Description: Nagase is charged with the mission of securing a transport from Sunshine City's port by Duke. What better person to steal a transport from than the illustrious, philanthropist, business man Johann Gallo. What could possibly go wrong...? The answer is: EVERYTHING. <Rated G for Gore, and Good Scene>
For many months Sunshine City has enjoyed a time of peace. There is some criminal activity around, but nowhere near as bad as it was when Abobo and his gang were running rampant and nearly driving the city to ruin. Since then businesses have reopened, the economy has recovered and things have returned back to normal. One of the biggest things that has boosted the economy has been the shipping industry. Given the location Sunshine City is a perfect place for many boats that travel from east Asia as well as up from the Western parts of South America. It makes the once run down and overall unused port into one of the busiest parts of town.
Perhaps the biggest group of ships that come and go from the port are owned by one of the wealthiest men in Sunshine City, Johann Gallo. Easily a third of the ships in port right now belong to the Italian businessman. Each ship is well kept and kept in tip top shape. Given that they are getting a reputation for being quick and efficient probably does make them a target for those that are in need of a ship for their own nefarious business.
It is late in the night and it is a rare time where the port isn't so busy. Most of the people have turned in for the night and only a few ships are busy as late night shifts are loading up cargo for the next trip. In total it looks to be about three of them, all a fair distance apart, that look to be about ready to depart in the next hour or two. Security is there for each ship, but it is relatively light. Enough to keep any sort of thugs from Abobo and his gang in check if they decided to brave coming out this far.
It's definitely been a long night, too. A long two weeks, even... for while the crews that man these ports have worked tirelessly to load and offload various kinds of cargo from these ships every day... a highly analytical pair of eyes has been watching them.
Nefarious purposes indeed.
Those scrutinizing, sanguine, eyes are presently trained on the backlit LCD screen of a laptop however. Shrouded in darkness, sitting atop the roof of a nearby warehouse with her back to an iron smokestack facing away from the boat, is a female of roughly college age wearing totally chic dark colors. Wine red and black, mostly. Well, chic for Akihabara maybe. She couldn't be caught dead wearing her usual 'bee' colors today, she'd be far too easy to spot. And that wouldn't be very good because... yeah, nefarious purposes!
"Okay, so...", she muses quietly to herself whilst tapping away at those keys. Unlike most laptops, the keys do not make even a hint of an audible clicking. "...I think I've got my candidates. I have their floor plans mapped out pretty nicely, I've worked out who the security personnel are, I have ideas about what sort of security measures they have....", suddenly she pauses... and lifts a gauntleted right index finger to push a pair of shades with pink lenses back onto her nose. "...I even have an ID for getting past any computerized accesses." She cants her head to the side, then, watching the night crew work as thoughts run wildly through her brain. "...One thing still bugs me about these vessels though. The security seems especially tight for just a commercial vessel, and the encryption on some of the cargo data was too hard even for me to access." It seemed suspicious, somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Pursing her bright yellow, painted, lips in thought for a moment she contemplates the possiiblities of that peculiarity... and then decides she's probably overthinking it with a visible shrug of a porcelean white shoulder. "...Maybe someone in security has issues."
Closing up her laptop, she then darts to the edge of the roof and leaps off. "Now to sneak on board and see if I can commandeer one of these puppies. ... Hopefully I won't have to kill anybody on my way to the Captain's deck."
A good hacker such as Nagase may even recognize that the cargo logs got harder to access soon after she started to snoop around through all the computers in port. Perhaps someone caught on that there was someone sneaking about taking a peek at files? If that was the case why only make the cargo logs more secure? Everything else seems to have never been messed with and actual security guards haven't been seen in increased amounts. It could just be that Nagase could be getting a bit paranoid and just thinks the data has been messed with by some other source.
The target chosen is a decent sized ship. One that looks to be fully loaded and is running with a crew of maybe a dozen men. All experienced sailors, but none seem to have any sort of background that should make them too worrisome if it comes to combat. This one is even scheduled to arrive in Southtown so even if hijacked it might be easy enough to mask things and make it look like it arrived on time without alerting authorities or the like that the ship has gone missing if she so chooses. Or there is the option of getting the crew off the ship and just taking it for herself. That of course creates the problem of needing a crew to help control the boat and get it to the destination Nagase wishes to take it.
page rust= Which is odd, because she even seems to hate it.
A scan shows three men on the deck. One is looking over the edge and seems to just be contemplating. Two others are sitting with a checkerboard between them and a few empty bottles. That means nine more bodies unaccounted for that must be below deck or on the ship's bridge.
Paranoia comes with the trade, really. When your job is circumventing other people's security, and taking them by complete surprise, you naturally grow wary of the shadows yourself. There were many in this world as well equipped, if not more so, as her to implement counter measures against security violations. It did stand out to her that security seemed to grow tighter the longer she tampered... but there was always the possibility it was just them gearing up for an important shipment or that they suspected other potential attacks or they were simply implementing tighter security measures as part of the clean-up here. Too many variables, so while she expects potenial interference and possibly even wariness on the part of the crew, it wouldn't necessarily have crossed her mind they suspected /her/.
That's why, she'll be using an approach tonight that's fairly standard for this kinda of job. Eliminate the guys on deck who are loafing, as swiftly and quietly as possible, and then head below deck. Once inside, she expects she can lock the ship down by taking over it's security computer - giving her the only access on the ship. After that, it's just a matter of muscling the crew into doing her bidding and keeping tabs on their attempts to alert the authorities.
And killing them all and dumping them in the sea in preparation for a new crew once they hit Metro.
Starting with the solitary man, looking over the edge, she climbs onto the ship from a nearby edge and darts swiftly toward him - drawing a gleaming tanto from her backside in the process. She'll attempt to stab him once, nonlethally so he'll make a little noise, and then attempt to finish him by cutting his throat and covering his mouth. She'll then try to drag him back into the shadows... hoping to lure the other two. Should they attempt to dart for the ship interior, all the better for her. Should they attempt to flee the vessel and not investigate the scream however things might get trickier.
These are just regular shipworkers. The likes of them are easily handled by the expertise that Nagase has in the arts of assassination. That single man looking over the edge of the ship and into the water never stood a chance and there is only a soft yelp that comes from him before he is easily finished off and slumps once life leaves him. That leaves under a dozen men by her guess if everything is correct on the information she had gathered. The two others that were playing checkers don't seem to move or respond at the noise that was made when the first sailor was taken out. They seem into the game so much both must be at a stalemate because neither moves for quite some time if she observes.
After about a minute it seems one finally makes a move. He lurches forward, but it ends up being him falling forward out of his seat and crashing onto the chessboard sending pieces scattering about. The other man remains in his seat. Closer observation shows both have what looks like a blow dart of some sort in their necks. One that did more than just put them to sleep. Neither seem to be breathing and neither even have a look of shock as to what happened. Nagase is almost sure they were moving when she sprung into action. If someone else attacked they were swift and efficient just like she is. Did Duke send backup without telling her? Even more so with the loud crash no one responded. Maybe she was right for being a bit paranoid.
Nagase's sanguine eyes narrow as she peers around a dark corner at the men playing a game, a hint of frustration mars her soft features as they fail to be more intelligent than she gave them credit for. She lifts a hand to adjust those rose colored shades again, with her back to the limp and thoroughly dead crewman behind her. His blood had, by now, already formed a pool near her booted feet... what blood she wasn't now wearing down the frontside of her rock-themed overshirt anyway. Good thing she wore red today, anyway! "...Man, and here I was hoping they actually had brains..." Indeed, they were not moving all too much... which ordinarily meant she might have to wait a while... blatantly running out onto the deck and attacking them even in darkness would run her the unnecessary risk of being seen by someone else in the port yard.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, she doesn't have to attack them at all. Someone else does it for her and totally throws a wrench in her plan! One of the crewman tumbles over, sending game pieces flying, and the other fails to respond. From where she's at, that dart might ordinarily be hard to make out but... Nagase isn't a normal person. Upon seeing one of them apparently fall asleep, the interior displays of her lenses come to life and a mangified image of the scene is projected before her to be seen. "...Blow darts, no signs of respiration or pulse..." Well, this is an 'oh fuck' moment! Her mind immediately becomes a whirlmind of frantic thoughts, analytical eyes searching everywhere for the answer to the most pressing question of them all, 'Who dun it??'. Surely Geese and Duke trusted her enough to get the job done... that could mean one of two things then. Someone else had the same idea, or... someone KNOWS she's here!
The ship is eerily quiet. The only noises are from it being afloat in the water and the occasional groan. There are no sounds of movement down below and if there is someone else here on deck with her they are just as good as she is at keeping quiet and out of sight. And who is to say it is just one person? That can lead to another whole new set of problematic thoughts. If it is a group that is skilled Nagase might be outmatched. Of course she is in a bit of a bad spot because Geese and Duke both aren't men that enjoy failure. It could possibly be worse for her to abort the mission and report that someone beat her to it.
The thought of trying another ship might even come to mind, but with that there is the chance someone does know what she is up to and they would follow her. One ship with dead crewmates will be bad enough, but if several come up that way? Things might get locked down tight quickly and the thoughts of using the port for the benefit of the Syndicate might go up in smoke.
Finally there is some noise heard to perhaps snap Nagase from her thoughts. Faint footsteps coming from the cargo area as well as a gentle whistle. Maybe the crew below has been sparred and are going about their business, though deep down a gut feeling tells the ninja that is probably not the case.
Shitshitshitshitshit. "Shit!", she curses her luck quietly. Nowhere in any of her thoughts prior to now was the idea that another party could be involved. Suddenly the unnecessarily tight security seems to make more sense. Rather than leap to the assumption someone knows about her and is interfering, however, her thoughts immediately lean more toward 'they were expecting someone or something else'. After all, she's so awesome nobody could know about what she's plotting, right? Right??
Despite that momentarily 'extravagant and arrogant' thought, she regains her focus and taps her chin with a finger thoughtfully as she finally firmly decides there isn't a threat in her /immediate/ vicinity. They'd have to be somewhere nearby though, nobody pulls an attack like that and leaves. "...Must be some pretty sweet cargo onboard this thing...", she muses, reflecting on the encrypted data she could never crack. "...Either way, a shinobi always accomplishes her task or dies trying." Not like she really relished the idea of dying for Geese and Duke's petty schemes but she didn't want to return to her clan in shame either. Success or death were her only options here.
Now that she's here, and left a body, there really is no other options but trying to take the ship herself and hopefully eliminate the threat. Fortunately, some suspicious and almost inaudible sounds from the cargo hold reach her inhumanly sensitive ears. This makes her present course of action clear, but she's not going to be using a door right now. Instead, she leaps up toward the ship's superstructure and begins the long climb up the side. Gambling on the fact that whatever was going on downstairs might catch the crew's attention, she hopes instead to find an unwatched upstairs window to sneak into. It was the long way around, but hopefully that would mean she could navigate down to the cargo hold - possibly through a vent or something - and not be caught.
The movements seem to attact no attention and the ship remains quiet. Even the whistling and footsteps have ceased after Nagase begins to move once more. She manages to navigate the ship with ease and she comes in contact with no crew members until she gets inside. That is when she starts to find the bodies. Whoever was or is still here must have gotten inside already. Each body is maimed and there are scorch marks as well on the floors, walls and on the bodies. It looks like the deaths were recent too because the blood still is seeping out of the wounds of some victims who's lifeless, wide-eyed stare all show that they were caught by surprise of whoever it was.
The captain himself is found right at the doorway leading to the cargo area. His chest ripped open and his heart on display after his ribcage had been shattered and rended. This is no mere assassin that took these men uot. This is some sort of monster that seemed to relish wrecking havok on this crew and enjoying each kill. There is movement heard behind the door and then a soft chuckle as well. "Come on in." A raspy voice murmurs.
It'd taken some time and doing to get to the cargo hold, even despite the absence of crew. Two flights of stairs, a handful of hallways, and a few security cameras and/or computerized or mechanical security locks had to be navigated or circumvented. The entire time she spent darting down those hallways, the whole time the only thought weighing on her mind was: 'how in the hell could this happen'? What should have been a routine hijacking has now become...
...a massacre. At the end of her journey she finds herself standing in a corridor full of mutilated bodies and an interior dyed red with blood. Even she wasn't this ruthless. This was just... senseless violence. "...well, somebody enjoys their job.", she quips sarcastically and eyes that suspiciously wide open room emitting an eery silence. ... Then, the voice comes and her sanguine eyes narrow dangerously. So she /was/ expected after all. "...Yeah, I'm coming in alright. I hope you're prepared for the consequences of making my job more complicated. I hate it when losers do that." Despite her bravado, she edges slowly toward the room's entrance... eyes moving everywhere and ears listening for even a soft exhale or a whisper in her vicinity. "...Why don't you show yourself, and make this easier on both of us, huh?"
It doesn't take much searching to find who was doing the talking. It seems the assassin that has joined Nagase on the ship is sitting on top of some crates. Judging by the labels the contents also seem to be disappointing. From the looks of it most things look like various foodstuffs and not really worth the trouble the person went to to keep the cargo log so well guarded. Of course it isn't really the time to take inventory on what cargo the ship has. Not when the hooded individual is crouched atop the crates lightly swaying about. His hands bloodied but no weapons are in sight. It looks like he used his own strength to tear those men apart.
"Welcome, esteemed visitor." The raspy voice says while letting out another soft chuckle. "So glad you could join us this evening. We were starting to wonder when you were going to make your move." That at least lets Nagase know that someone has known about her spying, but to what extent? Do they know who she is working for? Do they know her true intentions?
The figure leans forward then falls off the crates. He flips about then lands in a crouch on the ground and he slowly stalks forward in that hunched over position as he gets closer. "Mmm, you smell good too. I always do like a woman that keeps herself clean, yet I can smell the blood of all those you have killed. My you are a evil little creature. Reminds me of....me." he chuckles again and comes to a stop a few feet away from Nagase. "Did you enjoy my gift to you? I spent quite some time on it. I wanted things to be perfect since this ship is to be yours."
As the darkly clothed kunoichi makes her way through cargo hold's door, her sanguine eyes sweep across the interior - including the crates nestled neatly against the wall and tied down. It's as her eyes sweep across those boring, wooden, crates that she catches sight of something out of place in her peripheral vision: dark fabric. Her eyes shoot upwards about the same time she takes a step, and suddenly his breathing becomes distinct. A hooded figure, blood stained hands, no apparent weapons. This confirmed three things for her, 1. He was her interloper 2. he was as much of an animal as she pegged him for, and 3. there really was something not quite right about this boat. This guy was far too sinister-looking a person to just be some security expert who was expecting her. What the hell is this??
"...This is quite a welcoming gift, yeah. Don't suppose you'd be keen on telling me who I can send a thank you card to, huh?" Her eyes stay locked on him, but in her mind she's still quietly paying attention to their surroundings. After all, he might not be the only kook in here.
She adjusts her footing again as the ship slants just a touch, a sideways force pulling her toward the back of the hold as a particularly high tide rolls in but she refuses to move. "...I do what I have to.", she replies to his comment about her being evil and conveinently ignoring the creepy allusion to her perfume. It's a fruity, girlish, smell she wears but hey she isn't an old lady just yet. "...this ship is mine, huh? Well, I'm glad we atleast agree on something...", she shuffles her left foot forward aggressively and turns to the side... one fist is held forward ready to catch any sort of oncoming strike and the other snakes around to grasp at the handle of her tanto shaped like a cartoon demon's face. "...Now, you can clear out of here and keep your life, or perhaps I'll have to take it right along with this boat..."
COMBATSYS: Nagase has started a fight here.
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Nagase 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Ennui has joined the fight here.
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Nagase 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ennui
The figure doesn't move and beneath the hood some of his features can be made out. Such as the smile that is playing across his face and the pale skin of his. "Who to send the card to? Oh you might need more than one. I did say we afterall, didn't I?" He remains relaxed and hunched over right now. There is no sign he is ready to strike just yet, but if he was skilled enough to defeat so many people with ease he is probably someone that can move quickly if Nagase does decide to get violent. "Just how much information have they denied you?" he asks and chuckles again. "A poor little puppet only let into the most simple of information. As if they care about you as if those I work for care for me."
He does shift his gaze to look at that tanto and he remains silent for a few moments as if considering that request. "Oh, the ship is yours. Just realize consequences come with the actions. Just how many enemies you wish to make and make the task of your group harder to achieve." He actually drops down to sit on the floor of the cargo hold and settle in Indian style. "You could also kill me. Something I have come to realize that would happen and even embrace. If my death furthers the plans of those I work for then so be it. I am just a small cog in a large machine. The wheel keeps turning without me." He even tilts his head and reaches up to tug some at the cloth to expose his neck that already has a few scars on it. Perhaps from people that have already attempted to kill him in the past.
He remains that way for only a brief moment before settling back in his more relaxed position with bloodied hands resting on his knees. "So, my lovely thing. Do you wish to take it? Just say yes and I will leave and we will let things go into motion. A wonderful game will follow and we will collect what we want later."
Too many truths, and hard, cold, facts come from the mouth of the shadowy figure across from the Syndicate assassin. She knew all of these things already, she was in fact just a tool. A blade that would readily be discarded should it ever grow dull. It was a reality she'd struggled with ever since she was a girl, and has fought tooth and nail against ever since. But it didn't matter how hard she fought. She was born into a life of service, and would remain as such until she drew her last breath.
She resists the urge to drop her eyes at his discouraging words. It pained her to hear them, and it pained her in some way to acknowledge what she was obligated to do to him. Crazy, murderous, or no. "...It doesn't matter what the consequences are." She states, matter of factly. "My employer would kill me if I didn't return with this boat, and questioning the decisions of my superiors while I'm on a job won't fly." She watches him, then, quietly as he takes a seat on the floor opposite her - a truly strange thing to do mid-confrontation - and mirrors her own thoughts and sentiments about his situation. It provokes a tiny frown from her, but it's not a frown borne out of anger or frustration. Not at him anyway. Throughout, though, she keeps her hand firmly on her tanto in case of an attack...
...But it's an attack that doesn't come. "...Yeah. I'm gonna take it.", she confirms her intention to push forward with her plan despite the newly arisen complications. "But... you and I both know I can't let you leave here alive. Having you free to report back to whoever you work for would be an unforgiveable failure. So either I am going to kill you... or you're going to kill me."
Pushing off with her leading foot, finally growing tired of the discourse, she adds finally, "...Let us fulfill our purposes then. Right now!" and then frees her tanto from its sheath with a ringing of metal before thrusting it toward his neck ruthlessly.
COMBATSYS: Ennui blocks Nagase's Aggressive Strike.
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Nagase 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Ennui
There is a smile that creeps back across the hooded figure's face. "I was hoping it was your choice. Then the games truely begin and more pieces enter the playing field to no longer make this a two sided war." She comes quickly at him with that tanto and he springs into action as well. His movements swift as he gets an arm up to stop the tanto's tip from driving into his neck. Stepping back he chuckles and something like smoke starts to come out from under the robes and curls and coils about his body, his fingers flexing and nails extending and looking sharper. Did that just really happen?
"And do you think I need to report back? The boat being gone is the only answer that is needed. You could have left unharmed and now you choose to figh the darkness. To fight the evil that will engulf this world one day." He takes a deep breath and steps back and he pulls his hands back. The smoke around him gathers into the palms of his hands and he quickly steps forward and his hands move to make a slashing motion, the smoke suddenly flung forward and becoming a blade like creation that will indeed tear at clothing and cut at flesh if it manages to hit the ninja. " My death tonight will bring glory to those I serve and doom you. Tonight we grow stronger due to your choices. Tonight the enemy you know of grows stronger as well."
COMBATSYS: Nagase slows Gospel Wave from Ennui with Shooting Star.
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Nagase 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ennui
The business end of the tanto meets with a skillfully raised limb instead of becoming the lethally efficient blow she expected it to be. If the massacre outside weren't evidence enough of his capability, that certainly was! As he takes a measured step back, Nagase kicks off the floor and throws herself into an aerial maneuver that ends with her skidding away across the cold, metal, floor of the carg hold. It wasn't so much of a purposeful action as instinct, she didn't want to stay close longer than she had to in order to strike. Better to stay at range after all...
...or so she thought. But then, he begins to emit an eery, unnatural-seeming, smoke from beneath his robes and begins to deform. God, she thinks to herself, what kind of living nightmare has she been forced into?! "...Doesn't matter.", she replies, even as she slowly circles him from a distance. "...I couldn't let you out of here alive." Especially not now! "...I don't know what kind of stuff you've been snorting, shooting, or imbibing but please keep your insane, delusional, beliefs to yourself. I'm not fighting evil, here, I'm just doing my job!" Well, she definitely /was/ fighting evil here, but that wasn't her choice!
When she sees him preparing for what looks to be some manner of retaliation, she quickly slips a palm-sized, black, shuriken with razor-sharp edges from her backside pocket and flings it at him in an attempt to stop whatever it is from occuring. The ship also rocks, again, groaning audibly as it does so, and it is perhaps only this sudden movement that allows her to avoid the worst of that enormous blade-like construct he hurls at her jus a moment later! The blade does, unfortunately sheer some of her clothes from her topside - revealing a fur undershirt beneath her darker one - and lacerate the flesh of her left shoulder fairly deeply. Crimson fluid begins to spill out from the wound on to the floor and she falls to one side toward it. "...D-damn!"
He showed glimpses of moving quickly, but the hooded figure is moving slower and in a more methodical manner as he draws blood with his strike. The fact Nagase managed to do something to lesson the damage of the attack shows that he also has quite a bit of strength to go with his speed. Of course that strength was in the powers he apparently wields and she has yet to feel just how strong he may be physically. Given how some of the bodies looked she probably doesn't really want to find that out either.
"Evil? No, we are hardly that. We just want to see the world destroy itself." he says and slinks forward, closing the distance between himself and Nagase. "I think I heard your voice quiver a bit. Did that hurt, my dear? It is only a start to this wonderful dance we are going to have. I hope you can keep up!" As he shouts that last part he lunges forward, his left hand curling into a fist as he puts a great deal of strength behind the blow and aims to slam his fist right into the face of the ninja.
COMBATSYS: Ennui successfully hits Nagase with Righteous Blow EX.
- Power hit! -
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Nagase 0/-------/----===|==-----\-------\0 Ennui
The college-age kunoichi slowly, unsteadily, pushes herself to her feet again whilst a breath comes through her pristine, gritted, teeth almost as a hiss. That newly opened wound in her shoulder stung like a bitch, and she was probably not going to have an easy time attacking with it now. "You say you're not evil, well, I've seen better things in my nightmares than all of this...", she replies to his first statement. Her nightmares were pretty vivid too, you don't become a trained killer without being haunted occasionally by those you've killed unless you're some type of psychopath. She was cold, sure, and ruthlessly efficient - but her efficiency was borne more out of circumstance than any real malice.
"...You heard wrong...", she starts, attemptting to offer a sarcastic rebuttal to this second statement. But she only gets that much out before a punch, powered by inhuman strength, cracks her across the face and sends her flying back first into some food crates nearby. But she doesn't just strike them, she plows clearly through them... packages, bags, cans, and other contents spilling out onto the floor through the opening he made with her body.
"Shit...", a curse followed by groan escapes her. Now she had open wounds, splinters, and a fucking headache! "Okay...", she sighs, pulling her aching body from the almost collapsed pile of crates, "...Okay, now I definitely have a good reason to kill you."
Sprinting toward the shadowy assassin with all of the speed her body can muster, she reaches out and attempts to get him in a clutch with her gauntleted hands. From this distance, he could probably see the new cuts that have opened up on her pretty face and even a bruise beginning to form from being smashed in the head with cans. Should she succeed in her grab, she'll then attempt to launch them both high into the air with a spinning motion - almost hitting the ceiling - before inverting and spiraling back toward the ground to attempt to slam him head first into the metal floor!
COMBATSYS: Ennui endures Nagase's Hyperdrive Nagase Spiral.
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Nagase 1/-------/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ennui
...and when solid contact is made with the floor, a burst of violent, burning, chi erupts from her body and expands outwards... blackening the floor and possibly settng nearby crates ablaze as well!
There is a light dismissive wave of all things from the figure when mentioned he isn't anywhere near as bad as the things in her nightmares. "I care not. Impressing you is not my job. To make sure you take this boat to set things in motion was my directive. You will be taking it so I will die with a smile on my face." He doesn't say if he dies. It seems he actually accepts his fate that this will be his last battle and he won't survive. It seems even more evident he cares nothing for his own health when he makes no real attempt to get out of the way of Nagase when she comes bounding towards him.
There is no real struggle once he is grasped and despite hitting rather hard he isn't exactly a heavy individual. The ninja easily can carry him upwards as she begins to twist and spiral about. Downwards his is driven and the hull of the ship groans from the impact and metal bends. Given the power of the impact it is surprising the hull didn't start to spring a leak. The flames lick at both the cloaked individual who rests in the large dent as well as several crates. Soon there is the rank smell of fruit being burned up from the flames after they eat through the crate.
There is some soft wheezing that soon turns into a chuckle. The battered body starts to move and it slumps upwards to his knees. "Mmm, yes. To be so close like that. To smell your blood. I do think I will enjoy my death." he comments while that smoke starts to coil about and start to form into something more solid once more. His hands raise up and the smoke surges upwards, starts to take a vague shape of something like a hammer as hands grip at the 'handle' of the smoke and he tugs it to swing the solidified smoke downwards to slam down atop the head of Nagase and crush her.
COMBATSYS: Nagase blocks Ennui's Smite EX.
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Nagase 1/------=/=======|=====--\-------\0 Ennui
Damn, she thinks to herself as she rolls to her knees after performing a modified version of her clan's legendary 'Shrike Dash'. The smell of smoke and food contents being burned up tells her all she needed to know about the wisdom of that maneuver. She'd have to try NOT to destroy this boat before she even gets it out of port, really, or her boss would have her hide! "...You really have issues, don't you?", she asks, somewhat sarcastically, as he responds to being smashed into the metal floor of the ship almost as if she had given him a gift. "...Yeah, well, you do that..."
She's more than a little -creeped out- at this point as he continues to refer to her smells almost orgasmically, while acting as though he were entirely unconcerned with her intent to kill him. ... Then there's a surge of violent energy in the form of choking, black, smoke that coalesces into another construct. Her painted, yellow, lips turn a bit in frustration and her sanguine eyes narrow as he swings that -thing- through the air at her!
...But she rises up partially off the floor, raising her arms defensively above her head, and receives all of that unnatural strength against her gauntleted forearms. It's so strong that it drives her back to her knees again, with her metallic guantlets emitting a worrsome cracking sound, and briefly the displays in her rose-tinted lenses spring to life with a series of mechanical noises. "Just shut up, already!", she shouts, pushing back aganst that hammer ith her now thoroughly bruised forearms and through the stinging pain of using that wounded shoulder. It's hard to tell if she's talking to him or what. "...Just -shut up-!" She then draws back a curled fist, which immediately ignites in flame, and thrusts it toward his face!
COMBATSYS: Ennui blocks Nagase's Medium Punch.
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Nagase 1/------=/=======|======-\-------\0 Ennui
It is strange. Even as the fight goes on it isn't just the punishment he has taken from the ninja that seems to be affecting him, but each time he commands the smoke that is coming out from under his robes seem to make him move slower and perhaps saps his own strength. Maybe he talks about his own death as it is inevitable not because he thinks he will be killed by the ninja, but perhaps his own powers seem to be draining the life from him as he continues to fight. He is a man, or monster given the acts he performed on the poor crew, that seems not to care about his own well being.
"Oh? You don't enjoy having this conversation? I thought it would lighten the mood. You have worked so hard for this, haven't you? Wasting hours doing something that will go unappreciated." Even as that fist seeks to shut him up, the hooded man brings a hand up to stop the incoming fist and the energy released starts to burn into the hand that caught it. He flinches, but his free hand then thrusts forward open palmed. Smoke seeps out from his sleeve and then solidifies, a spike that soon juts out and looks to impale Nagase if she isn't quick enough to get out of the reach of her opponent. "You should be more careful too. We don't want to sink this ship, right?"
COMBATSYS: Nagase fails to counter Sanctimony Strike from Ennui with Punishment Mode Assault.
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Nagase 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ennui
There's a dull thudding sound as her gauntleted fist engulfed by chi impacts his fleshy hands. Nagase's arms tremble against the inhuman strength of the other assassin as she tries to push through, but to no avail. "...Nnngh... not you I...", she starts as that mechanical beeping continues and the displays in her lenses continue to be a blur of activity. "Well, yes... you too I guess...!", she almost spits before attempting to retract her punching hand. ... But finds she cannot.
"Wha...?", comes the beginning of a question, cut off by the sudden resurgence of that smoke-like energy of his and a palm-strike is aimed at her. "N-no you don't...!", she shouts before snaking an arm around to grasp the handle of her tanto. The singing sound of the metal blade being drawn from its sheath comes, and then blade itself becomes coated in firey chi near immediately. She then attempts to swing that blade upward in an arc, hoping to cut tendons, arteries, nerves or all of the above in order to disable that arm. ... But it's just not fast enough. That dark energy protrusion stabs clear through her left-side, further disabling that injured left arm and making it nigh impossible for her to attack with it any longer! This not only causes her to miss with her tanto strike, but also causes its firey sheath to be snuffed out almost immediately. "...AAAAGHAA!"
...And yet more of that nice smelling blood drips to the floor...
Skin is pierced and another wound is made. Nagase is finding out the hard way just what he did to those poor crewman and if she isn't careful she might end up like the whole lot of them. Once penetrating the skin, the solidified chi turns to smoke once again and dissipates as the hooded man staggers back and coughs a few times. The coughing turns to laughter again and he slumps back a few steps and crouches down as if to catch his breath for a moment. The fires have at least died down and there is only the smell of charred wood and various fruits that were ignited. Now there is just wisps of smoke that seem to be coming off of them and mixing with the smoke that surrounds the strange figure. "Are you having fun yet? I am glad you decided that we could play."
He manages to pull himself back up to full height and he lurches forward, hands grasp for the young woman once more. His movements are slowing and his breathing becoming heavier. His skin looks more pale than it was and also he almost seems to be shriveling up as he continues his attack on the woman. Even if he is looking more frail his grip is a solid one if he manages to get ahold of Nagase by the left arm with one hand and her hair with another. He twists and yanks looking to heft the smaller fighter up and then just drive her hard into one of the nearby crates face first. "Don't be ready to give up. Not yet. I am not ready for it to end just yet."
COMBATSYS: Nagase blocks Ennui's Medium Throw.
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Nagase 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ennui
Nagase herself stumbles back, soft features twisted into a grimace from her mortal agony, clutching at that left side as he backs off momentarily. She sputters, coughing a bit herself, and a spray of saliva and blood hits the floor. It's probably from the bone-breaking punch she ate earlier. "Yeah... this is so much fun...", comes yet another sarcastic reply through the gnashing of her teeth. She isn't altogether too sure at this point how to feel about the flames dying out, seeing as she may be losing this fight. It might have been better at this point for the boat to go up in flames with both of them onboard. At least that way she could give the finger to the Syndicate and whoever this guy works for before she dies!
"...Mmmgh...", she groans and grasps at her exposed shoulder tightly. It's apparently became dislocated during that last attack, as evidenced by the rather abnormal positioning of it. With a swift, strong, tugging motion she pops it back into place with a sickening crack... temporarily lowering the overall pain level but nevertheless that arm is still basically unusable. She then, rather callously, wipes her own hand down the front of her shirt to get the disgusting feeling of blood off of it. "...Man, you're a real pain in the butt...", it comes out as a weak, but still somewhat high-pitched, whine coupled with a deep frown.
She is noticing his progressive weakness and emaciation, however, and it's hard not to. What little time she gets before he attacks again, her large, sanguine, eyes are studying him from behind those rose-colored frames. It was almost as if he were indeed dying, though she knew she weren't doing it to him. There really was something seriously /off/ about this whole operation. She'd have to try and pry it out of Duke later on. If she was still alive.
Despite her only having one good arm left, Nagase is still more than capable of dealing with that attempted throw. Throws were an Iga-style speciality after all! His rush attempts earns him her wounded arm, and her hair. But, despite the pain of being lifted by that wounded shoulder, she lashes out with a strong kick at one of the nearby crates and uses the inertia of the maneuver to wrest herself from his grip and turn a flip in the air. From behind him, she then attempts to counter with yet another thrown black shuriken from a pocket - this one is coated in a very lethal poison, however, and should it hit he may end up far worse off than he is!
COMBATSYS: Ennui dodges Nagase's Small Thrown Object.
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Nagase 1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0 Ennui
Duke must know something about all this, right? Did he do this as some sort of test for Nagase or maybe even set it up to test her loyalty? Whoever this man is there is no way he is just someone easily hired out by anyone. Was it perhaps Kain? He and the Syndicate do have a history and even now he is the one that holds control over Southtown. Or was it someone else that the likes of Duke made angry? Some group that he had just brushed aside thinking they wouldn't be a problem. Of course there is always the chance he is just a madman that believes he is serving some higher power. None of these questions will get answered if Nagase falls here. Will Duke even bother to look into things if she never made it back?
THe hooded figure starts to cough as he releases the ninja, his grip wasn't as strong as he had thought and she managed to get free with relative ease. Even more so he is left looking quite open to that shuriken that is slung his way. He quickly twists and leans to the side as the object tears at his clothing, but doesn't seem to directly hit him. "Naughty naughty." he wheezes and his body shudders. The smoke that is being emitted from him is lessening and his clothing seems to be hanging more loosely on him than it had before. "Playing with such dangerous toys." he chides. His lips curl into a smile and he rushes forward once more. He leaps forward and launches himself at the girl as he kicks both legs forward and looks to slam them right into her chest as with his weight fully behind the dropkick attempt.
COMBATSYS: Nagase endures Ennui's Light Kick.
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Nagase 1/-----==/=======|======-\-------\0 Ennui
The thrown shuriken cuts through the air, shearing off a bit of his clothing but otherwise sticking firmly into a wooden crate and missing its target. Nagase curses, even as she hits the metal floor and skids back into a wide-legged stance, all too surprised at how unbelievably strong this guy is despite his apparent growing weakness. "Damn it...! What is this guy?!"
It seemed to her more and more that Duke had not sent her here as a test, but rather, sent her here to die. She was, ultimately, Geese's hired hand and considering he may be trying to obtain power for himself he might not have wanted to risk her to report back about his activities. What better than to send her out to die at sea by the hands of a monsterous lunatic?! Her right fist curled, angrily, painted nails digging into her flesh as the weight of that possibility hits her. She's so lost to this thought momentarily that she does not register his mocking words, and nearly does not register that kick that is leveled at her chest. But while she registers it, she fails to move in time... her only option being to simply tense up and take both feet directly to her breasts and sternum! The force of the kick is so strong that it sends her sprawling backward across the metal floor and leaving a streak of red. From there, she weakly rolls to her knees, wheezing due to the breathe being knocked out of her.
..And she remains on te floor, until she catches her breath. "Okay... I better go all out here or... I am definitely going to die..." And with that resolution made, she summons up every ounce of her energy, focusing her chi for several seconds, before darting across the metal floor at him again. The thunder of her footsteps against the floor grows louder, her body seeming to become a multicolored blur of afterimages, as she approaches. Then... she raises her foot and throws a kick to start the assault off. Should that foot make solid contact, he might find himself in a world of hurt as an afterimage clone of her manifests behind him and mimics her last maneuver. Oh, but, even though the image may not seem it... this hit too would be very real! Afterward a string of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows would be unleashed in a blidingly fast manner by both kunoichi ending with a kick to launch him into the air and one final jumping punch to the gut! ... If the hit fails to connect, correctly, however... she may have just positioned herself to get hurt!
COMBATSYS: Ennui endures Nagase's Punishment Mode - Mirage Assault.
-+- CALCULATED HIT -+-
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Nagase 0/-------/------=|=======\===----\1 Ennui
The figure is slow to get up. Perhaps slower than Nagase is at doing so. He staggers and seems to have trouble keeping himself up once he does finally get to his feet. The breathing is growing heavier and what can be seen of his body looks even more emaciated. The one thing Nagase could be thankful for is the toll on his body must be making it harder for him to say anything. No laughing this time as well. Just a man that looks like he is on his last legs and looking weaker by the moment. It truely is a perfect chance to strike.
The kunoichi turns into a blur as she speeds towards the hooded man and he can only turn to look towards her as she impacts into him and there is a crunching noise from the impact. The ensuing assault batters his already frail looking body and it does feel like bones are giving away under the force of her strikes. The kick lands square in the jaw and sends him upwards and he almost folds in half from the punch that slams into his stomach and sends him flying into a pile of crates where he ends up covered in the debris of the now shattered containers.
Things grow quiet for a moment, but then the smoke begins to be seen. Crates move and fruit is shoved aside as the figure manages to get out from under the mess. The hood has fallen away showing a face with sunken in eyes and a jaw that is busted so bad it is just hanging free as his mouth leaks out blood. His hair is falling out and his nose for the most rt has shriveled away too along with his ears. There is a weird hacking and wheezing that could almost be a laugh? Or the closest he can do in his state. He staggers forward as the smoke grows thicker. He is almost fully engulfed by it as it surges forward in a deceptively quick manner, the smoke looking to engulf Nagase fully to make it hard to see.
COMBATSYS: Nagase dodges Ennui's Holy Genocider.
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Nagase 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Ennui
T'would seem that despite Nagase's ill-begotten luck, and a very near brush with death, her luck was turning. There's a satisfying crunching of bone, and a feeling of soft tissue giving way, as her final punch with her one good arm sends the depraved, horrifying, assassin flying into a nearby pile of crates with an explosion of sound and debris. Her wine red, black, and white mess of dyed hair flutters briefly in the air before she plummets back to the ground and collapses to one knee with downturned eyes. She resumes breathing laboredly, waiting to hear him move, but for a while he does not and it almost seems as though she had won.
Almost.
She's in the midst of tugging at that black neck kerchief of hers, beads of sweat rolling down her face and mixing with her blood, when the sound of crates being shoved aside comes and her large, almond-shaped, eyes lock onto his form. Then... her painted lips part, releasing a small sigh. "...Can't you just STAY down...?", she complains, even as the nearly undead-looking assassin engulfed by an angry cloud of choking black smoke charges her.
She then promptly kicks off the floor with a *CLANK* of heavy boots against metal and VANISHES in a tiny grey cloud of her own.
"Nin! Nin!" comes a cry as, somewhere behind him, Nagase reappears in the air and hurls a gravity-defying roundhouse directly for his head.
COMBATSYS: Ennui fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Nagase with Gospel Blast.
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Nagase 0/-------/-----==|
COMBATSYS: Ennui can no longer fight.
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Nagase 0/-------/-----==|
The smoke all but fades. The last of the man's powers seemingly fades from the body that is giving out on him. There is a few twitches and he starts to slump down to one leg. His body continues to betray him and he can't seem to move from the spot he is in now. His body sways lightly and it tries to keep upright. Even if he wanted to get out of the way from the oncoming attack his body just won't listen to him. All he can do is turn about enough to get one last look at Nagase and he starts to hold a hand up. That kick comes swift and comes straight at his head.
A bit of smoke starts to form, but it quickly dissipates. That foot connects and the impact isn't a pleasant one for either fighter. The head squishes some at first then pops and all sorts of fun fluids and the likes splatter everywhere including all over the ninja. The rest of the body begins to twitch and falls over the remains starting to melt and ooze all over the floor while the hull starts to smell horrible. Soon that mess of ooze and a pile of the clothes the man wore are all that is left and things fall silent.....for all of about two minutes. That is when there is a groan from the ship as it shakes and seemingly seems to be moving.
There is a DISGUSTING crunch of bone being SMASHED clean through by her kick as the undead-seeming monstrosity's skull just... gives way. She gets one, last, horrifying look at that completely detroyed face before his brains, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood are sprayed everywhere including on her FACE! She doesn't even get a single moment to register pity before sheer disgust washes over her and her booted feet hit the floor. "GROOOOOSSSSSSSSSSS!!", she cries, almost whines girlishly as if she just saw a cockroach and just balls her right hand into a trembling fist. "UGHHHH!!!! ... I better get loadsa money for this shit!" A resounding ringing, metallic, hum comes as she just draws back a booted foot and smashes it into the guard rail of the cargo pit nearby. The hit is so strong it nearly threatens to break her big toe.
"OW! FUCK MY LIFE! GOD!"
...And then it's silent for a few moments, Nagase standing - albeit barely - over his crumpled frame and wipng his body fluids from her face onto her shirt. "...My favorite clothes... these cost me a lot of money... damn..." Well, not really. A few hundred dollars was a pitance compared to the payout for this job. "...I'd better give Duke a call, and then see if I can find a medical room..." Or maybe get the ship going first. It'd be awfully bad if someone discovered all of this. ... Fishing a pink iPhone out of a pocket, she proceeds to punch in a series of numbered on-screen buttons. There's a series of soft mechanical beeps, followed by ringing, and she places the phone to her ear with her one good arm.
"..." ... "..."
"Hello? ... Yeah, I got the stupid ship. Don't suppose you'd mind telling me WHY I got ambushed by some kind of DEMON would you??"
Suddenly, there is a loud groaning an the boat lurches forward... nearly sending her to the floor!
"WHAT THE HELL?! ... THE BOAT JUST CAME ALIVE ON ITS OWN!" ... There's a soft sound of thick, meaty, flesh being struck transmitted through the phone, Duke probably just facepalmed. ... A gravel-like groan follows. "...I-I gotta go!", she says hurriedly, hanging up before sprinting out of the cargo bay again. Hanging up on Duke was pretty bad, but failing to secure his boat was worse! "...God, I can't wait to ge back to Metro City... I need a concert right about now..."
Cut to the inside of a Sunshine Port warehouse, where upon a desk... siting beside a dead monitor... a pair of concert tickets sit by themselves.
"...FUUUUCK FUCK FU-..."
If the boat is moving there is a chance the stranger that turned into a gooey mess might not be the only problem on board for Nagase. Her footsteps echoing through the boat are the only noise as she finally makes it to the bridge where the boat itself looks to have been started. Whoever did it is no longer in the room at least. Could the ninja have stood a chance against someone else after that last little scuffle afterall? Poking at things will eventually allow her to get an idea of what to do and get control of the boat, but the plans to get people boarded for transport will at least be delayed for an hour or two. Not to mention there is the mess in the hull and the large dent that looks like it might spring a leak at any moment. If she is lucky maybe one of the goons Duke is loading up can help with repairs or the like. More than likely they are all nose picking thugs that don't know anything of the sort.
While cursing over her own forgetfulness, the ninja may catch something out of the corner of her eye. Something she wouldn't have seen at first due to it being on the back wall of the bridge opposite of where the controls for the ship are. A large scorched marking that resembles something of a chinese style dragon with three words below it 'Enjoy the gift'. Whoever Nagase and her employers got the attention of now seem to have a rather twisted sense of humor. If the promises of them 'repaying' the Syndicate later are true things could be getting very messy. Dealing with Kain is bad enough. Dealing with someone else on top of that? The only thing for certain is that for the rest of the trip there will at least not be any more trouble beyond Nagase needing to keep the goon squad she is picking up in line.
COMBATSYS: Nagase has ended the fight here.
Log created on 16:55:28 05/19/2013 by Nagase, and last modified on 22:09:32 05/20/2013.