Description: At a cliffside overlooking a Transylvanian castle, in the dark hours, Neo League happens. Two blondes, with red eyes, but very different methods of fighting clash: who will be victorious? (Winner: Rock)
While it might be possible to sell tickets to events held in stadiums, theaters and other more cosmopolitan locations there's something about combat in exotic locals that really drags in the per view sales. And it doesn't get more exotic than this, high up in the mountains of Romania. If that alone weren't enough to draw attention cameras have been set up all along the inner keep of the castle that once belonged to none other than Vlad the Impaler, a man better known by fans of the horror genre as Dracula.
With a setting such as this there can be no doubt that the fight is taking place uncustomary in the dead of night. And though the moon may not be entirely full it is only a couple days from it, shining large and bright alongside the stars in the black sky above. As nice as it would be to fight under the light of the moon it's sadly impractical for the cameras, and so a large lights are also placed about, lighting the ancient stone architecture well enough for all to be visible within without completely drowning out the view of the stars above.
Among the two fighters intended to slug it out here today is a short blonde young woman who is in the midst of making her return to competitive fighting, the golden ornaments in her hair catching the artificial light and flashing it in various directions as she moves about, doing a series of stretches in order to warm up in the cold spring air. "A goddess of the sun fighting in the realm of a prince of darkness. I wonder if I should be worried?" she comments to herself, seeming rather amused at her surroundings.
It's quite the picturesque place. One could imagine a man, dressed in blue and silver, with leather boots and gloves, wielding an enchanted whip against the undead forces of evil...
But that's the wrong game for this genre. Rock rode a touring bike in, but out of respect for the area, has walked--maybe a quarter mile--from where he parked his bike, to come to this area, to have a fight up on the cliffside. Afraid of heights? Not this young man. His blond hair and red eyes mark him distinctively, the blond hair being the most visible as he crests the cliff face, coming upon the lighted area. The lights, he thinks, rather detract from the mysterious nature of the place.
But they'll make fighting a lot easier. Rock saunters up, his riding shoes crunching dead leaves and cold grass underfoot until he's up where Ingrid is.
"Guess you're my opponent. Ingrid, right?" he calls, conversationally, as he fishes a pair of fingerless gloves from a pocket on his jacket. Giving her a look, he nods to himself, tugging the gloves on, strapping them down, and unzipping the cuffs of his jacket, shrugging his shoulders around.
"Right. Well, I'm gonna give it my all--I'm gonna take it to the limit!" he calls, sounding almost friendly, grinning as he raises his hands into fighing position, leading with his left leg in an open stance.
COMBATSYS: Rock has started a fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
Is it possible for the crunch of leaves in the distance be enough to alert someone to Rock's arrival? Likely not, what with the noise of the activity created by the League officials and cameramen making sure everything is in order. But that might be exactly how it seems to those that later view the footage, Ingrid's stretching coming to an easy end as she perks up and begins walking in the direction of the entrance to the castle courtyard cameras following her as, lo and behold, Rock makes his entrance.
"Yes, you are very correct," she replies, studying him quietly while coming to a stop. "And if I am your opponent that would make you none other than Rock Howard. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." She dips into a quick curtsy as she greets him, a single gloved hand brushing several locks of encroaching hair over her shoulder, those shining white and seeming to have lost all semblance of blonde in the moonlight.
His words bring a faint but warm smile to her lips, "Wonderful. I wouldn't have it any other way. I will, of course, oblige you by doing the very same." Her hand falls from her hair and she adopts an easy, open and very mobile stance, the light sway from side to side she takes on the only real hint to those without experienced eyes that she's entered a fighting pose. As she studies him, her scrutiny of his stance more than casual, she ponders aloud, "Quite the pair, aren't we? I only wish I'd worn black myself."
After all, how many blonde haired, red eyed fighters are there?
COMBATSYS: Ingrid has joined the fight here.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
COMBATSYS: Ingrid focuses on her next action.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Ingrid
Of blond hair, there are many. Red eyes are less common but they exist. But the combination is pretty unique--and besides, the League folks inform fighters ahead of time. So he's relatively informed--as is she--about who his opponent is (and Ingrid hers). The stance is classic Hakkyokuseiken, but it isn't so unique a stance that it doesn't share many similarities with many other 'hard' fighting styles that originated in the same general areas.
"Yeah, that's me," he confirms, beginning to bounce on the balls of his feet, setting up a rhythm for himself, keeping light on his feet. And then he begins to move. He knows that Ingrid is watching him--recognizes the gaze for what it looks like, an attempt to size him up. He grins. She can watch him all she likes--action is what wins fights. There are, of course, times when it is appropriate to slow down and take a careful look at things--but it's equally important to set the pace.
So, a mere few seconds into the fight's start, he's moving forward. Two steps slow, and then he's running full out--and pulling up short to throw a swift left jab for her forehead, his fist cutting a swift, sharp sound through the air.
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Ingrid with Jab Punch.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Ingrid
Once upon a time Ingrid went into her fights knowing nothing other than the names of her opponents to be, intentionally keeping away from information about their fighting styles in order to make it more of a surprise, and more of a challenge, when the bout actually took place. Not anymore. She's since been convinced that training for ambush in such a way doesn't work well in the long run, and she's been exposed to professional fighting for so long that it'd be near impossible to keep that kind of distance- with the exception of those new themselves.
So though she hasn't gone so far as watch tapes of Rocks fights and try to pick his fighting methods apart she has a good idea of what she's in for. Unfortunately, this time, that advanced knowledge doesn't matter to terribly much. It comes down to pure reflex and speed. Rock sprints in and swings for her, and though she immediately begins backing off and raising her left arm in defense she's unable to read exactly where it's aimed for until it's too late, his fist brushing effortlessly past the clothing on her forearm and impacting her head, which snaps back from the force of the blow.
She staggers backwards, caught by surprise by the strength of the attack that came so quickly, spinning around once to hold her balance and keep from falling. As she twist back around to face him her right arm swings in a quick underhand motion, a trail of golden sparkles shimmering behind giving away her intensions, a large ball of shining energy lifting off as her hand swings back upward, likely to impact Rock's head as it rises due to the close proximity.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid successfully hits Rock with Sun Shot.
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Rock 0/-------/------=|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
And impact it does; Rock's head is engulfed in the blaze of energy, the range having been a bit too close to properly guard. And it's a good one, too; it rocks him back several steps. But for all that, when the blaze clears, Rock is grinning fiendishly. "Not bad, not bad... that ain't chi... but the opening shots -should- be that good..." Now she's got some distance from him; that's not bad at all. But he can close distances, easily, and he intends to do that right now.
"Let's see if you can keep up!!" And he bursts forward, feet pounding the ground for two steps before he launches into a full-on lunge, his feet kicking up clouds of trailing dust as he flies forward, his feet only touching the ground when he reaches Ingrid--left elbow first, aimed for her chest--as is the right palm strike that follows, a flare of purple chi blazing around the hand that strikes.
COMBATSYS: Ingrid counters Hard Edge from Rock with Sun Upper.
- Power hit! -
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Rock 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
The golden blast is taken with good humor, which is pleasant to see for the blonde who delivered it. "No, I'm afraid I'm quite incapable of delivering chi. Someone attempted to train me in it's use once, but it went rather poorly." The distance opened up between the two isn't insubstantial, but despite it Ingrid begins to back off further. With how quickly he closed the gap the first time she's going to need it.
Ingrid nods placidly as she's goaded, able to take one more step back as he shoots forward again. Then she stops, holding her ground and waiting- clearly waiting, for him to get just a little closer. It looks as if she could be waiting to jump away at just the last second, but when he begins to commit to his attack she does exactly the opposite.
Leaning forward at the hips while he's just about to her she lifts a hand and taps at the air in front of her, a large disk of swirling psi forming between her attacker and herself. The elbow intended for her chest impacts it instead, the effects immediate. The disk disappears, it's energy immediately snapping about Rock's body and holding him firmly in place, unable to move. Ingrid sweeps her arm upward in a quick motion and the energy follows her command, shooting skyward and bringing him along for the ride, only to disappear on the trip up to leave him crashing back to the ground.
Ingrid lets out a quick breath, "That was very close. I think you're much more than I had anticipated, Mr. Howard." She paces several steps backwards and smiles, "Very well, then. Let's see if I can continue to match your pace, shall we?"
Rock smirks, even as he's countered; it isn't in his nature to be afraid, to worry. To be cautious, yes--to be analytical, to fight with one's head as well as one's spirit. So when he's countered, thrown upwards, hurled back down to the ground... he rolls away, springing back to his feet. "Mmm. I suppose you can. That was a pretty good hit. Didn't think you could do that..."
He's been the attacker so far--and it hasn't worked out. So, perhaps it's time for a -change- of pace. He inclines his head, acknowledging her skill--not that he was assuming her to be less skilled than he, really. It'd be a dangerou assumption to make. And then it's his turn to 'watch', giving her a look, quite a look at that--not ogling her, but his eyes going sharp, intent. There are many ways to affect the flow of a fight, and Rock is well-versed in many of them... but Ingrid might be as well.
COMBATSYS: Rock focuses on his next action.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
"I can be very surprising, from time to time," Ingrid responds, making careful note of how quickly he's rebounding from her strikes. Doubtful that he's going to back off an inch, even knowing that she can turn his attacks around on him, she surmises. She's expecting him to come at her, thus, and upon catching his look raises her eyebrows. "Sharp," she comments simply.
Unwilling to turn the match into a waiting contest, she takes several steps forward and breaks into a run, approaching quickly before leaping skyward. She flips once as she sails through the air, a white flash of petticoat briefly visible, the Norwegian sailing down to where she'll nearly land directly on top of Rock. But if there were any allusions that she might be going in for a kick they're cast aside as she pulls her arm back far before sweeping it in front of herself, creating a wide swath of searing sparkles that moves with her. It might completely immerse him, should he let it, as she lands right in front of him.
COMBATSYS: Rock fails to interrupt Sunburn from Ingrid with Raging Storm+.
- Power fail! -
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Rock 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
Looks like Ingrid just might have this one in the back; the swath of energy engulfs Rock completely, hurling him to the ground, whatever response he may have been preparing stuffed completely. This is... an unexpected and unpleasant situation for him--not because Ingrid is a girl, or because he expected to steamroll her. He didn't. But being on the losing end like -this-... hasn't happened often in his lifetime. And he's embarrassed.
He rolls away again, rising to his feet, though much less sprightly than last time. No smirk, no joking around, just pure intent. She can seal the deal, right here, unless something really starts going his way--his efforts to control the fight have been for naught. It isn't going to cause some crack in his confidence in the long-term, but he's definitely wanting to put paid to her before she takes him out...
Were she more sensitive to buildups of chi Ingrid might realize how close she'd come to an exceedingly painful situation, but as it is she's almost completely in the dark other than feeling Rock's own intent. That embarrassment is felt just as keenly to the empathic psion, her face holding that same quiet smile as when she first met him. And that's just it, too. Nothing changes, for her.
It's actually a bit hard for someone so used to goading people and throwing them off guard as she. Had Rock been anything other than completely sportsmanlike she'd no doubt be teasing him about his performance right now, but as it is? As it is she simply gives him the respect he deserves, and attacks.
No going easy either, she presses her advantage, jumping towards him a moment after he's back to his feet, more sparkling energy forming around her body and trailing behind her as she spins through the air, intending to batter him with her elbows as she spins before landing, immediately launching into a high flipkick with a shout of, "Yosha!" Her heels aim for his chin as she arches back and whips her legs around, a potent trail of golden energy flowing from them.
COMBATSYS: Rock counters Sunrise from Ingrid with Gedan Crack Counter.
! VENGEANCE !
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=======\=====--\1 Ingrid
She's controlled the fight, up to this point--and done so remarkably well. But this moment... while it won't turn the fight around... will at least give Rock some form of... vengeance. Is it possibly she was a bit cocky about her chances? Or maybe she just thought he was off-balance? For whatever reason, she comes with that spinning-elbow strike, and he decides not to take it--backstepping in perfect time with her. But that flip kick... well, that's it. He waits for the perfect moment...
And reaches out, -grabbing- her leg, just past the ankle. His hands are only on her for a moment--just long enough to throw her ankle to the side--and to use it as a fulcrum, hurling his body around and bringing his right leg down, heel-first, into her shoulder, a downward-whipping impact that has all his considerable power and an additional emotional surge behind it--enough to bring his feet back underneath him as he completes the rotation, then backsteps a few feet, to give Ingrid room--and to avoid getting caught in anything as she rises.
Let it be known that Rock Howard is no fool, and no one's weakling. If her attack was a mistake, it was an earnest one, every ounce of speed and power she had behind the attack. No doubt she was expecting some form of reprisal with the young man in the mood he's in, but there's no thought in her head that it might come as powerfully as it does. What she expects as a clean miss when her elbows fail to connect quickly turns into something much worse as her ankle is grabbed, the young woman fighting for control and quickly losing as she's thrown completely out of balance, twisting away and directly into the oncoming kick.
In between a Rock and a hard place, indeed. She's slammed violently to the ground by the force of the impact, letting out a harsh gasp of pain as she ricochets off the cobbled courtyard ground, bouncing once and skidding away from Rock in the rotation created by the kick, coming to a messy halt some yards away. And as painful as it looks? It hurts even worse.
Indeed there's a surprising amount of lag time between when she comes to a halt to when she rises back up to her feet, even a bit wobbly as she gets up. She's going to need a moment to recover... but luckily she has the means to obtain it. A bright flash momentarily surrounds her as she draws upon large reserves of psionic power, bringing her hands up to her chin where a small, dull sphere of incredibly compact energy forms, the blonde leaning forward and blowing on it. This causes it to float away from her and towards Rock, interposing itself between the two and making it's way towards him, erupting into a rather large explosion when it gets near.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Ingrid's Sun Burst.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
This time, at least, he's ready for it--as much as he can be. He doesn't really attempt a physical defense of the explosion, but leaps backwards with it, avoiding some of the energy, though plenty of it still gets through. Sunburned, indeed; he blinks his eyes, then nods to himself. "Tough cookie, you are," he mutters.
Even pushing himself as hard as he can, he knows... he can't keep that kind of pace up forever. Something would give, and give way too easily; so he keeps his distance, breathing hard, still watching for that next move, but taking a moment to calm himself, to center his breathing, to reconnect with the earth.
COMBATSYS: Rock gains composure.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Ingrid
Powerful? Yes. Tough? Not so much. "Thank you, I try to be." But the sentiment is understood. Right about now is when the really tough choices come for Ingrid. Does she pull back and assess the situation herself, take a moment to catch her breath and recover from that awful hit she'd just taken, or press the attack?
In the end she decides upon the last, taking in only a deep breath to sustain her. If nothing else she's notable for flinging energy around for longer than seems humanly possible, so it's time to see if such a tactic can really pay off. Her smile widens. "You look a little tired," Ingrid comments, finally breaking down and giving in to the urge to tease him. "Please try to keep up," she finishes in a vaguely flirty tone, exhaling that breath she'd taken and charging directly towards him, raising her arms as she goes, moving them down and forward quickly once she reaches him and unleashing another large volume of glittering gold, trying to bathe him in her power while he's holding steady and collecting his wits.
COMBATSYS: Rock dodges Ingrid's Sunbeam.
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Rock 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Ingrid
"That won't work on me twice!" At least, uh, not this time around. Rock looks at the very familiar manuever, and jerks as if to move back--but instead performs a neat sidestepping motion, ducking around the attack--a brief burst of speed that leaves him as little but a blur.
"Oh, I'm doing my best," he comments, as he passes by her, his lunge taking him a little past her, to give him room to turn suddenly, momentum stopped, reversed, and put into another lunge--from close range, as he seeks to power a left fist down into Ingrid's back, flaring with more of his purple chi, the effect a cross between flame and wind.
Not too surprisingly, he does appear to be enjoying himself, residual pain or not...
COMBATSYS: Rock successfully hits Ingrid with Rage Run Dunk.
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Rock 0/-------/=======|=======\==-----\1 Ingrid
Hey! That maneuver is actually completely different from the other one, thank you very much. It only looks similar! Either way the burst of speed is more than enough to put him out of her range, the energy fading out of existence quickly once it's left hanging in the air. Sensing the danger Ingrid starts to dive forward into a roll as Rock veers back towards her, but his momentum quickly overtakes her own. Her back is an open and inviting target and this time the Norwegian is pounded directly down into the ground below, the addition of chi to the attack seeming to have great affect and causing her eyes to go wide wish shock.
This time she can't afford to take her time getting up, however, not with him right next to her as he is. Despite the fresh pain she forces herself back up. "Yes, you certainly are," she comments quickly. Another pattern might easily be noticed. A moment after rising to her feet a flash of light surrounds the blonde, but this time rather than pooling and flinging the released energy at him she binds it to herself, suddenly rushing towards him while pirouetting around and letting out a sharp yell. With an arm and a leg held out to batter him, the other arm lifted in the air, she looks almost like a figure skater on the ice, sliding across the ground while surrounded by that constant psychic power, once more seeming to smash him with her limbs before delivering a kick- though this time it's a lighter one, a toe pointed towards him as she hops.
COMBATSYS: Rock blocks Ingrid's Sunshine.
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Rock 1/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Ingrid
Each spinning kick impacts against Rock's forearms, the young man interposing them, but not interrupting her momentum, just redirecting it, hissing as that psionic power 'burns' him. The second impact sees him once again backstep with the impact, getting some distance--a distance that isn't going to last. Rock's feet touch the ground and he raises his right hand, energy flowing up around it. But not that purple energy.
No, this energy is golden--literally. It burns like a miniature sun, a phenomenon that has been seen quite a bit this evening, and he clenches his hand around it as he hurls himself forward, throwing a right straight, moving so fast that he is simply leaving a streak that golden energy to burn from the air.
It would be a tremendous impact--and followed by others--a right elbow to the chin, and finally that strange, strange move, the upside down, rising, spinning lariat so strangely called the Rising Tackle. The combination of techniques has been nicknamed by Rock's fans, a name he subconsciously picked up himself, called Shine Knuckle for the way his fist glows...
COMBATSYS: Ingrid fails to counter Shine Knuckle from Rock with Sun Lower.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|=======\-------\1 Ingrid
COMBATSYS: Ingrid can no longer fight.
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Rock 0/-------/-------|
There's almost no time for Ingrid to respond as Rock lets lose his own gold colored energy, this, unfortunately for her, very much not psychic in nature. The moment she realizes what he's about to do she drops down to one knee, making herself a smaller target, and tapping at the air, trying to quickly form a protective shield of swirling energy to stave off the incoming assault. But with Rock coming after her immediately after her assault there just isn't enough time.
The fist cracks into her jaw, followed by the immediate elbow to the chin, the blonde already airborne and a perfect target for the high sweeping, inverted lariat. Possible revenge for when she flung him toward the moonlit sky earlier she's launched upward by the force of it, and it's plainly obvious before she even hits the ground, judging by the way her limbs flap freely in the air, that she isn't going to be getting up and attacking.
She hits the ground with a thud, and her hair splays out around her messily. For the moment she is, conclusively, knocked completely out by the force of the last attack. Give her a few moments, though, and she'll stir, trying to compose herself and sit back up.
Rock doesn't quite collapse to his knees--well, he lands crouched, but he rises soon enough--but bruises and a winded breathing certainly express just how hard Ingrid pushed him. He's still there when she wakes, reaching out with a hand, offering to pull her to her feet.
"Good fight," he pants, and he sounds sincere about it. "You hit a lot harder than... I thought you would," he says, after a moment, wincing as some injuries come back to haunt him. Definitely some aspirin is needed, perhaps a long shower. He grins at the red-eyed blonde girl.
"Rather have you fighting on my side than against me, that's for sure. But it was fun."
Ingrid reaches out and accepts his hand after a second of collecting her faculties, holding tightly onto it and pulling herself up with his help and, for just a moment, using it to steady herself on her feet, slightly dazed still from the hits to the head. "Yes, that was very exhilarating," she replies, doing her best to look composed and managing it fairly well.
"Big things come in small packages," she responds to his comment on her striking power, managing a small smile. "You've certainly shown that you don't give in easily. For just a moment I thought I had you- but you've definitively proven who's the better fighter, I think.
Now steady enough on her feet to do more than simply stand she arranges her hair to look a bit more respectable, wincing for a moment when she tries to smile a bit wider. "Oh yes, I very much agree. Heaven forbid I ever give you a reason to attack me seriously!"
Rock lifts an eyebrow. "Indeed. But one fight is hardly definitive--unless it's the -last- fight..." He leaves the meaning of that unsaid, but it should be fairly obvious. "As long as you can grow and learn, you can come back and fight again, and again, and nothing will ever be definitive."
At the bit about attacking her seriously, Rock gives a sly grin. "But I -was- attacking you seriously. It wouldn't be fair to do anything else, would it? To you or me." He winces. "And now, I think, I need to get back to my hotel room. I need some aspirin, and a hot shower. It was a good fight, Ingrid. Thanks." With that, the red-eyed Rock turns the direction he came originally, walking with a slight limp, towards the area he parked his bike at.
"You make a fair point. I'll certainly continue to train, so perhaps I'll be back to test my strength against yours. It was, as you said, an enjoyable fight." Ingrid stifles a small laugh, not wishing to amplify the pain from it, and instead gives Rock an amused smile. "I would have it no other way, Mr. Howard. But when I said attack I meant an entirely different meaning." On the wrong side of a battlefield is no place she would like to meet him.
"Then I will, with luck, see you later." After he turns to leave she begins to walk, slowly, back towards the center of the courtyard. She's in no shape to be making such a long hike down the mountain right now, so she'll have to take the cowards way out and hitch a ride on the helicopter. How else do you get expensive recording equipment to a place like this?
Log created on 23:09:39 03/27/2010 by Rock, and last modified on 04:19:47 03/28/2010.