Match of the Millennium

Description: The confident and bold Orion has been boasting that he can defeat any creature that comes his way. Enter Scorpius to step into his path and try and prove his claims wrong!

[RODRIGO]
This time the execs were more interested in seeing the matador play up the theme of the fight by wearing a more Odyssey themed costume. As a result the bullfighting costume he wore to the fight was changed for bare, muscular chest, and a brown leather pteruges(translates to feathers) worn around the waist like the warriors of ancient Greece and Rome. He also wears the cape around his shoulders. Exchanging the cape for a shield or changing his sword was not an option.

As Rodrigo enters the designated fighting area, shouts from the ruins can be heard as the NFG takes advantage of the multiple levels to squeeze as many spectators as possible. Speaking of the spectators, Rodrigo plays to the crowd a bit by performing an improvised blade dance incorporating elements of baguazhang and flamenco before ending it with a spin and stomp.

After a little bit of showmanship, Rodrigo removes his cape and holds it to his side as he waits for Roxana to arrive.

[ROXANA]
Roxana arrives to the sound of hoots and hollers, as frenzied fighting fans prepare for the new recruits to battle each other. The crowd is sizeably bigger than at her last match, something that stuns the scorpion woman somewhat. Although she appears calm and collected on the surface, her heart is racing and her head is swimming. Still, she smiles serenely and lifts her slender arm to wave at the crowd before turning to bow to Rodrigo.

"I like your costume a lot." She says with a smile, taking in every detail. "The feathers are rather fun."

For her own part, there's none of the bashful behaviour of before her face off with Arisa. This time it's clear what she is but then she is playing Scorpius after all. The sight of her is pretty striking. Her petite form is poured into a black unitard jumpsuit with one-shoulder. A panel of stretchy material covered in silver diamante studs comes down from the right shoulder to connect at the waistband with what resembles a pair of black bikini bottoms. From here runs two separate panels on either side of each leg with sheer mesh in-between. On her arms are sheer mesh gloves reaching as far as the middle of her upper arms. On her feet are a pair of sparkling silver diamante sneakers with stacked heels. Her hip-length glossy black hair is woven into a scorpion-style braid, through which sparkling silver thread has been woven. Oh, and she's got black chitinous armour over the top of her head, upper face, shoulders, arms and legs, as well as claws, pincers and a tail.

"I also enjoyed your dance. I'm looking forward to seeing your fancy footwork in the fight."

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Rodrigo          0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Roxana has joined the fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////////]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
Apparently, Rodrigo is going to end up fulfilling the role of fanservice for the fairer set. He looks down at the leather warrior skirt with the leather feather-shaped strips hanging from it before shrugging.

"Thanks, I guess. NFG Wardrobe decided they wanted to make some changes. I'm not sure how I like it but..."

He lets that sentence drop off as a section with a few ladies cheering gets slightly louder at that moment making the Spaniard's point for him. He takes it in stride performing a courtly bow before rising and then bringing his sword up to his face to perform a salute with his blade. He then removes his cape and drapes it on his arm and takes his stance.

When the official gives the signal to begin, he instantly moves in, attempting to grab her by the wrist and should he be successful, lifting her hand upwards as he slashes her torso. He then spins under both of their arms allowing him to slip behind her to perform a quick stab then throwing her down to the ground.

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Rodrigo's Ensnaring Spiral.

[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////////////   ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-------|======-\-------\0           Roxana

[ROXANA]
If Roxana notices the senoritas cheering, it doesn't seem to break her concentration. She's well and truly in the zone as the combat kicks off with Rodrigo. She watches the sword and then the swish of the cape, as the Spaniard steps into his stance.

He comes for her quick, fast like she'd expected. She finds her wrist grabbed by his strong hand and feels a shot of pain there as he uses it to raise hers up with the intention of slashing her with his weapon.

The blade brushes against her, connecting with one of her more vulnerable parts, given that its free of the black barrier of her armour. She manages to brace herself however, stopping it from penetrating her costume and the smooth honey-coloured skin beneath.

Her rapid response allows her to stay upright and avoid being knocked to the ground. "Almost." She smiles, shaking back her head and causing her braid to bounce, before turning her back on the matador. Her tail trembles as she starts to release poison from it, spraying it towards him, with the risk of potentially causing pain and paralysis or even temporarily blinding him, should it connect with his eyes!

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo instinctively blocks Roxana's Scorpion Spray.

[   \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////////    ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/------=|=======\=------\1           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
When Roxana's tail comes into play, Rodrigo quickly releases her wrist allowing the swordsman to quickly disengage once he realizes that his attack will bear no fruit. That was the only reason Rodrigo is able to bring up his cape to intercept the poison spray using his cape similar to how one would use a shield. The cape gets most of it though some of the poison gets on his hand giving him an unpleasant sensation.

The matador that never was moves forward and at an angle to get around the scorpion tail before performing a quick slash at her back and then spinning at an angle to move to her flank.

Normally, he wouldn't attack another fighter from behind, but when an opponent is clearly presenting a weapon towards you in spite of their back being turned, allowances are necessary.

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo successfully hits Roxana with Splendid Slash.
- Power hit! -

[  \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////////        ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-----==|=======\=------\1           Roxana

[ROXANA]
The use of the cape is clever. The red garment designed to draw danger towards it in this case saves the Spaniard from the sting of the scorpion's tale.

The slash of the blade has Roxana swaying her shapely hips, sensing Rodrigo's presence behind her. She tries to throw her frame back at him with the intention of swiping him with her tail, but his speedy swordwork finds her flesh.

The stretchy fabric of her jumpsuit is easily sliced, stabbing into her and leaving a slash on her skin. She turns to face her foe sharply, letting out a hiss of pain. "Ouch" is her understated response. This is the sort of situation for why she tested her pain threshhold prior to the start of the NFG.

Dropping down low, she slithers forwards, seeking to slip between Rodrigo's legs in a figure of eight pattern to try and disorient him. If she gets away with this, she will rise up beneath him and attempt to lift him into the air, before abrubtly slamming him fowards and face first into the ground.

COMBATSYS: Roxana successfully hits Rodrigo with Scorpion Slam.

[       \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/--=====|=======\====---\1           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
Before the NFG, Rodrigo was used to being the one with unusual movement in his fights especially with him incorporating bullfighting movement, baguazhang, and occasionally flamenco movements into his footwork, usually he would be forcing his opponents to react to how unorthodox he is. Between Homura pulling off some wuxia shenanigans by springing off of his sword, and Roxana's weird figure eight movement on the ground, is enought to make the blade dancer look normal in comparison.

He doesn't react in time to get away from getting hoisted up and slammed down. Thankfully the Spaniard has the presence of mind to turn his face so that he doesn't get his nose broken but it still looks like it hurt nevertheless.

He rises back to his feet with a pained hiss of his own before brushing off the dirt from his chest and then taking his stance once more. He moves forward once again, performing a low commitment slash to her shoulder before holding out the blade towards her.

COMBATSYS: Roxana counters Quick Strike from Rodrigo with Deadly Scorpion EX.
- Power hit! -

[          \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  /////////////////////         ]
Rodrigo          1/-------/=======|=======\-------\1           Roxana

[ROXANA]
As Rodrigo rises, he is met with a satisifed but not smug smile from Roxana. "Good thinking on protecting your nose, Orion. Those things can really bleed. Plus, you don't want to disappoint your fans by ruining your face." She gestures over to some excited Greek girls in the crowd.


As Rodrigo rises, he is met with a satisifed but not smug smile from Roxana. "Good thinking on protecting your nose, Orion. Those things can really bleed. Plus, you don't want to disappoint your fans by ruining your face." She gestures over to some excited Greek girls in the crowd.

Her dark eyes follow the direction of his hand as it moves to brush off the dirt and then move up to meet his, patiently awaiting his next move. When the slash strikes, she's ready. Her pincers catch the blade between them, holding it in place, whilst her tail sweeps around to smack into the Spanish man repeatedly.

[RODRIGO]
This fight has been an extreme change of pace. It was the first time he had to deal with someone catching his blade in between pincers. Unable to free his blade, he falls prey to the scorpion tail striking him in the head and body over and over.

With Rodrigo refusing to release the sword, there becomes only one option. Remind Roxana that his blade isn't the only weapon he has. The sword fighter swings out with the cape aiming to strike her with the weighted end of it in an attempt to reset the range and ideally punish her for restraining his blade.

Meanwhile, that section of his fans aren't exactly happy about some of those tail shots hitting his face.

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Rodrigo's Cape Whip.

[            \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Rodrigo          1/----===/=======|=======\-------\1           Roxana

[ROXANA]
As her tail finally grows tired of thwacking Rodrigo, Roxana fights to maintain her hold on the blade to thwart him striking back at her. She hadn't counted on the cape though and as it swings towards her, she suffers some hurt from its heft. Thankfully for the Nebraskan woman, her armour takes some of the attack but she's unable to maintain the grip of her pincers on the Spaniard's sword.

Stepping back from him, she drops down dramatically into a bridge position, before pushing forwards into a roll with the intention of smacking into Rodrigo with her full force. If she's able to hit him, she then flips acrobatically into the air, before repeatedly slashing him vertically with her claws as she rises and falls.

COMBATSYS: Roxana successfully hits Rodrigo with Killer Scorpion Roll.

[                   \\\\\\\\\\\  < >  //////////////////            ]
Rodrigo          1/=======/=======|-------\-------\0           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
Rodrigo doesn't seem to have an answer for how to fight someone who doesn't fight like a human. The bridge bewilders him, Roxana going airborne befuddles, and the slashes batter, bruise, and bleed him.

Thankfully for his burgeoning fandom, none of the attacks hit his face. Speaking of, there's a slight gasp from the contingent of fans when Rodrigo hits the ground. This is followed by a sigh of relief when the bare-chested bullfighter rises back to his feet.

With both of his weapons free, he's able to show how dangerous he can be. He eases himself into sword range and delivers a flurry of thrusts. At times it looks like his blade is several different locations simultaneously and should he land it, feel like it is going for a longer time than it actually takes to land all of the attacks.

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo successfully hits Roxana with Frenzied Barrage.

[                    \\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////                   ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0           Roxana

[ROXANA]
The gasps from the crowd have the scorpion girl turning towards them, lifting a claw in aknowledgement of their presence. As she takes in the sight of them sitting amidst the ruins, she's hit by an overwhelming sense of the history they are surrounded by. "This is really something special isn't it?" Rox remarks to Rodrigo, without specifying what she is speaking about.

She may have landed some strikes on the Spanish sex symbol but she's smart enough to recognise that he's still got more to give. Now he's free to attack her again with that speedy and downright scary blade she suffers from his skill. She's swift to bring up her pincers but not soon enough and she is struck by the sword in several places.

Crying out in pain, this time unable to compose herself enough to resist, she crumples to the ground, clutching the cuts on her compact figure. "Nicely played, Orion." She manages to murmur, starting to take deep breaths to find the strength to stand up again. As she staggers slowly towards him, she strikes out with the same claw that had greeted their audience, intending to drag it along the exposed skin of his chest.

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo attempts to interrupt Fierce Strike from Roxana with Merciless Dance.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////////////                  ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-----==|-------\-------\0           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
The Spaniard nods as he watches her struggle to get back to her feet waiting for her to attempt to respond. As the claw comes in, Rodrigo senses an opening and delivers a cut just as the claw connects with his chest.

COMBATSYS: Roxana fails to reverse Merciless Dance from Rodrigo with Scorpion Sting EX.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-----==|====---\-------\0           Roxana

That opening cut is only the beginning with a series of vicious cuts and thrusts to vulnerable areas. He then hooks the blade under Roxana's arm to pull her in close. Upon doing so, he spins behind her, near the base of her scorpion tail, smacking her legs from under her with the blade. Then he draws upon the influence of flamenco to stomp on the torso a couple of times before spinning away.

[ROXANA]
"Ohhh" gasps Rox as she realises how badly she's being wounded. The cut comes, followed by more, each one connecting with the parts of her body that aren't protected by the scorpion like shell. Her dark eyes look at Rodrigo desperately as he pulls her in close, perhaps pleading with him, but then her pillowy lips form into a determined and defiant pout as she tries to strike the Spaniard with her tail, intent on getting revenge by injecting him with her poisin.

It's not to be however. Perhaps she's exhausted or maybe the muscular man is too strong. She is sent sprawling by his supreme sword skill and finds herself prone on the hard ground. He starts to dance his rhythmic steps upon her broken body. Surely this is the end for the scorpion senorita?

[RODRIGO]
As the swordsman looks down upon the prone form of the scorpion woman, he realizes that she's down but not out. The next realization is that if he gives her time to recover, she is more than capable of seizing victory from his grasp. Especially since up until this point, Roxana has had an advantage over him.

Rodrigo takes a deep breath in an attempt to fight off his own fatigue. No one is getting rest until one of them at minimum is down for the count.

His attack is a simple thrust to the stomach. They are both too tired for him to use a more intricate attack when all he needs to is get the job done.

COMBATSYS: Roxana dodges Rodrigo's Random Strike.

[                         \\\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Roxana

[ROXANA]
Roxana can see how tired Rodrigo is too. It's been a fast and furious fight between the two rookie recruits so far and it seems like soon it will be over one way or another.

"I hope you're having fun." She says softly. "I certainly am." These words despite the pain that is pulsing through her petite form.

As his arm thrusts forward she finds it within herself to push past this pain, rolling out of the way and ending up on all fours facing away from the flamenco fighter. This puts her in a perfect position to lash out with her tail, which she attempts to do.

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo dodges Roxana's Evasive Strike.

[                         \\\\\  < >  //////                        ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
This time, Rodrigo is ready for the tail and manages to step back away from the strike. With him just barely out of range, Rodrigo, decides to change the fight just a little.

He lets the scarlet cape slide into his hand, gripping it as he readies himself to respond. With a smirk on his face, he says, "Sure. All my fights so far have been so different from what I've encountered before. Hope you can say the same about me!"

With that, Rodrigo releases the cape, sending it, weight and all flying, attempting to restrain Roxana as if the cape was a net and Rodrigo was a retiarius gladiator of the past.

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Rodrigo's Cape Toss.

[                          \\\\  < >  ////                          ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0           Roxana

[ROXANA]
Despite the fact that Rodrigo escapes her vicious tail, Roxana has no hesitation in responding to his words. "Of course. You are giving me a fascinating fight. I'm finding it to be both exciting and educational."

The cape flies towards her flank, threatening to trap her in its scarlet prison. The movement causes a shift in the atmosphere, detected by the black haired beauty and she uses her hands and feet to push her body upwards to bat it back into the air.

The weight of the cape takes its toll on her tired form and she finds herself gasping and groaning as she struggles to stay alert enough to go on the attack again.

Rolling on to her back, she pushes herself into a bridge position facing towards Rodrigo. Slowly and steadily she starts to rise, seeking to slash at him with an overhead attack using both of her claws. Briefly catching her breath, she will then attempt to slash vertically while throwing herself into a backflip and landing on her feet.

COMBATSYS: Roxana successfully hits Rodrigo with Spinning Scorpion.

[                                < >  ///                           ]
Rodrigo          0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1           Roxana

[RODRIGO]
Roxana's defenses, much like the fighter herself, bend but don't break. He has come to the conclusion that he is going to fall if he can't finish the fight off. This is proven true when Roxana bats aside his cape. With his cape no longer there to defend, he's once more slashed by the claw and then sent flying as his opponent flips away from him.

Rodrigo slowly rises back to his feet and takes a deep breath before launching himself at Roxana once more with a flurry of thrusts and cuts seeing as that was the type of attacks that she seemed to have the trouble with during this particular fight.

When it is all over, Rodrigo falls down, having given all he could give.

COMBATSYS: Rodrigo can no longer fight.

[                           \\\  <
Roxana           1/-------/=======|

COMBATSYS: Roxana dodges Rodrigo's Bladed Barrage.

[                           \\\  <
Roxana           1/-------/=======|

[ROXANA]
Roxana's cruel claws claim their victim, slashing and slicing at the Spanish man to the horrified cries of the crowd. What happens next seems to be in slow motion despite the speed at which he attacks. She can feel her body is close to shutting down but something inside her spurs her on and she leaps to the side, landing on one of the stone sections of the former citadel, allowing her to avoid his series of thrusts and cuts completely.

The matador idol falls to the ground, spent from the spectacular performance he has put on today. Once the official declares that Rox is victorious, she transforms back into her human form fully and sits down to contemplate the battle she has just been in, both her body and costume bearing the marks. She may be the victor but she recognises the remarkable fighter she has faced. Perhaps once the first aid team have worked their magic, she can thank him for the thoroughly enjoyable tussle the two of them have had.

Log created on 11:54:58 03/07/2024 by Roxana, and last modified on 18:02:19 03/10/2024.