Description: Seeking the strange and powerful orb near Metro City, Duke himself approaches... only to find it guarded by Mukai. However, the immortal baron happens to make Mukai do something rare; underestimate him!!
Some things needed a personal touch.
Word ran through the Syndicate. That there were orders to dig into finding the source of the calamities that were overtaking the world. To dig into Southtown, Metro City, Thailand, and Paris. To hunt down any trails, any leads. To find any evidence of the origin of them. Southtown was going nowhere; Kain's soldiers were still ever present. Thailand was Shadaloo's turf still, if only implicitly. And Paris… there were still threads in Paris that might bear fruit. But the Syndicate had one city in its grips, the flooded Metro City. As chaos runs through it, it gave a chance for the informants to extort rumors. Rumors of the Quon Shen Institute. Rumors of those from the past.
Rumors of a sphere of incredible power.
Such rumors would only serve as beneath a crime boss's attention. But this was a time of chaos. A time of fear. And a time of oblivion. A man's empire was threatening to fall apart because of these calamities. All the hard work, all the broken dreams, all the dead men and women, all wasted because Gaia itself had stepped in. This enraged that man. Duke was his name, and he had a personal reason to follow those rumors. He came alone. No one else deserved that power. No else could be involved, that he couldn't crush. It was not long before he approached the front gate, not long before the security guard halts him, asking him for identification. Duke responds with violence.
And they resist, briefly.
The looming form of a titanic, if well dressed, man steps through the hallway. With him, was an equally well-dressed executive, or at least, what's left of him. The beast of a man was dragging him along, clutching him by his face. The dark-skinned crime boss was backtracking. He had choice questions for his associate he. And had decided to cooperate. Stepping over the collapsed forms of several armored guards, he stops before a picture of a nice sailboat. He holds up the executive, and drops him. "This is the place you said." He rumbles, the rich baritone cutting through the hallway.
"Open it."
The balding executive, face swollen and bleeding, does not waste time. Desperately, he begins to touch points on the painting, the image changing colors and chiming strange sounds. In the midsts of the boat, a small indentation appears. The executive takes his watch, and removes it. Hands trembling, he places it in the indentation. The wall begins to rumble, and pulls away. In its place, was a pair of stone double doors, engraved with strange symbols. Duke looks down at the smaller man. The executive, still trembling, looks up at him. His mouths a prayer silently, as Duke reaches out a hand. He places a massive palm on top of the balding skull of the man. His yellow eyes stare straight into the smaller man, a cruel smirk on his face.
"You are free to go."
The doors burst open, a great hammer of Duke's fist knocking them open. The executive beside him scrambles away in terror, as the hulking behemoth of a crimeboss steps within .Inside was not the Quon Shen institute. No sterile hallways, no labritories, no frightened workers. Instead, there a tomb. A broad hallway with large columns, showing strange, twisted humanoid figures upon them. Wild haired with sharp teeth, worn from untold passed time and covered in dust. It was an ancient, alien place, pouring with unsettling energy pulsating throughout it. Adorned on the sides were walls of black obsidian, inlaid with blood-red tendrils. The tendrils wind itself to a single stand, sitting at the far end of the room. And sitting on it, was a green sphere, shimmering with energy, smoke, and haunting images.
Jackpot.
There seems to be an incredible amount of energy thrumming from the visible orb; the sort that defies perception, as if trying to look upon the stars and truly wrap one's head around the infinite vastness of space. Any doubts that Duke might have had that this could be a possible vessel to the progressive unravelling of the world would be dismissed in a heartbeat, and he had never been a man who cared much about the nuances of perception. The world... this is a key, that could change the world.
Or make the world his.
"Hrrmph. Not the expected audience." booms out a great voice, ringing in the halls. One of the massive stone-like statues shifts, turning out to be the form of a... well. One could not call it a man. Duke might think himself a large figure, but each resounding footstep thumping the figure before the shimmering light of the orb makes it clear. Height and mass... he is well out of his weightclass.
But what about power? Those charcoal muscles inlaid with strange lines, upper body of dense muscle bared, white hair swept back... yes. Someone worthy indeed.
"Immortal warrior... you are truly like a cockroach. Coming back from defeats, betrayals, even the grave... and ever building yourself a throne of corpses. Do you suspect this item is the cause of Metro City's chaos? Do you think it can fix it?"
"YOU ARE RIGHT!!" Suddenly huge arms shift upwards and Mukai's stance shifts, seeming utterly vulnerable and open. Not that Duke himself is renowned for his attention to defense, however.
"I have but one requirement, immortal warrior. Get past me. Lay a hand upon the sphere. ...And it is yours. If not... Your broken form shall join me in eternal vigil, a statue to line the walls...!!"
COMBATSYS: Mukai has started a fight here as a boss!
MUKAI
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COMBATSYS: Duke has joined the fight here.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/------=|
The statue coming alive only gains a smug smirk from Duke.
He continues to stride in the room, body begins to boil with violet and crimson energy. The unnatural energy forces itself through the latent chi, a polluting, foul energy to challenge the foreboding aura of the room. His yellow eyes glare at the massive, grey-skinned titan that matches his own. He walks towards the exposed stone giant, closer and closer. He is silent, not responding to the stone man's challenge. He just walks straight to the man.
Until his own chest just barely meets the guardian.
Puffing out his chest, he looks at Mukai, growling out a response. "Who do you think you are, to test me? I tore through this complex, looking for that sphere. You think that some guard dog is worth my time?" He slowly wind back a punch, as wave after wave of violet energy pours from his body, collapsing in pools around his feet. "I've come all this way to get that sphere. And for some nobody to treat ME like that!" The growl turns into a roar as he the crime boss hurls out a fierce hook, attempting to smash it right into the stone titan's jaw.
To shatter him.
COMBATSYS: Duke successfully hits Mukai with Power Axe.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/----===|
"...Tch! I have seen countless noble humans... those with great potential. But within you... I finally see everything about this cancerous race that I detest..." A slow grin leaves his lips, as Mukai's form begins to brim with power. Most would quake or step backwards in the wake of the giant preparing to unleash himself, but Duke is not one to be quelled by so simple a thing. "I shall make sure you stay dead, immortal one. Prepare yoursel--"
And then that huge fist slams right into Mukai's face. He manages to summon up a sheath of stone, but it shatters away, a heavy indent formed beneath Duke's knuckle within that nearly unyielding flesh. One foot rakes backwards to keep his stance, and his entire upper body swishes backwards, now facing the ceiling.
"...!!"
And then a moment later, Mukai roars, bringing down his own fist in a brutal overhead strike, aiming to slam Duke right atop the head and drive him straight into the ground at his feet. Such sheer power... but beyond that, a nearly unhinged ferocity. He had thought Sagat the only human who could truly make him feel such, but already his blood begins to boil with the prospect of battle, much to his surprise.
"I felt that... just a little, though...!!"
COMBATSYS: Mukai successfully hits Duke with Fierce Punch.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/=======|
"Shut up."
That was the response that comes as he hurls out a hammering blow straight to the titan's jaw. The impact thunders through the room, rumbling through it. Already, he steps forward, following up the strike with another step. His hand was bleeding, seeping blood to the floor. And just as swiftly, it begins to heal. But before he can exploit the opening, an overhead strike comes. He attempts to sidestep the blow, but instead, takes a staggering blow to the head.
"Hrrk!"
The impact drops him down to his knee. Blood pours from his head. "You misunderstand me. I do not come here to prove anything to you. I've come to take that sphere." He seethes, plumes of the toxic chi pouring from his body. Rising up, he throws up an uppercut, hurtling up a single uppercut across to the titan torso. "And with it?"
"I will stop this planet from destroying my plans."
COMBATSYS: Mukai blocks Duke's Fierce Punch.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/-======|
This time, when Duke's fist flies upwards for a second blow, Mukai is no longer caught off-guard. A ripple of chi-infused stone flows across his already heavy features, and the blow stops cold upon hitting his jaw. Still, the great beast is lifted a scant inch, thumping down in a cloud of dust afterwards. A number of cracks and broken flecks still fall in the wake of Duke's fury, but it was not quite sufficient to blow through his defenses a second time. "There is something refreshing in your straightforward brevity, warrior. Very well. Then consider me your obstacle. As I said..."
Suddenly one huge leg thrusts up towards the heavens, attempting to strike into Duke and send him staggering a meter backwards. "YOU SHALL NOT EVEN TOUCH IT!!"
And when he stomps down, the stone above Duke's head warbles before a great, explosive pillar strikes down, intricately inscribed, with the force of Thor's hammer... this one, unlike the other, aiming to impact the smaller man and flatten him wholeheartedly upon the floor of the hallway with enough force that it would instantly explode, sending broken fragments in all directions -- as well as quite the crater, most likely!!
A battle without words, without philosophy, without concern... yes. Precisely what Mukai needs...!! "Don't let me down, human!!"
COMBATSYS: Duke endures Mukai's Heavenly Shock.
MUKAI
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Duke 1/---====/=======|
Duke did not need grand philosophy.
He only needed power. To hoard it, to flaunt it. Mukai was in the way of that power. And thus, he had to be destroyed. As the body blow is hurled out, the crime boss growls. As Mukai unleashes his foot, he doesn't even try to dodge. He just stands there, taking the hit as he forces his way into the stone titan. He could endure the kick, that was certain.
But then the stone comes hurtling down.
The boulder explodes into the man. Shards of stone scatter around. There is a groan, as a cloud of dust floats where Duke once stood. The dust hangs in the air for only a moment. In its place, violet energy surges out, consuming it. Chi was now flooding the room, the tendrils of energy roaring out into every corner of the room. The aura was threatening to consume even Mukai. And standing tall through the impact, was the oncoming fist of Duke.
"You arrogant FOOL!"
That was the roar as the fist comes to cold-cock Mukai in the chin again. To hammer a weak point that was softened before. It was not to break him this time, though. It was only to stun him, as he would follow up the punch by attempting to seize the titan by the legs. He would spin him around, building momentum, before hurling him against the wall. And if that is successful, he would finish the assault by pouncing on the giant, and hammering him into the stone ground with an power bomb.
That explodes with cascades of crimson energy.
COMBATSYS: Duke successfully hits Mukai with Volcanic Bomb.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/---====|
There's no smug look of arrogance from Mukai; no. Only one of surprise. That Duke somehow took that assault, one thrown with all the might he had behind him, is nothing short of miraculous. He is utterly vulnerable, which is certainly saying something for the huge giant, and more importantly after having used his chi externally... he has no ability to bolster his defenses in that aggravatingly knuckleskin-breaking manner. "...Impossible...!!"
The blow strikes Mukai in the chin once more, sending his head straight upwards like a stunned boxer. Finding himself grasped and hefted, weighing as much as most mid-sized vehicles, he cannot recall in his long history ever being whirled around in such a brute manner. Disoriented, he can barely attempt to defend himself before crashing through a pillar, obliterating it to naught before crashing down to the floor, flooded with fire from Duke's terrible bodyslam.
The orb seems to hum brighter now, the power whirling nearby doing more than a little to... excite it.
"...Hah... hahah... fool. Had you simply thrown me aside..." A hand suddenly lashes up, attempting to grasp Duke by the front of his shirt. "You could have won this battle already!!" White energy bursts up his chest, following the leylines of power up his powerful arm to surge into Duke. The intention is to heft him up like he weighed nothing and turn him to stone, gritting his teeth with a snarl. Before moving to slam Duke down, and then brutally kick him back down the hallway himself for good measure!!
COMBATSYS: Duke blocks Mukai's Execution.
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Duke 0/-------/-======|
Duke often ignored his greatest weakness.
It was not ambition. No, ambition was his strength. He went from a thug on the street, a common brute, into an all-powerful crime lord. And yet, that was the root of his weakness. A weak point no one dared to point out, short of Geese. But it was more obvious now as he stood above the bomb'd Mukai.
And refused to take the sphere.
"I'm not done with you yet. Your very PRESENCE is an insult!" The man snarls, as his opponent rises. "Only after I destroy you, I can have my prize. That is the way of the streets!" Was it the only way, Duke? The thought briefly passes over his mind. Everything he had done with the Syndicate was done with violence. What craftiness he had done, soon transformed into sheer brutality. He had relied on resolve and sheer grit to survive so far.
That grit is all he has, as Mukai grabs him.
The yellow eyes of the crime boss widen as he is lifted up into the air. Slowly, he sees his skin stiffen, harden into grey stone. "You will need more than that to slow down the Man that Hell Spat out!" He thunders, as he surges with whirling crimson and violet energy. As Mukai holds on, the stone reverts back to flesh, as he forces his own reckless aura straight back into the titan. Toxin, unnatural chi augmented by NESTS floods against Gaia energy, strengthening his body enough that when the titan slams him back down, Duke is hardly stunned. In response, he tightens his jaw, hurling a fiercesome kick straight for the gut of the stone giant.
As he casts a distracted glance to the sphere.
COMBATSYS: Mukai fails to interrupt Medium Kick from Duke with Slider.
- Power fail! -
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/=======|
"Tch. Enough of this pedantic banter..." Mukai growls out, flexing his fingers slowly. Someone like Duke, able to bring this great weapon to heel? They both likely respect the same thing; sheer, raw power in it's purest form. But while Duke distracts himself with wealth, women, and reputation, the granite figure cares for none of that. His very style demonstrates the purity of his belief. Although it seems he might be lacking in one area; sheer willpower and unfathomable tenacity!!
At this point no longer surprised by Duke's potential, Mukai merely growls and stamps down, sliding forward and attempting to plow through the blow. However, he was off. Duke's heel... impacts right between the figure's legs, stopping the motion cold. What would have been a freight train of sheer force becomes a dull grunt and a shudder, reeling almost down to his knees. "Hnnngh...!!" If any had wondered if this was truly a man beneath those noble cloths, Duke has the answer.
"Such... DESIRE." he suddenly growls. "Even Sagat... did not WANT it as badly as you... Hahahaha!! Beautiful. I underestimated you, immortal one!! You... are like cancer. A deadly evolution... and nearly impossible to stop!!"
"Worthless."
That is what Duke mutters as he drives the foot straight into Mukai's torso. Duke respected power... when it was his own. But when others had greater power than him, he resented them. He envied them. And when he had his way, he would strive to destroy them. It was how he came to become the face of the Syndicate, while Mr. Big and Geese hid by the sidelines. They were content to sit back, wait, and watch. Duke was the one who moved things, who struck out, who made a difference.
And the means was right over there.
Duke looks over at the sphere, yellow eyes narrowed on it. And then, he glances back at Mukai. He could still strive to beat him down. The opportunity was right there. And yet, the sphere was there. Rolls of energy boil off his body. The beast of a man bares his teeth, as he turns his back on Mukai. "No man can stop me." He states boldly, as he steps towards the sphere. Reaching out, he extends his arm to grasp the sphere. "And with this sphere?"
"Not even the planet will get in my way!"
COMBATSYS: Duke takes no action.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/-======|
"AS IF I WOULD LET YOU DO THAT!!"
Suddenly Mukai roars, and the very halls themselves resonate, the stone thrumming heavily. As Duke reaches for the sphere, the massive titan rears back his right arm, sliding forward one foot with his teeth grit. Saiki's sphere... the one he was charged to protect, and preferably die in the process (Of course Saiki-sama was only saying that he should protect it with his very life, not ACTUALLY die!)...!!
And then he slams his fist downwards. Suddenly a series of gargantuan pillars rip up through the ground, each one like a grandiose piston that bursts up, cracking through the ground and exploding upon the ceiling in sequence. There's time. Despite this desperate effort, Duke has just enough time to give the orb a cheeky swat like a taut girl's rear...
Before the last of those pillars makes to appear beneath him, and drive him up into the ceiling, preferably to make him cozy within the heavy indent that it would drive a few meters within. These ones do not fade away as the others immediately, slow to begin to crack and decay...!
COMBATSYS: Mukai successfully hits Duke with Impact of Steel.
MUKAI
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Duke 0/-------/-======|
Mukai's warning reaches his ears.
Duke turns and looks at the stone giant. Pillars erupt from the earth. But Duke was not afraid. No, instead, a wry smirk appears in the crook of his mouth. Defiantly, he extends his hand, and carasses his fingertips on the sphere. As the pillars continue to rip towards him, he calls out to the guardian, taunting him.
"You just did."
The explosion of pillars blindside the crime boss. The stone rips beneath his feet, launching him straight into the ceiling. He gives a quiet grunt as he just as swiftly collapses to earth, landing back on the stone pillar upon returning. Landing with a sickening crack, he slowly rises up.
And he brushes off his suit.
"That was a -mistake-" He rumbles, not slowing down from the assault. He begins to slam his fists into the pillars, battering them into rubble as he approach Mukai. Scattering the pillars about, he slams his foot into the stone ground. The floor shudders, the fiery energy ripping through them... and towards Mukai. The remaining pillars burst apart, as Duke explodes a punch straight for Mukai's chest.
He was only getting mad.
COMBATSYS: Mukai endures Duke's Seismic Impact!
MUKAI
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Duke 1/---====/=======|
"HRRRRAUUUUUGH!!"
The ground quakes as Mukai rushes forward, each explosive step sending a small seismic blast of stone hurtling backwards. He doesn't stop; Duke is back upon his feet, a brutal backhand annihilating one of the adjacent pillars of his own accord. There's a great rage within the demonic form now, and he plants his feet resolutely as that massive fist hurtles forward. It slams dead center; and a great blast of flame and explosive energy rockets past Mukai, blowing the interior into a bright bonfire light. But Mukai does not budge. No. All of his effort was spent on striking down with his free hand, aiming to grasp Duke by the face.
In order to heft him up off the ground, before swinging him with all the force he can muster downwards -- as a stomping foot causes another pillar to rise, aiming to strike into Duke's back in the same motion. But even it cannot survive, and would be smote to gravel.
But he doesn't stop there, as Mukai attempts to repeatedly slam Duke's hapless body into summoned pillars, a second time, and then a THIRD, before twisting to hurl him backwards down the hall with all the force he can muster!!
COMBATSYS: Duke endures Mukai's Wrath of the Earth but gets knocked away!
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Duke 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|
Duke lets Mukai grab his face.
Between the titan's fingers, the crime boss was glaring daggers at the guardian. More of the raging fire flowed from his body, surging against the stoic form of Mukai. He is lifted high above the ground. The Man that Hell Spat out roars in defiance, as he is slammed down on the pillar. "HRRRRRAAAAAAUGH!"
His form crushes the pillar.
Crushing through the pillar, Duke groans in pain. After the second pillar, his legs go limp as the pillar is crushed. Upon the third, it is Duke himself that is broken over the pillar, as his back is snapped cleanly in half. With the final hurl, he is sent flying down the hall-
No.
The massive mit of Duke slams down on the ground, raw energy ripping through the ground as the form of Duke stops dead. The floor buckles from the force, but the crime boss stops himself. Legs were useless. Or were supposed to be useless. But with a monumental effort, he hurls himself upright. That blow should have broken the Duke. Should have defeated the Duke. And yet, he was forcing himself upright, into a stand. He was pulling himself together in a last effort of rage.
And that rage was coming to Mukai.
Thundering towards Mukai, he hurls himself forward. Every step was awkward, the damage obvious. Bones were shifting around his body, his legs, everything below the neck had to be broken at minimum. But he had raised a hand back. Roaring forward, he glares at the stone titan, yellow eyes mere pinpricks. "I will not LOSE!" He bellows, as he attempts to hurl the fist back down into a haymaker, to bring both himself and Mukai down into the ground itself.
Into an explosion of energy that consumes the entire hallway.
COMBATSYS: Duke can no longer fight.
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COMBATSYS: Mukai fails to interrupt Ground Zero from Duke with Terrene Tower.
- Power fail! -
COMBATSYS: Mukai can no longer fight.
Mukai surges back to his feet, sliding forward and then thrusting up his hand. "YOU ALREADY HAVE!!" And with that he strikes downwards. A sudden pillar erupts into the air, but Duke collides with it as if it wasn't there. "...!!" Left utterly defenseless, he's then struck into the ground by the veritable meteor that is Duke, and the great crash of energy roars down the hallway. The sphere nearby is crackling and humming, temporal thrums warping the surrounding space in strange, visual manners.
"..."
Mukai is only unconscious for about ten seconds. Immediately he bursts up into a sit, panting heavily. He... blacked out? Impossible. When he rises back to his feet, even the immense fistprint upon his blackened chest is quickly fading, regenerating at a speed that even Duke might envy in the wake of the ungodly energy surging through him.
"Ha... haha... HAHAHA!! ...The first human to bring me to my knees... yes. My rage... definitely lost!!" He then twists, grasping the sphere and yanking it off the pedestal. "Take it. A warrior is only as good as his word. ...The very fabric of this timestream weaves around it like a tapestry. Hahaha... Enjoy it while you can."
Dropping it with a heavy thump beside Duke, Mukai then begins to stride down the hallway towards the distant door, grinning with those savage teeth.
"Because Saiki-sama shall be the one who retrieves it, when playtime is over... and you will wish to face a dozen of me before daring to stand before his glorious might...!!"
Duke is not unconscious.
Oh, he can't move. As the cataclysmic punch leaves him in a heap on the ground, he is utterly helpless. His yellow eyes are locked on Mukai, every breath a staggered, haggard wheeze. His muscles spasm, limbs twitching as his body heals itself.
When Mukai rises before he does, he is too weak to even curse.
And yet, Mukai does not stomp him down. Instead, he seemed joyous. Duke chokes a moment, as carefully, he moves. "Why-" He coughs out, as slowly, he begins to rise up. To his further surprise, the sphere of power was hurled at him. He catches it deftly, grunting as he holds it. Greedily, he stares into the artifact, inspecting it.
He does not thank him.
"I do not fear no man." Duke rumbles, clutching the mysterious sphere under one arm. Looking at the leaving Mukai, he glares across at him, shaking a fist with his free hand. "Let him come. I will destroy him. Not even the planet itself can topple my empire. If hell won't even take me, what chance does he have?" He looks back down at the sphere. He had it. He had his prize. He could save Southtown, Metro City.
And then, conquer them both for good.
Log created on 19:39:31 09/09/2014 by Mukai, and last modified on 02:54:34 09/10/2014.