Description: YOU GONNA DIE! Well, isn't everyone? In the jungles of Thailand, Sagat comes across an old fan, of sorts. The morbid young girl called Hunter, and the huge man that is the former Emperor of Muay Thai. Neither of them are brilliant conversationalists, and the bare minimum details of what each has been up to are shared. In the end, she decides that her interests will best be served by tagging along with the huge man, and so she does just that.
The jungles are muggy and heavy with life. Even when Thailand itself is full of so much death, the jungles are a vibrant and buzzing place, from the lush leaves and mulch below through to the moist bark of the trees. Throughout this verdant land, animals prowl. Some of them just happen to do it on two legs.
Hunter has slept high above the ground, nestled in the branches of one of the trees. Now, the oppressive heat of the midday jungle has driven her from her sanctuary. The young woman moves swiftly, quietly, moving from one branch to the next as nimbly as some dangerous predator herself.
Just yesterday she'd cornered and picked off a small group of Shadaloo soldiers. Their bodies litter this part of the jungle, paying mute testament through cut throats and arrow-studded corpses that there is another here. She isn't running, though. She's let them lay, to be picked at by predators and turn into festering beacons for their allies. She wants more. She wants to draw them into *her* terrain. Because when they step into this world, their fate is already sealed.
It is amazing how most of the jungles of Thailand hadn't fully been razed by the battles being waged between the Thai miltary and the combined forces of Shadaloo and China. It feels like a new battle erupts every few hours and somehow right now it seems Thailand will remain free despite the best efforts of Shadaloo to once again take over the land. Maybe it really will take Vega himself to capture the country once more. No matter how many troops seem to be sent they can not penetrate the defenses the Thai military has set up.
Vega also made one very grave mistake. He left Sagat beaten many weeks ago, but left him alive. A mistake the dictator is probably greatly regretting at the moment. The God of Muay Thai managed to gather up a good amount of the remaining military and along with the help of some other fighters he managed to help take back Thailand and keep it free for the time being. Just how much energy does the large warrior have left in the tank? He has been going almost nonstop with very little rest and today of all days maybe the first time he has managed to slip away and find time for himself.
His body is a mess of bandages covering a good amount of the man mountain that stalks through the terrain. The lack of time to shave has left his beard and hair to continue growing, becoming more than fuzz at this point. He just needs a bit of time to rest. As much as he won't admit it he is getting old and this war has really put alot of stress to his massive body. He is more lost in thought when he comes across one of the corpses left out as a warning. That single eye gazes about as he spots another soon too. Was there a battle here he missed? No, it looks more like a slaughter given the lack of any Thai troops.
Hunter's sharp senses can hardly fail to pick up a man like Sagat. Huge and powerful, he is inescapable even in the jungle. Unfortunately, whilst Hunter would certainly recognize Sagat, the powerful, bald, one-eyed man-mountain God of Muay Thai and hero to her people... she does not recognize Sagat, the bandaged wild-man with red hair standing over one of those bodies.
She observes for a few moments, considering her next action carefully. Sagat is not wearing a uniform, and the bandages speak of a battle. Whilst she doesn't have any reservations about taking on a man of great size (more target area to hit), something tells her, even from behind, that this is not a man on the side of the enemy. Unless he is the unluckiest and stupidest mercenary in the universe.
Carefully, in the trees above, the girl shrugs her bow into her hands, and strings an arrow. There's the slightest creak of the bowstring, and then she clears her throat, sighting the individual down below.
"If they're your friends I'll help you join them quickly."
A good test, in her opinion. Most of these Shadaloo lunatics seem fanatical enough to try and rush someone with a weapon drawn, and this guy doesn't look *fast*. Just terrifying.
That voice speaks up and Sagat stays silent for a moment and he doesn't turn around just yet. "No friends of mine." One could say maybe they were in the past, but even when he was part of Shadaloo he didn't have any friends among those that served under Vega. He just looks over the corpse closest to him and he knees down a moment to examine it. "Was it just you are are you a scout for others?" he asks casually and doesn't seem the slight bit worried he might end up a pincushion.
After another moment of examining he strats to stand back up. His movements are normal and he seems to deliberately not make any quick movements for the time being. Does he see this person as a threat at all? "Given lack gun use I can say you aren't military." he says and finally does turn around. As bandaged up and scruffy as he looks there is no denying who it is facing Hunter now. That single eye and the large scar across his chest make it pretty obvious who he is. "Where are you from?" he asks and looks about a bit more just in case he finds himself surrounded.
Hunter's expression, to her credit, does not change. Internally, her head spins the moment she lays eyes on the scar. There is only one person it *could* be, and her mouth suddenly feels dry, despite the amount of effort she has put into ensuring proper hydration. The bowstring is slowly allowed to relax, and the warrior's calm demeanor suddenly makes an awful lot more sense.
"I'm on my own."
In an instant, she's on the jungle floor, too. Her bow slid back into place on her shoulder, she finds herself looking up at Sagat... though there's nothing so pathetic as 'worshipful admiration' in her eyes. No, she looks... tired. Those piercing blue eyes have seen an awful lot of pain, recently.
"I provided for Bann Kawn Sawng Salung." She says, at last. Whether or Sagat knows the fate of that place, she does not know. It was dozens of miles to the west, now, though. Which might just spell out what she's doing all the way here, on her own, even if he does not know of the bombing.
The focus of that single eye shifts to the form that drops down and stands before him. He is reminded he isn't the only one that is tired from all this fighting. All the soldiers and even the people of Thailand haven't had many restful nights due to the bombings and attacks from the ground troops. He knows of places that have been lost and he has been in such a hurry to try and help where he can he has lost track of what places still stand and what have been turned to dust.
Given the fact this woman stands alone and quite a distance away from where her home is he can only assume the worst. "I know if it. I have not been there in quite some time." he admits and he finally seems to relax a bit. He has no reason to attempt to intimidate the person before him. She is no enemy and it is just a single person with a bow. Even if she wanted to try and do him harm he feels he is still able enough to handle her if it came down to it.
He lets his large form lean back to rest on a tree as he folds his arms over his chest. "Have you been out here since the fighting started or are you on the move? You should be careful if you travel alone." Yes she seems to know how to take care of herself, but he knows Shadaloo too well. Grunts like this can be easily taken down, but what if she happens across a Doll or the like?
"I would not be in a hurry to return."
Hunter's voice is just, cold. Numb, really. In her own disturbed way, she might be reminscent of one of those Dolls. The emotion has been burned out of her, at least, temporarily. She's grieved, but she hasn't had time to let herself feel the full force of the grief. It has had to be held at bay, lest it overwhelm her. Survival comes first, the pursuit of vengeance second.
"I don't know how long the fighting has been going on." She admits, "I ignored politics and news. My job was to put food on the table, and make sure it kept coming. I did that. Perhaps... two weeks ago, Shadaloo took the table away."
She exhales slowly, and looks up at the sky through the leaves. Easier than confronting the fact that Sagat looks like hell; that even the Emperor of Muay Thai has been wounded in this battle. He has always been their hero, their icon. And the dripping moisture from above may cloak anything so brash or emotional as the start of tears.
"I can be quiet when I need to be. This is my home, not theirs. I burn their food and kill the ones stupid enough to venture into the jungle alone or in small groups."
Her hands have clenched into small fists at her side. If she's aware of this, it has not changed the tone of her voice at all.
"I will not die. They will. All of them."
The lust for vengence is one Sagat knows all too well. His was a much more selfish reason, but even so he knows what it can do to a person. His fall from grace is why he became part of Shadaloo because he was so focused on one thing. Vengence against Ryu. The man that left him with the massive scar across his chest. He can only nod as he listens to her explanation and it seems like he was right in assuming she might be the only person left from her home. "I see...."
He remains silent for awhile as he looks over the smaller fighter and considers things. In a way she seems quite the opposite of Quon. Both having their life taken away by Shadaloo to an extent, but unlike Quon who needed some urging to fix his problem it looks like this one has decided to take things into her own hands and not look back.
He closes that eye and lets out a soft sigh. "As much as it seems like a good thing now, do not let the anger overwhelm you. It leads to rash decisions." he tells her as he looks back up and lets that eye focus on her. "We have lost enough people in this war. Don't let yourself become another casualty."
"A hunter never enters the jungle without a plan."
She's calming a little, in her strange, detached fashion. Some of tension flows out of her when Sagat does *not* tell her to 'go home' (what a disaster that would have been), or tell her that he will sort everything out. She shakes her head slowly, instead.
"I have no intention of dying."
There's the faintest ghost of a smile threatening to touch her lips, though it doesn't quite make it.
"My death would mean that there is nobody left to look for survivors from the village... nobody from our village to make them pay for its destruction, most likely."
She shrugs, a light, easy motion completely at adds with the morbid nature of the conversation.
"I am never rash, Emperor. I plan every movement, and it is to ensure that I keep breathing. They will not kill us." Though she eyes his bandages, and adds, in perhaps the bravest thing she's said so far.
"Though they seem to have made a start with you."
It has honestly been a long time since he has been called Emporer. That title has been lost for a long time. Then again given that Adon is the current Emporer of Muay Thai the title has been soiled for awhile now and many people still would rather prefer Sagat would take the title back. He has evolved beyond that need. He doesn't need a title to show his greatness. Being called Emporer does elicit something of a grin. One that only widens when she makes the remark at the end.
He slowly straightens up and he looks down at himself. "I have not looked my best as of late, but I assure you it will take more than a few thousand soldiers and tanks to kill me." Really it would probably take Vega himself to finally put Sagat down once and for all. It is something Sagat actually expects to possibly happen before this war is over. Even if he does go down perhaps he can destroy the dictator before he breathes his last breath as one last way to repent for the sins he has committed.
"I will not tell you what to do, but I do suggest you are careful in every decision you make." he tells the woman before he starts to turn about. One of his usual resting spots should hopefully be intact and is only about a two hours walk at this point. It will allow him a few hours rest at least before he is on the move again. "If you travel east about an hour you can run into the soldiers I have been traveling with the past few days. They are strong and have supplies if you need anything. They can also use any help you maybe can provide."
Hunter really does not follow culture very much at all; if someone tried to convince her that Adon is the Emperor of Muay Thai, she'd probably laugh in their face. There is only one Emperor in her opinion, in the sense that matters. The man who bears the weight of the world on his shoulders now... well, he could not rise much further in her esteem.
She does consider her next action carefully. Certainly, she could go to the soldiers and take the easy path. But she dislikes soldiers. It may be unfair, but they are the same breed of person that destroyed her home. Men with guns and the willingness to use them.
So instead, considering her action carefully, she falls into step alongside Sagat.
"In about seven minutes we'll come across some of my traps." She says. "I doubt they'll hurt you, but if we're moving on I would like to recover my equipment."
No. She is not asking permission. And he *did* say he would not tell her what to do!
It was not the sort of response that Sagat had expected. When she seems to fall in line to walk along with him his brow raises just a bit. His expression isn't really changing otherwise despite becoming a bit surprised. As for the mention of traps now he knows who is to probably blame for a sore ankle he had gotten earlier while wandering through the jungle. He does not make mention more out of perhaps the embarassment he got caught up in one more than anything.
He just lets out a light grunt in response. "Very well." is all he says in response to the young woman when she makes it very clear that she will be helping someone out. All Sagat hopes is that this woman knows what she might be getting herself into. All the conflicts have been bloody, but Sagat does seem to be the one finding the worst of them each time and jumping right in without thinking twice. If the woman looks to remain stealthy she has probably picked the wrong person to come by.
"Be warned..." he finally says after a few steps and he spares a glance. "There are times I request you to move elsewhere. Consider it for your safety."
"Certainly."
She does pat the quiver of arrows on her back, though.
"I will go where I wish to. For the moment, I wish to watch your back. I am sure that sooner or later, I'll find something else to watch. For now, though, you're the best hope I've got of taking my shot."
She doesn't elaborate on what, exactly, that shot is. She does, however, fling a knife into the underbrush. She's pretty quick! The sheer quantity of concealed weapons about her person probably does help to back up the idea she's not entirely unprepared.
As does the snake she pulls off the end of the knife. "Mmm. Edible one." She says, as she beheads the creature. "When we get somewhere to rest, we can take stock of supplies and check your bandages. You'll want to make sure they're kept very clean out here. Leeches."
Log created on 13:49:03 03/01/2012 by Hunter, and last modified on 15:27:30 03/01/2012.