in for Juni's face like a Goddamn missile.
Regardless of the success of the first blow, Cody follows up with another two jabs, his fist moving at a blazing speed. And then... he turns around. It's only for a heartbeat, and it happens so fast that it barely registers, but Cody turns his back on Juni and then turns back to her, unleashing another trio of jabs.
And then he turns around again... and then again, and unleashes three more jabs. He repeats this process a total of three times before he finally follows through on his superhumanly fast jabs with a vicious right cross, and then a left hook, and then a devstating uppercut with his right hand.
Through the entire ordeal, Cody screams in anger, and rage. He's so infuriated he keeps up his assault on midair, even should Juni make herself entirely scarce. When he finally wears himself, Cody's screaming abruptly cuts off and he staggers backwards again, slumping to his knees. The green color in his eyes flickers, and slowly begins to fade...
COMBATSYS: Cody has reached second wind!
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
... and then redouble. The scream returns in full force as Cody throws his head back, his eyes flaring up again with green light. Every muscle on his bare chest spasms wildly. In a few places, where veins are closest to the surface of the skin, thin tracks of glowing green appear on Cody's chest and arms, with the highest concentration in his forearms, all leading down to converge on his fists.
He helps draw attention to this by having a Goddamn tantrum, slamming his fists into the dirt and blowing craters into them. Eventually the roar - and his tantrum - die off, and once again Cody climbs to his feet. He seems... oddly calm, now.
Light refracts off of the dust hanging in the air around his body. Every once in awhile, they almost look like embers. The really weird thing, though, is that sometimes they look like /green/ embers. Surely it /is/ just a trick of the light... right?
COMBATSYS: Juni dodges Frei's Light Kick.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
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Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
COMBATSYS: Juni dodges Cody's Final Destruction EX.
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Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///// ]
Juni 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Cody
Despite the sudden glowing green rage coming from Cody-sabe, Juni seemed to avoid the retaliation in stride, both from Frei and Cody. However, her attempts to lure Cody out into more open areas to...subdue him left the fight on camera to Vyle and Frei alone.
A small chuckle comes from 'El Vyle' as he starts to twirl his six shooter around his finger again. "Looks like we decide where things go, gringo. Hope you don't mind a place on Boot Hill. I hear it's spacious." The poisonous hombre just can't help but laugh to himself as his spurs jingle, a small, lazy circling around the western samurai. Just to....taunt him.
COMBATSYS: Vyle takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
> ///// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Cody
Okay, this is a lot to process. He missed Juni, and hops back to a reasonable defensive position, hand going to the hilt of his sword again. That seems to be the easy part. Juni, however, then suddenly for whatever reason decides to make her exit. That is a little less easy to understand. Then, as Frei turns to look, he realizes Injun Cody is not only bleeding a seriously unnatural shade of green, but is also still on his feet after Juni's blistering psychic assault, and... has passed beyond the Merely Annoyed zone into Seriously Freakin' Angry. That element of the equation just doesn't make sense even remotely, and Vyle deciding not to attack is certainly a blessing in disguise, all things considered; Frei really just does not understand what is going on with Cody, and for a moment just kinda... stares at him.
"This is a poser," he murmurs under his breath.
Cody and Juni aren't the immediate threat, however; Vyle is. And while Frei doesn't have a name for the poisonous wrestler, he at least has worked together a combination of personality and fighting style characteristics that unmistakably idenfity him as one of the individuals responsible for delivering Frei and Ichiro into the clutches of S.I.N. To say that Frei is out for revenge isn't exactly accurate; he's far too circumspect a personality for that. Nothing he does now will change the past, regardless.
The present, however...
"I've no intention of dying today," Frei says evenly, turning toward Vyle and watching him carefully, remaining in stance. His breathing is even, his demeanor calm; after all, this whole sword-carrying thing is his attempt to get inside his mother's head, to uncover some of the philosophy behind what he had once considered a dead art. Awareness... he just needs to stay aware. "Though you're welcome to give it a shot."
COMBATSYS: Frei focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
> ///// ]
|=====--\-------\0 Cody
Just as quickly as it came, Cody's sudden calm vanishes. Apparently infuriated by the continual ineffectiveness of his attempts to squash Juni like a bug, Cody lets loose another bestial roar and charges after the 'fleeing' Juni.
Well, not so much 'after' her as 'in her general direction.' COdy, hopped up on Glow as he is, charges right through the wall of a building that still stands from the 19th century, blowing a huge chunk of the wall into a cloud of sprinters. Simultaneously, one of the camera crews and an SNF executive hundreds of miles away cry out in despair.
Moments later, there's another loud crash as Cody emerges from the other side of the building, still chasing Juni into the distance. The camera crew closest to the retreating pair ruminate briefly on the subject, and then decide they would rather keep filming Frei and Vyle and maybe lose their jobs rather than get anywhere near Cody and Juni.
COMBATSYS: Cody has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
That was...interesting. Not interesting enough to keep Vyle from antagonizing Frei, but interesting. "Senor Jailed Bird has issues," he notes, shaking his head before turning back to Frei, smirking.
Oh, Vyle remembers...so it's about time that Frei does as well. "So...do you know how to cucaracha, Senor Frei?" he asks, a mad grin on his face as he fires off another shot at Frei, this time aiming straight at one of his knee caps. No use letting the man get TOO comfortable, after all.
COMBATSYS: Frei overcomes Strong Shot from Vyle with Strong Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/-======|=------\-------\0 Frei
He'd been prepared for this. Vyle isn't new to this rodeo, after all; if Frei takes a more tactical stance, then it's entirely likely that, armed as he is with six shooters, the wrestler would keep his distance for the time being. Unfortunately for him, Frei had that worked out ahead of time. Even as Vyle continues to taunt, the sword-sage is slowly inching his way toward Vyle, one hand coming away from sword and hovering around his hip. Once he sees El Vyle going for his guns, however, Frei stops moving slowly and sets off at a dead run.
There's the bang of a gunshot, but Frei nor his kneecaps aren't where they were when Vyle was aiming. In fact, he's rolling forward along the ground in a front somersault, Vyle's shot passing harmlessly overhead. Frei, in the meantime, draws his own remaining revolver and fires off a couple of shots as he rises to his knees. They're not well-aimed; it's unlikely that, should they hit, they'll have the same impact as one more meticulously aimed... still, it's a lot better than being shot himself.
And the white-haired fighter's answer, as he comes back up, is a surprisingly laconic (for Frei): "...no."
COMBATSYS: Frei successfully hits Vyle with Strong Shot.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Frei
Well, that didn't go quite as well as it was planned. He keeps forgetting that Frei tends to run and shoot, which, while not exactly good for one's aim, makes it easier to get a drop on someone staying still to shoot. Case in point, when his shot is snuck under, and the following gunshots aimed at hisown knees, the Luchador finds his legs peppered and bloodied up through his period-era canvas pants. "NNhhh...."
Dropped to the ground with a grunt, the luchador slides back, clutching his bloody legs as he tries to get them to wake up again. "Nn....you know...I found the other kid..." he says, low enough to keep it from the SNF mics. "Looked like he got messed up...though not as bad as he was after I was through with him again." A lethal smirk, leaving out the beating Adel left on him afterwards...it's obvious he's out to get further under Frei's skin here, and buy himself a little time.
COMBATSYS: Vyle focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Vyle 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Frei
Emotionally, as in fighting, Frei's skin is decidedly difficult to pierce.
Never mind the fact that, since the end of the Southtown siege, Frei himself has seen Ichiro, too. The eyepatch is certainly one thing, the resort to a lethal weapon when before he would eschew such things, another. But to the white-haired man's eyes, the real damage to poor Ichiro was emotional rather than physical. The Taiyo student's innocence -- well, and some of Frei's own despite his greater age -- was tested, broken, and in its own way shattered. It's rational to be angry at the man in front of him, Frei observes... rational, but not exactly right.
Slowly unfolding from his kneeling position, Frei takes a deep breath, and gives Vyle a calm expression. "He's a survivor," the sword-sage says simply, hand once again hovering over the black, silver, and blue hilt of his blunted blade. He is also, it is worth noting, *not* bothering to keep his voice low. "If anything, you should be thinking about cause and consequence. Consider that some friendly advice."
And then he's on the move.
Frei is not fast, not by nature. He's not a marathon runner and there are many, many fighters with sharper reflexes than he. But he *does* have a talent for the 'sprint'... brief, bursting speed that's a hallmark of the battoujutsu art, an echo of his childhood training coming back to him. He crosses the distance between himself and Vyle in record time, the blunt-edged sword being drawn even as his final step hits the ground. The blow, even if it connects cleanly, won't be much more than grazing... but like the technique's name -- Shinsoku, 'god speed' -- suggests, defending against its sudden speed may be a challenge, even for a quick-footed fighter such as Vyle.
COMBATSYS: Vyle blocks Frei's Shinsoku.
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Vyle 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Frei
Despite the speed, though, Vyle manages to bring himself up to guard the attack, pushing himself to a crouch just enough to get his arms up and stem the quick slice. The blunt edge only makes it easier to guard, thankfully. "NNhhh.....cause, and consequence, huh?" he asks, smirking.
"I know about it well, senor. Like if I sweep your legs out from under you, the consequence is you breaking your head open on the ground," he says, back into 'character'. Suddenly, he rushes in....and despite pointing out the possibility of a sweep, he actually just charges straight in, trying to grab around Frei's waist and simply tackle him down into the dusty Montana soil with a spear.
COMBATSYS: Vyle successfully hits Frei with Medium Throw.
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Vyle 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Frei
In a little too close to dodge properly, unfortunately... Frei's drawing arm has just put the sword back in the scabbard when he turns and notices Vyle rushing at him. The comment about the sweep didn't register, but at such close range it actually doesn't matter which way the wrestler is attacking from; Frei doesn't have much time to react and he zigs when he should have zagged. The result is him going to the dusty ground, as Vyle expected; he grimaces as stones dig in on impact, arching his back, but after a short backward roll, he's back on his feet. Dusting himself off, he drops right back into stance, right hand hovering slow circles around the hilt of the sword hanging at his left. "It's going to take more than you have to kill me, unfortunately," he says, simply.
A pause, a deep breath. He doesn't attack; he just takes stock. The family sword style, as he learned it, has three sub schools: 'Guren', which focuses on striking power, 'Shiden', which focuses on speed, and 'Soukai', which focuses on awareness. Frei personally lacks power and speed, at least comparative to other fighters of similar experience. Awareness, though... the ability to synthesize information out of the flood coming in to your senses, all the time, and choose carefully and 'correctly' what is the best course of action. That, he can do.
The dust blowing across the ground. Whistling wind, and the oppressive, dry heat. Vyle's body, and the distance between them. And beneath his feet, the feeling of the earth, shifting sand and hard-packed frontier soil... and the feeling...
Frei's green eyes widen in surprise. He says nothing -- how could he articulate it? -- but to all observation, he's a sitting duck, clearly taken totally off guard by... something unseen.
COMBATSYS: Frei gains composure.
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Vyle 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Frei
Whatever revalation that Frei has, it's lost on Vyle, who has no idea of what kind of thing goes through the swordsman's head. All he sees is the silver-haired man on the ground, staring at seemingly nothing at all. "What was that now? Hrm? Not saying much, senor? Too bad...I guess you're not sheriff material.
Slowly rising up, the Luchador peers on...and grins, winding a leg up before aiming a direct kick into Frei's ribs hoping to rattle the swordsman up a bit more. No trick shots, no fancy wrestling...just a boot to the side. Hey, he IS a rudo, after all...
COMBATSYS: Vyle successfully hits Frei with Light Kick.
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Vyle 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Frei
A bit of a distraction, apparently... perhaps too much. He doesn't bother sharing it with Vyle, because how could he? The sword in his hands is, at least in part, because Frei's ability to sense and perceive the flow of chi is dulled to the point of insensibility. Thus his typical fighting style, which is so very dependent on that sense, is all but pointless. The sword is a means to an end, philosophically speaking; what he hopes is that a change in his way of thinking will result in a change in his perceptions.
He really didn't have any idea how it would work.
What he felt, just now, fills his senses even as he's too distracted to roll with the kick that slams into his side. It doesn't quite knock him over; at best it sends him stumbling back a few steps, clean hit though it is. The question is: was it real? The sense of... presence. As if the wind, the earth, and everything else weren't just individual components, but an actual... presence he felt. Like a third person in the fight, watching him. Saying nothing.
There's a moment where he considers that, before turning to Vyle with an almost... embarrassed smile? "Sorry... something important just came up. Do you mind if we finish this quickly?"
With that, there's a flurry of motion at his side as he unties the silver cord keeping the blue lacuqered saya there; passing it into his right hand, Frei attempts to scythe the cord and scabbard both through Vyle's legs, tripping him up and dragging him forward. If he can accomplish that, the sword-sage suddenly yanks the saya back and, before Vyle can recover, draws the blade from it in one smooth motion, cutting from the lower left to the upper right to bat the wrestler away.
COMBATSYS: Vyle counters Saya Gari from Frei with Relapse.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Frei
Quickly?....Vyle can do that he supposes. The luchador seems a bit surprised that Frei's far away look remains even after a full on kick into his ribs, taken aback at the just horribly...casual and apologetic way he asks the luchador if things can be wrapped up fast. "...the hell?" He asks, looking on as if the swordsman grew another head.
Oh well, not that it matters. The vile hombre was waiting for something like this. When the scabbard is flung out to try andslide between his legs and trip him in much the same way he used his pancho earlier in the fight, the luchador instead surges forward, twisting as he dive closer in. Twisting out, he levels a whipping kick straight into Frei's jaw, kicking the swordsman upward and into the air. Despite shot up legs, Vyle manages to leap up after, catching him and deciding to go a bit...more classic (and in honor of his Mexican character) carries him down in a good ol' martinete instead (known to you gringos as a piledriver). "Arriba, Arriba, puto."
Well, that stings, for sure... perhaps the most of all of Vyle's attacks so far, though in truth the Sickness' techniques to date have been minor stings to this point, needles that have worked up an aggregate effect over time to be quite nasty. There's a really unnerving-sounding *crack!* as Frei's white-haired head hits the hard Montana ground, but sadly for Vyle, even that technique is not enough to take Frei out of the fight... not quite yet, anyway. It takes a little longer for him to get to his feet than before, though it's not quite sure if that's because of fatigue or the sense of presence still pounding in his head, dominating his thoughts.
The Spanish insults are ignored; in fact, it's as if Frei is only dimly aware of Vyle's presence at all, or at least his presence as a unique individual. It's more as if the wrestler is... there, and Frei knows he's a threat, but understanding of Vyle qua Vyle is a little hazy. "Well... it's bad etiquette to just stop fighting, I think," he says, in response to Vyle's confused expression. "And we've had enough of that this bout, anyway." Where ARE Juni and Cody at this point?
Ducking forward, Frei makes another straightforward slashing attack, but this time he comes in low instead; when he draws the blunted blade in another diagonal cutting slash, the motion carries him up and away instead of further toward his opponent, a backward hop turning into a wide slash.
COMBATSYS: Vyle dodges Frei's Satsujin.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Frei
Rising up after spiking Frei into the ground, the luchador rolls back, frowning as he tries to be sure that this is the end. Unfortunately, as he sees Frei get back up to his feet, he sighs. "You've got too hard a head for your own good. Why don't you guys ever die like you should?" he mutters to himself, shaking his head.
"So why don't you just lay down and die like a good dog, gringo?" he asks, back into character. When Frei dives forward, Vyle jumps back, which turns out to be a good idea as the backdashing slash misses wide when the Luchador backsteps as well. "I'll even help you, senor." and wth a charge forward, he springs off toward Frei...and leaps into the air, flipping over once before feet pump downward for the swordsman's head, as if trying to stomp him straight into the ground again.
COMBATSYS: Vyle successfully hits Frei with Riot Stampede.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Frei
"Because," Frei says carefully, closing his eyes for a second. It's a very curious tranquility, he feels... an almost prescient state, like he really can see a little bit into the future. "The will to survive is one of the strongest things in the world."
When Vyle's feet come down toward his shoulders, he entertains the idea of shifting out of the way... but something makes him change his mind. He just... stands.
The blow hits home, slamming down onto Frei's shoulders, but it doesn't quite knock him flat. Drive him low, absolutely; the weight of the wrestler plus the force of the drop sends Frei toward the ground, one knee going down, a hand pressed into the dirt. But all that does is fill him with that sense of presence once again. He wasn't wrong... this really was the right way. It's a perfect ray of hope, in the most strange and unusual of situations. The fact that this final attack sapped the last of his strength to fight is relatively immaterial, by comparison.
It's a long while before Frei can finally get himself standing, and when he does, his stance is somewhat wobbly with injury and fatigue. Yet he still stands... perhaps for one final last stand. "Alright... then," Frei says quietly. "Time to mix some movie metaphors." Taking a deep breath, the sword-sage puts his hand to his side, back in that stance. One last attack... not to win, but to show honor to the woman who made this possible. Maybe she'll see it when she watches this... IF she watches this.
He hopes she will.
"Musou Tenkei Hi-Ougi..." the white-haired fighter murmurs, eyes heavy-lidded, before they suddenly snap open and Frei leaps across the distance toward Vyle. In a flash, the blunted sword is drawn in a crosswise cut. "Ansatsujin..." But... this first strike is quite different. Rather than leading with the right foot, per normal, Frei leads with his left. The extra step adds considerable speed and strength to the swing, so much so that if Vyle merely defends against the first strike, he can feel the displaced air drawing him toward Frei rather than away, even as Frei himself continues to spin in the direction of the first swing.
"Soukai!" he shouts, finishing the spin and delivering a *second* slash, then a third, a fourth, and a fifth... one strike flowing into the next in perfect, wave-like motions, fitting the technique's name, 'Azure Sea'.
After that, however, Frei slumps toward the ground, driving the tip of the practice sword into the dirt and taking deep breaths. He's clearly done.
COMBATSYS: Frei can no longer fight.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Vyle dodges Frei's Ansatsujin - Soukai.
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Vyle 0/-------/------=|
The stomps rain down, like a stampede (hence the name, ya know). However, he's surprised when he has the ability to simply vault off of Frei's shoulders and back like he does. He was assured he'd be able to lay him out flat if he got all the kicks in . But...here Frei stands, serene as ever, and rising like nothing. "Hell's wron with you?" he mutters, glowering in Frei's direction. And when the swordsman preps up another slash, Vyle hunkers down, ready to get the hell out of the way if he can.
Thus, when Frei charges out and tries that battoujutsu slash. He leaps back.....and suddenly finds himself facing numerous other ones, eyes wide. "Just die, why don't you?!" he shouts, somersaulting after the fourth one and dropping flat to duck under the fifth one before side rolling away. Just in case there's any more. But when Frei slumps over and ceases his attack, Vyle blinks...and rises again.
"....so....gringo...I guess that's all you were able to do?" he asks, snorting. A big ass bluff for how freaked he was by Frei's final assault, honestly, but hey, he's good at hiding his fear that way, as long as cameras are on him. A bell rings (not a ring bell...but an honest to god church bell), as if to signal the end of the match. Looking around, no sign of Cody or Juni, Vyle figures...that's it. And when the SNF announcer makes it official, he fires off a shot in the air for celebration (against cidy ordinance, mind). "Viva El Vyle. Viva the Sickness!"
Log created on 19:57:16 07/27/2009 by Frei, and last modified on 21:39:07 08/09/2009.