Description: La Shey and some other people fall into a trap set up on a very small crowd of people (with bonus cameo from an otherwise one-off NPC from Vega's land wars), sadly incomplete. Also Rust is there, I guess.
Organized fighting goes through lean times. That's nothing new. Sometimes you get humble venues that score names far bigger than they deserve. Hugo Andore, Jr. vs. Howard Rust, set in an indoor arena that once belonged to the nearby campus in the midwestern United States. It'd be a big night.
At least, until (presumably) all the ticket holders were e-mailed that the time was moved up to 9 AM from the original 7 PM timeslot. A heck of a push forward, but for what reason? There were no other events lined up today. Was there some sort of hard push by the manager(s) of either of the two fighters? (Poison was known to be pretty tough at the negotiation table, after all.)
The venue itself doesn't look the part of a locale really ready to house a large crowd, even with new seating installed. Yet, the overhead lighting is still outdated and rather poor, and there's no large screen TVs installed anywhere to help those further up and back to see the action. There's no windows that visibly show the outside world. Just this big, mostly wooden, strangely empty-feeling auditorium-turned-stadium.
None of the concession stands are even open. One could probably count the number of people milling around the numerous seats on just one hand, and each one seems as nonplussed as anyone else from a distance. Most of them are deciding to disregard the exact seating number on their tickets to just come up closer, since clearly this is not going to be at capacity.
A nice, rare chance to view two renowned fighters within a paltry-looking wrestling ring at a reasonable ticket price, all the way up close.
Could one ask for anything more?
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "as a heads up, neither of the fighters are in the ring yet - or anywhere to be seen just yet."
[OOC] Shey says, "Dog x.x"
[OOC] Shey says, "and I kept ARGHASDGASGSgsd DOG"
Shey had last done any thing of note some time ago, however she'd been making a living off the various smaller fighting leagues. She was surprised to see two names like that here. She'd not been a part of this particular league, however she did take the time to enjoy watching others fighting and learning from it so here she was. Her terrible sense of fashion however is ever she's still wearing the strange getup she does when she's actually fighting. Still she's up in the stands with some snacks and is waiting for a chance to see two big names like this get to fight. It should be quite the show and maybe she'll learn something if she pays attention to the fight and how the two fighters battle it out.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am" comes an older woman of Latin American descent of considerable weight, whom hobbles along whatever row that Shey's decided to take a seat in, "are you sure this is the right time? Nine in the morning? There's... there's no one here. This has to be a mistake, isn't it?"
She's most certainly not alone in thinking this, given how the few other people around seem just as confused. Heck, there doesn't seem to be anyone that appears dressed as any sort of staff, or cleaning crew, or what have you. Maybe the cleaning crew is composed of ninjas? The locale does seem strangely clean.
Is the stadium staffed entirely by ninjas, perhaps?
Shey looks at the womanf or a moment and tilts he rhead a little bit. "That's what it said here, I'm not sure about this but if that's the time, it seems to be the case, right?" It migth be an under the stbale thing, Shey is not too good at this whole complex legal system thing. She knows the basics but the rest of it seems to her, to be generations if garbage and power mongering stacked up on eachother for who knows how long.
"I haven't seen anyone here other than those here to see the fight, I wonder think the staff are ninjas here?"
Look it's a valid line of thoguht in the fighting world.
"IT does? But, but there's barely anyone here, it's really strange!" The aging lady suddenly gasps. "D'ya think it's possible the e-mail got lost for most people, you know, with those... spam pop-up things, and the anti-virus blockers," she's clearly mixing up her internet security technology, but the basic point is probably easily gotten across anyway as she decides to take her seat next to Shey.
"Ninjas? I don't see any ninjas, what're you on about?" The older woman frowns as she fiddles with some cellphone. "I'm not getting any bars on this thing..."
The budding conversation is cut short by the sound of microphone feedback echoing through the stadium. There's a very nondescript man in long-sleeved referee clothes, white gloves, and a luchadore mask that is just a cheap, chintzy maroon. Let's call him Maroon Head. Nobody saw Maroon Head enter, in any case.
"Hello! Welcome. Ah. Thank you for coming. Our... our fight should be starting shortly. Sit wherever you'd like, close as you want, doesn't matter." He looks about to the miniscule crowd that is so small it does not deserve to be called a crowd.
MEANWHILE...
"Ghedghabhskbhl," grumbles an aging man as he pats a rusted length of pipe thrust through a busted toolbelt pocket, bags under his eyes. A man who was hoping he'd be getting to sleep in, as the shadow of a smaller, meek-looking man stands behind him. "Kinda, kinda a, a skeleton crew, huh."
"Yes, sir," the smaller guy confirms, "sorry for the last minute changes."
The older guy rolls his shoulder, loudly popping the joint enough to earn a collective wince between the both of them. "Barely... barely got any, uh, any real time to stretch... shit." He knows it means a lot to certain people that he doesn't go out there looking like a miserable pile of... things that make miserable piles. Miserable piles like that disgusting dark purple thing on his scalp that masquerades as hair. "Kinda, kinda quiet out there, uh, 'm I waitin' for any... any entrance music, or, wait, what'd I decide on for--"
The smaller guy brings a hand to his ear and nods once. "That's your cue right there, Mr. Rust."
"Is it? Right, right now?"
"Right now! Go, go, go." The smaller man is all but pushing him out the door.
AND NOW TO THE AUDIENCE...
"And introducing, from," incredible amounts of microphone feedback, ", Oregon, the United States, weighing in at... uh, this can't be right, look at him, no way he's only a hundred and ninety three pounds, well," Maroon Head clears his throat, "it's that guy, Howard Rust!"
No prolonged name, no amazing promotional titles or nicknames, nothing to herald a man famous for taking a stand against Shadaloo's evil a number of times over - let alone surviving against Vega! - who walks down the humble walkway to the fighting ring, facial expression decidedly neutral... and fading quickly to disappointment as he sees how empty the seating is.
The contract specified he'd be getting a portion of ticket sales. This is not a promising number of ticket sales.
He waves with his left hand out every so often to people that largely are not there, but hey, look, if La Shey looks he's waving at her and her new friend over there before he crawls into the ring at his trademark sluggish, stiff pace to his corner.
LaShey has reconnected.
LaShey has dropped a connection.
Shey says "Well given whose on the list for the fight I'm not going to miss it. These are some of the better fighters out there." Sure to the people they hang with they might be a the low end of things, however? To most of the world they are pretty much amazing fighters. They are better than her after all, right?.
"I don't think computers work that way miss I'm afraid but I think I get the idea. Something strange is going on."
Rust gets stared over he's not what she expected to see but given he surived against Vega that alone is a mark of being skilled. She now watche and cheers out waving, but she tries to not look at the hair. Oh god it looks like some sort of thing Vega's people would cook up to eat souls!
Vega's people would so be offended to be accused with having a hand on... that thing on his head. They have standards, hard as that may be to believe given what incredible lows they have gone for the sake of ruling the world.
The aging fighter goes from uncertain to outright sheepish as he gives one last look-around and all but mandatory wave to the crowd, as if he were still coming to grips with the fact that at most he'd be lucky to make more than like ten dollars from appearing here tonight, compared to how much in medical costs?
"And over in the other corner..." Maroon Head starts, but there is an incredibly awkward pause where he fails to cover his hand over the microphone as he brings a hand up to his ear. "Wait. What do you mean that... they're not here?"
There's not enough people here to work up any sort of booing, but that shouldn't let anyone stop themselves.
"I woke up at three in the morning to come watch this!" The old lady near La Shey yells out. "I want a refund!"
Someone else concurs from the other side of the arena.
"Well, folks, I'd..." Maroon Head sounds unsure in his words, but his body language speaks of anything but being caught completely off guard. "I'd not worry about a thing. Just sit tight."
"'m still being paid, right," Rust mutters aloud, shoulders slumped, "could use a, another hour of sleep, or, or somethin'..." Well, here I am, he starts to think, now I'm still looking like a miserable pile after letting that certain someone down a few times over.
La Shey should feel it all of a sudden. There's movement. Very slight sounds.
"This is an outrage!" The old lady near La Shey complains as she stands up, waving a finger as she calls to the stage. "I demand to see the manager!"
"You know, that sounds like a very, very good idea," Maroon Head nods his head as he taps his foot in a highly overt, exaggerated gesture as he wraps an arm around Rust's shoulders, leaning ever closer. "Let's go see the manager. Just ask for directions from your friendly stadium staff!"
The ring grows unsteady as the flaps open out from either side to reveal men in concealing body armor - SWAT troops? No, something far more military, armed as though they were about to storm into a war zone. Static voices fill the air. There's a loud locking sound from both of the exits from the spectator seating area, as one alert spectator finds out very quickly as they pound away at the door to no avail.
La Shey may or may not instinctively know who - or what - these people are.
Most of them surround the ring where Howard Rust and Maroon Head stand. Others move out into the spectator seating. One in particular moves up towards La Shey and the old lady, a rifle drawn.
"Sit quietly and you will not be harmed," so says the one soldier approaching the two of them, though there is a moment of pause... perhaps, even familiarity on their end? "You! Young lady. Don't even try anything funny this time!!"
Above the panic and noise of a sudden emergence of A Problem(tm), one might hear Rust murmuring something that seems to be in disbelief but is otherwise largely undecipherable beyond the tone of voice.
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "one sec"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "oh yeah, guess I should get him to join - feel free to take the first actual combat action on them though"
COMBATSYS: Agent Ochre has started a fight here on the right meter side.
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|-------\-------\0 Agent Ochre
[OOC] Shey nods how do I join again?
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "just type 'join'"
COMBATSYS: LaShey has joined the fight here.
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LaShey 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Agent Ochre
Shey has no idea there is some level of standards for Vega's people given what she knows of them. She would have to never know the truth of that, dfor she's now rtaking attentiont o the fighters. She's not booing she watches and seem aa bit stunned as someone's not shown up.
"Wait where's the other fighter?"
Shey seems to not be happy about that. She does not freak out however she wonders just what is going on as the old lady gets mard and she sighs for a moment.
"I think so we been hadd from the looks of it, however wait what the heck...."
She blinks for a moment trying to play innocent for a moment she's looking to see how many there are before she acts leaping in instnatly might get some innocent shot.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," the old lady near La Shey panics, as pretty much any normal person ought to when it comes to it. When some strange people come out of nowhere at you with weapons, the general safe assumption is that they are about to do something terrible to you with them. "Help! Help! Someone come help! They're gonna shoot us!"
"Only if you don't st--"
"HEEELP!" The old lady shouts, obviously not quite of La Shey's fortitude when being faced down by someone carrying a gun.
"You really have caused me quite a lot of trouble," the one soldier with the gun says to La Shey, still holding the weapon close, "so I would appreciate it if you cooperated."
It does seem pretty bleak. There's quite a number of soldier-type people surrounding the ring, where Howard Rust stands while Maroon Head's got an arm around his shoulder.
"You know," Maroon Head says, "this was what we thought would be needed to take down both you and Hugo, but, since I suppose since his manager just wasn't going to be flexible with the new times," he says with a knowing, cheesy - really slimy - grin, "that's twice the fight for you. Pretty exciting, huh?"
Rust stands silent, tense, hand on the pipe's makeshift hilt. As for those others strewn around, it doesn't seem like their aim is to kill anyone outright. They'd have shot them already if they were. Panic as the others inside may in their own way, ultimately most of them are helpless. Someone needs to do something--
It's not quite a dramatic flash of light, but some moments later the tension is broken with the sound of rust scraping against fabric, Ol' Rusty drawn to a gasp by Maroon Head as they are promptly flung through a number of soldiers. A few bodies tumble into seats. There's shouting, screaming, some gunfire.
The soldier that accosts La Shey makes the critical mistake of turning his head. "Oh, don't tell me he's going to--"
This is as great an opportunity for La Shey to start with the sucker punchin'. (Sucker chi lancin'?)
Shey kwows it's time to act at this point for a moment as he looks at her and starts to eye him for a moment. She's sizing up how many of them are, where they are and trying to figure out.
"...why would I? I don't even know you."
She does not remeber, after all she was lost in transprot and escaped after said transprot wrecked. She doesn't make much of a move, she then has her opening and that's when he'll find a chi blast coming for him.
"I don't like you or how you opperate. Ma'me keep calm. I'll deal with these scrubs!"
She calls out and then she's on the solider aiming to lean his clock and make sure he's down before moving to the next.
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "Oh yeah, guess I should mention, haha - the attack syntax is 'attack (target name)=(attack name)'"
[OOC] Shey says, "ARg"
[OOC] Shey says, "Okay so how do I bring up my free attack lists btw?"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "normals are for your 'regular' attacks, simple punches or what have you, that tend to give you back reserve"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "you can type 'stats' to see your special and super moves"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "and globals for things everyone can do, often using foreign objects and such"
COMBATSYS: LaShey successfully hits Agent Ochre with Quick Punch.
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LaShey 0/-------/-------|=------\-------\0 Agent Ochre
It has many shades of that battle all the way back during one of Shadaloo's grand schemes to take over the world in war. The large number of soldiers, often occupied or held back by daring individuals of incredible fighting talent.
One especially notable one stands right there, over there, visibly grimaces as a few attempt to empty rounds into flesh famously hardened to the point of near-invulnerability to what the mundane man has available to do harm with. Perhaps thinking better of standing where he's able to be buffeted from all sides, he moves down the ring to temporarily break some line of sight by some of his attackers, a powerful swing of his leg leading into another to shove aside two that try to accost him along the way. The stiffness of his movements under extreme physical duress does little to hamper his strength.
On La Shey's end, the old lady cowers and shouts as La Shey fires a distracting chi blast just in time to line up with a punch to the face. His helmet cracks under her fist, even starts to crumble as he tumbles down one row of seats, but what's under the helmet shouldn't really mean much to La Shey - she's never seen his face before.
But he's sure seen hers, a snarl as she moves past him. He levels his weapon as he staggers up to a stand, quickly moving his other hand from the seats he's using to stand up across the top of the rifle to some sort of mechanism.
"Don't... don't you turn your back to me," he sneers. This one wasn't mere fodder like she might confuse him for, a 'thwip' sound of sorts as an odd round of ammunition quickly expands into a net that attempts to wrap itself around La Shey's legs to slow her escape.
[OOC] Shey says, "how do I check my +queue here?"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "'check'"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "from there you can try to dodge, block, or endure the respective number."
COMBATSYS: LaShey blocks Agent Ochre's Trick Shot.
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LaShey 0/-------/------=|=------\-------\0 Agent Ochre
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "as a heads up, in about 45 minutes I'm gonna have to take a break to go to sleep."
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust has been trying to maintain a mostly regular sleep schedule.
[OOC] Shey says, "AASGHASDGSGsda"
[OOC] Shey has said like 8 things int he wrong ooc formate.
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "oops"
[OOC] Shey was apologising I'm slow as I'm not used to this char anymore C.c
Shey kbnows things re getting crazy as La Shey is kicking ome ass she manages to get the man to go down if not only. She an see his face she has no idea whom he is. However she moves on to the next one and attempts to dodge the attack she's winnged by keeps coming.
"Wait waht..."
She turns and gets caught hwoever she's moving to break free of them and come right at him.
"Who ever you are, you are no speed bump. Curious, most people drop when I deck them like that."
She slams her fist tother creating a burst of high powered chi which acts much like a jedi's force push should it connect.
"I don't know who you are but your asking for a hell of a beating with what your doing there!"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "seems like you bounced to another room on Mumble, presumably something else has your attention for now?"
[OOC] Shey nay went to say hi forgot to come back up
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "ah."
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "sorry about that, finished posing in M3land."
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "I think I'm gonna need to call a pause here after I pose, I'm further gone than I thought."
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "anyway"
COMBATSYS: LaShey successfully hits Agent Ochre with Storm Burst.
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LaShey 0/-------/-----==|===----\-------\0 Agent Ochre
[OOC] Shey says, "Turn in NEXT TIME ON RUST BALL Z!"
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "haha, after my next pose."
There's a hell of a beating and then there's a hell of a chi blast that disperses around the soldier's armor with visible hexagonal patterns. Some sort of specialized chi armor for those without the highly cultivated, invisible yet subtly tangible aura fighters tend to develop...?
All the chi blast mitigation in the world means little when one has to contend with the uneven terrain of flimsy seating to make one's fall anything but cushioned or armored, this particular individual so pre-occupied with La Shey looking less the part of an exception to the expectations of the hostile crowd and more and more a forgotten statistic.
Meanwhile, Rust finds himself moving up the staircase just on the outer edge of La Shey's seating section. Teeth grit, one highly disturbingly loud joint pop, and a swing of a rusted length of pipe later to bash back someone intending to tackle him, he sees the flash of light from the corner of his eye.
"H-Hey, you," he calls to La Shey, "you're, ah, uh, you're a fighter, ri--" he winces as he brings his left forearm against a volley of bullets that all but bounce off of him, shit, he thinks, they're not going to let him get a word in. He'd love to go into detail about what little observations he's made, but asking the obvious is about all he can manage.
"I won't fail my mission a second time!" The military man of a curious amount of determination sneers, flipping over a row of seats to get back level with La Shey and - despite the distance between them - leaps at her with a small flash of sparks under his feet into a diving tackle, arms outstretched.
With this much chaos going on, can the two of them together work out a plan to get everyone inside to safety?
[OOC] Howard "Hero of Nepal" Rust says, "oh right, one sec"
Log created on 17:02:54 11/14/2013 by Rust, and last modified on 10:56:37 10/20/2014.