Description: One final push to retake the South Korean capital of Seoul is made by allied forces and the heroes who've come to assisst them. Julia Chang finds herself squaring off against a group of DPRK men, whilst Howard Rust and Diesel settle their grievances.
Seoul, Korea - The single largest city in Korea, once the capital of South Korea, Seoul is a truly massive urban sprawl which - even despite the battles here in the weeks prior - is still a uniquely beautiful one. The previous battles have not marred its appearances much due to having been largely contained, but with the city's citizenry evacuated to nearby Incheon after the last assault... it was only a matter of time before it became a warzone once more.
For the last two weeks, the occupation has been attempting to put an end to the rebellions and military interventions in its own country. It has been largely successful. But with its forces slowly being widdled down, and the battle being joined by the United States and Saudi Arabia, the occupation has been getting nervous and its 'allies' uncertain of their continued support of what appears to be a futile effort.
................
Especially now that after much war has been waged, the occupation has been driven back to its capital by UN allied forces and issued an ultimatum: surrender and restore the rightful government or suffer the consequences. Their response: silent defiance. Now the final battle for the fate of the country begins in earnest...
Both the heavens and the earth today are once again alive with the defeaning thunder of guns and bombs, the dominating hum of plane engines, and the din of gunfire and grenades. A cocophony of death and destruction fills the streets of the city as the allied forces march their way to the city center... over-powering everything which stands before them.
Today there was violence everywhere. Even the Russians and the Chinese have joined the battle. But in an unusual move, instead of aidinng heir northern allies they have effectively arrested and sectioned of parts of the city in which their interests lie. Instead of fighting the incoming allied forces, they are now content merely to defend their positions... against occupying and allied forces alike. And the allied forces are content to leave them well enough alone.
The DPRK and Shadaloo will have nothing of it however... and has begun to send forces to wrest their hold upon key areas of the city. But they aren't having an easy time of it... as the allied forces are getting in their way at every turn. And so it is today... and that is why stomping down a stretch of highway comes a small group of DPRK soldiers on their way to help reinforce anothe group further down in the center of the city. Shadaloo had been 'kind' enough to loan the DPRK some of its agents for the city's defense. Even if this particular group of soldiers doesn't quite feel that way. To be sure... they feel utterly terrified of their accompanying giantess. And it shows in the nervous glances they shoot the woman accompanying them every now and again.
COMBATSYS: DPRK has started a fight here.
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DPRK 0/-------/-------|
Ever since things got crazy in Korea, Julia has taken it upon herself to put her primary journey on hold, having found a new objective in her life for now. To protect the innocent lives in Korea which are being threatened by the DPRK and their forces. Even though she is one woman who definitely looks out of place in a situation like this, it won't deter Julia in the least bit. In fact, those who are in the fight against the DPRK have offered her shelter in one of their bases for the time being. She knows that she's putting her life in jeopardy doing this, but it's no more dangerous than exploring and searching for the cure to deforestation.
For the past couple of weeks, Julia has been doing what she can to try to help her colleagues out in this battle, gathering intel and what not when she can, and providing motivational talks for the soldiers to help keep their morale up. The few times Julia finds herself able to sleep, her dreams are often of the visions of the restored forests of her homeland, almost like a reprieve from the fighting and horror in Korea right now. But today, sleep is not on her agenda today. She feels as though the spirits are warning her that something is impending, and not a good one either. Her spiritual intuition turns out to be right when she hears the gunfire and explosions again, and she realizes that she must help out. Without any thought for her own safety, Julia rushes out into the street of Korea, where she encounters more of the DPRK forces are doing what, in Julia's opinion, they do best: Attempting to get what they want while giving no regard to human life other than their own. And once again, Julia is determined to show that you should never underestimate the power of one woman. In fact, when she spots a nearby grunt, Julia wastes no time in making her point known. "You never give up, do you? Well, neither do I! The spirits protect me and will help me here too!" She then attempts to grab one of the grunts and administer a Fisherman's Suplex.
COMBATSYS: Diesel has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: Rust has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rust
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DPRK 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Julia has joined the fight here.
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Julia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 DPRK
First Korea.
And then, the rest of the World.
With the first few pathetic defenses this puny country can scrap up, utterly demolished and torn asunder, the forces of Shadaloo will no doubt prevail this day. It is almost ironic, that this second wave of Shadaloo seems to succeed where the first attack could not. This time they do not have as much resources as before, they had to rely on mercenaries, outdated equipment and even street goons to bolster their forces, and even then Shadaloo has so far emerged victorious. Perhaps it proves the theory that a cornered animal can be ferocious, or it could be that Shadaloo has something this time that did not have last time they tried to conquer the world.
They didn't have, The Diesel.
Regardless what anyone might say, the huge muscular woman has proven to be an integral part of Korean assault as she proved to be in the assault of Metro City. It was true that this 'little' Shadaloo experiment could be potentially very powerful, but it is safe to assume that no one expected her to be able to out wrestler both Mayor Haggar and Cody simultaneously. Project Diesel has so far proven to be a great success, she doesn't try to fight for control as much as before, it's almost as if the Amazon Warrior had some deep ulterior motive, something that drove her to fight for Shadaloo aside from the brain washing.
She is unnervingly zealous, even for a Doll. It's almost like she had a vendetta.
Another great thing about Diesel is that she's really good moral support. In the intimidating sense mind you, she doesn't so much as cheer the soldiers on, but lets everyone remember that should they run away from the battlefield chances are they are going to have to run past Diesel and that is fate much worse than death. It is why when a Native American brave charges through the DPRK ranks displaying super human feats of agility and strength, they do not turn and flee like they normally would. Instead they brace themselves and nervously call support on the radio. They had tried to do the very best so that reinforcements weren't necessary, as none of them likes to see the Shadaloo beast unleashed.
That kind of violence is just too much, even for hardened soldiers.
"Reckon squad here! Enemy elite spotted! We are under attack!"
"Reinforcements are under way, send in the Beast!"
That would be her cue, falling from the sky as she has been known to do. Diesel crashes into the ground feet first as if she were an artillery shell and stands to her monstrous height of seven feet, eyes wide and alert looking for who ever dares to attack the allies of Shadaloo. Her sister dolls may be too frail to have any considerable staying power in the battlefield, but Diesel is a tough broad, she has fought every waking day and shows no signs of exhaustion.
"Lead me to them...so that I may TEAR THE FLESH FROM THEIR BONES!"
Howard Rust barely escaped with his life not too long ago. His face needed... well, more love than a face like that ever really deserves, to put it nicely. The amazonian Shadaloo devout Diesel may or may not have been a qualified plastic surgeon, but even today the older man's head aches. A lesser man would have succumbed to those head wounds. His right shoulder's much better after a nearmly missed killing blow.
At this point one can't say 'he's going back in despite expectations to stay in bed or go home,' because... the expectation was more that he'd be back into the fight two days ago. Underachieving the high bar set for those who fought in the war of mainland Asia, perhaps, but nobody among the resistance would say that to the ex-shop teacher's face.
He knows the sounds of bombs and gunfire well, something he's not proud to say he does given he still carries the terror of just about anyone else wading into it all. Ol' Rusty, that rusted length of pipe he carries around, is as much his closest friend (read: continues to be deluded that inanimate objects are capable of friendship or understanding on any fundamental level) in seeing him through as is his martial skill as he chooses to go down that stretch of highway where the DPRK soldiers all seem to march out.
His pace is slow and deliberate in comparison to Julia's headlong rush, his face like stone (which may or may not be because of painkillers), Ol' Rusty down in his right hand. The UN's made a great push - far faster a response than last time, which is good - but he knows what he's still here for.
Casting a glance over to Julia - someone he remembers from earlier in the push to help liberate South - no, the whole of - Korea, he thinks to ask her if she can handle the crowd, but she's already seemed to answer it all pretty handily.
Which leaves him to deal with the sudden drop of the feared Diesel, whose airdrop is just as stunning as the last time - the need to briefly shield himself with his arm from the debris of her hard landing, the humbling cough of dust and grime finding its way into his nostrils and lungs...
She'll find him again. The man she nearly (...nearly?) smashed to a thin paste, standing there, not taking a step back despite the momentary flinch of her nearby landing. The dark purple bit on his head. It's... him.
She gave him a beating. He should be showing caution, that he should walk away. No, even with a pop in one of his knees, the aging man walks up right to her.
...Attempting to walk past her, shoving his free hand to her hip and trying to shove her aside, exactly like the very last time they met.
"Don't got time for, for you screamin' 'bout getting some kinda gold star sticker," he mutters.
COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits DPRK with Quick Throw.
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Julia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: Diesel blocks Rust's Quick Throw.
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Julia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 DPRK
The Diesel is pumped up today. Not to say that she isn't a raging berserker any other day, it just so happens that today she's really feeling the drums of battle pounding vigorously in her broad chest and it is rush of endorphins that prevents her from getting tossed by Rust like he did the first time they met officially.
Even through the screams, the gunfire and the explosions, Diesel still hears that tell tale sound of Rust's knee popping and her golden eyes dilate when she turns around and sees the unmistakable figure of Rust moving right beside her.
"Rust Howard!!" Diesel swiftly spins on her heel to engage her opponent and catches Rust by the hand, locking fingers with him in an attempt to outwrestle him, veins throbbing on her monstrously powerful muscled arms. Despite Rust's undermining her Shadaloo zealotry, Diesel shows a wide fanged smile as she looks down on her 'old' foe. Rust may not think much of this woman, even if their previous encounter almost proved to be the shop teacher's last, but Diesel still regards him as her one true nemesis judging by the look she's giving him. "You're just in time to meet your maker!!"
"Ma'am! What do we do about the elite!!?" Some of the soldiers yell out to her as she gets distracted by Rust. "Hold them back! I will deal with them after finishing my business here!"
Diesel pushes on Rust's upper body and swings a kick to his feet in the process to bring him down on his back and show him that she too can throw!
"This time I'll really rip your face off, Rust Howard!!"
The small squadron of navy blue clad oriental men immediately responds with caution as Julia darts toward their collective numbers. They have had some experience with superhuman fighters by now and were in no way going to risk fighting her alone. Especially not with the easily recognizeable Howard Rust nearby as well. The leader immediately produces a squad radio and calls for assistance... whie the rest of the group darts forward and levels their guns at Julia... and open fire upon her even as she's encroaching upon one of their own.
She successfully seizes him too, despite the hail of incoming bullets (which may or may not have hit), slamming him into the pavement of that long stretch of highway shortly afterward and forcing the rest of the group to back off a bit.
From somewhere behind the defensive line the team has formed, the squad leader can be heard talking into his radio. <"We need more support! There's US troops nearby and now we're having to deal with inhumans!"> ... <"Negative. More assistance cannot be provided at the current time. Please make do."> ... <"Damn it!">
COMBATSYS: Rust blocks Diesel's Sammarjana.
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Julia 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: Julia blocks DPRK's Suppression Fire.
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Julia 0/-------/------=|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 DPRK
Even though Julia succeeds with her attempt to take out a grunt, she's not content to rest on her laurels. After all, when you're in a fight, there's no stopping to rest. You have to keep an eye out for your opponent's return attack. "Get out of my way," Julia says to the downed soldier, although the other ones might hear it too. Then again, when there are guns being fired, it can drown out her voice. Bravely, though, Julia turns to face the gunfire and braces herself, getting into a defensive stance so she can absorb the bullets using her arms. This allows her to avoid serious injury to herself, more like a few cuts instead.
"Spirits, thank you for protecting me so far," Julia says, clutching her pendant with one hand. "I pray you can continue to protect me." Julia then turns to the soldiers and attempts to rush another one, this time bringing her left leg up and aiming it at the soldier's stomach, attempting to drive her boot into him.
COMBATSYS: DPRK interrupts Medium Kick from Julia with Savage Beatdown.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
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Julia 0/-------/----===|-------\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 DPRK
It does beg a question as to why one would regard someone who nearly took their life with such little overall regard, even as they get their monstrous grip upon his (...slightly less monstrous, all things considered) arm. Her fanged smile is met with a nearly stoic frown, the one-liner met with his head turning away to catch a glance at those DPRK soldiers fighting alongside Shadaloo's own, and something in him grows a little bleaker.
He remembers, specifically, being shot at, stabbed, bombed, and nearly run over by a jeep for the sake of seeing not even North Korea - for all its infamous human rights violations and other problems - fall under Shadaloo sway. Few things are more heartbreaking than to see the blood, sweat, and tears of those who initially fought against Shadaloo's displeasure appear to be for naught, considering the memory of the Nepali soldiers is still fresh in his mind.
To say nothing of when he absolutely knew he saw Chinese uniforms the last time he was out here.
Even when slightly distracted, he actively resists her incredible physical strength, a shove barely letting him gain an inch as he pushes against it. It's only the shot to the feet that cleanly registers against him, and even then it doesn't seem to accomplish much other than to slide one foot back.
"'m gonna say this one time," he mumbles out, suddenly leaping off his feet into a mid-air kick in which he spins right into a second one, a slightly backwards momentum to the delivery as he puts Kyokugen up against Kalaripayattu once more.
"Don't got... time for this," he wheezes out the two halves of the sentence between kicks.
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Rust's Girder Sway.
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Julia 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 DPRK
Despite the fight raging nearby between one Howard Rust and the intimidating Diesel, and despite the distraction of the war raging all around them, the squadron stays focused and manages to keep their relative cool. It is because of this that, when Julia rushes them a second time despite the continued gunfire having little to no effect, they immediately respond to the following attack in a manner only a highly trained group of men can. The soldier being kicked takes the hit, blocking it solid with his his forearms, and then seizes the kicking leg. This is immediately followed up by four soldiers descending upon the foolhardy native american with their appendages flying. Kicks, punches, elbows, and finally a sweeping trip are alll thrown at her in a highly coordinated and skillful fashioned. These hits pummel the woman, and then immediately send her to the ground. Well... looks like they're off to a good start.
Afterward they all begin shouting at her in their native Korean, taunting and laughing at her for her mistake as well. <"You want to die, girl?"> ... <"She's pretty, too bad we can't take her back to base huh...?"> ... <"Bah, we don't need any foreign women. Might catch something... hahaha...">
So, Rust can roll out of the way pretty good. This isn't quite all that surprising to Diesel seeing as she is perfectly aware that Rust is not a brainless bruiser as he might appear. She has read his file thoroughly, she is not going to make the same mistake people do with her and assume that because he is so big and muscled he has no concept of martial skill. That stout build of his is visibly honed by Kyokugen might just like her own body is powered not only by raw strength but Kalaripayattu power as well.
It's almost like looking at the two sides of the same coin, Rust and Diesel seem to be quite similar, tough bodies forged by brawling and refined by martial arts. Their only difference seems to be their radically opposite ideals. No sign of regret is shown from the Nepali woman, no pity, no remorse. She posses none of Rust's mercy despite perhaps having similar background. Could it be that in another life they could have been...friends?
Naaaaaah.
Diesel is just too far gone into the abyss of no return to even consider the concept of pity. She is fearless and relentless. It is why she doesn't balk when Rust shows incredibly dexterity to double tornado kick her in the face. Diesel takes the blows full on the jaw getting her lip busted in the process and just...keeps on walking...almost as if she hadn't felt it.
"Allow me to free up your schedule!!" Diesel roars as she sends a right hook right into Rust's liver!
COMBATSYS: Diesel successfully hits Rust with Bhima Parigha.
- Power hit! -
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Julia 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/---====|====---\-------\0 DPRK
To think that the spirits have abandoned Julia in a situation like this is a false assumption. Absolutely false. The truth is that the spirits can only protect Julia to the extent that they can. What is that extent? Nobody truly knows what that is. Not even Julia herself.
Nevertheless, Julia finds herself caught up in a major beating as she finds she went in the wrong way, leaving herself completely open to attack while pretty much telegraphing what she was going to do. When the beatings finally stop, Julia manages to pick herself up and rub at one of the bruises on her body. "Spirits, I made a mistake. Please forgive me."
Julia doesn't know what the soldiers are saying, as she only speaks a little Korean as it stands. She generally has an interpreter with her when she needs to communicate. But the rude comments from the soldiers mean nothing to Julia. She cracks her knuckles and looks at them again.
"Your skills were good that time, but you must keep them balanced if you wish to succeed," Julia comments, before stepping towards another grunt. Her attempt this time is for a swift elbow strike, aimed upwards.
COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits DPRK with Jab Punch.
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Julia 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 DPRK
If it goes down to brute force versus brute force in the end, there's not much debate as to who would win in terms of raw strength. His smaller height by a bit over a foot might afford him a superior center of gravity, but pound for pound, that single punch Diesel demonstrates should once again enlighten at least one truth between the two of them and any onlookers to their little spat.
Diesel's punches are truly, truly mighty indeed, Howard doubling over as his heels dig into the concrete in a two foot-long skid. That he even clutches where he gets struck and winces so audibly - visible, real pain! - and drops a four-letter word loud enough that one may actually hear it over a nearby blast.
"Buncha snappy remarks," Howard wheezes out, staggering back towards Diesel with a slight limp - that kick to his feet moments earlier wasn't entirely for naught, it would seem!
"You're in, in a... in a hell of a good mood, aren't... you," he's not sure where to begin with her intimidating maniacal smiles and unrestrained violence as he points Ol' Rusty down and away, flexing his wrist in a vaguely circular motion to test his grip.
"Still big on that, that title?" He asks, intensity building towards the end of the sentence as he swings Ol' Rusty upwards in a powerful uppercut swing that carries him forward across the cracked road he fights Diesel upon, the infamous Cement Upper as he moves back in to give back as good as he takes.
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Diesel with Cement Upper.
- Power hit! -
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Julia 0/-------/----===|=====--\-------\0 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 DPRK
...And no sooner do the uniformed native Korean men manage to get Julia to the ground, and she's already getting to her feet again in a display of defiant fighting spirit. This causes the group of trained men to cease their amusing banter at her expense and ready themselves for what comes next.
...And what comes next is altogether too fast for one soldier to keep up with. He was the last man to stop making derogatory comments, and it cost him. Julia's elbow connects solidly with the underside of his chin, snapping his head back and causing white hot pain to flash behind his eyes. He then staggers backward away from her... and neary stumbles... with his head ringing.
This doesn't prevent the rest of the group from doing anything however... and they all immediately rush her and throw coordinated kicks toward the native american woman. All four of them, from virtually every side but up.
The leader meanwhile is still standing behind the now staggering soldier, talking into his radio in Korean whilst simultaneously eyeing the ongoing situation readily. His got one ear to his radio, and one ear plugged with a gloved finger, to block out the talking and shouting as well as the bombs and gunfire going off in the background continuously.
True enough, if this were a punch for punch match it's clear that Diesel has the advantage here. There should be no shame to that for Rust, there are very few people in the world, man or woman, who can stand toe to toe with the Amazon warrior known as Diesel and trade punches with her successfully. She does have something of an unfair advantage, with her raw strength, her martial skill, her psycho energy and her utter contempt for pain that just makes her keep attacking even if she's covered in blood. It's a thing that Zach learned the hard way, a punch for punch match doesn't work with Diesel.
But this isn't a punch for punch fight. Rust is going to bring all his tools to this game, a testament that he at least considers Diesel a legitimate threat and that by itself is a victory to the Nepali warrior woman.
The pipe and concrete swung to her chin though? That's not so much of a victory.
The she-giant takes the blow solidly on the jaw this time and her entire form doubles backwards as her head is violently forced to look up. One leg is raised looking as if she's about to fall flat on her back only to pull back and right herself again, unwilling to give a single inch. Surprisingly, when she gets to face Rust again, she's still giving him that feral sadistic smile of hers, even if there's blood dribbling down her mouth, her teeth stained with crimson.
"My title!!" Snarls she "I am the Hero of Nepal!" Says the berseking Amazon as she charges again, aiming to give a violent forceful kick right on Rust's stomach and work that midsection. "I know what is best for my people!"
COMBATSYS: Rust endures Diesel's Heavy Kick.
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Julia 0/-------/----===|=======\-------\1 Rust
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Diesel 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: DPRK successfully hits Julia with Light Kick.
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Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
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Diesel 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 DPRK
Julia's elbow connects, but at a very high cost. She's left herself even more vulnerable than before. The soldiers are able to get the jump on her and kick her very hard. The air is knocked out of her lungs, and she winces a little. It's at that point that Julia realizes that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. She places one hand over her pendant. "Spirits, allow me safe passage for the time being."
The sound of boots hitting the ground come not from the soldiers, but from Julia, who is attempting to gain some distance between her and her aggressors. The spirits, apparently, want Julia to try a different approach to this battle.
COMBATSYS: Julia focuses on her next action.
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Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
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Diesel 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 DPRK
Back and forth, back and forth, the two trade blows. Such an arrangement may only truly be to the very benefit of the violent giantess, but even with his midsection still burning in pain the aging Kyokugen green belt is already pulling Ol' Rusty back for what might be another blow as Diesel demonstrates her grace in stopping her backwards fall.
The fact she is still effectively frothing in the mouth and wanting to continue beating on him is not entirely alien, owing to his experience as a high school teacher in sampling the violent, eccentric whimsies of empowered schoolgirls.
It doesn't make it any less terrifying to behold.
"If it's, it's just the... just the name," he murmurs out in a pathetic wheeze as she thrusts one of her pillar-like legs into him. That punch did a number on him. That powerful, even less restrained kick?
He throws his body weight up against it even as his ribs seem ready to go on strike, standing tall and solidly as he utters a particularly undecipherable small series of consonants but otherwise holds strong as he shifts his weight to line up a leg to her one still-grounded foot.
He doesn't let the sensation of pain delay him, thrusting one leg to the ground in a kick - no, a lot of them, in repeating succession, a washed-out color enveloping the striking leg as the latent energies of the Earth are manifested. Is it... gray? Kind of green? Maybe blue? It's hard to tell, as it flickers underwhelmingly with each and every potential strike against Diesel's heel (or the ground), threatening to tear up the very ground she stands on with each and every eardrum-rattling impact that's not unlike a jackhammer.
"'n I don't give a," he doesn't finish it, but it's not hard to infer how he intends to end it as he tacks on a barely-audible "take it."
COMBATSYS: Diesel fails to reflect Jackhammer Kick from Rust with Parzu Latta.
- Power fail! -
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Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 DPRK
...And as the native american fighter makes some distance between herself and the defending men, they all begin to regroup. Including the guy who nearly got his chops busted. They all fall back into firing line formation and train their automatic rifles on Julia... slowly marching toward her again while she backs away.
...And their leader is not far behind, stooping low with his radio near the guard rail and slowly following behind. He's putting his radio back into a side pocket, even as another blast goes off to his left side... the startling proximity of which nearly causes him to drop it. It also forces the group of aggressing Korean soldiers to stop... and flinch... and then look off to the side warily.
<"Don't look away! The enemy is before you!"> He shouts in Korean at them from the background, causing them to suddenly regain their prior resolve. If barely. <"Open fire! Shoot her! Shoot her!"> He shouts, and manages to only get out the first command to shoot before his voice is drowned out completely by the roar of automatic gunfire!
COMBATSYS: Julia blocks DPRK's Power Shot.
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Julia 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Rust
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Diesel 0/-------/---====|======-\-------\0 DPRK
Stepping back, Julia takes cover behind a nearby piece of what could've been a stone barricade, hoping that she can try to refocus herself. Instead, though, she finds that the barrier isn't as strong as she thought it would be. The shot hits it, and it knocks the barricade into Julia, knocking her down rather hard. She rolls to the side before getting into a crouched position again, rubbing at her side. "Looks like they want to bring out the big guns, but the spirits will overcome any challenge of that nature!"
Julia rubs at her shoulder before jumping over the barricade and attempts to rush into the leader while delivering an insanely powerful punch at his stomach. If not, then maybe one of his colleagues.
Rust has both endurance and agility, which is what may give him an edge over Diesel in the long run. The first time they met, Rust was perhaps not sure of her fighting style, or too intimidated by her monstrous appearance to think of a proper fighting strategy. Half of Diesel's power comes from intimidation after all, first timers are usually far too unnerved by her appearance to even try to put a proper fight. This worked decently versus Cody, Haggar and even Zach.
However, with his will resolved by Justice and the novelty of Diesel's titanic girth gone, Rust has grown accustomed to the power of the Amazon and knows that despite all her strength, he can push through. Diesel is pretty agile herself but ultimately lacks the raw experience Rust has, she may be a Master of Kalaripayattu whereas Rust is just a green belt in Kyokugen, but to her, this is her first war.
The woman rushes in, coating her leg with psycho purple energy and attempts to kick through Rust's own flurry of kicks. It goes miserably, she underestimated the speed of such attacks and gets her leg caught up in the storm, an audible crack as her shin collapses. "HRRGG!!!"
She staggers back, holding her foot. "DAMNATION!!!" Her bestial nature starting to show through the hold Shadaloo has on her and once again, she starts going Berserk.
"GGGGGGGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Of course, this is one occasion where she's too busy screaming to attack.
COMBATSYS: DPRK blocks Julia's Palm Explosion.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\0 DPRK
...Because the leader is currently stooped low behind the firing line that is facing Julia, and unleashing a hail of bullets at her, it proves fairly difficult to strike at him. Particularly with highly trained men standing in front of him who have seen this sort of unorthodox tactic before... and are well prepared for it. As Julia rushes the trained soldiers, they immediately stop firing at her and begin preparing themselves for a defense. And hopefully... an effective counter-attack!
That palm strike is met by a pair of strong forearms, the struck soldier's feet dig into the pavement and the force of the blow threatens to force him off his feet. But he manages, if barely, to block her palm strike... giving time for his surrounding brethren to lash out at her once more.
And lash out they do, for as soon as the palm srike connects the men on either side of her throw a pair of elbows aimedd directly for her temples!
Rust's flurry of kicks relents shortly after her attempt to match masteries of their energies meets his, the knee of his kicking leg suddenly surging in pain. He nonetheless holds his stance as he finishes it up. The Jackhammer Kick - a technique of his own invention, further refined through Kyokugen study and applying the strengths of their own similar movements to his own, does not fail him.
For the superiority in this particular exchange, there is a pained expression on the man's face as adrenaline fails to completely mask the damage she's done to his midsection.
"Look, I, I don't know all of what... brought you to this, here," Howard speaks. It's impossible for him to raise his voice above her bestial, blood-curdling cries as he braves - unwittingly - the very concept of a woman as large, strong, and unrestrained as Diesel letting herself go to even greater heights of violence that might make her face stomping from the last time seem like a tickle fight, that screaming no doubt a warning for one's life.
"Far as... far as I can tell, you just want me for, for... for, ah, that title," he continues, pointing at her with his left hand, "something I'd, I'd expect f-from a girl a tenth your age, ah, quarter your size. You want to write it on, on some kinda paper, hang it on your wall, just... just go on ahead 'n do that. Goddamn crayon, pencil. Call yourself that."
"Call yourself some, some kinda Hero of Nepal," he grows increasingly forcefully insistent, like a grown man scolding a small child despite the notable difference in size between the two (that is not in his favor), drawing in ever closer as he raises his left hand up towards her head.
"People're losin' their, their livelihoods, their homes, their... their families, for some, some monster for God knows what reason, and, and... and I, don't, have /time/," he moves to simply grab her head and just thrust it straight down, face-first, into the very ground in front of him. It's almost an ironic mirror of what she did to him, if only a single motion, "to deal with, with an overgrown kid's god damn temper tantrum!"
COMBATSYS: Diesel fails to counter Brick Stacker from Rust with Sahadeva Krpura.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: Julia dodges DPRK's Fierce Punch.
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Julia 0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 DPRK
Julia made contact, but not as well as she hoped she would. Still, she feels that she is making progress in this battle, using this as a chance to not only protect others, but to find out where her abilities truly lie and how she can become a better fighter. And at this very moment, when the soldiers attempt to strike her in the temples, Julia quickly ducks down. Except it's not just an average crouch, but swift, almost like an unconscious reflex. "I wonder how I did that?" Julia wonders aloud. "I'll have to consider training that again!"
After her brief self-dialogue, Julia turns to face one of the soldiers. She doesn't say anything, not because they won't understand what she's saying, but because she feels words are meaningless in a situation like this. Instead, she simply grits her teeth and bends her knee before bringing it upwards to attempt to drive it into the stomach of the nearest soldier.
COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits DPRK with Medium Kick.
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Julia 0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 DPRK
..and their swung elbow strikes fail to make contact with their intended target, causing the gathered soldiers to grow visibly agitated. After the failed attack sails over her head, the group then immediately attempts to withdraw a few steps themselves and regroup near their leader, effectively crowding him.
More and more explosions can be heard in the background of the urban sprawl turned battlefield now. They are growing increasingly frequent, and the thunderous din of various kinds of gunfire is steadily growing louder as well. Clearly the heavy artillery has arrived, though who's side it's on is questionable. Esecially as a tank mortar suddenly ROARS in from out of nowhere and decimates a section of the road further down. No one was likely standing there, but the dust and flying debris kicked up by the blast certainly is dangerous!
And it is this flying dust that proves to be an excellent cover for Julia as its blown in her direction... masksing her attack to the naked eyes of the Korean soldiers. Coughing ensues, followed by a loud *THUMP* as Julia's knee collides with the stomach of one of the men... causing his air to escape him. ne of the other soildiers darts toward where he believes Jula to be, and despite not being able to see... attempts to seize her clothing. If he can grab her, he'll then grab her under the arms and immediately attempt to suplex her over his head into the pavement in desperation!
"YOU THINK I'M CHILDISH!!!??"
That sounds like the last straw for Diesel, her unbridled fury is as much as an asset to her as it is as a liability. She can engage it to power her up and give her monstrous amounts of energy to unleash destruction against her foes, but her rage is just as likely to burn out of control and consume her, making her do the wrong move at the wrong time. Case in point, Rust gives her his little sermon of how her goal to become the hero of her people is naught but infantile tomfoolery and she really looses it. Falling into a trap she didn't foresee by simply bum rushing Rust in an attempt to overpower him, only ending up getting grabbed by the hair and SLAMMED face first into the ground. At the very least she seems able to take as much damage as she dishes out.
The Amazon warrior rolls out of the way, spits out a few pieces of the street, but doesn't get back up, not yet. "You think it's childish...to try and better this world?" Diesel can still feel pain and exhaustion, even if she just decides to ignore it and this time the amount of harm she's forced to endure is starting to become to great for her pain threshold. The woman begins to stagger back up, with eyes fiercely locked on Rust as she mumbles out.
"Do you have any idea the level of poverty that is in Nepal? The rampant injustice that plagues not only that land but all of the Middle East? That kind of people wouldn't know a better living even if it was shoved down their throat, you cannot fix generations of corruption with simple political campaigns. The system..must be destroyed and start anew, only then will people stop suffering. Only then can there at last be peace."
Diesel stands to her full height again, but she's visibly in pain now, her fierce grin turned into a scowl. "You speak of people losing their livelihoods because of this war? Tch!" She scoffs. "My family was gunned down years ago by petty crooks. Simply because they wanted the meager coins we had. It is this filth that we strive to purge, Lord Vega will see to it that no child will be left homeless again..just because of some punk with a gun."
"I am the hero that Neapal needs!! If you think this is a matter of pride, then it only proves to me how UNWORTHY you are of its title!!"
"You do not know /anything/ about losing your livelihood...you filthy Westerner!"
COMBATSYS: Julia blocks DPRK's Medium Throw.
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Julia 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|=======\==-----\1 DPRK
Even when you can't fully grasp what your opponent is doing or where they are, there's still the ability to utilize your sixth sense to try to help you. And that's exactly what Julia does, since as she's grabbed by the clothing she weears, she plants her boots firmly into the ground, not letting the soldier get the best of her. She struggles before breaking free. "Are you imitating what you see on television?" Julia asks sarcastically. "Those are all fake you know!"
Of course, Julia shouldn't be talking given she just did a good suplex earlier. But now is not the time for hypocrisy observations and things like that. "You must believe in yourself, and the power around you," Julia says, before attempting to spin into her opponent, attempting to get him to drop his guard. If successful, Julia will deliver an elbow smash and then an uppercut.
COMBATSYS: DPRK fails to interrupt Tequila Sunrise Elbow Smash from Julia with Dead On Arrival.
-* CRITICAL FAIL! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 DPRK
...Despite the successful grab, and momentary grapple, which was lucky enough given the fac that he could barely see... the soldier does not manage to contain Julia's suprising strength on his own. In fact, he utterly fails at it... the woman managing to break loose AND somehow manage the time to lecture him before spinning into his territory again suddenly. The lecture misses him entirely, given that the only english word he knows is 'hello', and while he's wracking his brain trying to understand what she said... he isn't mounting an effective defense. For this, he receives a HARD elbow to his face that nearly breaks his jaw... followed by an uppercut that sends him skyward and finishes the job.
The other soldiers know what is going on, and attempt to mount an assault on her, but given that they can still barely see... they only succeed in missing her entirely. Two of them even manage to kick each other and send one another to ground. ... Oy vey!
Rust's eyes are no longer on Diesel - this would be an extremely foolhardy thing by any stretch of the imagination. He's trying to get a good gauge on how Julia over there (he never caught her name, but she sure looks capable) is handling the crowds. He does wince at the mortar round explosion a ways away - he's not looking forward to potentially getting shelled, but Julia's holding her own. So far, she's doing good. His trust in her ability wasn't misplaced before, it sure isn't now. He's hoping Munin's holding the line well enough wherever she's gone now.
Somehow, her words - softer after that initial outburst - are heard clearly over the sounds of the battlefield as Rust goes over in his head how he might want to move on on those soldiers to give Julia a hand when all's said and done.
He's respectfully silent when she speaks up - either because he's thinking about how to move next or he actually is listening, it's difficult to discern. There's a bit of a pop in his shoulder around the time of 'people losing their livelihoods.'
Any talk of Vega making lives better, he knows the full truth of that claim. The same Vega who had assisted in invading Southtown and made it a priority target to attack /children/ in high schools (to be fair, children of incredible physical capabilities, but children). The same Vega, who... well, everyone knows that story about the one whose legacy would live on as the Crying Man in Russia in a pivotal battle in the previous war.
"Yeah, 's a mess... everywhere." Here, there, everywhere. The world's got a lot of problems. Hell, even attaining a direction in life putting him towards his lifelong dream - with all its sacrifices - is still rife with problems and general life unfairness. To lose one's family to some thugs with guns for meager coins, that's heavy.
Howard knows, however, he has no time to stand around and debate, lowering his head in brief as he considers the best way to sum up everything he's thinking.
"Wouldn't... wouldn't wish what you went through on... ah, anyone," he says with at least as much sympathy as he can put given the soreness of his torso. It does hurt a bit to breathe in too deeply.
"So... so why the hell're you in a rush to, to make more like you? I mean, beyond... this whole new world bunk. How many kids just, just lost their parents to this?"
Not succinct enough, he inwardly grumbles. "Look. You want... you want an end to this? Vega... he doesn't give a, give a shit. I know this, from... from every soldier I went through. Frightened, dyin' for... for no reason other than, than his own vanity. He... he went out of his way, just to... just to ruin a kid's life. A kid that, that wasn't any kinda threat to him." Then, at least. "Took it all away..."
Still not succinct! He shakes his head. "I can't, I can't fix the whole world's problems. 's a mess. You said it. It ain't fair."
Boy, it isn't.
So Howard starts walking off towards the soldiers that Diesel was sent to accompany, "so if you're for real... you come 'n make it less unfair." He points Ol' Rusty towards the thinning, weakening soldier crowd that Julia faces. "Don't let a goddamn bully like Vega... like Vega, tell you what's fair by makin' it worse for the rest. Doesn't, doesn't need to get worse to make shit better."
He's not waiting for an answer. He's walking off towards the soldiers. He reasserts his grip on Ol' Rusty with a brief flick of his right hand, tensing his left hand into a fist, and strides off towards them.
"And I... I don't mean for just Nepal. All of 'em," he gestures widely with Ol' Rusty. "Here. There. Everywhere. Everywhere a god damn bully thinks the, the best way to save everyone's to ruin 'em. I don't stand for that, you... you don't stand for that, do you."
COMBATSYS: Rust takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|====---\-------\0 DPRK
Julia recovers from the attack and pulls back, seeing just how much damage she did to her opponent. When she realizes that they failed to counter attack her properly, she can only shake her head in disbelief. "They rushed in without thinking, bad idea. You've got to think it through." Why is Julia speaking? Nobody knows.
Julia then attempts to find who she believes to be the leader. "You must be the one behind this," Julia says angrily, recognizing him finally. "You've done enough harm, now it's time to end this!" Julia then attempts to land a high kick to catch the leader off-guard, then finish with an uppercut.
COMBATSYS: DPRK blocks Julia's Hunting Tomahawk.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|=======\-------\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-======|=====--\-------\0 DPRK
"I do." It's Diesel's cold hearted response.
"I already told you, these people wouldn't know a better living even if you smashed their faces with it. You think that people will just, happily go their merry fucking way if someone took the government down in North Korea? Some other asshole will take their place, another imbecile with no vision."
"Lord Vega is not like them! He is not like any mortal man! He, we, will bring the world to a new era of enlightenment. A single generation sacrificed is a small price to pay for untold millennia of utopia." The woman laughs, it's a laugh that has no joy in it, only contempt for the world around her. "Just look at me after all, I have already made that sacrifice."
Rust may be keeping his eyes to the sides to check on Julia, but Diesel /never/ takes hers off the target. When Rust hesitates, she just attacks, surging towards him with glowing purple hands. "Let those kids be strong like me!! Let them drink deep from the pools of Shadaloo!!!" Diesel thrusts a hand towards Rust's damaged stomach again, this time with her fingers extended and coated with energy, so they actually pierce through skin. Like knives.
"AND BE RENEWED!"
COMBATSYS: Rust endures Diesel's Raksha Nakhariskira.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
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Julia 0/-------/=======|=======\====---\1 Rust
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 DPRK
The Korean soldiers, once standing proudly in defiance of the native american fighter and accomplished researcher, are now lying scattered about her feet after that last attack in pain. The leader suddenly finds himself on the defensive, alone, and apparently he's smart enough to realize ahead of time who she's going to come after.
He stands up from his previous stooped position, spreading his feet to shoulder width and bracing himself for the inevitable. When that kick is thrown, he blocks it solidly with his forearms from the bottom. If barely. There's a wince that mars his face, as the full force of that kick is felt, and then he immediately attempts to seize her foot and throw her off balance befzore she has time to execute the second part of her attack. Not content with merely throwing her off balance, however, he then immediately attempts to slam his shoulder into her and then smash her across the face with a hard right hook!
A part of Rust does wonder if he really should have stayed in North Korea way back when to help depose their government, maybe with Kim's and May Lee's help. Everyone is painfully aware of what horrible things happen under that regime - back then, and even now. The fact that they've decided to let a true(r) monster come on in after all's said and done... were mistakes made back during the war that could have been avoided?
When the previous leader of North Korea went over dead, well... things stayed the course, by just about any account. Maybe there's some truth to what Diesel believes, in that regard.
He looks back pretty much in the nick of time as she comes towards the end of her singing of praises of the man she has dedicated herself wholesale to. There is nary a moment to express pity or frustration for her beliefs. There is only a powerful woman - the largest woman he's ever seen, maybe even a contender for being one of the physically strongest to ever walk the earth - surging at him with that glowing energy.
He tenses his left hand tightly enough to nearly crush his own hand as those fingers look to pierce through the skin and chest.
They don't. The seizing up of his body works extremely well to his advantage in not bowling over. There is no drop of blood spilled to the extended fingers that have surely felled many before now. The might of Kalaripayattu cannot be disputed.
Neither can a man hardened by his own grave disappointments through his life without losing sight of what he really wants out of his life, given strength through as much effort as anything else as the psionic energy seems to - unlike her fingers - spear through his body and disperse out the back.
Loud crackles and creaks in his right shoulder and elbow are telltale signs if the body language somehow does not convey it, face tense and eyes... it's not anger, it's not fear, it's not joy at some relief at being able to really file her away as a stark-raving madwoman in her eyes. (...How long would it have taken him to decide on that, given everything anyway?)
There is further loud disconcerting bone-popping sounds as he suddenly thrusts Ol' Rusty forward into /her/ midsection, looking to glide past her with a single, powerful lunge of his own whose impact - if any - resounds across the battlefield like a condemned building being hit by a wrecking ball, moving beyond Diesel with Ol' Rusty still outstretched... unless she has something to say to a man who would, in a moment of great need, prove able to stand up to one of her most feared and deadly techniques.
COMBATSYS: Rust successfully hits Diesel with Condemned.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\ < > /////// ]
Diesel 1/----===/=======|====---\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: DPRK successfully hits Julia with Bonesmasher.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Julia 1/------=/=======|-------\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\ < > /////// ]
Diesel 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 DPRK
Julia has bitten off more than she can chew again. She finds herself getting caught by the leader, and then receiving a brutal beating as a result. She is knocked to the ground, feeling the road coming up to her fast and leaving its mark as she hits the ground. "Unnngh... spirits... please forgive me." Julia steps to one foot, then slowly stands up on the other, rubbing at her face.
"I was careless," Julia mutters, reaching to her belt and producing the canteen one of the soldiers gave to her. "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna lose!" She takes a swig of water.
COMBATSYS: Julia gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|-------\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\ < > /////// ]
Diesel 1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0 DPRK
Rust's thick skin is legendary. Not even Kalaripayattu techniques backed up by Amazonian strength and Psycho Power are able to pierce through. Where even steel wilts against Diesel's blows, Rust remains unyielding, a true testament that he is indeed the Hero, worthy of the title the people have given to him. Much to Diesel's chagrin for sure, but even in her brain washed, berserker, insane self she is still an honorable warrior to a certain extent and, though it might pain her to admit it, she is glad that at the /very least/ Nepal has a worthy hero.
Even if it may never be her.
Diesel is powerful, there is no denying that, she has proven so already in countless battles. But although she may be a contender to the world top heavy weight, rivaling such physical strength from that of Zangief, Haggar and Hugo, she still has her limits. The woman is driven back when Rust merely catches one of her best techniques, taking the demon claw right on his gruff palm to push her back. Diesel stumbles, exhaustion getting the better of her to leave her momentarily open, her bared muscled abdomen exposed. It is a brief instant that Rust takes to land a devastating hit with his lead pipe, thrusting it into her stomach to return the favor. It lands true and the there's a satisfying sound of steel meeting hard flesh with Diesel bending over, eyes wide with as much surprise as pain.
"HRRK!!"
For a moment, is looks as if though the giant Amazon has been silenced. Surely a strike of that magnitude has felled many a great fighter before and it is no doubt that Diesel will now be yet another mark on Ol' Rusty as any person would after being hit like that, not a even a building could survive that, what chance does a normal person have?
The truth is that, even if Diesel is very much human and has her limits. She's not what one could call a 'normal' person anymore. A normal person would have gotten their stomach ripped out. Diesel's chiseled abdomen, hardened by both training and Shadaloo experiment on the other hand, stands its ground. Because in the end, she does have something to say to the man who has proven capable to stand against her most fearsome of techniques. And what she has to say is...
"DIE!!!!"
Diesel is still standing, fueled by hatred and driven by rage, her mind commands her body to move despite the pain and she brings a open palmed strike right for the sides of Rust's head. Aiming to burst his eardrums!
There's a satisfying feeling of contact as that shoulder check followed by a hard right connects with the female combatant, but the aged and grizzled squad commander knows better than to celebrate. Unlike the younger men in his squad, he's quick enough to realize he hasn't done NEARLY enough damage yet. Especially as she has the vigor still to bother opening a bottle of water and proceed to drink from it right in front of him.
While she's busying messing about, however, he's already in the process of charging her again for another attack. ... An attack the remaining numbers of his men scramble to their feet from behind her to take advantage of. First comes another fast attempt at a shoulder check by the leader to throw her off balance, followed by an attempt to grab her by an article of clothing and slam her face first into the pavement by another. Then provided these two attacks succeed, two more soldiers will join in and proceed to kick her in the ribs and kick her in the skull as well.
Regardless of what happens, the sound of a bomb going off in the background will probably startle all of them enough to make for a possible easy counter-attack. Provided she's still conscious...
COMBATSYS: Rust blocks Diesel's Padmini Puspa.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Julia 0/-------/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 DPRK
COMBATSYS: Julia blocks DPRK's Break The Rules.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Julia 1/------=/=======|==-----\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ < > ///// ]
Diesel 0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0 DPRK
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. (Just ask Billy Ocean!)
The strength of the attacks are rough and harsh, but Julia refuses to back down. She steadies herself sturdily and prepares to utilize her arms to absorb the blows, and at one point even uses her body to absorb the blow, showing how intent she is on toughening herself up. Even though the pain is flowing through her, she still remains firm with her gaze.
"This fight has gone on too long!" Julia exclaims. "I'm going to teach you a lesson about messing with innocent people!" She closes her eyes and places her fists together. "Spirits be with me, please!" Then her fists begin to glow, and she steps forward and attempts to hit the leader with both fists in a fierce manner.
COMBATSYS: Julia successfully hits DPRK with Heaven Cannon.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Julia 0/-------/------=|==-----\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ < > ]
Diesel 0/-------/-------|=======\=------\1 DPRK
A man can only endure so much, even the stoutest and strongest of them. Through erosion and pressure, it is inevitable that there will eventually be some give. The flesh, even if able to be tempered to be mightier than the strongest steel, has its limits. The both of them, marked for variations between them of incredible strength and endurance, are both coming ever closer to their limit. One must crumble, as the North's hold of their ideal of a united Korea falls apart with every strike by brave men and women who lay down their lives on the front lives.
Howard holds the pose as if unsure as to whether or not it's safe to stick Ol' Rusty back in the proper toolbelt pocket, but the shadow that looms over him speaks differently as he turns his head once more to her arm being ready to crush his... he frowns.
Left hand tensed, he turns and raises his left forearm to... no, catch is not the best way to describe it.
It's more his left elbow ends up suffering in place of his head, the stiffness running through his body making this point notably painful as there's an audible cry of pain while the psycho power nearly provides the means to overcome such incredible defensive capabilities. His left arm remains awkwardly raused, forearm above his head as if he were afraid to flex it or the shoulder in question.
To her real request, her simply-worded, ear-splitting scream unto itself, he wordlessly shakes his head, cocking his head back. His entire upper body feels locked in place...
No, he decides, I'm not standing here and dying to some crazy giant lady - crazy ladies of any size, really, come to think of it - tilting his head back. The dark purple abomination he is deluded into considering as hair clings tenuously to his scalp...
And it stays there as he suddenly thrusts his head forward into Diesel's torso, a headbutt charged with just about all the strength he still has to muster against her unrelenting, overpowering assaults. The headbutt that struck fear in her heart, however brief, in their previous encounter - a point he is probably not entirely aware of.
A point he is unknowingly counting on to give the extra punch to a headbutt that may be the bulk of all he's got to protest her polite suggestion.
COMBATSYS: Diesel counters Hardhat Rush EX from Rust with Sahadeva Krpura.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Julia 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ < > ]
Diesel 0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1 DPRK
...despite their valiant attempts at taking the foreign woman down, the soldiers simply cannot match her tremendous power output. That's why, her attack simply barrels right through the leader... breaking his ribcage and causing him to hack up blood.
There's a moment afterward where he staggers, clumsily, and seems as though he were going to fall. But then... miraculously he remains standing perhaps out of sheer stubborn defiance. He then gives the girl a /lethal/ glare... and shouts suddenly in Korean to his remaining men: <"Go! Run! I will kill this whore! For great leader! I die with honor!"> ... and snatches a grenade off of his ammo harness. EVERY SINGLE soldier seems to understand exactly what he's going to do... and gets up and takes off running. Those that are able anyway.
The leader coughs up a bit more blood, and clenches the grenades safety whilst glaring at her hatefully. He knows his ribs have punctured a lung and he's going to die anyway... might as well attempt to die with honor!
Less than a second later, he charges... with grenade in hand and attempts to wrap his arms tightly around her whilst still clutching the grenade. If he succeeds... he's going to tackle herr to the ground and there'll be a boom., The very last boom this man will ever hear...
COMBATSYS: DPRK can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Julia 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ <
Diesel 0/-------/------=|
COMBATSYS: Julia blocks DPRK's Disaster Area.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////// ]
Julia 0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0 Rust
[ \\\\\ <
Diesel 0/-------/------=|
Everything has its limit. Be it steel, stone, men or even women in this case. All most eventually break after enormous amounts of punishment. Because both in war and in the world of fighting, the truth is that you can be entirely made out of granite and be encased in layers of steel, if you get caught at the wrong time you will be destroyed. Yes, everything has a limit, there is only so much a person can endure.
And the Diesel endures it.
She endures it like the madwoman that she really is.
As Rust surges forth after blocking her bell clap, there's this wildness to Diesel's eyes that speak not of a disciplined martial artist, or a brain washed Shadaloo assassin. When it comes down to the wire, when she has reached her very limits, Diesel reaches deep inside of her and regresses to her origins. To were she was truly born first.
She taps into her inner madness. To the madness of illegal underground cage matches, where she first learned to fight.
"AHAHAHA!! HA HAH HA HA!!!" Sadistic laughter comes from her as she ignores her body's plight for her to stop and reaches one muscled arm forward, letting Rust headbutt her right on her open palm and grabs him by the face. Diesel lifts Rust with only one arm, showing off how truly strong she is, all while keeping that insane sadistic smile on her lips and SMASHES him face first on the ground, returning the favor! Stomping him in the back of the head for good measure just to drive him deeper into the streets still.
"SUCK ON CONCRETE!!"
Even though they're down, they're not out. Not a problem for Julia. She stands there, staring at them as if to say, "Come on, I am not afraid of you!" She clenches her fists and narrows her eyes. When the soldier comes at her, Julia adopts a defensive stance. She manages to push the soldier away and down to the ground. A moment later, there is a kaboom, albeit not an Earth-shattering kaboom. Julia is not hit directly by the blast, but she is knocked to the ground by the force of it.
"Unnngh..." Julia lies on her side for a moment, having hit her head and things are a bit out of control for her. "What...what just..." She turns a little and sees the remains of the soldier, and turns back almost instantly. "Dammit! Why did he have to do that?!" Julia shakes her head in disbelief, then looks around for something to cover the soldier's remains with. After a moment of searching, she finds a tarp and then, without looking as best as she can, she brings it over and covers the remains with it.
"Even if you were on the wrong path," Julia comments, "The spirits will find you and help you find redemption in the afterlife." She closes her eyes and places her hand over her pendant. "Spirits, thank you for protecting me, and please protect this one whose soul can be redeemed." She then walks away, tears welling up in her eyes as the true cost of fighting in a war returns. There are many casualties in a war, and no matter what the result is, nobody truly wins. Julia is not seeking victory in these battles, rather she seeks to help those who need it by using the power of the spirits.
She knows there will be more fighting, and when that happens, she will try to be there to be the guardian of the people who need her assistance. For now, the only thing that matters is knowing that she did what she had to, and even though someone died during the fight, it was not truly murder. It was just another casualty of war.
COMBATSYS: Julia has left the fight here.
[ \\\\\ < > ////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Rust
It's not just the abuse of leverage and ease of tossing a body with one hand that makes the exchange especially frightful to watch. It's how /fast/ it all goes down, to the point that it takes a tired Howard a moment longer than it should for him to realize that he just went face down in concrete. (That he can't immediately tell the difference between Diesel's face and cracked concrete within a moment's notice is probably indicative of some other problems.)
The stomping is, ultimately, what gets his juices pumping. It's a familiar situation, and yet... even with the haze of an oncoming migraine and/or skull fracture (or both), he still remembers, in full, the folly of her love of keeping one foot on him as he threatens to be stomped into an even deeper hole than the last time - perhaps even six feet, if he doesn't do it fast.
This time he's face down, and yet, he has to suss it out anyway as he finally dares to pop his left shou-- oh my god it hurts, his left arm spasms, it frantically twitching within the assault that should end him.
Until he, at last, tenses his fist just to try and calm it down... and, with conviction - if lack of assured understanding of which foot he's being stepped on with and which one she's standing on - sweeps his left hand for her ankle to try and take her right off balance.
His right arm, even more awkwardly, shoves Ol' Rusty upward - it's the same maneuver that nearly got her the last time, taking advantage of her love of stomping to take out her foundation and make sure she falls upon Ol' Rusty with enough force to try and take the wind out of her.
...At least enough wind to get her to stop stomping on his head, as he feels images of his life flashing before his very eyes. Perhaps it is some key images that run through him that makes him think... yes, I'll still fight just gotta /get the ankle/ get the ankle get the ankle thrust pipe get the ankle fuck grab it!!
COMBATSYS: Diesel endures Rust's Armed Pipe Combo.
[ \ < > ////// ]
Diesel 0/-------/----===|===----\-------\0 Rust
STOMP STOMP LAUGH! STOMP STOMP LAUGH!
There's just /something/ about stomping people in the face, or the back of the head, that Diesel can't seem to get enough of. Rust may be right that she's much like a child in this cases, probably one that never got over the whole, family getting gunned down right before her eyes, to truly mature enough for her to know that handing out skull fractures to people like if they're candy is not ok!!
Much like everything else that Diesel does, going back to her roots of brawler has its downside. The Diesel is notorious for not looking anywhere else when she starts stomping people and just like before, she fails to realize that incoming swing at her ankle, sweeping her off her feet and falling on her side directly on the outstretched Ol' Rusty.
"AAAGGGGGH!!!" Unlike last time, that one /really/ freaking hurt. It almost sounded like she broke a rib on the way down. The Amazon woman reaches to her side holding her injured area, foam forming on her bloodied mouth as if she were afflicted with rabies. "HRRRRRGGG!!! FFFFFFFFFFF---" This time though, her rage is not able to push her through her exhaustion. Her vision becomes blurry, and as she lays there next to Rust, a trembling hand points to him in defiance. "Screw you, Rust Howard..."
Says she as she slowly starts to lose consciousness. "And screw.....your...toupee...ugh."
COMBATSYS: Diesel bids her time before getting back to the killing.
> ////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Rust
COMBATSYS: Diesel can no longer fight.
> ////// ]
|===----\-------\0 Rust
The impact of giant amazon against his grip on Ol' Rusty - and the added strain on a tired right arm - makes for a dangerous combination when he manages to strike home... in so much he threatens to potentially have Diesel fall down on top of him.
It takes something of a heroic effort to throw his body weight to the right, one to frantically try and keep hold of Ol' Rusty as his grip falters, the other to roll himself up out of the little crater his body was forming under her repeated stomps. His sides do not approve of their sudden application of pressure against uneven, hard concrete as his joints pop and creak and make all sorts of manners of unpleasant suggestions of locking up to get him to just lie there and maybe go unconscious. Drift into sleep...
No.
He fights to stand back up where the frothing, cursing Diesel lays seemingly beaten as she points to him with her condemning words. Words that strike into the very core of his being and confidence, visibly recoiling. Even standing up, he can't stand up completely straight - bent over a fair bit as he wheezes and gasps for air. A few more seconds under her stomping foot and he may have suffocated.
OF all the concerns in which to give back snappy dialogue about - about what they stand for, what they feel is right to do with the world, it all boils down to two powerful fighters having a disagreement over, perhaps, the most petty of things in their last stretch of fighting strength.
"'s... Howard Rust, uh, oth-other way around," he vaguely gestures with his left hand, "and... this," he suddenly speaks with much more vitrol in his gravelly voice, as he points to the horrible thing on his head as he stands the victor - by a hair! - to the fallen gigantic human weapon of Shadaloo.
"This... is... my... /hair./" In the heat of the moment, he forgets other things he would have wanted to say to her. Possibly something approaching reconciliatory, maybe an appeal, but as it stands - with the DPRK on its seeming retreat following Julia's own heroic efforts - it seems the final, most important point to be made was that this man is still deluded to think this hair is real when surrounded by realities far harsher than those of early onset male-pattern baldness.
COMBATSYS: Rust has ended the fight here.
Log created on 19:31:02 09/01/2012 by Vega, and last modified on 17:23:26 09/04/2012.