Zach - KoF: Thunderdome

Description: Zach Glen encounters a rampaging Ken Masters, and tries to stop the Shotokan Master from piling up a body count. It all ends in blood and tears, or just blood in Zach's case.



Southtown Village. Generally it's more relaxed then the rest of the city, but there's always some form of activity in its own right. Today is no exception as there seems to be a flea market setup in the streets. Peddlers hawking their 'questionable' wares for bottom dollar prices.

Usually, something like this is a frugle mans dream. Especially since you never know just what sort of treasure you'll find hidden within. Unfortunately, this sort of scene tends to attract undesirables, and propped up next to a tree is a ragged looking man, dressed in a bloody and tattered red gi. Normally, people would avoid a man such as this, if it weren't for the fact this man has blonde hair and is famous the world over.

Ken Masters, the fighting worlds most questionable figure at this time breathes heavily, still in bad shape from his recent fight with Yamazaki, Metro City left in ruins. Word has spread faster then the newspapers can keep up, and already there is a slight crowd surrounding Ken, trying to decide if this is really the man in question, or just some big publicity stunt.

Zach Glen is talking a walk through Southtown, hoping that it would help what has to be the largest headache he has ever had. He doubts that it could be attributed to any kind of psychic empathy; he's never really experienced such an ability since he came into his power. He had a great many things on his mind, perhaps the stress of them was contributed to it.

He had not heard about what had happened in Metro City; to be perfectly honest Zach had stopped paying much attention to anything not immediately pertaining to his issues. This also, perhaps to his detriment, included his erstwhile teammates.

This may change shortly. Zach stops short when he spots the crowd, looking with curiousity for a moment before standing on tiptoes to try (without success) to see what is causing the crowd to gather. The psion, almost instinctively, starts looking around to find higher ground to check this out from.

A loud scream comes from within the crowd as they suddenly start to flee as if their lives depended on it. A loud gutteral roar echoes out over the fleeing citizens as it seems Ken has found yet another opponent to destroy. The beast within him is calling for more destruction, and Ken seems to be ready to oblige.

As the crowd disperses further, there a few groaning citizens left in bad shape, as Ken slowly moves towards the rest of the crowd, moving to attack anyone within range...

COMBATSYS: Ken has started a fight here on the left meter side.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ken              0/-------/------=|


Zach lets out a low groan as he watches the people scatter. His back foot slides back, almost settling Zach into a combat stance as he takes in the scene. This is the last thing he needs, Zach thinks as he reaches for the wrapped bundle over his right shoulder. He tugs at the cloth a bit, revealing a sword hilt.

There are people hurt. Zach cannot do anything immediate for their suffering, aside from ensuring that the cause of said pain is stopped. Motes of sunlight start to trickle from Zach's right hand as it takes a firm grip on the wakazashi.

"Hey!" Zach yells fiercely at Ken, trying to get Masters' attention. "You want a fight?" Zach takes a towards Ken, pulling the sword free of its sheath. "How about trying someone who can fight back?" His speech does not get more heroic than that; Zach doesn't consider himself much of a hero. Soul Power ripples across his frame as he prepares to take this stand.

It will likely be a short, painful one, a voice in the back of the psion's head whispers.

COMBATSYS: Zach has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ken              0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0             Zach


COMBATSYS: Zach equips Violet Miraitou.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ken              0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0         [E] Zach


COMBATSYS: Ken has awoken to his Rage. Watch the hair.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ken [E]          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0         [E] Zach


COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Ken [E]          0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0         [E] Zach


Zach's little speech works, as Ken turns his attention towards the man with the sword. A target who might be able to satisfy the beast. A low growl escapes his lips as he suddenly launches forward towards Zach, intent on causing as much pain as he can.

As Ken closes the gap between himself and Zach, his right fist suddenly extends outwards, snapping like its on a collision course with the poor Psion's face.

COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Zach with Jab Punch.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


Zach doesn't have time to /blink/, let alone time to react to Ken Masters throwing a punch at his face. Fist strikes jaw with thunderous impact, driving the smaller man back several feet. Zach turns his head to one side, and spits out a mouthful of blood. He winces, lights swimming in his vision. Glen eyes Ken warily. To know that the man is a master fighter is one thing. Staring down the proverbial barrel of such a man is something else entirely.

He chose this fight so poorly it would not even be funny. The smart move would have been to pull out the cell phone in his pocket and call in as much backup as he could beg, borrow or steal. The smart move would have cost lives, many of them.

Not really much of a choice then.

Zach decides to start quickly, thrusting his left hand forward. Sunlight pours into the open hand, spinning there for a moment before Zach sends it flying at Ken Masters!

COMBATSYS: Ken dodges Zach's Warning Shot.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


Wether it was the smart move or not, Zach is now stuck facing Ken in all of his Orochified Rage. The man clad in red suddenly moves to the left, the air distorting around him, the rays of light missing him. This is now a true target. That could have hurt, and it's time to continue the onslaught.

Once more Ken rushes forward towards Zach, dipping down low as the corrupted chi starts to build up around his fist. He launches himself upwards, moving to strike Zach with his most well known attack.

"SHORYUKEN!"

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ken's Shoryuken.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////      ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


Terry's Burn Knuckle. Ryu's Hadoken. Ryo's Hien Shippu Kyaku. Ken's Shoryuken. All legendary techniques. All very well known. The problem being that if you know the attack is coming, it could be easier to avoid. Ken launches like a rocket off the pad, and Zach hurls himself backwards with a bit too much force. He fouls the landing, falling on his rump. He stares with wide eyes, that corrupt chi gnawing at the edge of his senses.

Zach throws himself onto his back, rolling through the movement to regain his feet. He slides back from sheer momentum as he plants the hilt of the sword against the cobblestones of the path the pair are fighting on. His left hand raises, a slight spray of sparks betraying his intentions.

Three rectangles of Soul Power ripple into existance, and fly at Ken with the sweeping movement of Zach's arm!

COMBATSYS: Ken overcomes Pile Smash from Zach with Hadouken.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


The rectangles of energy that come hurtling towards Ken elicts a rather perturbed response from the man. As he starts his decent back down towards the ground, there seems to be a slight shift in his chi...

The chi suddenly springs to life, surrounding his hands as he pulls them to his side creating a ball of blueish black chi. It's obvious this isn't his normal chi, and the more he fights, the worse it gets. Almost as if the poison within him were spreading further.

"HADOUKEN!"

The ball of energy is launched towards Zach's energy rectangles, colliding with it violently and swallowing it whole, heading on a collision course with Zach in retaliation.

COMBATSYS: Zach fails to slow Hadouken from Ken with Warning Shot EX.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1         [E] Zach


Zach's eyes narrow as the projectile comes in. Even from twenty feet away, this thing feels /wrong/. Zach tenses, whipping his left hand back. More energy spools into it. He takes one last moment to aim, and whips the hand forward.

The ball of yellow light screams towards Ken's Hadoken... and is completely obliterated by it. The projectile slams into his chest, throwing Zach on his back. He lays there, gasping for air as he tries to force out the feeling of revulsion through sheer force of will as he stares at the evening sky. His grip on his sword is still strong, but there is no telling how long that will last.

There is no rest for the weary, and Zach is completely out of luck now. Ken's feet land upon the ground, rushing once more towards his now downed opponent. His body arcs in a cartwheel, slamming his right foot down towards the poor Psion. He's not going to give the poor guy a break.

COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Zach with Ryusen Kyaku.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/-======|>>>>>>>\>>>>>>>\2         [E] Zach


Zach lets out a whoofing sound as Ken's foot slams into his midsection. His whole body is yelling at him about the mutliple instances of pain that cover his body. He'll feel this in the morning... assuming that he feels ANYTHING in the morning. Zach struggles to his feet, bouncing away from Ken a couple of feet. He wobbles when he sets down, his balance precarious from the various wounds on his body.

He eyes Ken with more than a little trepidation. Trying to draw things out to build up for something a little more decisive will only get people hurt. Ken will not likely stand still and cooperate with that plan either. If this were Antoine... well... this fight would not have been nearly soo bad if it had been Antoine. Unless Zach was horribly mistaken about a few things that he really knew little about. No helping it, then, Zach figures.

"One pillar of sunlight, coming right up," he mutters almost drunkenly as he draws upon what few reserves he has left. He lurches towards Ken, barely turning the wobbling movement in forward lunge as motes of amber light fall off of his battered frame. He skids to a halt within inches of the maddened champion before unleashing a vertical column of light around him that races towards the heavens. Zach's only hope is that Ken is caught in the torrent of Soul Power, and that the pain knocks some sense into him.

Otherwise this will get bloody(er).

COMBATSYS: Ken blocks Zach's Burst Stream EX.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/=======|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


As the torrent of Soul Power rushes towards Ken, it tears through him like a waterfall tearing through a paper raft. There isn't much the Chi Using man of Mayhem can really do to defend himself against it, but his body does infact fight to keep itself together and minimize the damage that courses through him.

Of course, Ken isn't going to really allow Zach the honor of bringing him down, as much as he'd like to. Orochi has other plans, and once more its time for the unwilling servent to dish out the destruction his master demands of him.

The air around Ken suddenly distorts as the Ansatsuken master moves towards Zach, each step seeming like a hundred until the distance between them is nullified. He drops down low as his fist suddenly springs to life with tainted chi, delivering a swift uppercut towards Zach's jaw, only to continue with his onslaught, trying to catch the poor Psion in one of his most well known finishers.

"SHINRYUU KEN!"

COMBATSYS: Zach dodges Ken's Shinryuu Ken+.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0         [E] Zach


Zach slumps a bit as his eyes adjust to the change of lighting from day to high-noon-right-in-the-eyes back to day again. He blinks a bit, looking for Ken... just in time to see that corrupted-chi fist screaming for his jaw again. Zach hurls himself back, not caring about his landing in the least; not getting hit by this punch is far more important. Zach crashes to the ground on his back, staying there for only a moment as the adrenaline helps him regain his feet far faster than he would have thought possible.

Zach scrambles away from Ken for a moment, keeping the blade of the Miraitou between himself and the rampaging Ken Masters.

COMBATSYS: Zach gains composure.

[      \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////                     ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/----===|=------\-------\0         [E] Zach


As the Psion narrowly escapes destruction, there's a brief interlud where it seems like the Rampaging Masters decides that the opponent before him isn't worth the effort anymore. Then the realization that he still is alive and breathing is noticed, and that just won't do.

Once more Ken rushes towards Zach, the air distorting around him as he closes the distance, chi once again building up on his fist as he forces the energy to flow outwards, ducking down to unleash a mighty Shoryuken upon the poor Psion.

COMBATSYS: Ken successfully hits Zach with Shoryuken.
Glancing Blow

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///                           ]
Ken [E]          0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0         [E] Zach


Zach gasps as Ken comes in for one more try. The hesitation, driven as much by fear as a worn out body, keeps Zach's feet planted long enough for Ken to tag Zach with that legendary uppercut. Zach moves enough to keep the attack from striking the intended target, his face, but with as much power as Ken puts behind it (and backed by that monsterous chi) even with the strike crashing into Zach's shoulder is enough to send the psyker flying.

Zach crashes into a storefront, shattering the glass window with a peal of thunderous sound. The psychic does not stand again, covered in cuts and bruises and broken blood and a decent amount of his own blood. The sword, oddly enough, is still tightly clenched in his fist.

Someone must have called the police or something, the wail of sirens cuts through the evening air like a knife.

COMBATSYS: Zach takes no action.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ken [E]          0/-------/---====|


COMBATSYS: Zach can no longer fight.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Ken [E]          0/-------/---====|


Sirens wailing seems to snap some sort of sense into Ken, as he jerks violently, as if he were once again struggling to control his own body. A shakey hand reaches out and grabs Zach, pulling the Psion upwards. "sOorrRy.." The words are broken, but the symbolism isn't.

Even though he isn't in full control, he once more has enough of it to pull the psion over his shoulder, dragging him out of the broken storefront and towards the hospital, knowing that it may not help things for him, but he's still a good guy somewhere beneath the Orochi taint.

Log created on 18:06:42 06/22/2011 by Zach, and last modified on 20:29:14 07/03/2011.