Description: Few words were shared, or even needed to be shared. After playing a high stakes game of cat and mouse with one another, the paths of Kain and Juri intersect in an abandoned old temple in the middle of a massive storm. What followed was as brutal as it was swift. Considering the massive pillar of blue chi that appeared, it's amazing that anyone could survive at all.
It didn't take Kain too long into his relationship with Goenitz to figure out that the priest doesn't trust him. Ramming a hand into his throat and infecting him with Orochi's power was a pretty good hint. But even after putting that leash on Kain, Goenitz has still not felt inclined to enlighten Kain on exactly what his goals are, though he's quite happy to go on about the coming ascendance of Orochi.
No, for now Kain is just a useful tool. But there are a few things to look at as bright points. As long as he's not defying Goenitz (that the priest knows about), and isn't dealing with someone who will push his buttons, Kain can still somewhat keep his rage under control and think more or less clearly. And, given that, the fact that he's still alive means that either Goenitz is stupider than he seems, or isn't certain that he can take Kain down without injury, even with this handicap. Goenitz is certainly more powerful than Kain, but perhaps not unbeatable...
But until he can control or purge Orochi's power, Kain doesn't want to force that confrontation. So he serves, for now. And there are certain people Goenitz wants dealt with. Or at least kept occupied. After tracking Juri to Japan, Kain has been attempting to keep an eye on her and look for a good opportunity to strike, preferably far away from potential witnesses. His observations have been surprisingly difficult, however, as Juri seems to be far more aware of his presence than he had anticipated. And eventually it began to seem that /she/ was tracking /him/. Interesting, and it makes his task easier.
Having decided to put it to the test, Kain has set up at this old abandoned temple, waiting for her to arrive. Given that he would prefer to keep as low a profile as possible, Heinlein has taken to not wear his usual clothes. Instead he lurks in the shadows near the temple, dressed in a black shirt and pants. Rather than attempting to disguise himself as he did with Kyo and Iori, he has taken to tying his hair back. The visible marks of the Orochi infection in the form of paler hair and darker skin already serve to mask his appearance at a casual glance. And he has also allowed his facial hair to grow in, giving him a thin, white beard. A pair of dark glasses to disguise the eyes despite the dark sky and pouring rain, and someone would have to look fairly closely to recognize him. Of course, his fighting style might give him away, but as long as he can keep his temper under control there are ways of dealing with that. But really, it's keeping the public at large from seeing what he's up to that he's really concerned with.
And first someone has to spot him at all. Despite the driving rain, Kain has barely moved since he settled down in the shadows. The water soaking him and continuing to pour down doesn't seem to bother him at all. He just crouches silently and waits.
--
It was a brief dance, but a lovely dance. It did not take long for Juri to understand that she was being followed. During the first round of the King of Fighters tournament, the Shadaloo team was pitted against a group of fighters headed by one Ryuji Yamazaki. His rather unique chi pattern, and his extremely violent fighting style, left an immediate impression upon both the Feng Shui Engine and Juri Han herself.
After her experience in the second round, Juri had decided it was time to pull back the curtain of this tournament and see what was happening with her own two eyes. Anger is her primary motivator, and a hell of an anesthetic: Juri hasn't bothered to rest and recover since her last fight. Not that it has slowed her down much, though her clothing has become soiled ripped during her tireless search for answers. That combined with her odd looks should have made her easy to follow. She was not. She would leave false clues, kill and dispose of witnesses, and occasionally leave signs of her passing in areas Kain would often visit.
Every dance has to have a conclusion, and this is it. Juri's investigation has lead her to an abandoned old temple in the rural areas of Japan. She left the last information alive, knowing full well that they'd inform her tail of much the same. And now the two will finally meet face to face.
White light, spiderweb-like veins trace across the sky, and the resounding rumble of thunder can be heard off in the distance. The downpour is unrelenting, and already the water has begin to puddle on the ground below. Wind whips the downpour around in unexpected patterns, and chills damp flesh to the bone. Even through all this stimuli, however, a shadowy presence can be felt. A tickling of some common animal instinct that somewhere out there is something... wrong approaching.
Another flash of light, and suddenly a shadowy figure can be seen perched in a bare tree above the abandoned, stone grave markers. She is hunched over like a wild animal, hands gripping the branch below her. As the thunder rumbles around her, the shadowy figure's left eye bursts alight with purple energy. That same eye can be seen glancing around, searching invisible trails of chi energy...
... before finally settling directly on Kain.
--
Kain's gaze moves to catch the tiny purple light in the darkness, shimmering from the curtain of rain. With Kyo, Kain made some attempt at discussion. Kyo is a jackass, but probably opposed to the elimination of human life on Earth. As far as Kain can tell from what he's heard about Juri, she probably wouldn't care much. Unless maybe to be irritated that she didn't get the chance to do it herself, one person at a time.
Keeping his eyes on Juri, Kain slowly begins to move. And the Feng Shui Engine probably starts to note rapidly rising numbers as Heinlein prepares himself for battle. Normally he would be icey calm at a time like this, but he can already feel his blood pumping. The rage hasn't awoken yet, but if he stays in battle too long it probably will eventually come roaring out. Unless something happens to unleash it sooner.
And that's why Kain needs to concentrate. And as long as he has to concentrate hard anyway, he might as well use his masterful control of chi to be a little bit less obvious about who he is. He snaps a hand toward the branch Juri is crouching on and a blast of blue energy shoots from his hand, sending rain spraying in all directions as it shoots toward the watching figure.
COMBATSYS: Kain has started a fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Juri has joined the fight here.
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Kain 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Juri
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Juri with Schwarze Flame.
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Kain 0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0 Juri
The attack strikes with furious power, and briefly in the dark rain-streaked night Juri's body can be seen flying through the air beautifully alight with blue flame. Nothing is left standing still - the branch is cracked and fallen and the Spider is flying. Though she lands soon enough and hits the ground with enough force to send her sliding along the muddy surface. For a moment she lays still...
Then there is a gleeful cackle as lightning flashes yet again! No wait... the light from her left eye has flashed with garish violet light and in that moment she vanishes, leaving only a Juri-shaped impression in the ground.
Though that is not entirely accurate, for numerous footprints have appeared as well. In fact there is an explosion of water as rain is violently displaced, and a massive amount of the spray is felt from Kain's side. An unfortunate telegraphing as it may turn out to be, regardless the woman's voice can be heard in that purring hiss of hers, "So, you like to play with fire huh? I guess so if you're going around following someone like me. Why don't we play a new game though? Catch!"
At that moment the Taekwondoka's right foot lances upward in the air, alight with swirling, violet psycho power! Her intent is to smash it against Kain's chin and send him stumbling backwards.
COMBATSYS: Juri successfully hits Kain with Fuhajin.
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Kain 0/-------/--=====|=======\===----\1 Juri
Kain brings an arm swinging around in an attempt to intercept Juri's leg, but he isn't able to get it into place in time. Her foot collides with his jaw, and the psycho power enhanced blow lifts Kain off his feet. He flies back, crashing through one of the dilapidated tombstones before falling back to the ground with a splash.
Except he manages to strike the ground with one hand before he crashes down, flipping himself over his arm and shifting his body about so that he lands feet first, with his legs already tensed for the leap that sends him flying right back toward Juri. His hand glows blue as he attempts to land a flying punch with all that force behind it. He still hasn't said anything, and for now his face looks cold and cool. Except for the slight flicker of what might be a sneer.
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Juri with Fierce Punch.
- Power hit! -
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Kain 0/-------/--=====|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2 Juri
A direct hit, a powerful hit - at least as far as where her psycho power is concerned. Juri has a momentary victorious sneer right before she sees another flash of glowing blue, Kain's body flipping itself upright before leaping toward her to deliver a flying punch. She attempts to move out of the way, if only a few inches, and avoid the brunt of the blow. Unfortunately the strike hits her directly in the chest with brutal force!
Under normal circumstances someone might mock Juri for her lack of padding, not like those sorts of things really matter. For the strike hit the center of her chest and she can feel her sternum crack under the strain of the blow! Her ribcage compressed inward and shards of bone jab her inner organs. Blood begins to flood her chest cavity almost instantly, and some if it is coughed up in an expressive spray before she flies backwards with a blue chi imprint left glowing in her chest.
Once again she slides through the muddy water, and this time only stops after hitting one of the abandoned grave markers. This time she doesn't vanish. This time her motions are far more labored, slow, deliberate. She raises herself into a sitting position as she groans in pain with one hand pressed against her chest. Her eyes glare at Kain, and she hisses out the words:
"Y'know... normally I'd be happy to meet someone as strong as you. It's been a blast so far, really. But." She grips the grave stone with one muddy hand before dragging herself to her feet, "Some pig fucker has been screwing with my brain. And it's really pissing me the fuck off! So I'm going to need you to get the fuck out of my business. /Now./"
With that, Juri rolls forward along the ground and lands in a crouch at Kain's feet. She'll begin with a sweeping psycho powered kick aimed at his legs, then another aimed at his chest with a third finally aimed upwards to launch him in the air! She'll deliver a fourth leaping kick to launch him backwards before landing and performing one final sweep: This one sending a violet arc of psycho-power out as a projectile to catch Kain in his descent.
COMBATSYS: Juri successfully hits Kain with Fuharenjin.
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Kain 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Juri
Up until now, Kain has managed to keep his temper in check. Unfortunately, that's largely because he hasn't taken a blow that really rocked him. Juri seems quite happy to rectify that situation, though. She comes in lower than Kain is epxecting, and manages to take out his legs before he can adjust. The followup blows are unavoidable at that point, resulting in Kain getting launched into the air, then blasted back up by the wave of psi that meets him on his way down.
Eventually he does plummet back to earth, landing on his knees, one hand on the ground, with his head bowed. He almost looks defeated. At least until he lifts up his head. One of the lenses of his dark glasses is broken, and the eye that's revealed is glowing blue, getting more intense as the snarl on Kain's face starts twisting up. If the Feng Shui Engine has any built in alarms, they're probably going off now.
Kain snarls at Juri, then lifts up both of his hands and slams them, palms down, into the ground. The result is a shockwave that actually pushes back the falling rain, but nothing else for a moment. At least until the blue glow starts seeping through cracks in the ground radiating out from Kain. A very large patch of ground around him, in fact. The light quickly begins to grow more intense and the ground starts to rumble, before a pillar of light shoots up into the sky, pure, raw chi energy engulfing everything in a considerable radius around Kain.
COMBATSYS: Kain can no longer hold back his Rage!
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Kain [E] 1/-------/=======|=======\-------\0 Juri
COMBATSYS: Kain successfully hits Juri with Himmlischer Atem.
~ Cruel hit! ~
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Kain [E] 0/-------/-----==|=======\======-\1 Juri
Any satisfaction that Juri might feel is wiped away instantly by the multitude of red flashing warnings playing across her left field of vision. This guy was already strong - incredibly fucking strong. Though now as he seems to be losing grip of his own calm, and descending into an unstoppable rage, he is somehow... growing stronger? Indeed the flow of chi rushing through the dark man's body is nothing short of incredible. If Juri could normally feel anything resembling fear, she would be feeling it now. Instead she is only caught up in a sense of awe and excitement. This man ...
... he's worthy of breaking her.
Not that Juri has a choice in the matter, not anymore. Instead she quickly finds an incredible wave of raw chi energy erupting all around her! She attempts to move out of the way, to get to some kind of cover as the world becomes some sort of azure hell. But in the end it's too late. Someone watching from afar will be able to see her body suddenly consumed in the pillar: Her shadow briefly able to be seen still struggling to escape ... before vanishing as well.
When the pillar disappears, Juri can be seen face down in the dirt near to Kain. Her arms shake as she tries to force herself up off the ground: A loud hacking cough can be heard as she wets the ground with a copious amount of her own blood. She laughs, ruefully. As she stands slowly her body continues to shake uncontrollably until she finally returns to a fully upright ... well... hunched over posture.
Then when she turns to face her assailant it is clear just how much damage has been done. Her left eye is producing light: The light of sparks. The outer layer of the Feng Shui engine has cracked, revealing the inner workings that crack and spark. Blood stains the scleras of her right eye as apparently several of the capillaries within it have popped from the force of the last attack. Her entire body feels cracked, broken, and yet she still laughs. A mirthless laugh. An angry laugh.
"So. I might have bitten off more than I can chew. You won't hear me say that too often. But..." She grits her bloodied teeth and hisses, her voice automatically changing to a deranged snarl, "... if I'm going to Hell, I'll drag you with me!"
There is a flash from her left eye this time, though it is instead from an extremely violent spark instead of a violet flash. So too can it be heard grinding: The soft mechanical whine of the Feng Shui Engine right now replaced with the sound of it seemingly eating itself within her eye socket. But it seems to work enough, as Juri is still standing (barely) and is able to get close enough to deliver a sweeping kick alight with psycho power! The first of many as she attempts to push hereslf into the air and drag the insane chi master into a swirling tornado of pain.
COMBATSYS: Juri can no longer fight.
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Kain [E] 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Kain blocks Juri's Kaisen Dankairaku.
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Kain [E] 0/-------/---====|
Unfortunately, the Feng Shui engine is far too damaged and Juri's body far too hurt for her to continue onward. After the initial strikes of her attack her left eye cracks, ruptures, and explodes outwards in a shower of sparks and metal!
An anguished scream fills the stormy night, one that will haunt the tales of campfire goers for decades to come. Before long the Taekwondoka's body will descend to Earth, and she is completely helpless. Her body battered and broken, the Feng Shui Engine in critical need of repair, and her mind barely gripping a sliver of consciousness.
--
There is a down side to sending out people prone to berserk rages to do your dirty work for you. On the one hand, they're probably easily capable of destroying what you point them at. But on the other hand, chances are they won't be in a state to actually think things through carefully, and do stuff like making sure that they have /actually/ finished off the target.
Case in point: Kain surges back to his feet after unleashing that blast, in time to swing out an arm and knock Juri's leg aside. Psycho power claws at his arm, but he's far beyond noticing pain now. While Juri is distracted by the malfunctioning Feng Shui Engine, Kain's hand snaps out, grabbing the woman by the face. He drags her back, then hurls her into the sky, followed by another massive blast of blue energy, sending her off to land... somewhere. If it were a normal person, there might not even be a corpse left. Even for a normal fighter, survival would be questionable. Juri, however, is not exactly normal. But Kain isn't thinking clearly enough to go finish her off. His rage is unleashed on some of the already battered inanimate objects around him until eventually, with no target to continue feeding it, the anger subsides enough that Kain can claw back some measure of self control. At which point orders from Goenitz can go to hell, he needs to go calm himself down before he loses control again. With a scowl Kain slinks off into the rain and darkness.
COMBATSYS: Kain has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:04:26 04/22/2011 by Juri, and last modified on 22:32:44 04/22/2011.