Match of the Millennium

Description: Who knew that one apple could cause so much aggro? Zaphrodite, Sa-Hera and Athe-nie meet at a sacred spring to fight for the right to be named the fairest in the pantheon by claiming the golden fruit. Sponsored by Apple and Discord.

[ZARINE]
The first fight of the new round of NFG, and it's a three woman free for all. Absolute madness. Will it be entertaining? Most likely. Will it be absolute chaos? Yes. She has never met her opponents before, but from what she's seen, she's in for a bit of a time.

Along the banks of the sacred spring, Zarine, in costume as mandated, lounges in coolness of the early night. The temperature, of course, doesn't bother her one bit, so the ...light nature of her costume doesn't seem to bother her. Though her casting feels a bit off.

She's dressed in a two piece outfit. Her top is a glorified bra, strapless and being held in place by magic and a band of gold wrapped around her torso under her bust. The cloth is only a few shades darker than her skin, which is almost glowing in the moonlight. The rest of her torso is bare to her hips, which are covered by an ankle length wrap style skirt with a daring slit up the left side, the belt of gold around her waist matching her top. Around her upper arms are a pair of torcs of gold. Are these real gold? Who knows? Who's asking? Footwear was apparently optional, and she declined.

As she waits on her opponents, her sword lies on the ground next to her as she waits, a few NFG photographers taking this time to get some good, prefight pictures of the vampire for the fans.

[GENIE]
The first fight of the new round of NFG...and it's a three-woman free for all?!

Genie's last experience with a free for all was an unmitigated disaster. Multiple opponents targeted her in short order, leading to her early defeat as she was, quite bluntly, overwhelmed easily. It stung; Genie was new to fighting then, and even newer to being the target of several opponents' ire. It is not an experience that she has looked to repeat.

Genie didn't meet Zarine or Sarah in the ring last round. She heard of both of them, of course, but neither was on her card. The whole costume thing always struck her as a bit odd, but Genie is nothing if not a good sport. The Swiss Miss would not have hung on this long if she was a poor sport! She even had fun picking out her costume...mostly. That was a whole story in itself.

-----
%EARLIER

"I am...almost ready, Marcel!" the voice comes from behind the dark curtain of the dressing room. More shuffling follows as Marcel, a slender Frenchman in a dapper suit with just a hint of eyeshadow waits dutifully, eyes averted. Rings clink against rod and fabric rustles as the curtain is finally pulled back and Genie emerges!

She's clad in a short-sleeved top that's seamlessly blended with a skirt. Both are an almost even split of red and blue with a t-pattern, outlined in yellow. Her hair is, in place of her high ponytail, put back with a hair band that she adjusts with her fingers as they poke through her fingerless gloves.

"How do I look?" the Swiss miss says, hesitating briefly before striking a pose--one hand on her hip and the other near her face, v-shaped fingers spread before her eyes.

Marcel stares blankly for a moment. "Guinevere, darling. I think you misunderstood! You look lovely, but the GODDESS, Athena, my dear. From Greece!"

"OH." Genie gasps. "...I'll go change..."

---NOW

Genie arrives to the stage in costume of her own. She steps in slowly, uncertainly, and echoed by the quietly babble of the nearby spring. Her sandled feet, wrapped in brown-leather straps, tap against the stone. What looks to be a cross between a blouse, skirt, and toga is wrapped around her figure--pulled tightly at the bust and not TOO tightly around Guinvere's more easily flattered backside. A good half wreath, in the style of Caesar, holds her hair in conjunction with an elaborate Grecian weave. Similar leather wraps to those on her feet snake around her arms for bracers. As she self-consciously slides her fingers through her hair, the gold jewelry adorning her costume jingles.

"Oh, you look lovely, Miss Zarine!" the Swiss calls before subtly sliding a hand to her own seat and pullling the fabric a bit looser. "I hope that we can have a good match!"

The first fight of the new round of NFG...and it's a three-woman free for all?!

Genie's last experience with a free for all was an unmitigated disaster. Multiple opponents targeted her in short order, leading to her early defeat as she was, quite bluntly, overwhelmed easily. It stung; Genie was new to fighting then, and even newer to being the target of several opponents' ire. It is not an experience that she has looked to repeat.

Genie didn't meet Zarine or Sarah in the ring last round. She heard of both of them, of course, but neither was on her card. The whole costume thing always struck her as a bit odd, but Genie is nothing if not a good sport. The Swiss Miss would not have hung on this long if she was a poor sport! She even had fun picking out her costume...mostly. That was a whole story in itself.

-----

EARLIER

"I am...almost ready, Marcel!" the voice comes from behind the dark curtain of the dressing room. More shuffling follows as Marcel, a slender Frenchman in a dapper suit with just a hint of eyeshadow waits dutifully, eyes averted. Rings clink against rod and fabric rustles as the curtain is finally pulled back and Genie emerges!

She's clad in a short-sleeved top that's seamlessly blended with a skirt. Both are an almost even split of red and blue with a t-pattern, outlined in yellow. Her hair is, in place of her high ponytail, put back with a hair band that she adjusts with her fingers as they poke through her fingerless gloves.

"How do I look?" the Swiss miss says, hesitating briefly before striking a pose--one hand on her hip and the other near her face, v-shaped fingers spread before her eyes.

Marcel stares blankly for a moment. "Guinevere, darling. I think you misunderstood! You look lovely, but the GODDESS, Athena, my dear. From Greece!"

"OH." Genie gasps. "...I'll go change..."

---

NOW

Genie arrives to the stage in costume of her own. She steps in slowly, uncertainly, and echoed by the quietly babble of the nearby spring. Her sandled feet, wrapped in brown-leather straps, tap against the stone. What looks to be a cross between a blouse, skirt, and toga is wrapped around her figure--pulled tightly at the bust and not TOO tightly around Guinvere's more easily flattered backside. A good half wreath, in the style of Caesar, holds her hair in conjunction with an elaborate Grecian weave. Similar leather wraps to those on her feet snake around her arms for bracers. As she self-consciously slides her fingers through her hair, the gold jewelry adorning her costume jingles.

"Oh, you look lovely, Miss Zarine!" the Swiss calls before subtly sliding a hand to her own seat and pullling the fabric a bit looser. "I hope that we can have a good match!"

[SARAH]
Wait, so Sarah has to wear something different than her usual attire?

That's not going to look good to her fans.

But it's in the contract, right? Whatever.

Sarah has arrived minus her trademark baseball cap, which will show that her blonde hair isn't too long without her hat on. She's wearing what looks like standard Greek style goddess robes, which she's modified somewhat to allow her to move around easier. While she could've donned a pair of sandals, she's decided to go completely barefoot as usual.

"Oy, I can't believe I'm getting myself into this!" She comments as she arrives. "Supposed to be a goddess, am I? I wonder how they say 'Supernova' in Greek?" With a shrug, she looks to the other two and smiles a little bit as she sees Genie. "You're supposed to be Athe-nie I believe?" She then looks to Zarine and smiles a little more. "Zaphrodite I believe you were called?" She giggles a little. "Maybe this won't be so bad after all?" She seems to be enjoying this toga party inspired fight, even if she's not wearing her usual baseball cap.

[ZARINE]
Zarine does not -quite- look the part of her assigned role. Of course she is hauntingly beautiful, a side effect of undeath. She will never not be so. The fact is, that Aphrodite is described as voluptuous. Zarine is ... not that. She is slight and slim, a woman for sure, but no one would use that word to describe her. Still, she has poise and grace in spades to make up for it.

"Ladies," she greets both Genie and Sarah as they arrive, rising to her feet with inhuman grace. Her left hand extends, and the almost too long, very thin, scabbarded sword flies into her hand. Red eyes regard them both, her gaze calculating. Cunning. "You both look well, but, we are not here to compliment our manners of dress." She says that and shifts, the slit on her skirt showing a -great deal- of leg. An instant paused around the world by millions.

She reaches over with her right hand, gripping the hilt of her weapon and draws it, tossing the scabbard aside. "The Judgement of Paris is upon us," she intones. "Eris has hurled the Apple of Discord amongst us. And so we will fight."

She lifts the sword to the ready, wasting no more time. "And it is pronounced s??pe???ßa."

COMBATSYS: Zarine has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Zarine           0/-------/-------|

[GENIE]
"Ah, yes! I suppose that is correct"! Genie laughs awkwardly in Sarah upon being greeted. "We did not get to meet last round, either, but let us do our best!" The Swiss manages her best Swiss, which, though uncertain, possesses a certain charm that has earned her a fair number of fans. She flips her magenta hair back with a rattle of jewelry.

Genie's eyes move to Zarine as she rises, and Genie purses her lips. She watches the grace and airyness of Zarine and almost resonates envy, subdued though it is.

"Ah, right, of course! Let's get started, then!"

Genie spreads her feet further apart, her sandals sliding across the stage as she assumes a wider stance. One leg is lifted high and bent as she balances on the other in a much more practiced Taekwondo stance than she possessed last season.

COMBATSYS: Genie has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Genie            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Zarine

[SARAH]
"Indeed, doing our best is all we can do!" Sarah says in her usual upbeat style. "We're gonna have a real great experience here, I'm sure of it!" Sarah gives a thumbs up to the other two women, and then attempts to get herself into the ginga as best as she can despite her Greek attire.

Sarah doesn't take the first attack just yet, though. Instead, she simply opts to stand by and see what the others will do. This is the first time she's been in a three-way fight as well as the first time she's fighting wearing Greek robes. "I hope my little cousin at home doesn't see this, I doubt he'd understand!"

COMBATSYS: Sarah has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Genie            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Zarine
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/-------|

[ZARINE]
Zarine looks between the other two women, hefting her blade as if it weighed nothing. "This is a battle to determine who is the fairest," she says gravely. "We all know it is I, but the viewers demand conflict." Her smile is wry and teasing, though the ruthless confidence is there too, burning in her red eyes.

Her gaze sweeps between the other two, sizing them up. Trying to decide her course of action. She largely knows what both women are capable of, the question is which needs to be eliminated first. She closes her eyes, letting the tip of her sword droop slightly.

When she moves, she almost sems to blur. She lunges for Sarah, her blade erupting in black fire. "I am the fairest of we three! Mortals look upon me and weep at my beauty!" The tip of the blade flicks at the DJ, a testing strike.

She really seems to be buying into this whole show of it.

[GENIE]
The fairest? Well, that is what the Trial of Paris was, wasn't it? Genie stares into the middle distance. Could she be the fairest? Can she fight to be the fairest? For usually benign Genie, such an idea seems outrageous, and yet---

Yes. She will do that. The rules demand it! Claiming that title, well, that is simply a perk of it all, is it not?

Genie blinks and, for an instant, her eyes glow faintly pink with her lingering power. The Swiss esper raises a hand on gathers power, shaping it into a rough spear that she then hurls forward toward Zarine as she clashes with Sarah.

Genie seems to linger, however, in finding the right words. "Zaphrodite, you are truly fair, but does not Athe-nie," The Swiss stumbles. It's hammy, and bragging certainly goes against her breeding, but, "bear both wisdom AND beauty?"

COMBATSYS: Sarah blocks Zarine's Black Planet.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////////////////  ]
Genie            0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0           Zarine
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/-------|

[SARAH]
To Sarah, using a weapon is merely using an inanimate object as an extension of your body. The standard of it all basically has you using your own body as your weapon. It doesn't matter what you do or how you use it. It's all about skill.

Sarah sees no harm in Zarine using a sword of some kind, and she also sees no harm in using her arms to deflect the incoming attack. She manages to knock it away, albeit with a little bit of pain going through her arms from where she absorbed the attack. "Could've been a lot worse," She says before turning to face Zarine.

"Who is truly the fairest of them all? We could look into a mirror perhaps, but those things you can never rely upon, you know?" She shrugs a little. "Nevertheless, it shall be a proven thing that I, Sa-Hera, shall be proven as the fairest of us three!" She goes for Zarine as she says, "Prepare yourself, Zaphrodite!" Even though she's clad in an unusual attire, she still attempts to deliver a simple leaping kick technique from her style of Capoeira.

COMBATSYS: Zarine blocks Genie's Lance Du Lac.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////////     ]
Genie            0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0           Zarine
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Zarine with Light Kick.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////       ]
Genie            0/-------/-------|====---\-------\0           Zarine
[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/------=|

[ZARINE]
Zaphrodite's strike is blocked, but it's still contact. She'll take it. Her senses flicker an instant too late, but her blade swings upwards to try and catch Genie's projectile on her blade. She doesn't exactly fail, but there's still bleedthrough, the Psycho Power(?) seeming to be incredibly effective.

Sarah capitalizes, coming in and kicking Zarine in the back, sending her stumbling. The vampire rounds on the DJ, strafing and moving to put the three women in a triangle again. Red eyes flicker back and forth, tongues of black fire lapping at her weapon. "Your claims are noted," she says imperiously. "I am, however, the goddess of love and beauty. You cannot compare."

Her eyes swing to Genie and she lifts her sword to the ready. She takes one step, and she collapses into swirling mist. The silvery cloud moves faster than it has a right to, and she reforms within striking distance of Sarah. "Forgive me, Queen of Olympus. I do as I must."

Her eyes seem to glow balefully for an instant before she lashes out with her blade. The black fire twists, warping into jagged extensions like spider legs that each strike out as her blade passes.

[GENIE]
Genie frowns as her lance splinters into remnants of psychic energy, but she only holds her throwing position briefly before drawing back into a more defensive stance. When no attack comes immediately, she almost seems surprised---almost. Sarah's breakthrough draws attention to her, first from Zarine who is on the counterattack.

And then from Genie, after a moment's consideration. The Swiss's hair starts to stand on in as psychic power wells up, but it stops short as Genie instead leaps in and turns toward Sarah with a taekwondo style high kick toward the jaw. The pink-haired girl purses her lips for a moment, as if thinking of what to say.

"But what is beauty without shrewdness? It is the wisdom that will determine who is the fairest, beautiful though you both be!"

"Was that too much? I really hope that wasn't too much..." Genie's lips do not move as she says it, but Zarine and Sarah can definitely hear it. Genie does not seem to be expecting a response but instead looks briefly lost in her own thoughts.

COMBATSYS: Zarine successfully hits Sarah with The Spider's Strategem.

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Genie            0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Zarine
[         \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/-======|

COMBATSYS: Genie successfully hits Sarah with Medium Kick.
- Power hit! -

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Genie            0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0           Zarine
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/------=/=======|

[SARAH]
Zaphrodite hits Sarah with her blade, despite the Capoeirista's attempt to defend. This leaves her unable to defend herself against Genie's kick either. The girl is left stunned and somewhat bloodied, gritting her teeth in pain. "How blasphemous!" Sarah mutters, trying to remain in-character. "Two goddesses going after one!"

After a moment, Sarah simply shakes her head. "I shall have to punish you for this!" She points at Genie and says, "I shall start with you!" Sarah brings her hands back and then throws forth a large projectile resembling a butterfly. "Your hit hurt worse, Athe-nie! You will pay first!"

[ZARINE]
Zarine pulls back after arachnid-esque strike, the black flames licking on her weapon starting to die. She watches Genie lash out and hit Sarah hard, and the DJ retaliates. The vampire's eyes flicker between the other two women, considering her next move. The predator in her, the voice in the back of her head that screams for blood and violence and murder, says to go after Sarah. She's been hit more than once. She's the weak link. Rip and tear and--

She shakes her head, forcing the beast back. Fighting it down so that the person remains in charge. She chooses her target.

Zaphrodite lunges, throwing her sword upwards, spinning in an arc. She reaches out for Genie this time, trying to grasp the Swiss Miss by the arm and hurl her bodily through the air. The fact that it's in Sarah's direction is happenstance. Honest.

COMBATSYS: Zarine successfully hits Genie with Medium Throw.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Genie            0/-------/--=====|======-\-------\0           Zarine
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/------=/=======|

COMBATSYS: Genie reflects Flash Butterfly from Sarah with Bouclier De Galahad EX.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Genie            0/-------/-======|======-\-------\0           Zarine
[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/------=/=======|

[GENIE]
Genie stays in position from her swift taekwondo kick for only a moment before has to back hop and gain some distance. A brief glow of pink highlights the kick, but also her movement back into a proper stance. A projectile is coming her way next, but so is Zarine with a throw.

Genie tries to guard, to break way from Zarine's hold, but instead she finds herself effortlessly tossed with a wrenching of her arm. The Swiss gasps from the pain, before she seems to right herself in the air with more of that pink aura---perhaps she's making up for agility with a little psychic edge?

That does seem to be the case, as the incoming butterfly collides with a solid shield of psychic force. The two clash, briefly, before plants her palm and pushes the blast back toward Sarah--then finally lands unceremoniously on her backside.

She scrunches her nose. "Athe-nie will not be downed so easily!"

COMBATSYS: Genie successfully hits Sarah with Reflected Flash Butterfly.

[        \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Genie            1/-------/=======|======-\-------\0           Zarine
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/---====/=======|

[SARAH]
How humiliating is this.

Sarah's attack is turned back on her.

Even more humiliating is the fact she's been hit by it and knocked down!

The goddess Sa-Hera is not so easily defeated, although it's looking like it's pretty close.

"Athe-nie, you have desecrated me!" Sarah yells while pointing a finger at Genie, although it's obvious she's having trouble pointing. "You shall take the consequences!"

With that, Sarah does a diving roll towards Genie, then attempts to pop up with a swift uppercut.

[ZARINE]
Zarine comes clear of her throwing of Genie. It's artful how her feet dance across the ground, her long skirt swirling out wide as she lifts her hand straight up into the air. As her skirt settles, the hilt of her sword slaps into her hand. Elegant fingers encircle it, and she regards the other two women as Genie reflects Sarah's projectile right back at her. She makes a note of this.

Red eyes swing between the other two. Part of her says to make it a show, go after Genie and stretch this thing out for the fans. The rest of her knows that the longer this stretches, the more likely it is they both will turn on her. Cruel it may feel, but the best strategy is to remove one of these from the picture. In this case, unfortunately, it seems to be Sarah.

She is still for a moment as the decision is reached, and then with no fanfare she launches herself at Sarah. Her blade is once again wreathed in a corona of black magical fire, and she puts both hands on the hilt, bringing it high.

"I apologise, but I must.

She swings the weapin in a lightning arc, licks of flame trailing after it as she swings it mercilessly at Sarah."

COMBATSYS: Sarah successfully hits Genie with Roll With It.

[           \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Genie            1/----===/=======|=====--\-------\0           Zarine
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/--=====/=======|

[GENIE]
Genie makes her tumble successfully (mostly). She lands upright almost stiffly and with a faint glow of pink. It looks almost like a bad special effect---as though someone picked her up with an editing tool and set her upright more smoothly than her initial tumble and mid-air reflection would have allowed. Even so, she's landed now, and just in time to find herself face-to-face with Sarah's counterattack.

The Swiss woman draws back and tries to evade, but she misjudges the distance of Sarah's roll. The capoeirista manages to slide in right past the pink-haired woman's guard and catches her on the chin, knocking her backward and right onto her back. While it takes Genie a moment to get her bearings, when she opens her eyes they glow with a faint pink hue and her hair starts to stand on end. In fact, she more floats to her feet than pulls herself up with her legs or hands.

While Zarine has a clear logic in mind, Genie seems almost guilty about her aggression toward Sarah, and turns her attention to Zarine. Guinevere clears her throat.

"Do not think yourself free from retaliation, Zaphrodite!" Genie cups her hands in front of her after sweeping them in a circle with a flourish. She closes her eyes and furrows her brow, her concentration manifesting a glowing orb of psychic power. Sweeping one hand, the orb stretches and distorts into a sword shape, which Genie then "pushes" with her other hand to launch at Zarine.

COMBATSYS: Sarah dodges Zarine's Fierce Strike.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Genie            0/-------/---====|=====--\-------\0           Zarine
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            1/=======/=======|

[SARAH]
Even though she's injured and feels overwhelmed by this situation, Sarah refuses to give up easily. She keeps her wits about her and a strong focus as well. When she sees what Zarine is doing, she gets a sense of anticipation within her and manages to dodge out of the way in the nick of time. Not even a single scratch as a result.

"Enough is enough!" Sarah calls out. "I shall finish you once and for all!" With that, Sarah steadies herself in the ginga and attempts to advance on Zarine. From there, she launches into a swift cartwheel, attempting to strike her with both feet. If she succeeds, she'll proceed to drop down and deliver a spinning kick while balancing on her hand, attempting to strike once with her upper leg and once with her lower in an attempt to stun her opponent further.

From there, she'll deliver a leaping uppercut infused with chi!

COMBATSYS: Zarine blocks Genie's Courechouse.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////             ]
Genie            0/-------/---====|=======\-------\1           Zarine
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/---====|

COMBATSYS: Zarine endures Sarah's My Favorite Remix.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Genie            0/-------/---====|=======\======-\1           Zarine
[                    \\\\\\\\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/---====|

[ZARINE]
Sarah evades her swipe, and that's fine. It happens and it's nothing to get worked up about. That comes in a moment. Genie throws a psychic blade at her. Zarine smirks, bringing her sword to bear, flaring it with dark magic and swinging to intercept.

She misses.

The blade punches through her, making her howl like a wounded animal, staggering from the direct strike of unfamiliar energy. She sparks afterwards, the remains of the psychic assault raging through her body, leaving her an open target for Sarah's retaliation. The spinning handstand kicks strike her twice, sending her off her feet, her wrap skirt fluttering in such a way that the VOD viewers will be pausing frame by frame, the perverts.

She lands hard, her blade skittering out of her hand. She's still for a moment before she rises. It's not a languid motion using her limbs. She's flat out on the ground one second, and the next she just rises to her feet like she's levitating. The goddess of beauty has changed. Her red eyes literally glow, her hands have curled and sprouted claws, and her fangs have extended. She roars, a deep and resonant sound, and she charges for Sarah, the last one to have hit her.

She lashes out in a fury, her hands erupting with black fire as she strikes in a frenzy, her injuries pushing her over the edge into a dervish of rage and hunger. Claws rake, teeth gnash and all of that inhuman fury is unleashed upon the DJ.

[GENIE]
Genie winces as the sword strikes true. She's gotten better at wielding her power and thinking with a fighter's mindset, but a particularly nasty hit still makes her a bit squeamish---even when she's the responsible party. When Sarah rushes in with a dramatic combo, and Genie waits. She waits to see if it catches an opening against the experienced vampire, and who is left standing afterward.

When Zarine takes the heavy blows and hangs in there, Athena inhales sharply. Sweat beads on her brow. Her palms are clamy. Perhaps this multi-melees still fill her with anxiety. Swallowing, Genie takes action.

She tries to grab on to Sarah with telekinetic force, latching on to her like she might pull her off Zarine right as the combo finishes. This might be true, but any good intention here soon gives way to Genie's real plan.

The Swiss esper tries to yank Sarah toward with a mighty pull of psychic force. If Sarah comes to her, Guinevere is waiting---she sets her feet, widens her stance, and aims to bonk the incoming fighter with her rump and launch her back the other way.

COMBATSYS: Genie successfully hits Sarah with Siege Perilleux.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////                      ]
Genie            0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0           Zarine
[                          \\\\  <
Sarah            0/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Sarah fails to interrupt We Hunger from Zarine with Tornado Warning.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Genie            0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0           Zarine

COMBATSYS: Sarah can no longer fight.

[              \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Genie            0/-------/--=====|=======\-------\0           Zarine

[SARAH]
Sarah messes up... big time...

She gets hit by the two attacks, and goes down for the count.

"Ungh... next time... you're both going down..." Sarah mutters in anger, a rare sign for her. Given that she got massively overwhelmed, though, it's plain to see why she's angry.

[ZARINE]
Sarah falls. Retreats. Whatever. It doesn't matter. Zarine's brutal assault did exactly what it was meant to. Her strikes fed her, returned some strength to her. Enough so that the glow in her eyes fades and the claws retract.

And she pretends like it never happened.

"It's just us now. May the best woman win." Yeah, she's really leaning in on the pretending the berserk frenzy didn't happen. She extends her left hand, and her discarded blade slings through the air, the hilt slapping into her palm. Upon closer inspection, she's not looking great. She's managing the poise, but there's a little tremble in her hands. Her red eyes seem somehow dull. She is putting everything out here, and it might not be enough.

Without another word, she lunges at Genie, the sword whistling and screaming as it slices through the air in a triple striking combo.

COMBATSYS: Genie fails to reflect Blood Money from Zarine with Chevalier De La Charrette EX.

[                      \\\\\\\\  < >  //////////                    ]
Genie            1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1           Zarine

[GENIE]
When Zarine enters a berserker state, something seems to click. She can hear it, pounding in her ears like the beating of a heart. Perhaps it's the fact that Genie is overloaded with psychic power at the moment, her hair standing on her end, her eyes aglow, but in that moment she seems to hit a wavelength with the vampire. She can -feel- that hunger. She wants to act on it. To devour.

It's a terrifying feeling.

Genie throws Sarah away perhaps a bit too violently, but it matters not--Zarine finishes that part of the fight, and now it turns back to Genie. The Esper is trying to get her act together, to shake that lingering feeling of rage picked up from Zarine when the triple-strike comes. Surging with power, the Swiss tries to bring up a barrier and deflect--to end the fight decisively.

She misjudges.

The slash hits her head on, tearing at her wardrobe and tossing her handily across the stage. She bounces into a roll, climbing to her feet---but looking bloodied and battered for the effort.

[ZARINE]
Back in control, Zarine tries to put her regal airs back on, but it's kind of hard when your fingers are covered in someone else's blood and there's still a trickle of it from the corner of your mouth. Still, she tries. She regards Genie warily. Even though her strikes powered through her hastily constructed shield, the vampire is aware that the esper isn't done yet. This is still anyone's fight.

She hefts her blade, running her hand along the blade, causing it to burst into black flame. Those that look close can see that her palm is running along the edge, slicing open and oozing black ichor out that bursts alight. Gross.

Red eyes meet Genies, and she lifts the flaming blade in a salute. She draws upon the power she has left, willing herself to move faster. To strike true. She somehow looks slightly hollow for an instant before she lifts one foot and--

Flicker

Zarine blitzes Genie, using every bit of speed she possesses. Possibly even tapping into some heftier fraction of power that she once possessed, unlocked for this single moment. Afterimages flicker around the Swiss girl, and phantom blades lance out, striking nothing. One of them is real. Will it hit home?

COMBATSYS: Zarine successfully hits Genie with Bury Me Deep.
- Power hit! -

[                                < >  /////////                     ]
Genie            2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0           Zarine

[GENIE]
While Zarine has regained her composure, Genie is still looking for hers. Breathily heavily, the Swiss esper seems to be grasping at something she's lost. The outpouring of power seems to have run her ragged and, now that she's had a moment to cool down, the overclocking of her body seems to have caught up to her. She winces with even a little movement, struggling to get to her feet and regain her composure. She takes a deep breath, in, then out, then finally pushes to her feet.

Guinevere nods firmly at the salute, but she has no time to reach when Zarine moves with blinding speed--a flicker of movement like a flash of lightning in a storm of blows. Cut after phantom cut strikes Genie as she cries out, eventually giving out under the strain.

But where Genie would have went down with just that in previous matches, she stands defiant now, willing her body -- perhaps literally -- to stand back up and give it one more try. Power surges around her, an aura of psychic power rippling. She shapes it, taking it in her hands and forging a sword from its light, a great broadsword that she grips tightly between both hands.

She swings once, blindly, wearily, trying to strike down Zarine before, in her exertion, Genie herself falls to the ground, exhausted.

COMBATSYS: Genie can no longer fight.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  <
Zarine           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Zarine blocks Genie's Arondight.

[                          \\\\  <
Zarine           0/-------/---====|

[ZARINE]
Zarine's flaming sword strikes home, wounding and winding Genie. Zarine might feel bad later for going so hard, but for now her eyes do not waver. Tongues of flame lick up her blade still as she makes ready for Genie's counterattack. It's coming. Of course it is. Her eyes widen slightly as she uses psychic energy to forge a sword construct. They widen even further when she swings it. It's almost enough to make Zarine fumble.

Luckily for the vampire, she has enough awareness to bring her blade up to catch it. The vampire magic meets psychic energy, and the backlash from it arcs through the metal of the sword and into her hand. Zarine hisses in pain, but withstands. The psychic blade shatters as Genie falls, and Zarine takes a step back. She throws her sword to the side, the scabbard lifting from the ground to catch it with a satisfying hiss of metal on leather and wood. It then vanishes in a puff of black.

The vampire regards her fallen opponents in silence, lifting her left hand and holding her forearm with her other hand. Her sword hand is smoking from the clash of energies, some of the inhumanly pale skin cracked and blackened as if burned in fire.

"Well fought. The apple is mine."

Log created on 19:10:21 02/14/2024 by Zarine, and last modified on 03:30:11 03/01/2024.