Description: Poor Juri. Serving as an assassin for S.I.N. makes her just so... so restless, that she can't help but come to Southtown and take it out on some random people. Interestingly enough, three fighters show up to challenge the psychotic Korean, each for quite different reasons. Against Juri's might, however, all three reasons don't appear to mean much in the end...
It's a quiet night within Southtown. What with all the action happening on some ninja infested island there are simply not enough fighters around to cause a ruckus. Of course, such peace rarely lasts for long.
Juri Han. The care she has been shown by SIN has been exquisite. Brutally experimented on, augmented, and trained to kill for over a decade there is now little left of the woman she once was. Instead she has become like a caged beast in an increasingly smaller cage.
Tonight she had escaped. Bored with being forced to bide her time, to wait until Seth15 ordered her into action she decided to find some of her own. For hours she walked alone quietly through the streets of South Town. Until that is a brave individual worked up the nerve to talk to her. He was a brash young member of a local gang looking to score with some exotic looking Korean chick.
Fastforward.
An explosion of strange, purple energy rocks one of the houses in the peaceful Southtown Village area. Police calls are made and sirens are heard screaming down streets as Juri begins the slaughter. One terrified caller on the 119 line exclaims, "Somebody, anybody help! The spider girl... the spider girl is a monster!"
A few minutes later Juri stands quietly within the wrecked home of the gang's leader. Twisted and broken bodies of their members lie around them, some of them still moving. But she just stands there looking bored. One silver lining though that brings a smile to her face:
This being on the evening news is so going to wreck Seth's day.
And Denji was having such a peaceful day.
Perfecting the art of the nap, the long-haired pseudo-monk has been snoozing for several hours upon a public bench in the sunlight, satisfied and secure in the knowledge that he's taken care of for the next few days with last night's Trivia Night winnings, now being the Neon Rose's most conspicuous visitor -- because, after all, who tries to order a glass of milk at a bar?
Also, the robes.
The young ex-recluse's tranquility is only disturbed when an explosion from a nearby street literally rocks the bench beneath him, causing him to cry out as he collapses from the bench and onto the concrete, landing in a purple and black heap. Bangs flopping about his eyes, Denji blinks rapidly as he raises his head; the sound of sirens stir him from his momentary daze. For all that he looks suspiciously, well, homeless, his awkward movements doing nothing to aleviate his unintimidating exterior, the young man rises with surprising alacrity, reacting to the chaos even as shocked passerby remain frozen in the streets.
He runs toward the sound of the blasts.
Denji's no hero. Sandals slapping on the pavement, he slides to a stop when he spies the devastated house, and pushes his bangs to the side to stare more clearly -- revealing a perfectly pleasant-looking face, slightly at odds with his unkempt appearance -- at the mysterious girl standing within it, and something about her, something he cannot define, causes his spine to crawl and throat to dry. He cannot explain his nervousness; it seems more than mere shock at the destruction itself. Still--
"Hey!"
--he's really only here because it might be interesting.
"Are you okay!?"
Sure, she seems creepy, but what does he know? Maybe she's a victim here. The only way to find out is to get her perspective.
Southtown is... quite a place. And Shiden's already finding his place within it. Not affiliated with any particular group, he works hard to maintain some ties with -all- groups. They all understand that he, not being tied to anyone, can be -employed- by anyone. Such is the way he works--he might be working for the Syndicate one week, and against them the next. It's just business.
And he's pretty hireable, for any number of reasons. But sometimes... sometimes he does things for personal reasons. Maybe he likes a family, or a person, or he finds their daughter intriguing... he's not a person of a totally solitary existence, not interested in 'the fight and the fight alone'. If he were, he'd never have left the Temple, but that's something for a different time.
He was in the area for something else, but when that explosion occurs, well... who -wouldn't- run towards it? Apparently the answer to that is 'mundanes', as several of them are running away, screaming. Shiden weaves through them, and it isn't long at all before he arrives--just in time to hear this:
"--ou okay!?"
And now he sees, well, the 'monk'... and the violent person. How does he know? He just -does-. It's a sense of it, of strength, restrained power seething just below the surface. And he can see it in her eye--that dangerous gleam. But he, unlike Denji, doesn't really -say- anything.
He's very aware of the area though... he has friends who live nearby. Not the punks, thank god, but still.
On the other hand...
In Egypt, Farah would not have been able to experience something like 'karaoke'. Certainly, it is probably not the sort of pasttime one finds, even on the touristy streets of her hometown of Alexandria. But now she is a college student-to-be, though classes haven't started yet. A little meeting of prospective students in her major, a little mixer, at a cafe in Southtown Village. Personally, the young Egyptian found it quite fun, though in a completely incongruous happenstance compared to the elegance of her appearance, she doesn't sing particularly well. It's not that she's out of tune, but rather that she goes at any song -- ANY SONG -- like it's Broadway and she is Robot Ethel Merman here from the future to project from the diaphragm until the audience feels like they just endured the loudest, longest THX sound test noise that has ever happened.
Farah Tenjou does not believe, generally speaking, in half measures.
And so passes an afternoon. She makes friends, smiles and chats with everyone who comes, gives the sort of oblivious let's-be-friends responses to questions from males that are going to make them bang their heads in frustration on their walls for many years to come. But she's stepping out onto the streets of the Village when the explosion in the distance becames audible... and perhaps noticable by other senses indeed.
~ What in the... ?! ~
The young fighter is drawn toward Juri's location, not just by curiosity at what's going down, but by a deeply unsettling feeling deep in the pit of her stomach. Something both familiar and very, very alien at the same time. If you want to get cliche about it: a disturbance in the Force. She's dashing toward the scene and is the last to arrive, surprise making her skid to a physical halt closer to Denji than anyone else.
"...Mr. Akiyama?" she starts, surprised to see him here, and latching on to the one familiar face. Her gaze flickers briefly to Shiden, who she regards with a tilt of the head, but like a magnet, her violet eyes come to be *locked* onto Juri. "What's... going... on...?" she finishes, but the voice is distant, far away, like she's almost hypnotized.
~ ...what is this feeling...? ~
When it just so happens that the first person to burst onto the scene is a young man with a bad haircut, Juri is disappointed. When that young man is about as scary as a puppy with a gimp leg, she is infuriated. "You've got to be kidding me." she responds in disbelief. Oh well, her phone hasn't gone off yet with a VERY ANGRY MAN on the other end so perhaps she still has a bit of time to keep beating people until someone challenging comes along.
When Shiden joins the murder party, she frightening young woman seems relieved. She even reaches down to playfully twirl her belt, "Well, this is somewhat better." Through the viewpoint of her left eye she scans over the two men come willingly into her web. The results are disappointing, however, and once again she scowls and says to herself, "You've /got/ to be kidding me." A loud sigh escapes her lips as she starts to pace around the ruins of the gang leader's mom's house (she's so gonna kill him if Juri hasn't already).
When a THIRD person arrives on the scene, Juri's face lights up once more. "Wow, this is starting to get to be a little party ... hm?" Her violet eyes focus immediately on Farah. There's something different about this one, something that intrigues Juri immediately. It feels like the power she was infused with but the tone and quality of it is ... different somehow.
"Well, it would seem the three of you are a bit late. But that's alright. These boys didn't quite have the endurance to keep up with me." As if on cue one of the gang members, seeing the three individuals - rescuers?! - reaches his hand up toward them. He shakes pitiably as his voice comes out in a hoarse whisper, "H-...-elp..." Well that wasn't very smart, and with a sudden bright flash of purple light from Juri's eye she is over by the fallen young man in an instant! Her foot descends brutally on his chest with enough force that even an untrained ear can hear his ribs cracking.
Once he falls still Juri chuckles and turns back to her new guests, "So sorry about that... now where were we?" Her tongue lightly trails across the surface of her lips.
Oooooor maybe she's not a victim.
"Right," Denji mutters, reaching up to rub the back of his head. He may be naive, but he's no fool; given that she seems to have torn down this house all by her lonesome, Denji is in for one heck of a ride here. It occurs to him that he could try to turn and run, but, well, first off, if she can blow up a building he not only probably can't outrun her but might even be better off /not/ turning his back on her, secondly, trying to escape would be a much less educational endeavor this early on in his adventure--
"Wh..."
--and thirdly--
"F, Farah?"
There's a girl watching.
"Ah ha ha," he laughs in his funny, almost spoken-word manner, grinning at the Egyptian through his bangs. "You were right. We ran into each other so soon." He's rubbing the back of his head again. "It must be fate. Uh, would you like to--"
*crunch*
"--oooh."
Denji flinches visibly, slowly turning his head to see Juri casually stomping on her felled adversary, hearing his sickening plea for aid. Wincing, he raises his hands to the disturbing girl in supplication, trying to ignore her predatory mien.
"Um... please stop."
COMBATSYS: Denji has started a fight here.
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Denji 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Denji focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
Ooh. That was nasty. "Guess I've sort of committed myself here," he mutters, to himself. It's okay. He'll get some money for this anyways, and besides, 'defending the city' gives him some -good- press, as opposed to bad press that he might get otherwise. Public image is important.
And she's targeted him anyways, along with Denji and Farah. "Hope you two don't mind pain," he remarks to his erstwhile 'teammates', as he takes a fighting stance, left hand up and palm open, his right curled into a fist, held at waist level, for a moment... and then switches to a slightly more standard combat stance, elbows out and hands in, though his left hand is still kept open.
"Because I think she's going to be delivering a -lot- of it," he finishes, before hurling himself into a full on run, surging forward--as he closes with the mysterious fighter, he launches his right fist forward in a simple straight punch, putting his momentum behind it as well as his own arm strength.
COMBATSYS: Shiden has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Shiden 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Denji
COMBATSYS: Juri has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Shiden 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Juri
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Denji has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shiden 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Juri
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
Ohhhh this isn't going to end well.
It's not like she's *displeased* to see Denji, but certainly the young mountain monk might get the hint of that impression because it's difficult for Farah to turn her gaze away from Juri. Something ain't right here. It's just not. Every movement of her head to look back at Denji gives the impression that Farah is actually fighting a losing physical battle to do so; after a second it just swivels right back to the assass-S.I.N. like someone poking a sore tooth with your tongue. "It might be. Do you know this woman?" She pauses, turning to look at Shiden, and blinking as he falls into a fighting stance. Another fighter? Interesting, though he has a much different... feel... than Denji did. Something closer to the woman in the middle of all the debris, though perhaps less... unsettling. "Or this ma--"
She's cut off by the sound of bones breaking and evil laughter. It really can't be described any other way: that's evil laughter.
~ ...! ~
"Hey!" the Egyptian shouts, turning toward Juri. A hand goes into her pocket, taking out the length of blue ribbon, which she ties around her right wrist. A weird thing to do before combat... but combat it is, as Farah rushes this crazy-seeming woman with the Highly Unsettling Aura, looking to deliver a series of three flowing hand strikes, one into the next, and push the woman back from her victim. "Stop that!"
COMBATSYS: Farah has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Shiden 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Juri
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Denji 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Juri with Summer Storm.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Juri
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Juri fails to interrupt Ringing the Bell from Shiden with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Juri
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
"Oh, I'll stop. Just as soon as you come over and make me."
Daintily Juri takes a moment to wipe off the bottom of her foot on what remains of a nice sofa. Luckily for those who might play the hero many of the gang members are still breathing. They are, however, in critical condition. Far too many limbs are bent the wrong way and some of them have their eyes open in horrible, vacant stares. They look as if they had experienced pain beyond their injuries - something so horrifying it left them shattered mentally as well as physically.
Japanese Psychiatrists, you're welcome.
Shiden's comments brings a dry chuckle from Juri as she responds, "You just met me and already you know me so well..." When he rushes toward her, her smirk grows even more derisive. She simply holds out her hand toward his oncoming one, fully expecting him to simply let her catch his fist within hers. It worked with the gang members after all.
Clearly that doesn't happen.
Juri sucks in her breath after Shiden's fist connects with her, causing her to stumble backward enough that she doesn't have enough time to reclaim her balance and move out of Farah's way. Strike after strike hits Juri's torso unchallenged, but they don't really seem to do that much. In fact, Juri is smiling. BIG TIME.
"Aha!!! So you two can fight! Wonderful! I guess that means I shouldn't be holding back then, hm?" She hunches down into a feral looking fighting posture - legs bent, hands spread out in front of her, "Now, just to decide which of you to kill first. Mmm..." Her eyes then settle on Denji, in the back.
Hooboy.
Denji has never felt quite so much--
"Eeeeee."
--like a mouse.
The whimper escapes through his teeth, but the monkish youth weathers the terrifying woman's stare as best as he is able, struggling to maintain his composure as his friend and an unexpected ally rush forward to take the offensive. There is a moment of relief, admittedly, as it seems briefly as though they are able to overwhelm her defenses, and that perhaps Denji's services will not be needed. But she is not even felled by the combined assault, recovering incredibly quickly, shaking off Farah's blows and, yes, even grinning. Well--
"Haaaaahh!"
Denji will consider this a learning experience.
Shouting as much to bolster his own courage as to defy that woman's predatory gaze, he plunges toward his fate, running headlong -- falling a little bit over himself as he begins -- at Juri. And as his bangs sweep back in the wind of his passing, his eyes seem to change somewhat, bewilderment fading as an intense focus settles in, riveted upon his adversary, seeking to read everything he can from her stance. Though he trusts his instincts, suspecting that this opponent may not be so easy to anticipate, nevertheless he does not give up the effort. The battle, after all, is just beginning.
As much to read her style as to strike hard, Denji leaps into the air, a sworl of green chi gathering in his fist before he punches out with a now-opened palm, projecting at close range an orb of vibrant energy, bearing down on Juri from above and seeking to impact directly with her smirking skull.
Shiden lands his punch, but he doesn't stick around to admire his work. The single contact told him much about the woman--primarily that she is Dangerous with a capital S. Or D. Both. So he's already hopping backwards, looking to put some range between Juri and himself. "Damn crazy Koreans," he could be heard muttering, were his voice not covered by the sound of an orb of chi hurtling past him.
As he leaps, he's also attacking, firing a quick, stamping kick, very much like one sees the Yakuza use in movies and animations--less to hurt than to use its momentum to give him room, as he intends to use it as a backhop over a ruined table, flipping in midair.
"I wouldn't be too confident if I were you... you know, mad dogs only get to run so far before they're put down," he remarks, and that -is- audible to Juri. He already doesn't like her...
Maybe because he's dealt with too many crazies in his line of work. Of course, if someone knew -his- deep, dark secrets, they'd probably be calling him a black kettle, but at least he's not displaying his psychoses -publically-.
That's not good. The Egyptian pulls back from her series of attacks, hoping to see Juri at least regretting her actions, perhaps pulling back in the face of a 3-on-1 fight that is bad odds no matter who you are. Instead, the Korean appears to be enjoying herself immensely, looking for even more pain to be dished out? No, it's very much not good at all. The sight of Denji hurtling past her to attempt to do *something* actually heartens her a little bit, but the waves of unsettling energy and emotion continue to radiate from Juri like a beacon, enough so that as Denji and Shiden leap back to the attack, Farah herself stays back for a brief moment, attempting to get her bearings.
~ Why do I feel so... angry? ~ she asks herself, looking down at her fist, which she clenches and unclenches. ~ She did do something terrible, but it's not just that. There's something... else... ~
Time to figure that out later, one assumes.
Regaining her senses, she rushes in to help, trying to run PAST Juri and snag her from behind under both arms, holding her in place for the others to potentially land their attacks... or if they already have by the time she can get a grip, the Egyptian simply pivots and hiptosses the Korean psychopath into the dirt.
COMBATSYS: Juri blocks Denji's Ranki.
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Shiden 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shiden successfully hits Juri with Medium Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Juri with Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
Juri's psychoses are indeed on full display. She enjoys watching the three fighters as they continue to scramble to defeat her. Who knows, they just might. And then she'd have a reason to come after them one by one.
That'd be exciting too.
And it looks just like she might have her wish. Because while Denji's attack is handled simply enough by blocking the chi energy with her arm - light green wisps floating past to lightly kiss upon her forehead, her attempts to avoid the other two fighters are much less successful. The kick strikes her in the stomach and Farah's throw sends her crashing into the dirt. Perhaps she's less powerful than she seems? Perhaps the gang members were simply so stupid they blew up themselves?
Regardless of the brutal three-way attack that was used against her Juri rises very powerfully from the ground. And she's still smiling, though only more savagely. "Wow. You three are really something. At this rate I might have to get a refund on the work I had done." Finished talking leaps up into the air! Kicking off of a nearby ruined wall she streaks toward Denji. Should she connect she'll kick him up and into the air. This is followed with another juggling kick, and finally an extremely powerful kick that will send him careening off into the rubble.
Assuming it connects at all, that is.
COMBATSYS: Juri successfully hits Denji with Shikusen.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 1/-------/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
Oh, she connects all right.
"HhhaaaaAAAGHHH!"
Denji's strangled cry is torn from his lips as Juri's fierce kick slams into him before he can even touch ground, his attempt at a guard blasted through, unable to mount even a vaguely impressive defense while still airborne. He is promptly vaulted back /up/ into the air, attesting, if his scream did not already, to the sheer force of the sinister woman's attacks. The two following kicks are just cruel, but-- perhaps not unusual.
Lacking a physical form of self-defense, Denji attempts the method that is a, er, distant second: pretending he is somewhere else.
"Bbrghhh..."
But as he sails, sputtering unintelligibly, toward the ground, images from his recent memory flash through his mind, brain still churning away as it seeks to save his hide. Juri's chilling stare, of course, and what he saw of her kicking technique, though being beyond his ability or experience to grasp, his mind quickly skips away; the image of Farah, her flowing movements, but as much as he'd like to dwell on that, his consciousness sternly decides this is neither the time nor the place; no, Denji finds himself, of all things, contemplating the image of Shiren's careful technique, his poise as he nimbly kicked away from the woman. The sheer focus that man had.
Yes-- he can use that.
Denji, inconveniently, has been sent spiralling away from the melee, and by the looks of him he'll be collapsing into it for some time to come -- until, quite abruptly, at almost the climax of his descent he recovers, flipping so that he lands feet first, poised upon a jagged pile of bricks. His chin snaps up, and as his thick bangs flip to the sides, his eyes narrow with intense focus, the gears in his brain steadily churning-- even as he pushes off, leaping directly back toward his opponent.
"Hwwooooahhh!"
This battle cry is admittedly more desperate-sounding than the last, but for all that his posture has sagged, the speed of his assault is unabated. No, Denji tries again, this time flipping mid-leap before unleashing a /significantly/ larger blast of that same green energy, thrusting out his open palm immediately as he unfolds, overextending in mid-air with every intent to this time push through that formidable villain's guard.
"GREAT GUARDIAN!"
Even as it erupts into begin, the giant orb of chi seems to transform, slowly forming the shape of, of all things, a massive boar, its slavering jaws opening in a seeming attempt to consume the woman, though really, if she is struck, she will just be subsumed in the chi's man-sized mass.
...If she is struck.
Watching Denji take that hit... well, it does give Shiden a bit of pause. Because that looked like it -hurt-. The sometime-thug's trained eyes can see just how each strike impacts for maximum pain and suffering. He has to admire it, really, his brown eyes flicking left to right as he sees just where each of those strikes impacted. That's a practiced attack, something she might be able to do in her sleep.
It just reminds him of how dangerous this foe is. Working together with these other two is the only way he'll survive. Denji's explosive, dramatic, flashy attack also draws Shiden's attention, but not for as long, as he realizes that he's gotta do something, himself, to keep Juri from potentially taking out the other fighters in a single blow. The only thing he can do, though, is to hit her.
Or to try, at least; he draws his hands in, fingers bent to claws, orange-yellow chi flaring between them, a fat spark flaring into existence, then building into a bright core the size of a softball. Two more layers flare up within a second, and then Shiden's throwing his arms forward.
This chi attack isn't -nearly- as impressive as Denji's, but, it'll keep Shiden out of the line of fire with Denji's mass of chi...
There is a terrible moment where Farah, in almost slow motion, watches Juri stand up, leap into the air, and then deliver unto Denji some serious hurting. She doesn't have Shiden's practiced assassin's eye to notice the *maximum* amount of suffering, but frankly, she doesn't need it; she can feel the tremors of pain and agony that flow outwards from Denji, and perhaps a... slightly too enthusiastic desire to protect and fight alongside the first real fighter she met in Southtown mean she is tuned into his empathic wavelength a little too much. It's all she can do not to clutch her own stomach in sympathy pains. In her own way, however, she seems relieved that Denji springs back from the assault with fervor, and at the sight of the 'spirit beast' is all the more relieved. Having survived that attack herself, she knows its terrible potential, which might be enough to faze even this... lunatic.
~ I hope. ~
Shiden's cool countenance, however, finally seems to get through to her, and she looks at the man with a piercing gaze for a moment. Her own thoughts unintentionally mirror Denji's; the man fights with a surprising calm, all things considered, and it's a calm she envies right now. Every fiber of her being wants to wipe Juri off the face of the planet, or at the very least get AWAY from her, and the subconscious tripping of her fight-or-flight response has the Egyptian severely unnerved. As it is, she gives Shiden a tremulous smile and a nod. "Thanks for helping," is all the situation offers.
Bringing her hands up in front of her, the cobalt-blue ribbon on her arm suddenly starts to sparkle with light, the tails flowing out behind her even though there's not enough wind to justify it. A burst of light, the starry-night color of her Soul Power, begins to gather in a roughly spherical shape. Looks like it's time for Farah to add her own contribution to the light show.
With a flick of the wrist, the Soul projectile flies off toward Juri, Farah's glance looking over to Denji and his boar for a moment, before she looks back and adds the perfunctory movename yell: "Sacred Heart!"
COMBATSYS: Juri dodges Farah's Sacred Heart.
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Shiden 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Shiden successfully hits Juri with Tiger's Shout.
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Shiden 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Juri blocks Denji's Hadou Ranki.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-----==|=======\==-----\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Denji 0/-------/-------|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
Finally hitting one of these brats certainly does make Juri feel good. With each kick she's fully aware - the sensation of buckling bone and tearing muscle beneath the force of her heel. When she delivers that final, painful kick that sends Denji flying across the room she allows herself to land with the grace of an expert gymnast. She's all smiles as she looks toward Farah and Shiden for their reactions, "Well well, I guess I'll have to find a new toy to play with. I doubt very much he'll be getting up after tha--"
She is cut off by the sudden loud battle cry raising from Denji's throat. Her eyes widen in actual shock as she sees him rocketing back toward her, coming for more. This time though it seems he has brought a boar friend. Meanwhile Shiden and Farah are far from idle. Perhaps without even knowing it the three of them have boxed her into a pincer-shaped attack. Will it be good enough to keep her from avoiding all the blows?
As it turns out... YES! Though she deftly spins out of the way of Farah's soul projectile, Shiden's ball of chi slams into her back causing her to stumble forward slightly. A pained sound briefly escapes her lips, but she quickly stands fully upright again. And a good thing too, because that massive boar is baring down on her. With a resolute "Whatever..." she turns to face the boar head on! A faint shield of purple energy resonates around her as she clashes with it. Much of the boar dissolves against her barrier once again leaving faintest wisps to go through and hit her directly. Not to say that these do nothing to her - just almost nothing.
With all of their attacks spent, Juri is ready now to respond in kind. She cocks her hip to the side alluringly before saying in a cold, menacing purr, "Time to say good night, shaggy." Her left eye flashes with purple light as she moves in for the kill. Once she gets in range her entire she yells out, "HYAAAH!" and she leaps into the air. Dark purple energy trails after her feet as she moves toward Denji in an incredible cartwheel - once, twice, and then finally a third, brutal time.
COMBATSYS: Juri successfully hits Denji with Senpusha.
~~ Alluring Hit! ~~
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Shiden 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
[ \\\\ <
Denji 1/=======/=======|
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
"Ah ha ha..."
Denji is left standing, partially slumped, smiling lopsidedly.
"...it didn't work."
His posture makes him appear fairly spent, yet his eyes still gleam, mind racing all the faster now that the momentum has shifted, doing his utmost to remain aware of all his options, of the position of his teammates, of the surrounding area and the life-force emanating from it, of--
Her hips.
"Um..."
Suddenly everything grinds to a halt: options, teammates (sorry, Farah), and surrounding area utterly forgotten as for a single, critical moment, the temple-raised young man's eyes flicker, before glancing away in a moment of self-consciousness.
"GwwggAAACCKK!"
Oh, Denji.
Even if he had been paying attention, there was likely little he could have done against her unrelenting might. As it is, there remains an odd flush to his cheeks even as he gets the living daylights beat out of him all over again, completely hammered by the second triple-assault. This time, when he's sent flying into the rubble, he /does/ stay there for a while, obscured in a cloud of dust and, er, by a bunch of rocks.
There follows a pregnant pause.
"...in the name of a world... I have yet... to understand..."
A voice, oddly resonant.
"...and a people... I yearn... to know..."
Denji's frame rises, shaking violently, barely able to support itself.
"...I call upon... the spirits of the earth!"
His voice is stronger than before-- but his eyes are strangely vacant.
"GUARDIANS... OF ALL CREATION!"
Sworling before him, competing shapes fight for being in the ectoplasm of his rich, forest-green energy, emerging like a bubble from his outstretched hand. But even as the spirits rise from his unconscious, and even as this chant seems to arise unbidden from his lips, Denji's conscious mind struggles on, shedding for as long as it can the agony that enfolds and weights his body, that threatens to drag him to his knees at any moment. The images flash through his mind so quickly they blur, and now they are entirely of Juri-- and not just her hips. The sheer strength she is able to put into those blows, the magnificent and savage power.
"SHINRA..."
He can /use/ that.
"BANSHOOOUUUUUU!"
He screams with shocking intensity, a kind of ferocity he's yet to demonstrate -- his eyes narrowing with a fierce intensity that almost, oddly, seems to mimic Juri at her most savage -- throwing himself forward as the raging torrent of chi explodes forth, a spiralling stream from which emerge a veritable chimera of beasts -- a boar, a tiger, a bear, and some manner of avian? -- that all at once plunge toward the nefarious temptress, seeking to consume her utterly.
And as he throws himself forward, he promptly loses his balance, collapsing even before the four gods have finished their work.
COMBATSYS: Denji can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
"Damn, son."
Really, that's all he can say. Hell, the suit-wearing fighter even says it again.
"Damn, son."
That second one is because Denji just lets it all hang out. Once again, it doesn't look like something Shiden particularly wants to get between. Juri -is- hot, except for that damn weird hairstyle, but... no. Just no.
Fortunately, he doesn't have to--nothing's compelling him to get in there while Denji's unleashing the Wrath of the Four Gods, or something like. In fact, he tells Farah, straight out, "You should probably hang back there." It's almost friendly advice, but he doesn't expect Farah to take it. However, Shiden is following his own advice, hanging back as the whole mess unfolds.
"That boy is one hot mess, that's for sure..." After that comment, though, he gets serious, narrowing his eyes and dropping the playful mien, largely, in favor of watching Juri. Seeing how she reacts. Searching for signs of weakness... and signs of strength. Trying to divine what her next move is going to bed, on whom she's going to visit that terrible wrath. Her options are limited, though...
COMBATSYS: Shiden focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
She can feel it. Farah can sense... something coming. Her worry for Denji sort of evaporates when she can sense this resonant... something. In their fight, Denji proved that he is periods of calm interspersed with moments of sheer, terrifying, insightful motion, that in someone with a less gentle and scattershot appearance might be downright scary. As it is, even without the ability to feel the rising tide of chi, Farah can feel something very big coming Juri's way. She even subconsciously steps back, processing Denji's spoken words and Shiden's response. She drinks it all in, so that when Denji's onslaught of spirit beasts comes raging out of the rubble, she is actually smiling. This fight was useful for *something*, at least, other than making Farah feel sick to her stomach whenever she looks at Juri.
~ Denji... I'll make sure that what you just showed me doesn't go to waste. ~
She doesn't attack; instead, she hangs back near Shiden, watching this affair go on, getting into stance. Juri's going to come for one of them next, and there's nothing she can do for Denji until this... psychotic madwoman goes down, that much is clear. "You don't know the half of it," she says to Shiden, glancing at him briefly. Now that there's not quite so much on her plate, she can get a better read on the man, and what she sees is... bizarre. Calm, smooth, willing to give advice to a perfect stranger, but...
With Juri looming in the distance, could ANYONE seem more suspicious? Probably not.
And because she's a suicidal good guy, she even goads the Korean. "This isn't over. You're going to pay for what you've done here!"
COMBATSYS: Farah focuses on her next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Juri parries Denji's Shinra Banshou!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-----==|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
Each strike finds their way home onto Denji's body. Each blow is filled with that terrible purple energy, so unlike Chi. It's filled with Juri's malice - a decade of suffering and mind ripping experiments that gave her all those lovely psychoses that Shiden noticed earlier. So this time she is sure, she is positive that Denji will not be getting up again. So sure that after she lands from her attack with a relaxed posture, sighing softly to herself. "Well then... who's ne..."
Oh for fuck's sake.
When Juri hears Denji once again gearing up for another attack she turns to glance over her shoulder. Her left eye glows ominously in the darkened ruins of the house. If one could watch close enough they'd see two parts of a Taijitu close around her iris and pupil - then with a high pitched whine it begins to spin rapidly. So rapidly it becomes nothing put a bright purple blur. All at once a shimmer of faint, purple energy seems to flow along her body and for her the world seems slow down to a crawl. The chi animals rushing toward her are met with a wry smirk before she leans forward and, with one hand, beckons them to come at her.
When they finally do hit her Juri is suddenly gone! Well not really - she didn't teleport or anything crazy like that. She just moved so fast that dust flies up from the ground beneath her feet while she skids across the ground. But she doesn't waste the momentum she has earned from taking advantage of Denji's attack, and nearly instantly she sets upon Shiden! "You're NEXT!" she cries with completely unrestrained glee.
The soft whine of the Feng Shui engine marks the increased flow of energy through Juri's body. Farah can no doubt detect it, and the incredible pressure flowing from within her being. It demonstrates itself by giving her an incredible burst of speed allowing her to move with alarming celerity. Shiden gets to experience this first with a kick aimed toward his shin, then a descending axe kick aimed at his shoulder. She will finish it up with a spinning heel kick directly at his face - accompanied by a blast of that malicious purple energy.
COMBATSYS: Juri successfully hits Shiden with Feng Shui Engine EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Shiden 1/-======/=======|=======\-------\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/-------|
Shiden -knew- he was outmatched. He is strong, skilled, and aware, a powerful fighter in his own right. But he knows that there are those who have eons of experience, strength, and skill that he has yet to develop into. Awareness of one's place within the larger realm of things is -important-, especially when, as in a fight like this, it's a fight to kill or be killed. When she comes at him, it's like trying to fight a tornado--a particularly vicious tornado. And he is kicked about just as powerfully as he would be had a tornado picked him up and smashed him into the house.
The final kick takes him clean across the chin--only the swiftest of turns keeps him from losing his jaw to a break--and flings him backwards, through one of the walls. It would be comedic if it didn't -hurt- so much... he tumbles, fetching up against a lamppost. No one's around to see, though, as he pull himself to his feet. The injuries are mostly internal, evidenced by the blood leaking from the corner of one mouth--by some twist of fate, Juri hadn't actually broken any bones with that attack. It takes him a moment to focus his thoughts back on the fight. Hey, he's strong and tough, but that... was -epic-.
So Farah might believe him to have died--and maybe Juri has, too--until he reemerges through the hole he came through. His nice clothes are in disarray, for sure, but he, despite the pain, doesn't look any less defiant than he did before. Until he coughs, and spits out a glut of blood. "Gonna... have to ask you... to leave," he says, and then he leaps, like a tiger--literally, his hands shaped into claws, energy flaring around them orange-yellow. He leaps for Juri, and if he makes it there, he turns into a tornado of his own, spinning around her, taking on the guise of a raging tiger, scratching with empowered hands, until he can find purchase on her shoulders and then perform a very neat up, tuck, and flip to hurl -her- through a building."
Shiden -knew- he was outmatched. He is strong, skilled, and aware, a powerful fighter in his own right. But he knows that there are those who have eons of experience, strength, and skill that he has yet to develop into. Awareness of one's place within the larger realm of things is -important-, especially when, as in a fight like this, it's a fight to kill or be killed. When she comes at him, it's like trying to fight a tornado--a particularly vicious tornado. And he is kicked about just as powerfully as he would be had a tornado picked him up and smashed him into the house.
The final kick takes him clean across the chin--only the swiftest of turns keeps him from losing his jaw to a break--and flings him backwards, through one of the walls. It would be comedic if it didn't -hurt- so much... he tumbles, fetching up against a lamppost. No one's around to see, though, as he pull himself to his feet. The injuries are mostly internal, evidenced by the blood leaking from the corner of one mouth--by some twist of fate, Juri hadn't actually broken any bones with that attack. It takes him a moment to focus his thoughts back on the fight. Hey, he's strong and tough, but that... was -epic-.
So Farah might believe him to have died--and maybe Juri has, too--until he reemerges through the hole he came through. His nice clothes are in disarray, for sure, but he, despite the pain, doesn't look any less defiant than he did before. Until he coughs, and spits out a glut of blood. "Gonna... have to ask you... to leave," he says, and then he leaps, like a tiger--literally, his hands shaped into claws, energy flaring around them orange-yellow. He leaps for Juri, and if he makes it there, he turns into a tornado of his own, spinning around her, taking on the guise of a raging tiger, scratching with empowered hands, until he can find purchase on her shoulders and then perform a very neat up, tuck, and flip to hurl -her- through a building.
A strangled noise comes from Farah as Juri slams into Shiden and her assault on him begins. He's a total stranger, so why should she be worried? Because he stood up and helped when others might not have. More than anything else, that proves he is part of that most important brotherhood: mankind. Juri, in Farah's eyes, has abrogated any membership with her unrestrained and most importantly seemingly *purposeless* violence other than her own amusement. She seems like she wants to move but can't, locked in place by something, practically trembling with the effort to get her body to move.
She only seems to unfreeze when Shiden emerges from the rubble, body and posture sagging with relief that the worst hadn't happened. ~ But I couldn't do anything, ~ she says to herself, biting her lip. ~ He might have died and what could I have done? ~
She resolves not to continue doing nothing.
His attack gives her an opportunity, the Egyptian marveling at this man's resolve, which burns off him despite his casual demeanor. She doesn't wait around, at this point; she dives right in, looking to get as close as possible to Shiden, weaving around his attacks until she can find the right moment... watching his body, reading his aura, waiting for that pent-up moment when the final strike seems to be coming, and when it approaches, she strikes forward with an open palm, right to the bottom of Juri's chin. Hopefully it'll create the opening that Shiden needs for the final part of his attack to go off.
~ And hopefully she'll feel it. ~
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Juri with Strong Punch.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shiden successfully hits Juri with Raging Tiger.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/---====|=======\=------\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/------=|
After her attack is finished, Juri's back remains to both of her opponents. At that instant the moon moves out from behind the cloud cover in the sky - its bright light shining down through the massive hole left in the roof of the house from earlier. It is then that both Farah and Shiden (and Denji, if he is awake enough to look) can clearly see the design across her back: A spider. Such a perfect symbol for a woman such as this. She laughs softly to herself as she turns around now, and brushes some of the hair out of her face as she speaks, "Well... did that feel good? Hm?"
That's when Farah arrives with all that foolish bravery. But in this case that same foolish bravery gave her the drop she needed on Juri. The Shadaloo Spider attempts to quickly move away from the punch, but it's far too late for that and instead it strikes with an incredible amount of force! If one could watch in slow motion they'd see Juri's entire face shudder with impact as her neck shoots backward and she stumbles. To her the world briefly goes black, and when it returns it is spinning. Without an easy frame of reference she finds herself easy prey for Shiden's attack.
And what a rather impressive attack it is. For one of his level anyway. Her body is ravaged repeatedly by chi-imbued claws that bring forth red lines across her exposed flesh. Then when she thinks it is about over she is grabbed and spun head-over-heels before being flung into the side of a building! There is a loud crash as the wall buckles, but does not break, and Juri's limp body falls to the ground with a resounding thud. For a moment she is still. Is the nightmare over? Is this the end?
No... not yet. But Juri is clearly hurting, as is highly evident when she stands up in a manner that seems very painful and very slow. Her joints and muscles groan with the effort to once again lift her body into a standing posture, and one of her 'horns' has become unfurled letting her long black hair hang loose over one of her shoulders. The blood oozing from her mouth is wiped away by one hand, and it is very apparent that Farah's attack made her bite her own tongue. HARD. She speaks few words, "OK... it's time to end this game." before breaking out in a swift run toward Shiden. Once she reaches him she'll suddenly lift her foot in an upward kick! But that is not all - her kick is wreathed in deadly purple energy that spirals freely around it. She intends to kick him skyward with enough force that he'll remain down, and out.
COMBATSYS: Shiden fails to reflect Fuhajin from Juri with Ringing the Bell.
[ \ < > ////////// ]
Shiden 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 Juri
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Farah 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Shiden can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Farah 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Juri
She did say he would be next. He's unsurprised that she would continue to target him... in her own way she's much like other fighters he's researched. This might prove to be Farah's benefit... -if- he can survive. < So -fast-...! > He's barely begun to move before she's on him, and his counterattack--is lost.
Lost because her foot sweeps upwards, and it explodes him up and away, to slam into the ceiling of the ruined room, to fall limply to the ground. Finished? It certainly appears so.
He won't be moving for a bit--but he's not dead, as will be proven when he rolls to his back, and begins to extract himself from the area. He's seen what she does to survivors, and he wants to -continue- to survive, thank you very much. He'd help Farah out more if he could, but taking stock of his injuries, he knows that getting up and getting back in there really would be fatal. < Good luck, whoever you are. You probably can't run fast enough... >
The disturbing part about the entire affair, the part that despite all the violence and the carnage Farah will remember and be haunted by for some time after this, is how good it feels when she connects. At close range, she can feel from the way her hand strikes Juri's jaw that she somehow managed to really hit home... and something about that situation fires some neuron pathway in her head that makes her amazingly happy. Not quite bloodthirsty, but thrilled not at her fighting success, but at causing this terrifying woman pain.
As she fades back from close quarters, allowing Shiden to finish his work, the Egyptian's face contorts into confusion and frustration to follow her apparent joy. ~ Why? Why did I... like that so much? ~
She turns and stares at Juri, hard, as the S.I.N. Spider crawls to her feet and declares that she's going to bring this to an end. ~ Why do I feel this need to... destroy her? ~
Perhaps worst of all is the knowing that there's no way in the world Farah could ever pull it off. If it weren't for Denji and Shiden's sacrifices -- and they can't be called anything else but that -- this fight would have been over before it even started.
And then Juri whips through the air, striking Shiden with crushing force one last time, and by the time Farah can even form the thought that she could leap forward and intercept the attack, Shiden's knocked away and the entire thing is over. ~ So fast...! ~ Thankfully, at the very least, Farah can sense that Shiden isn't, you know, *dead*... and she bears him no ill will as the psychic sense of him starts to head away. ~ Whoever you are, thanks for all you've done, ~ the Egyptian thinks to herself, turning and getting into stance, squaring off with Juri.
"Come on, then!" she shouts, surprised at the fury that cracks her voice but determined not to show it. "I won't back down!"
The disturbing part about the entire affair, the part that despite all the violence and the carnage Farah will remember and be haunted by for some time after this, is how good it feels when she connects. At close range, she can feel from the way her hand strikes Juri's jaw that she somehow managed to really hit home... and something about that situation fires some neuron pathway in her head that makes her amazingly happy. Not quite bloodthirsty, but thrilled not at her fighting success, but at causing this terrifying woman pain.
As she fades back from close quarters, allowing Shiden to finish his work, the Egyptian's face contorts into confusion and frustration to follow her apparent joy. ~ Why? Why did I... like that so much? ~
She turns and stares at Juri, hard, as the S.I.N. Spider crawls to her feet and declares that she's going to bring this to an end. ~ Why do I feel this need to... destroy her? ~
Perhaps worst of all is the knowing that there's no way in the world Farah could ever pull it off. If it weren't for Denji and Shiden's sacrifices -- and they can't be called anything else but that -- this fight would have been over before it even started.
And then Juri whips through the air, striking Shiden with crushing force one last time, and by the time Farah can even form the thought that she could leap forward and intercept the attack, Shiden's knocked away and the entire thing is over. ~ So fast...! ~ Thankfully, at the very least, Farah can sense that Shiden isn't, you know, *dead*... and she bears him no ill will as the psychic sense of him starts to head away. ~ Whoever you are, thanks for all you've done, ~ the Egyptian thinks to herself, turning and getting into stance, squaring off with Juri.
"Come on, then!" she shouts, surprised at the fury that cracks her voice but determined not to show it. "I won't back down!" Bringing her arm back, the ribbon starts to flow behind her again, filling with cobalt blue Soul Power, before Farah drives forward, looking to slam her fist into Juri's stomach, the empowered ribbon forming a spiralling helix around her attacking arm to give the attack an extra jolt of psychic energy. "Spiral!"
COMBATSYS: Juri dodges Farah's Spiral Heart EX.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Farah 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Juri
Following her attack on Shiden, a somewhat winded Juri hunches over slightly. The wounds left by his attack, previously simple red lines, have now begun to seep blood that runs down her body. She mumbles to herself, "Bastard had to scratch me... asshole... I'll show him... stomp him until there's nothing but a mudhole left... hey?" She glances toward Shiden, who is no doubt skittering away. "HEY! Come back here you piece of shi-..."
She is quickly cut off by Farah cutting in, which is very lucky for Shiden and his status of not being turned into a bloody smear on the floor. Luckily Farah was very kind to telegraph her attack by yelling out loudly which gives Juri plenty of time to swiftly move out of the way of the attack. She then watches as the young Egyptian woman's uselessly slides past her and into the open air - where that lovely blue soul power does make for a lovely night light but little else.
Farah may be expecting immediate retaliation. Normally she wouldn't be disappointed. But the fact is that a clearly winded Juri is propping herself up against a nearby wall to keep from falling over. The blood seaping out of her wounds, alongside the brutal attacks she enacted earlier, have left her quite drained. So she closes her eyes and focuses. Mentally she slows her ragged, quick breaths into slow cleansing ones. Suddenly the bleeding wounds on her body slow somewhat, and before long she is standing up straighter and more relaxed.
Her eyes open once again afterwards, and she smiles wickedly toward Farah, "And then there was one."
COMBATSYS: Juri gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Farah 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 Juri
So there is. But...
"Sometimes," Farah says, looking at Juri intently, trying to focus on the woman, read her, get some sort of bead on what's going down in this fight. That power... if she hadn't had Denji or Shiden as comparisons, Farah might have thought it just more of the mystery of 'chi' which she hasn't really unlocked, but there is a serious and qualitative difference. It's not just her attacks, and that strange purple light, but something that Juri *exudes*. It hammers at Farah's defenses like high tide even without her actually attacking.
And Juri can probably sense it, too, and see it in Farah's idle stance. Fingers curling and uncurling, pupils seemingly dilating for no good reason, even the motions of Farah's breathing more exaggerated than normal. Something is On Her Mind.
~ I don't... LIKE this, ~ Farah decides. ~ Maybe I just want to get away from her? ~
But Denji and Shiden went down. She's not going to let that go by.
And then she's charging. It's a stupid thing to do, but it's all Farah can think of in this instance, needing to act, to actually get in there and DO something. "Sometimes one is all you need!" she shouts, pivoting and lashing out with a quick high kick. If it strikes Juri, great; if not, however, Farah turns the momentum of her leg coming back down into a pivot and an open-palm punch for Juri's stomach.
COMBATSYS: Farah successfully hits Juri with Combo Attack.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Farah 0/-------/------=|=======\==-----\1 Juri
Once again Farah attacks, and once again Juri is caught off guard. Despite the fact she looks more relaxed, fact is she is still moving much slower than she is used to. So when Farah sweeps in she tries to move away ... but only succeeds in ducking her extremely hurt jaw right in the line of fire. Once again her neck snaps painfully backwards while the palm strike to the stomach practically doubles her over as it flings her against a piece of ruined wall. She hits it with enough force to cause it to crack, and is once again breathing very heavily from the injuries she has sustained.
Her hand reaches up to wipe some more of the blood oozing from her lip and painfully bitten tongue. Her voice drips with barely restrained anger as she speaks, "Yeah, I can see that." She pushes off the wall and stands upright and next to Farah. A dull, ominous glow emits from her left eye as she glares at the other woman and taking a brief moment to examine her closely. There is something to her after all. It's the reason she left Farah for last, in truth. That power - it feels similar to the power she wields, the power she had thrust upon her. But it's like comparing apples to oranges - both are fruit, indeed, but one has a rotten core with a worm wriggling through it.
"Whatever."
That single worded phrase precedes Juri's body whirling back into action. She leaps up and, using the wall behind her, attempts to thrust her body out completely horizontal! Her foot, in this case, will rocket toward Farah's midsection in a blow that is sure not to disappoint. Of course that is assuming it managed to connect at all.
COMBATSYS: Farah fails to counter Thrust Kick from Juri with Gensekiju.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Farah 1/------=/=======|=======\===----\1 Juri
That statement...
"You!"
...was ill-timed indeed.
Again, the starry-night aura of Soul Power flows through Farah's ribbon, as she watches Juri move toward her. She's not used to feeling angry; for the Egyptian girl, fighting has always been about connecting to people, having fun, testing how far you can make your skill and your body go. For Juri it's clearly about power: how she has it, and other people don't, a physical reminder of the Taekwondo fighter's supremacy. The only thing Juri wants to 'connect' with people is her fist, for the most part. That alone is jarring. But to have her handwave dismissively, throw out a 'Whatever' and pretend like everything to this point hasn't even happened?!
~ Unforgivable! ~
But the problem with anger is that it messes people up, makes them do bad things, make poor decisions, and in this case, Farah makes a poor decision indeed. The Soul-empowered cloth is pulled taut in front of her in a horizontal line, looking to intercept Juri's kick, but the Spider is working on a higher level of skill than a beginner like Farah, and instead of catching the attack, Farah takes the kick right in the stomach, *hard*. Sparks of Soul Power fade through the air as the charge dissipates and Farah herself smacks into a wall, sliding down it to sit on the ground in a daze for a moment.
~ Why...? Ugh... ~
But she stands back up, the Egyptian does, and levels her gaze at Juri despite how intensely painful that attack seemed to be. "Is that all?" she asks, full of bravado that's probably not warranted, and even out of character for her... an example of the blithe dismissal that she was so infuriated at Juri for expressing not moments ago.
For Juri, there is a deeply psychological need for her to fight. It fulfills her on many, many levels. For one, it is to prove she is not weak - not a victim, not someone whose life had been ripped apart without so much as a whimper. For another, it's to deliver some of the torment she had experienced onto others. Indeed, seeing Farah smack against a wall with such brutal force delivers a chill of delight through Juri's body. Thirdly though, and most importantly: It's to prepare.
Prepare for what? She'll never tell. But as Farah sits in a daze she walks over to the other woman with one hand on her hip, and the other lightly twirling her belt around. She stops just a few feet away to watch Farah stand, and to give her a cruel bloodied smile as Farah asks her 'Is that all?' Is what all? The attack?
"Oh no, it's only just begun. Would you like for me to show you?"
Once again that fierce pressure flows from Juri. Her left eye's dull glow raises to a bright glaring light as it emits a high pitched whine. That sheen of purple energy flows through her limbs and her body, though slightly duller than before thanks to her injuries and exhaustion. She drops the length of belt as she rears back and holds her left arm streched out behind her! "Keep your eyes open!!!"
A command, a demand, so that she can watch in full horror as Juri's body spins into action. Swirling purple energy flows freely around her body as she performs a spinning kick on the ground and rising into the air. The threat is of course that Farah, herself, will be swept up into the tornado and drawn up into the air with Juri. When that happens? Well, it all depends on if that happens.
COMBATSYS: Farah fails to counter Kaisen Dankairaku from Juri with Gekirinju.
[ \\\ < > ///////// ]
Farah 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Juri
COMBATSYS: Farah can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Juri 0/-------/-------|
No mercy at all, no mercy. Drawn up in a swirling violet cyclone Farah will be assaulted, not just with the attack but by the energy the attack is composed of. She'll feel intense negative emotions - pain, despair, pent up impotent rage and a desire for all to suffer. The intensity of these emotions within the energy is nothing short of incredible - but they are all Juri's emotions. Unlike the Dolls, who act almost as vessels within which to hold Vega's excess power, Juri's own power after the psycho infusions are now purely her own.
Once drawn fully into the air Juri can be seen rising above Farah, her body wreathed in the same purple energy. She brings her leg up high and then strikes with a downward axe kick that sends the other woman streaking toward the ground! But not faster than Juri herself. Incredibly, and despite breaking every rule of physics, she manages to land on the ground before Farah lands. She was moving so fast in fact that she had to land on all fours and skid to a stop.
Juri quickly turns on her heel and kicks upward - directly toward the descending Farah's spine! Despite holding a vertical split with Farah bent over her foot Juri is able to lean her torso upwards. Farah will be able to see that baleful, glowing eye out of the corner of her own eye and she'll be able to feel Juri's hand lightly carressing her chin, "Mmhmhm... felt good, didn't it?" Juri grins manically as her eye flashes brighter before she twists around on her heel to deliver Farah to the ground in one final arcing kick!
If at first you don't succeed?
We won't explore the end of that sentence.
Farah poured all of her heart and soul into one final attempt to show Juri the futility of violence and wanton destruction; the glow of cobalt blue around the ribbon as she tries again to catch the S.I.N. Spider's foot, send her sprawling, prove that justice will win out over evil. But this is a critical lesson for Farah, one she will have fitful dreams contemplating for some time to come following this fight; Juri simply shatters her defenses utterly with the ferocity of that strike, the overwhelming negative energy of the violent Korean's Psycho Power shattering the field of empowering Soul energy Farah uses to make that ribbon able to hold up to a fighter's physical strikes. Without it, it's... just a ribbon.
Juri might have the satisfaction of seeing Farah's eyes go wide as the spiralling kick draws her in for more pain than Farah ever thought she'd feel in her life.
~ Why?! ~
The assault isn't just physical, though Juri's continual rising kicks take their toll. It's the mental and emotional assault, too; the burning violet of Psycho Power raging through every cell in Farah's body, trying to overwhelm her, to drown out her very self. The feelings of rage and despair, the negative emotions that are Juri's weapons, surge through Farah like an avalanche, so that she doesn't even have a reply to the murmured comment the Spider makes before slamming the Egyptian girl into the ground, HARD, effectively cratering the pavement around Farah's body.
She wants to get back up, but like Denji, Farah's been taken quite completely out of the fight. There's enough left in her body to struggle to a kneeling position, voice cracked, blood running down one cheek. "I can... still... won't... you..." But after croaking out this series of words, she collapses face-down on the ground, thoroughly unconscious.
It was a hard fought battle, much harder than Juri was expecting. And after driving her last opponent into the dirt Juri is left bloodied and beaten. However, she is still standing, still able to move, and still /extremely/ dangerous. She stands over Farah's near-unconscious body now, listening to her last words with a wry smirk upon her lips. However when she finally passes out Juri almost looks ... disappointed. She sighs loudly to herself, "I didn't even get any of their names. Oh well." Her hand is gripped into a tight fist as she pulls it back, aiming down toward Farah's body, "Not like it matters."
Before she can deliver what would surely be the Coup de Grace on the Soul Powered Egyptian, there is an inexplicable sound of a cell phone ringing. At first Juri twitches, seeming to want to resist answering the phone and just continue with her assault. However as the phone continues to ring unabated she finally growls under her breath and lets her fist relax before dropping it to her side. She rustles around in a hidden pocket on one of her pants before she pulls out her cell phone, answering it in a terse tone.
"This better be important, I was just getting to the good pa--" She is cut off by the sound of an angry voice, an angry man's voice, on the other end. Her eyes roll within their sockets as Juri turns around and quite plainly sits on Farah's back while she continues to listen to the very loud voice very angrily deride her for all the awful things she has done to him and his good night's sleep. Finally Juri responds coldly, "Is there anything relevant you had to say or did you just want to whine like a broken motor?" She pauses, "Hmm? So that was you. I was wondering why the cops never did get here. Very nice, it let me enjoy my fight uninter..." She is interrupted again by another very loud very angry response from the phone. Sighing loudly she responds, "OK, fine fine, I'll come back. I'm done here anyway."
Without waiting for another response Juri shuts her phone and stands back up. She takes a moment to glance behind her at Farah, Denji, and the crack in the ceiling where she had kicked Shiden earlier. A cruel grin takes her face as she speaks to them, "Well... lucky you. Better work hard and become strong though. Or else, well, who can be blamed if you end up dead?" Clearly Juri could be blamed, but not that she would care. She just walks off into the night and returns to the shadows that once held her secret.
COMBATSYS: Juri has ended the fight here.
Log created on 21:27:13 05/20/2010 by Denji, and last modified on 20:41:01 05/29/2010.