Description: A rogue Shadaloo operative seeking vengeance makes Hunter feel what it is to be Prey.
China, site of much hubbub and hullabaloo over recent weeks.
The recent detonation of a nuclear weapon has drawn the attention of more than a few, of course. Just earlier today the Ikari arrived, and they found Hunter picking over the corpses, looking for someone. The girl has found nothing. Good to her word, she'd stayed only long enough that the risk of contracting some manner of radiation sickness was unlikely, and then she had moved on.
Hunter is dogged, though, and she is not yet totally convinced that Sagat is dead. Uncomfortable parallels can be drawn between this event and the death of her family. Another large bomb. More vaporized and charred bodies. None which seem to match those belonging to the people she cares about, but so very many left dead anyway. Some fighters might be able to shake off what has happened, some might be able to look past all the destruction and stride forwards.
For Hunter, this is becoming a pit of despair she cannot drag herself out from.
Right now, the girl is camped approximately a mile into a brackish Chinese forest. She's found somewhere relatively sheltered from the rain, and in her camoflage she has tried to blend in. She is tired, allowing herself to doze somewhat underneath a large piece of waterproofed canvas which sluices the water from the drizzling trees above.
She's taken two pills against the radiation, they sit heavy in her stomach and her hands now rest on her bow. Arrow pointing downwards, resting on her knees. She's traveled for days with only brief pauses for rest. Maybe she should let herself sleep at last, properly... but she's deep in enemy territory, and she can't risk her screams drawing Shadaloo remnants down on her head.
Though the forces of Shadaloo may lay broken and defeated, scattered pocket of resistance still roam about causing havoc wherever they can. The war is lost and their generals missing in action, Balrog was last sighted in Japan whilst Bison was reportedly eliminated in the last stand against the Nato forces..and Vega..? Why their great and glorious leader resides within! Urging them on to carry his will to their last breaths. The war may be lost, that irredeemable fact remains true, but they can at least still bring honor to those loyal few that gave the ultimate sacrifice for the cause.
The remnants of Shadaloo will make sure to send a few extra souls to the great beyond to accompany their brethren.
One of the newest Killer Dolls managed to survived the onslaught from the allied forces. Her orders were clear, if top priorities failed she was to engage Search and Destroy protocols and eliminate any target she could find until either destroyed herself or received any orders from high command. So far those orders have not come, and for all that Diesel knows they may never do. All she knows is that as possibly the last loyal fighter of Vega's army it is her sole duty, and honor, to carry out the tasks that she has been commanded.
For her next target she has chosen a certain individual that had appeared next to the traitorous Sagat when attacking Shadaloo forces. This individual has been identified as Hunter, and she will be now summarily apprehended to be questioned for the whereabouts of the God of Muay Thai. Should she refuse capture...well..
Use of deadly force has been authorized.
"Target Sighted." As usual, Diesel completely disregards stealth and approaches the spot where Hunter is making her camp with loud deliberate steps. No doubt the girl will feel the giant Amazon warrior approach due to the loud vibration of the ground. Diesel doesn't care though, or maybe she just doesn't know how to approach things silently, though right before entering the perimeter she scans the area for traps.
She's reckless, no stupid.
Hunter's camp is makeshift, but it is also trapped. Admittedly, these traps are more makeshift than Hunter would like, but she hadn't the time to set up anything more elaborate than a few snares; nothing which impedes the careful approach of a Killer Doll, for sure.
Hunter's reflexes are razor-sharp. Perhaps it is her survival instinct which kicks in and tell her that she's in danger; perhaps it is the sheer size of the woman out to capture or neutralize her. Whatever the case, Hunter's bow is raised almost instantaneously. The girl is almost humorously short compared to the amazonian woman, and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
"Identify yourself. Friend or foe?"
Hunter's words, in fact her entire demeanor, is fairly reminiscent of a Doll herself. Her eyes are washed-out, tired and hollow. Her voice without emotion. Flat. An empty husk of a human being. But where Vega had burned out the wills of his most loyal servants directly, this young woman, a determined and vicious enemy, has had her hope wrenched from her simply by the fact of his actions. None of which, most likely, is important to the trained killer sent to deal with her.
The Killer Doll's sights train on the smaller girl like a laser. Once her trained gaze locates all the traps set around the encampment, the Amazon warrior simply jumps over them with a quick somersault revealing a dexterity that doesn't match her body type. Once she has cleared the surrounding dangers, her hazel eyes lock on to her target, scanning all that there is about her, paying attention to the weapons she carry and her attire before properly engaging.
Once she resumes her brisk walk, combat boots trudging across the soft ground, any suggestion of her being a normal Killer Doll (or as normal as one could consider those to be) would be dispelled. Ironic that Hunter resembles more of a Killer Doll than she does, because once the girl tries to call out to the warrior woman, she shows that her precious personality has not been entirely wiped out.
"Target is hailing us." The woman whispers to herself in a cold demeanor, twitching abruptly as her features change to a far more aggressive type.
"Take a wild guess, stupid!!"
If Hunter somehow missed the subtle hint of her allegiance, Diesel makes sure no doubts remain by breaking into a sprint heading directly towards the much smaller girl. Fist cocked by her waist whilst left is extended out as if to grasp her, a rhino about to trample a rabbit.
"hhhrrrRRRAAAAAAAAAHH!!"
COMBATSYS: Diesel has started a fight here.
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Hunter has joined the fight here.
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Hunter 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diesel
COMBATSYS: Diesel successfully hits Hunter with Combo Attack.
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Hunter 0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0 Diesel
Diesel doesn't want to play the girl's game, Hunter has a bow, the Killer Doll doesn't, hence she takes this fight to close quarters as soon as she can.
Reaching Hunter's position, rather than strike her with her fist as it looked like she was. The Amazon warrior extends a left leg to collide with her opponent's abdomen before swinging a haymaker strike to the side of her face!
*CRUNCH*
Well, Hunter may have deduced Diesel's allegiance pretty quickly, but that doesn't actually help her when she's trying to go from 'laying down half asleep' to 'defending herself'. The smaller girl is smashed into brutally hard, and actually chokes as she is lifted off her feet by the force of the blow.
Adrenalin surges, and Hunter's heart pounds in her ears as she considers her options. Flight is always a good one, she's fairly confident she could outrun the amazon, but... at the same time, *how* confident? Her mind is reeling. She normally has the upper hand. This is not... according to plan.
The bow is slung back as she recovers herself, splashing to a stop far too close to Diesel for comfort. She rolls low, coming up underneath Diesel and bringing a large net with her. The weapon is barbed; vicious hooks aiming to rip into the huge woman and really, distract her.
Because the other half of the attack other than being dragged down by a net, is for the nimble, smaller girl to drive a wickedly sharp knife as hard as she can into the back of Diesel's leg. She needs to buy distance, and she needs to buy time to get a handle on what she's dealing with. Other than 'terrifying physical force', which is a pretty bad start.
COMBATSYS: Diesel counters Hunting Net from Hunter with Sahadeva Krpura.
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Hunter 0/-------/--=====|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
Barbed nets can be very effective. They can incapacitate animals, entangle weapons and otherwise bleed the fight out of persistent opponents.
Unfortunately, Amazons just don't. Give. A. Fuck!!
"GRAAAAAAHH!!" With her normal personality taking over, Diesel takes the direct approach when attacking her target and decides to stay inside Hunter's circle of defense where she clearly has the advantage. Grasping the barbed net with her bare hands, caring little if she's now bleeding from her palms, the enraged, muscled Killer Doll rips through the net so she can follow the littlest Hunter's trajectory just as she plans to slice her hamstring.
Reaching behind her, Diesel grasps Hunter by her forearm and presses her palm on the butt of her knife to jam her own weapon into her stomach!
Hunter finds herself choking again as she is neatly countered by the larger woman. Her clothing rips open and her knife slices into her guts. It isn't a deep wound, thankfully, but it is enough that the blonde backs off pretty quick. She's surprised, more than anything else. She had not expected Diesel to be able to deduce the true trajectory of her attack, let alone react to it with such blinding speed for such a huge woman.
"Stronger, faster, more skilled..." She murmurs. There's cold dread starting to set into Hunter's heart, now. Above everything else, she is a survivor, and right now, things do not look good. She needs to regain control of the momentum of the fight. She needs to find some way to put the amazon on the back foot.
"Stop. I surrender."
It is a lie, she has no intention of surrendering, she wants to catch her breath and get her bearings back... but she is praying to whatever diety happens to listen that Diesel will at least give her a few seconds respite if she plays that card.
COMBATSYS: Hunter gains composure.
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
"True as them words, kid." The surprisingly energetic Killer Doll gets a smug grin once Hunter realizes she is /clearly/ outmatched. She didn't study twenty years in a the legendary temple of a Thousand Fists so that a mere runt with a shiv could give her problems.
Diesel spins about to face her opponent once again assuming a Kalaripayattu fighting stance to resume her attack. Except her target has surrendered and thus there's no need for her to continue. If she can finish this mission with a few precise tracks she will.
"I may be evil, but I fight with honor." Nods the Amazon warrior switching back to her cold Killer Doll demeanor.
"Surrender your weapons, hands forward so I can bind them."
COMBATSYS: Diesel takes no action.
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter nods her head. The fact is that the girl wouldn't know the meaning of 'honorable' if it crept up behind her and smashed her over the back of the head with a kosh. She's a born survivor, even before she was thrust into the middle of a conflict which has tested that will to survive to the limits.
In a motion of exaggerated openness, Hunter reaches into her cloak and produces another knife. "I've got about twenty eight in total. You got somewhere--"
And then she flings the knife up far above Diesel's head.
Because Hunter, noticed the beehive.
Which comes crashing down from above on a trajectory right for the huge woman, whilst Hunter is breaking into a sprint and fleeing for her damned life. She isn't going to be dragged to Vega bound up like one of her own catches!
COMBATSYS: Diesel reflects Large Thrown Object from Hunter with Nakula Carmika.
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Hunter 0/-------/-----==|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
Accursed do gooders! A pox on their land!! To take advantage of the trust of a proud Amazonian warrior like that! Is down right deplorable! Diesel too was born and raised in a deplorable environment, but she didn't let it get to her. She still has her ideals, her dreams and her undying loyalty to Shadaloo!! ...Actually that may have come later, but the fact remains that she wouldn't use underhanded tactics such as this!
Just as she's about to reach for that knife, Diesel pulls back as it is thrown upwards to let a beehive comically fall upon her head. "Incoming!!" Robotic personality instantly switches back to her aggressive type who scowls and draws her hand back.
"Get that shit---"
Her arm smacks the beehive hitting it with her scarred forearm to send it directly towards the fleeing Hunter.
"OUTTA HERE!"
COMBATSYS: Hunter parries Diesel's Reflected Large Thrown Object!
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter turns as the beehive comes at her. This is more like it. A situation like this? She can understand. Diesel is strong and tough, and the bees have succeeded in their own mission objective; keep her still long enough to buy her space.
Sliding to a stop, Hunter limbos low and the unfortunate beehive is sent skipping off into the swampy forest. Splashsplashsplashsplashsplash.
When she rises, her bow is sliding from her back, and a bright spark of flame is building up as she straightens to face the woman. She can see her coming now; she can take her shot!
There's no more banter from the grim Thai girl, though. Instead she's utterly focused on forging her arrow. Made of nothing but glowing fire, a bright and lancing trail is carved between herself and her would-be assassin. The beehive might have failed, but the flaming arrow has a lot more punch to it, aiming to splash in a flaming burst across Diesel's chest. Who knows, it might even discourage her!
COMBATSYS: Diesel blocks Hunter's Flaming Arrow EX.
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Hunter 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Now this is the type of fight Diesel doesn't want to be in. She's an assassin, yes, perhaps even a tracker to a certain extent. But her true hunting grounds are in the city as unlikely as that may sound. She was raised fighting in underground arenas to then graduate to the hidden temples of a secretive group of ancient assassins. Trudging through some march is definitely not the type of game she wants to be playing, she has neither the skills, nor the build to keep up. Ironic, that the so called Amazon warrior has no experience with the actual wilderness
The light from the fire arrow signals to Diesel that danger approaches and the Killer Doll deftly turns around to see the fiery missile sail directly towards her. Catching arrows is a normal sport for members of the Sahasra Musty society, and Diesel merely bats that projectile away even if it does singe her forearm.
"Pursue target! Do not allow escape!" Diesel's obedience circuit activates once more and she dashes in the direction where the flaming arrow was sent, hoping to somehow find the elusive Hunter girl.
COMBATSYS: Diesel focuses on her next action.
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Hunter 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter isn't running any more.
Her mind is full of strategems. Diesel is strong, technically capable, able to respond to attacks from an unexpected angle. In terms of hand to hand ability, she outmatches Hunter, there's no doubt about that. But for all Diesel might think otherwise (and for all Vega might have faith in her), the Doll is not the perfect weapon. She has a weakness; it is just a matter of locating and exploiting that weakness.
Her image of herself as an honorable person is one. Something more concrete she could stick a knife into would be better.
"Your skills are impressive." Hunter calls, from above. Having scaled one of the trees in the area, she looks down at Diesel, both hands free, crouched on a sturdy branch. She's pretty sure this position won't dissuade the woman for long.
"Can I know the name of the person who is going to kill me? Presuming you have one of course. I sometimes think you Shadaloo types were made in a factory."
COMBATSYS: Hunter focuses on her next action.
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Hunter 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Even after being tricked once, the Amazon Warrior still feels inclined to response. At the very least Hunter has once again reveled herself, even if it's from an advantage point, so the least she could do is introduce herself as true warriors do.
"Diesel." Responds the Killer Doll. She may have had another name long ago, another life perhaps, surely even, yet all that remain now of such things is only; Diesel.
"Now stop moving!!" To her credit, Hunter's deducing skills are nothing to sneeze at, just as she expected Diesel wouldn't remain grounded for long and takes up to the air as soon as she is within target flying directly towards the branch where her quarry sits. She knows perfectly well that even if she manages to get up where Hunter is, the entire tree wouldn't be able to hold her weight, let alone a measly branch. But she doesn't care if she falls, all she wants is to grab Hunter and bring her down to the ground where she can continue pounding her flat.
"I won't fall for any more tricks!" The woman reaches with both hands forward to merely tackle the other girl and drag her back to the ground!
COMBATSYS: Hunter blocks Diesel's Sammarjana.
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter allows herself to be tackled... but that's where 'allowing things to happen' ends and 'starting to get back into the fight' begins.
Wriggling out of Diesel's grasp, the girl manages to push off and away from the larger woman before she hits the ground. Rolling as she goes, the air is still knocked out of her, but it isn't quite as bad as it could have been. More to the point, she is not running any more. Instead, a long length of knotted rope is in her hands.
The intent is pretty simple. Diesel is huge, and she needs to bring the terrifying woman down to size. She aims to do this by wrapping the length of rope around Diesel's leg, and jerking her hard off the ground, coupled with a forwards shoulder-barge to drive her down into the water.
"I had a name once." She adds, calmly, as she attempts this sudden reversal of her strategy. "Vega's bombs removed any meaning it might have had, so if I kill you, I'm afraid you'll just have to say a Hunter got you."
COMBATSYS: Diesel blocks Hunter's Medium Throw.
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter may be out of Diesel's grasp but at least she's again on the same level with her. Making the opponent lose the high ground can sometimes be as important as hurting them, the Killer Doll knows this quite well since a lot of people want to fight her when she's a level or two below, and with good reason seeing as she's so tall. Thusly, when Hunter wiggles out of her powerful grip like a sneaky mouse she's not entirely disappointed and continues her pursuit, all while taking notice that there's suddenly a rope tied to her leg.
Wonder how that got there?
There's a bit of flailing involved from the Amazon warrior feeling as if though she's going to lose her balance, but she regains her footing and SLAMS her foot back to the ground firmly anchoring herself there. As Hunter comes forward for the shoulder bash, for the little girl it'll feel like she just tried to ram a brick wall, because Diesel's abs might as well be.
Diesel looks down...way way down. "You should be grateful. The Master gave my name a meaning, gave me power to change sickening world!" A fist is raised and suddenly swung hard down to the top of Hunter's skull to give her a good knock. "Accept his gifts as have I!!"
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Quick Punch.
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Hunter 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Diesel
"Fanatic. I see."
It really is as though Hunter is just trying to build up a profile on her enemy. There's no emotion in her at all; amusingly a counterpoint to the Doll she's fighting. She's still holding on to the rope she's got tied around Diesel's leg as she dives to the side of the smashing blow.
Hunter's dance around the huge woman would be almost comical... if it wasn't for the girl's knowledge of knots and force. Whilst she might have failed the first time, she's set herself up nicely for what follows next.
Which is to toss the rope back up over the branch of the tree, and follow herself. The entire tree will groan and may even crack under Diesel's weight, no doubt, but the sudden straining, dragging motion of the coiled rope may just be more effective than the simple loop around her ankle had been.
Of course, inside, Hunter is nowhere near as controlled as she seems to be on the surface; she's petrified. She knows all it'll take is Diesel getting her hands on her once or twice more, and she's down for good. But if she lets her emotions get in the way now... she's dead. It is taking every scrap of tenacity and smarts she's got just to stay alive!
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Hunter's Snare Trap.
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Hunter 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 Diesel
"Whoa!!"
It is comical actually, there's no telling just how knowledgeable Hunter may be of the Killer Dolls, but there is no doubt that Diesel is not your 'run out of the mill' Shadaloo Assassin. It's almost like she has two personalities, her brutal pre-Shadaloo mentality, and her cold mind washed demeanor devoid of all emotion. It makes her an erratic fighter, but somewhat odd considering she starts having an argument with herself as soon as she's upside down.
"Missed!"
"Neutralize Target Immediately!"
"I'm trying!!"
Deranged or not, she's still coming for Hunter and the large Amazon warrior gives a ferocious yank to the rope, snapping it out of place causing her to drop down back to the ground landing with a grunt. Fluctuating between cold and hot, it's difficult to tell if Hunter's taunting tactics are working or not, but she's definitely more than a little annoyed now. She comes again clenching her fist to deliver a haymaker strike directly for the center of her chest to cause serious cardiac arrest!
"Target Acquired!"
"You little pipsqueak!"
COMBATSYS: Diesel successfully hits Hunter with Yudhisthira Khagga.
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Hunter 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter attempts to slide out of the way of the oncoming fist. Unfortunately, she's just too slow, and the blow sends her skidding backwards. The nimble young woman grits her teeth, and shakes her head. There's obviously something strange going on in Diesel's head, but, if there's any way she can use it to her advantage, she's not seeing it. It doesn't seem to be slowing her down any so far, at least.
The girl presses her lips together, and, well, she's running out of options. She's tried rope, she's tried knife... maybe she'll get lucky with her good old fashioned arrow?
Turning and running again, Hunter pauses only to snap off a quick arrow in Diesel's general direction; it is far from her best shot, but, the huge amazon is a big enough target that there's a pretty good chance it'll hit her regardless. That's the plan at least. A second arrow being strung even as she takes off into the swampy forest. At least Diesel's anger makes her relatively easy to predict; she's going to try and kill her! ... How she can stop this happening, remains a mystery.
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Hunter's Quick Shot.
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Hunter 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Diesel
Diesel turns what would be a disadvantage into an advantage. It is the reason why she was allowed a place on the esteemed ranks of the Killer Dolls after being brain washed, aside from just being an expert of oldest and deadliest martial art ever created by mankind. But wait! There's more! If Diesel's clear insanity and skill weren't enough, she's also insanely tough and seemingly impervious to pain as she demonstrates by holding her hand up to stop the arrow from hitting her face.
The arrow pierces right through her palm easily enough, only stopping due to muscle contractions as Diesel snaps the shaft by clenching her fist and continues walking. Even if she bleeds, there's hardly any sign of her even noticing that she just got an arrow right through the palm, maybe Hunter could guess that she's part robot?
Once more Diesel is chasing, long steps making up for her lack of actual velocity, though as she starts to get more momentum flowing Hunter will start hearing those loud steps closer and closer to her once she starts closing the distance. To be honest, for an experienced hunter such as... Hunter.. this shouldn't be any different than hunting an infuriated bear. But then again, what was that saying?
Sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you.
"Stop running and fight!!" Demands the Amazon warrior as she goes for the tackle from behind.
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Quick Throw.
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Hunter 0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter has markedly few advantages compared to the marauding killer that is Diesel. Hunter is small, and smart, and she is very, very fast... but when every tool you have seem to be bouncing off to little effect, that is little comfort.
The fact is, though, that Hunter is a survivor, and that will to live may be the only edge she needs to keep giving Diesel a run for her money.
Leaping up and using a tree for support, the girl comes whipping around. A sudden change of trajectory, Diesel's arms find nothing but air, and Hunter comes down from above with her knee leading the way. She's aiming for the back of the vicious killer's head; perhaps she can dizzy her long enough to buy her distance back!
"If I fight fair you'll kill me. Doesn't sound like a good plan to me. I don't suppose you are tempted to run away yet?"
COMBATSYS: Diesel interrupts Light Kick from Hunter with Yudhisthira Khagga.
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Hunter 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Diesel
In a strange twist of events, it is Diesel the ruthless killer and Shadaloo affiliate that seems to want to fight honorably. Toe to toe, hand to hand and in the ring of glory as warriors should. Chasing her target about as if she was trying to catch a fleeing rabbit in the forest is /not/ at all what she thinks Lord Vega wants of his assassins. It frustrates her...and there isn't anything more dangerous than a frustrated Amazon assassin.
"You will lose one way or another." Claims Diesel as she misses her grab on Hunter and turns around when she attempts to hit her from behind. "You should meet your end with dignity rather than shame your clan by running away like a shy doe!!!" As she whirls around, the woman takes the knee blow to the face hard but also manages to grasp Hunter's body and SLAM the back of her head on the ground with a power bomb attack.
"My 'clan' are dead."
The response is a choking growl as Hunter picks herself back up from the ground. She seems to have decided that knives are now required, if the weapons in her hands are any indication. Her breathing is hard and shallow, but something in what Diesel has said has ignited the ferocity in Hunter's spirit.
"I have nobody left to shame."
She's shaking. Genuinely shaking with fury. "I bled, every day, to keep them fed. I kept them alive. Little Butterfly... she was going to go to school, even!"
"AND NOW YOU THINK I SHAME THEM BY STAYING ALIVE?"
"IF I DIE, WHO WILL REMEMBER?!"
The drizzling rain, at least, hides the moisture in her eyes. It can't hide the hot salty feeling, but it can hide the visible effect. She has to do this. She has to cut this woman down. She has to keep striving, and breathing, she just... needs that opening. Where is it?
COMBATSYS: Hunter focuses on her next action.
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Hunter 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Diesel
"Surrender then." Diesel straightens up after slamming Hunter down on the ground and erects herself to her full seven feet tall height of limb ripping, ligament tearing fury, crossing her muscled arms as she towers over her much smaller opponent.
"You can honor them by surviving as you have now and join us. Together with Shadaloo we can rebuild the world anew and turn it to a place where there shall be no more random destruction. No pointless death! No inequality amongst people! We shall all be too busy creating a new future to bicker!"
"Lord Vega's future!"
COMBATSYS: Diesel gains composure.
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Hunter 1/-------/=======|====---\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter is genuinely furious. There's no words which can adequate describe the depths of her rage at Diesel's 'suggestion' that she should pack it all in and turn to Vega for guidance instead. As though the man who murdered her family, her friends, everything she'd ever known... could ever seriously be a person she could turn to.
Normally, she really is very careful. She plans everything out as best she can. She *knows* that it is a stupid thing to do; this woman is huge, and powerful, and has proven capable of taking her to pieces if she's dumb enough to get in hand to hand range.
But for all that, Hunter's blind fury drives her on. She comes forwards with blistering speed, and... what's most frightening of all is the absolute lack of a noise from her. No bellowed shout. No cry. No pain. She is as silent as the wind.
As she aims to bring both knives forwards, and into Diesel's throat with as much force as she can muster, slicing in and up in the deadly fashion she normally uses to quickly and efficiently execute downed prey.
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Hunter's Finishing Blow.
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Hunter 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Diesel
Perhaps Diesel is too fanatic to know any better, surely her organization could do no wrong and those few offered membership to their prestigious ranks should consider it an honor. Or perhaps...she's much smarter than she looks and actually /goaded/ Hunter into attacking her head on so she didn't need to keep chasing her anymore. It would be quite a gamble, Hunter may be smaller but she's clearly much agile and is armed whereas Diesel is not.
Yet there's a sharp look in Diesel's eye as she charges headlong towards her, both knives extended to cut out her throat and she just...smiles. "Such energy." The Amazon warrior brings both hands up to grasp Hunter's arms and avoids getting the full double neck stab, though it still pierces her skin causing her to bleed profusely. "I was once like you." Says she once she moves the smaller girl's arms aside to open her up, raising her own two mighty fists up in the air to prepare her own counter attack. "Foolish and reckless. But fret not, we shall be changing that soon." The Amazon warrior then /drops/ both her arms towards Hunter's clavicle aiming to smash her collar bone with two meaty, muscled forearms with a devastating double hammer fist strike.
"NEUTRALIZE!"
COMBATSYS: Diesel successfully hits Hunter with Nakula Carmika.
Grazing Hit
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
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Hunter 1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1 Diesel
Hunter tries to dive to the side, but, she's too committed to the assault now to escape entirely. The hammer blow comes down with blinding speed, and the inevitable power of it!
That's the really terrible thing. Hunter's senses are sharp enough that it feels like she has several seconds of waiting, as she *knows* she cannot get out of the way fast enough...
She's barely clipped, but the wrenching blow still crashes into her shoulder and sends her splaying to the ground, a hissed swear escapes her lips as she rolls, and her bow is in her hands. She's so angry. Fury even greater than that she felt when General Blanc was mocking her homeland and Sagat... this cannot be allowed to happen. she will not allow it. She will survive. She WILL survive.
As she comes up, the light gathering in her bow is blinding. Not difficult to guess what is going to happen next; the orange roaring flame she has summoned up is far more intense than last time, but it is no less impressive for that.
Unleashed all at once, near-point-blank, the arrow aims for Diesel's centre mass. If it connects, it will *EXPLODE* in a huge, roaring detonation of pure chi energy. Bound tight with her fury and intended to simply smash through any defenses before exploding... if it wasn't her energy, Hunter would surely be doomed.
She's still going to have difficulty seeing for a crucial fraction of a second after the detonation, no matter what happens.
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Hunter's Deadly Bolt.
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Hunter 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Diesel
"Damage superficial. Target is still mobile!"
"Not for long she ain't!"
Diesel begins to have a conversation with herself again as her mighty arms barely manage to scrape Hunter's shoulders, though the blow came with such devastating fury that even is she merely nicked her body it came with enough force to face plant her. Diesel is far from being satisfied, she's a woman with a mission and she will not let up until that mission is accomplished.
She can sense the little girl's anger, it is the same eyes that a cornered animal gets when they know there's no escape but to fight. Those are the same eyes she had when before Lord Vega rescued her and gave her his power, before when she was naught but a helpless weak child.
Just Like Hunter.
"HRRGGGGG!!!" Because Diesel knows perfectly well what it feels to be in that situation, she reacts in the worst possible way for the young brave girl by continuing her assault. She charges head long, like an unstoppable avalanche with all the intention to trample whatever lays on her path and is thus hit by the exploding arrow.
There's a grunt from her as the explosion envelopes her. Dust raises up into the air to cloud all vision from the once mighty Amazon giving the impression that she was floored by such a devastating attack. Not even the mighty Diesel could survive that it seems, and surely Hunter is safe now.
Except not. "Kalima....." Diesel's voice is heard first as she dashes out of the billowing smoke to leap at Hunter and wrap her muscled legs around the girl's neck. To add insult to injury it appears she's trying to /sit/ on poor Hunter!
The weight would be enough to put her on her back though just to be completely certain the finishing blow is struck she starts squeezing with her legs and choke all the fight out of the girl!
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Padmini Puspa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Diesel
It is like something out of a horror movie. No matter how hard she hits Diesel, the assassin won't... stay... dead!
Hunter had just been starting to relax, letting her shoulders droop... before her ears prick up. It is a matter of inches. Leaping backwards on instinct, Diesel comes down exactly where Hunter used to be, but the girl is far away, now. Her heart pounding, her lungs burning, her eyes teary from the smoke and the exhaustion and the terrible, terrible frustration
"What ARE you?" She cries, and she's just too desperate, too exhausted, to keep all the fear and the hate out of her voice. She's killed soldiers, tanks, armies! She should not be completely incapable of bringing this woman down. But it is like trying to assault a mountain with a toothpick. If she's even making visible progress, she can't see it.
Hunter's hands dangle at her side, her bow in one and the other empty. If she had the energy to do so, she'd no doubt be stringing another arrow and trying for another shot... but she just can't. She's so tired. She'd *been* tired even before Diesel began her assault, and even her survival instinct has its limits. She's at the end of her tether. She's seen this in her prey countless times, and it is terrifying to think that she is now on the other end of it. How much more has she got in her? This... this is the last, desperate flailings of an animal that does not know it is dead yet.
COMBATSYS: Hunter gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diesel
Diesel finally starts to show a little bit more of emotion when Hunter jumps away from her leg throw causing her to land with a fierce slam on the ground. She curses softly and comes back up from her lotus flower sitting stance to once more stand tall as a terrible unconquerable mountain of muscle.
"I am.." The question seemingly bounces off her focused gaze. She's too far gone to know anything other than what her orders are, corrupted and twisted to the very core she's nothing more than; "Diesel."
It is a terrible thing to be turned from Hunter to Prey and Diesel doesn't let up as she charges once more to continue the fight in the melee she loves and adores. Swinging a straight fist directly at the girl's face and knock her down to the ground again!
"Come! Do not go quietly into the void!"
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter genuinely does not have the energy to keep running as she normally would. The meaty fist brushes through her hair as she ducks down, and her aching muscles tell her that it would be a wonderful thing to just stay there a while. What's the worst that could happen, crouched on the floor, eh?
Reaching out, Hunter aims to grab Diesel's leg, hopefully whilst she is still overextended, and just drag it out from underneath her. She doesn't know what she's going to do when she's got the girl on the floor, but that will be in a few seconds time. Hunter often thinks that, when the chips are down, planning your actions from one second to the next is about the best you can hope for. If it lasts long enough, you can start planning long term again.
"Why... won't... you... die?" It is a hissed, weak question. No sane person should have taken as much as she's given her. Why isn't she down yet? WHY?
COMBATSYS: Diesel blocks Hunter's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diesel
There's some clear annoyance from the Amazonian woman as the willy Hunter once again evades her attack. Diesel might be an unstoppable killing machine but Hunter won't hold still for her to land any blows. From the looks of it, they could go fighting until eternity's end if neither of them is able to damage the other, Hunter's attack just seemingly bounce right off that think skin of the Warrior Woman and Diesel is not able to catch her quarry.
"It is the Master's will!!" Declares she when Hunter moves in to trap her leg in an attempt to get her off balance. Luck will have it, that Diesel is also quite proficient in ground fighting and reaches down to scoop the small girl in her arms and lift her up putting her upside down. In that position, she merely goes to SLAM her down with a pile driver and nail her head into the ground! "It allows me to survive where others would perish!"
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Combo Attack.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter is running on fumes, but she's not tired of living. She forces herself to keep moving, ducking out of the way of Diesel's attack. She seems to stop to grab something in the watery marshland as she goes, and as she comes up again, it becomes clear what it is. It is a snake. Hunter has grabbed up a massive example of the genus, and ...
"Would it help if I said I was sorry for murdering your people?"
"... I'm not, but I'd say it if it made you go away."
Instead of an olive branch, Hunter has a giant snake, and instead of remorse, she has desperate, exhausted 'wit'. Both are swung around with some manner of force, all she really has to hand at least. It is her desperate hope that the snake will be more pissed off with the person it is suddenly being smashed against than her. Who knows, right?
COMBATSYS: Diesel fails to counter Random Weapon from Hunter with Sahadeva Krpura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
"No apologies necessary." Diesel simply grins in response when Hunter nimbly rolls away from the pile drive and apparently grabs some kind of stick to bat the Amazon with. "They died as men should. Fighting violently with Vega's name in their lips." A much better fate than what she gave most enemy soldiers she thinks.
When the weapon is swung at her, Diesel fails to realize that it's no club she's being attacked with but a snake! She mistakenly grabs for it to yank it away from Hunter only to get bitten by the snake causing her to pull back in shock and anger.
"Shit!" She looks at the wound.
"Venom.."
"No time for First Aid maneuvers. Continue the mission."
"Roger roger."
Hunter hears what Diesel says, and that gives her some hope. This woman is vulnerable to poisons. Perhaps the only /human/ thing she's heard out of her mouth so far. Underneath that terrifying exterior there is blood and sinew, muscle and bone. Human anatomy is something she understands. She reaches behind her back, and draws a very small knife from a very carefully maintained sheath.
The blade is black, slickly smeared with a concoction from her homeland. It is something she had only had cause to use when her prey became man; a lingering poison which numbs and disorients its victims.
She carefully circles around the woman's left side. "Most of them died begging." She lies, "I made them repent for their crimes before I let them die. They deserved nothing more."
And then she's lunging forwards, hoping that her taunting jibe will break the woman's concentration enough for her to drive the small knife home, deliver its deadly work and let her back off.
COMBATSYS: Diesel fails to counter Poisoned Knife from Hunter with Sahadeva Krpura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Diesel
So it would appear that Diesel is in fact not an android and flesh and bone after all. That may or may not be even more terrifying, to think that an actual person could be turned into nothing more than a soulless weapon of destruction, gleefully putting herself in harms way only for the sake of a higher calling. It is impressive what true zeal can accomplish with someone, though there is of course such a thing as too much zeal.
"Nonsense! Shadaloo does not beg!" That did in fact seem to affect Diesel who reaches for the incoming knife to try and stab Hunter with it much as she did the first attack. However, she gets kicked with the black blade and the poison flows into her blood current where it mixes up with the snake's venom.
"Fuck! That was poisoned too!"
"Desist failing for the same technique."
"It's not my fault!"
Hunter has got the poison into Diesel's system. Whether or not it does any good... well, that's a question she's going to have to just trust to hope. Now, though, she has the few seconds she needs to back off. Her bow is, once again, in her hands. She's exhausted, she can barely draw the bowstring back, but she forces herself to do so, and she takes careful aim; at Diesel's left knee.
"You're damaged." She says. "If you stick around, I'll finish you off."
She lets the arrow loose, hoping that if she sticks another long length of sharpened wood in the woman, it'd help her sound more convinced than she actually is that she can do this.
"If you run, I'll let you go. This time."
Why? Because, well, Hunter is freaking *terrified*. She knows how hard this woman hits, and that if she continues this fight there's a good chance she won't be walking away. Vengeance is important. Continuing to breathe is far more important. She hopes that Diesel is capable of agreeing.
COMBATSYS: Diesel reflects Trick Shot from Hunter with Nakula Carmika.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
"Don't make me laugh whelp." A bruised and poisoned Diesel struggles to say whilst slowly advancing towards Hunter. She's hurt now, tired even, but undeniably still in this fight, she won't stop until the mission has been accomplished. "I am not the one...who is being hunted."
"Overriding protocols engaged. Assuming full control!" Diesel's eyes widen as one is posed and suddenly, the vicious Amazon Warrior turns to the soulless machine once more. Focused, refreshed, and more importantly still with her eyes the target.
"Incoming enemy fire!" Diesel coats her arm with energy and simply bounces the arrow back at the little girl before following the path to attack her again, and again and again, as many times as it takes to bring her down! "Initiate counter measures!"
COMBATSYS: Hunter overcomes Reflected Trick Shot from Diesel with Medium Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter makes Robin Hood look like a blind loser.
The second arrow is unleashed with deadly precision. Tipped with steel, this arrow neatly bisects the one reflected back at her, and carries on towards Diesel. Her heart is pounding, and sweat stands out thick on her forehead.
"Underestimate me, and you're dead."
The words are spoken with deceptive calm. She can *feel* her heart beating in her chest. The burn. The tears in her eyes. She can't keep this up, she's running on fumes. But she has... to survive. And that means she has to kill this woman.
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Hunter's Medium Shot.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
"Target is returning fire." Like a woman possessed, Diesel simply walks forward and brings her arm up to take the next arrow in her limb. The steel arrowhead gets stuck on bone causing the insane possessed warrior to merely ignore it and continue with her attack. "Press on, neutralize target." Gone is the fierce Diesel that at least gave Hunter a chance to recuperate herself, the robot Killer Doll version of Diesel has no honor, or mercy, she just has orders.
Almost as if she had been struck by a tooth pick, the giant warrior barrels through the shot aiming to snatch Hunter by placing the girl's neck under her armpit, putting her out of balance and starts strangling her.
Could there be anyone that is more relentless?
COMBATSYS: Hunter dodges Diesel's Sammarjana.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Hunter has fought side by side with Sagat, but she is more intimidated by Diesel's relentlessness thans he was by the Emperor of Muay Thai's strength. Sagat has torn through armies, but Sagat is not bearing down on her with murderous intent.
After so very much fighting.
She manages to dive forwards, between Diesel's legs, as the girl grabs for her. There's... there's no more in her. She can't keep this up any more. She's not even going to try and attack, she's just going to run. Run as fast and as far as she can and pray that by the time her legs give out she'll have lost her pursuer.
COMBATSYS: Hunter takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
Damnation! Hunter may be incredibly scared of Diesel and her seemingly immortality. No matter how many times she's shot, knifed or poisoned, she just doesn't stop, she will literally never. Stop. Attacking!
Or she wouldn't, if underneath those layers of impenetrable thick skin she wasn't human herself. "Missed target!" Her robotic voice is marred with exhaustion herself once Hunter sneaks under her legs and makes a run for it. Diesel whirls around to begin chasing, but there is clearly reluctance in her face. "Pursue....pursue.....fuck me." Her normal, or rather, her enraged self takes over again as she places her hands on her hips, breathing hard.
"Pursue target immediately!" She screams to herself.
"I'm pooped man.."
There's sharp breathing from the woman who watches as Hunter looses herself deep in the woods and simply shakes her head. "Mission Failed, fall back and regroup." Says she turning to leave giving the fleeing girl a last glance.
"I'll get you yet, little bunny."
COMBATSYS: Diesel takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Hunter 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Diesel
COMBATSYS: Hunter has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\\\\\ <
Diesel 0/-------/----===|
COMBATSYS: Diesel has ended the fight here.
Log created on 18:14:09 03/09/2012 by Diesel, and last modified on 22:45:32 03/11/2012.