Match of the Millennium

Description: Tanwen and Roxana face off in the semi-finals of the Season Two Championships! Which shapeshifting monster girl will take it to the final?

[ROXANA]
How ironic. The venue for the semi-finals of the Season Two Fighters Final Tournament is a place that was once famous for bullfighting, and Rodrigo is no longer in the competition. That's thanks to Roxana Soraya Page. The eighth member of the Zodiac project defeated the Spaniard in the previous round and now she's about to go head to head with a dragon. Perhaps literally, given Tanwen's reputation for headbutting.

Roxana's experience with her opponent so far is mostly in connection to whatever the Nebraskan happens to be wearing. Notably the Welsh Woman's attraction to the sparkly items she frequents as part of her wardrobe. As such, Rox has decided to come to this fight bearing a gift in the form of a pair of glittery gold boots. She made sure to contact Winn to get the correct size and he was delighted to help. Judging by the man's appearance in the crowd during Tanwen's bout with Ishida however, Rox is not expecting such a friendly reception today.

Rox has come dressed in her most frequent fighting attire of a one-shouldered black jumpsuit. It fits her like a second skin and has an array of design details, such as shimmering silver diamante studs and mesh panels, which are matched with the long mesh fingerless gloves she's wearing. Her sneakers are built for comfort but also for style and feature silver diamante, as well as stacked heels.

As she awaits her name being announced, Roxana is performing some simple stretches, limbering up her lithe body for the battle ahead. As in her previous fight, she's opted to make her entrance as a human, only transforming later, when the crowd can witness it for themselves.

"Hailing from Sand Hills, Nebraska, your first fighter for today is Rox. She may seem like sweetness and light, but be careful if you cross her, because this beauty has a sting in her tail." Realising they are ready for her, Roxana steps out into the spotlight to the sound of Jimi Hendrix's Scorpio Woman. She strides along, swinging her hips and scorpion-braid, looking out to the crowd as she moves. She's not searching for anyone in particular. She has long since broken ties with her family and her new found friends are likely preparing for their own matches. She is heartened to see that there's some fans waving signs of support for her though. Most of them feature images of scorpions and a couple waved by some muscular men dressed in purple, feature images of she and Coco in their time on 'Team Toxique.'

As the music reaches its conclusion, Roxana strikes a pose for the cameras pointed her way. It mimics that of the one she uses to spray her poison, but thankfully for anyone close right now, they're currently at no risk.

"Well it's a beautiful and balmy seventy Fahrenheit this late afternoon in Cartagena, a little cooler than the average for this time of year. Lou." Tom Bradley begins.

The crowd and commentators are in place and Rox is ready. All she needs now is Tanwen. When she does arrive, she'll find a shoe box wrapped in gold wrapping paper and tied with a gold ribbon waiting for her at her side of the stage. Inside are the aforementioned boots!

[TANWEN]
While Winn may have been rather more forward than his usual self while watching Tanwen's match with Ishida, he seems to be back to his usual self today, sat up in the stands with a souvenir sombrero from Mexico to shade himself from the sun overhead in the Plaza de Todos, wearing a white t-shirt on that says 'Team Tanwen' with a picture of the dragon on the front, a pair of shorts and some flip-flops. Maybe it was something in the water in Mexico City - or maybe it was just the atmosphere of the wrestling arena that brought out the guardian's Celtic roots.

"Nice one, Rox! Good luck, lass!" he calls out from the crowd, clapping politely at her entrance.

"And hailing from Flat Holm in the United Kingdom -"

"WALES!" shout Winn and the rest of Tanwen's fans from home who've made the trip to watch her fight.

"- er, Wales, that is - your second fighter today is the fastest slow worm in the business, the dragoniest girl in the game, and the girliest dragon in the den - Queen Tanwen of Atlantis Island!"

This time, the dragon girl's theme music kicks in with a crazy-fast bassline the likes of which might well be a tribute to Tanwen's fallen apple-loving friend in Ishida. Instead of 'When Dragons Rule,' the song that bursts forth from the speakers is Majestica's 'Above the Sky.' Along with it, Tanwen rushes out of the backstage area in her white sports bra with red dragon on the chest and green skirt in addition to protective bracers, sandals, sword and shield - reminiscent of a cross between a gladiator and a Welsh cheerleader. She takes a moment to gawk at the arena.

"But where are the bulls?"

Dismissing the question, she charges up the ramp to the fighting stage as the chorus blares.

Where the light is shining bright
Where it's never cold or night
Above the sky to a land far away
Where you're strong and never die
Where the maidens never cry
We have the key to paradise o/~

Just as she gets up to the stage and thrusts her sword into the air to a cheer from the crowd, though, she's immediately distracted from her entrance by the shiny gold box next to her feet.

"A present!" Tanwen lets out a gasp, starting to reach down to pick up the gift before freezing. "But wait! It might be trapped!"

She turns to the crowd with a look of distress, then shouts, "Hello! Are there any rogues in the audience? I need someone who can disarm traps!"

She turns to Roxana and smiles. "Hello, Soraya! Oh!"

She picks up the box delicately and hustles over to the scorpion-braided girl. "I don't suppose you know how to use Disable Device in real life, do you? I can share half the treasure with you if you can open it."

[ROXANA]
Roxana can't help but groove to Tanwen's theme music as it plays out around the arena. There's a broad smile on the black-haired woman's face as she watches Tanwen Cadwallader come ever closer, and she starts to clap along to the beat.

The Gear girl isn't the giddiest of competitors in the New Fighting Generation, but she does have a tendency towards giggling fits. As such, when Tanwen starts to talk of the gift being a trap, this triggers one off. Trying to stifle it to put on a serious expression as 'Tiptup' approaches, Soraya the fighter lady nods her head solemnly.

"As it happens, I do have some experience with that spell. I am happy to help with the box, but the treasure is all yours to keep. It's been marked as your personal loot."

[TANWEN]
"Really?" Tanwen's amber-hued eyes widen as Roxana reveals that the box is marked as her personal loot. She may have shown willing to share the treasure before, but the prospect of keeping the shininess to herself excites the girl's draconic nature. After all, there's not much that dragons love more than shiny things. "Oh, that's lush! Here! Oh, be careful not to break the box, either! I'm going to put it in my hoard too!"

She practically pushes the treasure into Roxana's hands.

"Oh, that's nice," Tom comments from ringside. "It looks like Christmas has come early for Roxana."

"I think Tanwen's asking her to help open the box. That's a crafty one. I can't wait to see what trap Rox has got set up in that thing," Lou remarks.

"Actually, I think it might just be a gift from one of the fighters to the other. No traps attached," Tom says with a scrutinizing stare.

"What? Oh, come on, there'd totally be a trap in there back in my day," Lou gripes. "Well, either that or a fully cooked whole turkey. Gotta have that protein when you're getting ready to fight."

[ROXANA]
As the gift is thrust into her hands, Rox very carefully unfastens the bow. Draping it over her wrist, she then proceeds to open the flaps of the box, balancing it against her body as she pulls the boots from inside and holds them up for Tanwen to see. "I thought you might like them." She says with a smile. "Since you were admiring my gold shoes on The Mermaid when we met."

If the Welsh woman is willing, she'll hand the sparkly boots to her and set the box to one side of the stage with the bow inside it. "I've got my sparkles on today too." She adds, lifting one foot up and then the other to show her sneakers off to the other fighter.

"You were right, no trap." Lou sighs towards Tom, holding up his hands. "I'm suspicious though, this is all seeming far too saccharine so far. There's got to be a twist in the tale."

[CHEVY]
When it comes to clothing selections, Chevelle Beaumont prefers comfort over fashion. While it's certainly easier to walk around in denim, it isn't doing her bank account any favors. Conversely, strutting around in the threads of a local design brand Estefania does, in fact, give her -lots- of spending money for her stay in Colombia. The 'Dolce Vita' cut-out maxi dress may not be one she would have picked, but it somehow still matches her preferred color palette of white and blues. The long-sleeved top ends just at her midriff, with a daringly deep V-neckline baring much of her tanned skin. The flattering full-length skirt rises to meet the top, continuing the lines established by its neckline. In a design choice that is likely aggravating her mother, the floral-print skirt leaves cutouts for her waist and midriff.

She completes the casual fashion look by carrying an armload of empanadas to her seat. Girl's gotta eat! And, while in route to her seat, the auburn-tressed farm girl is juuuust about to take a bite of one of the empanadas when she hears Tanwen asking for a rogue.

Turning in slow-motion, she looks like she's almost about to leap to Tanwen's assistance -- only to be reminded by the swish of her skirt that she -probably- shouldn't move that quickly. She draws in her breath, reminding herself that she's just here to cheer on her protege, after all!

Luckily, Roxana's on hand to resolve the crisis that had attracted her attention -- bringing about a small snicker from Chevy. Grinning, she takes a bite of that empanada -- and starts making her way up to her seat! This time she'd gotten a seat much closer to Winn, since she's not really -trying- to be incognito on this match.

"Hey, Winn!" she announces once she gets close. Taking her seat, she offers the man one of her empanadas. "And what's this I hear about whales?" she asks with a mischievous grin.

[TANWEN]
Tanwen gasps again as she sees the golden booties, her covetous eyes only growing larger. "Oh my goodness! They are sooo lush!" She hugs them close to her chest, forgetting all about the fact that there's supposed to be a fight happening anytime now as she closes her eyes and sighs.

The only other time that the dragon has ever been known to cry was when the horrible demonic angel bird-thing known as Suzaku forced her to confront the possibility that she was the only remaining member of dragonkind left in the world. Apparently, the sparkling golden boots elicit the same emotional gravitas, as a single tear rolls down Tanwen's cheek and falls onto the stage below.

"They're... so... beautiful..."

"I think they're just being really nice to each other, Lou," Tom says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Or, to put another spin on it, Rox has sated an avaricious monster of yore's nigh-unquenchable lust for precious metals with a pair of tacky boots, but I feel like that's more of a 'you' take."

"Come on, I'm not that cynical," Lou contests. "I'm kinda envious of her guardian Winn, though. Even my granddaughter's not that easily pleased."

"Oh! Lou knows my name! That's lovely," Winn says with a contented smile. "I suppose we did spend a week on an island together, like."

The guardian turns to Chevy, eyes lighting up as he takes the offered empanada. "Oh! Don't mind if I do. Hello, Chevy. We were just correcting the announcer for saying Tanwen's from the UK and not from her proper home country." He breathes in the scent of the empanada before taking a bite. "I've never had these before. A bit like apple pies, aren't they?"

Tanwen, meanwhile, seems totally lost in her feelings as she continues to cradle the precious booties against her chest. "So... beautiful..."

[ROXANA]
Roxana is genuinely moved by Tanwen's reaction to her golden gift. She'd been pretty confident that the dragonette would like them, but this intensity of emotion is quite a shock. "Well I'm happy you find them beautiful." She says softly. "We should probably start fighting each other sometime soon though. You know, before the crowd get restless."

She pauses for a moment, pondering something. "Perhaps you could wear them for our fight. That way we'll both be sparkling in the sunshine. I'll wait till you put them on and them I'm gonna attack you." She adds casually, like she's suggesting they go for coffee.

[CHEVY]
Chevy -was- teasing Winn about Wales, but she lets it go, rolling with it all the same. "Oh, right! It's a world of difference, it is!"

Chevy smiles ear-to-ear as the Welshman gets a namecheck from Lou. "Well, of course! It was a big ol' bonding experience, right?" Chevy can pretty much say whatever she likes now that she's free of the redaction-slappers. She settles down into her seat, nodding quietly. "Close! It's kinda like a chicken pot pie you can hold." She takes a moment to breathe in the vapors before taking a bite for herself.

She comes to a conclusion, shortly afterward: "If they had these back home I'd like to swell up like one of the hogs I used to rassle." She grins, cocking her head to the side as she watches Tanwen and Roxana -- from her perspective, they're chatting away as if no one's watching.

"Hey Winn..." she asks with another mischievous look on her freckled face. "How long you reckon it'll be before Roxana gets Tan to land her new catchphrase?"

[COCO]
Of course, with her archrival/best frenemy sure to show up to support her mentoree, it's inevitable that Constance Coalbridge should make an appearance herself to support her own protege. The purple-haired kickboxer is dressed in a turquoise, lime, lemon and blue Pucci halter minidress with a bit of a seventies retro (so as far as Coco's concerned, like really retro) vibe, along with a pair of Lennon-style sunglasses. To be honest, she feels a bit like a Bond girl. They fight zombies and things in underground bunkers, don't they?

She slurps from a pina colada as she watches her charge making the exchange with the dragon, feeling neither empathy nor judgment for the tears over a pair of boots. Everyone's been there, haven't they? She shoots a look across the Plaza at Chevy, smiling and waving.

"Bit tarty today," she mutters to herself as she recognizes (with some jealousy) that her look has been upstaged in the risque-ness department.

Turning her eyes down to the ring, she smiles a Mona Lisa smile. "Well done, Rox. Now right when she's about to put them on..." She cracks her knuckles at the notion. The bearcat next to her, also wearing a pair of Lennon sunglasses, reacts to the sound under the impression that Coco is cracking peanuts and immediately lunges.

"Morgie! No!!"

[TANWEN]
"Well, I suppose it depends on if she does anything that isn't very nice," Winn says with a shrug before taking his bite. Once he's swallowed, he murmurs, "Oh! You're right, it's a bit like a pasty."

"A-are you sure? I can wear them?" Tanwen looks down at the boots and then up at Roxana like a child who thinks she might be getting tempted by an older sibling into getting in trouble. Desire soon wins out over caution, though, and Tanwen drops right down on her butt on the stage to start unstrapping her strappy sandals. "Alright! I'll put them on, I will." Once the sandals are off, she pulls the boots onto her feet one at a time. "Wow! I thought they would be dead heavy for being made of gold, but they're not, really! They must be like the mithril version of gold. Orichalcum, maybe?"

Once she's got them on, Tanwen pushes up to her feet, taking a few testing steps in her new heels. "They're a bit pointy, aren't they? I feel like I'm on stilts, I do," she says, holding out her arms to either side.

The match bell rings out even as Tanwen is doing her stalling airplane impression.

"Oh, man. Somebody rang the bell and Tanwen's still totterin' around like a toddler in mom's heels! This is gonna be great," Lou comments.

"Surely a member of Toxique wouldn't take a cheap shot on somebody just because they were on the right side of a bell ringing?" Tom says doubtfully.

COMBATSYS: Tanwen has started a fight here.

[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  <
Tanwen           0/-------/-------|

[ROXANA]
Somehow, amidst the raucous crowd that have gathered to watch this semi-final match, Roxana picks out the sound of her mentor, shouting out "Morgie! No!!" The cute bearcat is likely up to some kind of mischief or other. Roxana is delighted that the duo have turned up to offer her some support. Particularly since she's spotted Chevy and Winn amongst the spectators to represent Tanwen's camp.

Turning back to the Welsh woman, Rox nods her head. "Of course you can wear them. Nobody is gonna stop you."

The Nebraskan watches as her opponent pulls the boots on, testing them to adjust to the feeling of the fancy footwear. As she stares at the dragonette intently, the Gear girl takes the opportunity to focus herself for the fight ahead, her expression becoming strangely serene as she suggests. "Go on, you can have the first attack, since you're still getting used to standing up in them. It only seems fair."

Lou's face wears a confused expression for a brief second, before he snaps his fingers and titters to Tom. "I've totally figured out what's going on here. Rox has put itching powder in those boots and she's waiting for it to kick in, so it can mess up Tanwen's move. Those Toxique girls are terrible, Tom. It's awesome."

COMBATSYS: Roxana has joined the fight here.

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

COMBATSYS: Roxana focuses on her next action.

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

[TANWEN]
Tanwen finishes getting her new boots on without further incident, other than some polite applause from her guardian, as well as a gentle admonishment called out over the crowd: "What do we say, Tanwen?"

"Oh! Yes!" Tanwen waves her arms at the ringside techs, who quickly figure out that she's expecting to be handed a microphone and supply her with one. She takes the mic, then turns into a sudden dramatic wide-footed stance in her new boots, her face going stony as she adopts a withering stare toward the opposite direction of the nearest camera and forcing another camera on the opposite side to zoom in on her face.

"That's not very nice."

The audience is stunned into silence for a moment.

"Wow. I never thought we'd see such a brazen display of ingratitude from Tanwen! Especially when she was moved to tears only moments ago by the gift from Roxana!" Tom remarks from ringside.

"Even I'm speechless, Tom. I've never seen such a swift - or literal - face heel turn in all of my days as a commentator!" Lou replies.

"I meant 'Thank You,'" Winn says, putting his hands on his head as his expression sinks to the fathomless depths of 'disappointed dad.'

Tanwen has just dropped the microphone and is about to get into her fighting stance when she quickly crouches down and picks it up again.

"I mean, thank you very much, Miss Soraya!"

She puts the microphone back down more delicately and draws her sword and readies her shield.

"Okay! Here I come!" she declares, starting to charge forward but quickly faltering into a wobble. "Umm, actually, what about if I... MAGIC MISSILE!"

Twisting around, she brings the buckler back before sending it spinning boomerang-like toward her opponent with a practiced throw!

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Tanwen's Magic Missile!.

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

[ROXANA]
When Tanwen delivers her catchphrase, Roxana seems vaguely amused, her plump and pillowy lips turning up at the corners into a subtle smile. Whatever happens today there's no doubt that things are going to be entertaining.

"You're very welcome." Rox responds when the thanks finally comes, apparently not minding that she's been called by her Dungeons and Dragons character name. Then it's time for the scorpion to step into play as claws, pincers and a tail appear to help the fighter lady fend off the incoming shield. She manages to protect her body from the buckler but she's gonna need more than that as the brawl continues.

Black chitinous armour starts to form over the top of her head and face, before spreading down to protect her shoulders, arms and legs. "That's better." Rox murmurs as she starts to bend forwards, performing a pose that was previously witnessed prior to the match. This time it's a lot more dangerous, as a spray of poison heads straight towards Tanwen, potentially paralysing or blinding her, or at the very least causing her pain.

COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Roxana's Scorpion Spray.

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

[TANWEN]
Tanwen's eyes go wide as Roxana's scorpion features start to spread out over the other fighter's body, and she gasps loudly enough for her opponent to hear. "Oh! You're a monster too!" she declares in wonder, not seeming to pass judgment so much as admiration with her statement, and only snapping out of her awe just in time to catch her shield as it returns to her. It's fortunate timing, as she's just recovering her balance when Roxana brings her venom to bear. "Oh! You're a manticore!" she declares as she sees that the tail appears to be preparing to shoot some kind of projectile at her. She raises the shield up to protect herself, catching the toxic fluid with the protective barrier. The girl seems surprised.

"Oh, that's not manticore spines," she says as she turns her shield arm over to inspect the stuff that's been splattered across the draconic relief decorating the front. Experimentally, she draws a finger across the fluid and taps it against her tongue.

"No, Tan!" Winn shouts in horror.

Tanwen convulses for a moment before spitting and shuddering. "That's not very nice!" she declares, bringing her equipment back up as she resumes her fighting stance and narrows her eyes at Roxana. "I think that's poison, it is! Are you /really/ a manticore, or are you just trying to trick me? Manticores don't have poison, they have spines!" She continues her analytical study of her foe, considering another possibility aloud: "Maybe you're a wyvern. They're like dragons, but they have poison stinger tails. They're also known for being a bit stupid, though, so maybe you're only a half-wyvern. Or just a very clever one."

COMBATSYS: Tanwen focuses on her next action.

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

[ROXANA]
"I suppose you could say that." Roxana acquiesces to Tanwen's accusation of her being a monster. "Not a manticore though. I'm a scorpion of sorts."

The part-arachnid visibly cringes when Tanwen tastes her toxic fluid. "No! It really wouldn't be nice." She responds, to the unfavourable review. "Even I've never tried it."

Taking advantage of Tanwen being distracted by her potentially deadly dinner, Roxana races towards her with both claws raised. She strikes out first with her left and then with her right, looking to create an unpleasant combo for the dragonette to deal with. After attempting her slashes, Rox bends backwards and starts to scurry away, seeking to slip out of harms way for whatever Tanwen opts to retaliate with.

[CHEVY]
It's... hard -not- to notice the heads in the crowd turning to follow the posh kickboxer. Chevy catches sight of her almost instantly -- and even with her luxury threads on, she still finds herself gasping to herself at how elegant Coco looks.

And of course, once Coco is looking back at her, the redhead is quick to wave back in reply. If Coco's good at lipreading, she might be able to make out the words Chevy's mouthing: "YOU LOOK AMAZING!" Following shortly thereafter, she flashes a giddy grin and a thumbs-up!

Of course -- her attention snaps right back to Tanwen afterwards. Still talking, are they? Chevy isn't particularly worried... until she hears that bell.

And then the confluence of her rival's appearance makes a bit more of an impression on her. And from everything she has seen... Rox can be just as crafty as Miss Coalbridge! So much that Chevy is already cupping her hands over her mouth, even as Tom and Lou are offering their own cynical review: "The bell! Just rung! It's--"

Thankfully, Chevy sees that Roxana -wasn't- acting out a Lou-worthy scheme in that precise moment, and settles back into her seat with a sigh of relief. "... Well, I'll be..." she notes, with a grin over to Winn.

She's still grinning when Winn prods her into using her magic words.
But not -those- magic words, but the aforementioned catchphrase.
Chevy looks positively aghast, one hand snapping to her forehead.
"Tanwen, c'mon...!"

... Oddly enough, Chevy is -relieved- when the actual combat starts! Once she catches her breath, she shakes her head. "Well, it weren't half as long as I expected it to take on that catchphrase," she notes to Winn. But while she's speaking -- Winn's got another outburst of his own.

"... She ain't no manticore. That's..."
And then Rox says so: a scorpion.
"... Yeah!"
Beat.
"... Watch out, Tan!"

COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Roxana's Evasive Strike.

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

[TANWEN]
"Oh!" Tanwen responds as Roxana elucidates as to her arachnoid nature, prompting the dragon to reconsider her evaluation of her fellow fighter. "But a giant scorpion, though," she adds, wanting to ensure that her evaluation is precise. "And she's medium-sized, which means I'd best watch out for her improved grabbing..."

She's still recalling data from the 'monstrous scorpion, medium' table in the Monster Manual as Roxana lashes out toward her. The shield comes up again, sending sparks as the scorpion's slashing claws collide with the metal part of the rounded surface. "Oh yes! She can make TWO claw attacks!" Tanwen murmurs as she's pressed back by the offensive. "But I'll need to watch out for the tail, too!"

She gawks just a little as Rox scuttles away like a contortionist. "Wow! And she can walk on her hands! Scorpions are so cool!" She starts to advance along the stage after Roxana, soon realising she needs to pick up the pace of her slightly unusual semi-reptilian lope to keep up. "Hey! Come back here! We're supposed to be fighting, we are!"

She leaps forth, attempting to make up the distance with a spring of her legs and extending her sword arm to full length in a big overhand crescent slash at her crawling foe!

COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Roxana with Power Strike.

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

[ROXANA]
"This is all from the game?" Roxana questions. After all, despite making her character prior to Zack Island, the rather eventful last few weeks means they haven't had time to actually play. "You're very good at remembering a lot of information. I'm not sure I ever will without checking the book."

Rox is saying all this whilst still being in a bridge position. Despite the speed her scorpion abilities give her, she's still not fast enough to escape the power of Tanwen's swinging sword. It strikes her on the stomach, slashing through her catsuit in an area that isn't protected by armour.

"That is causing me considerable pain." Rox reveals, struggling to steady her breathing. "Congratulations on stopping my retreat."

Despite her admittance, Roxana is soon rising upwards, launching herself above Tanwen to attempt to slash at her with an overhead attack, again using both claws. If she's able to continue, she'll strike out again vertically and then finish with finesse by throwing herself into a backflip and landing on her feet.

COMBATSYS: Roxana successfully hits Tanwen with Spinning Scorpion.

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

[TANWEN]
'This is all from the game?'

Roxana's question reminds Tanwen that she might be getting mixed up between reality and fantasy once again. It's a line that others have struggled to help the young dragon establish. However, the database of information that she's downloaded into her brain from her books about Dwnsiwn a Dreigiau is all that she really has to go on when it comes to the strange things she encounters in real life, and it's been rather reliable for her at that. After all, she wouldn't have known what giant rats were or the capabilities of giant snakes in her first encounter if not for the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Manual.

However, the Monster Manual never said anything about scorpions doing flips. Let alone backflips!

"AHHH!" Tanwen tries to shield her face from the slashing claws of the spinning scorpion, but in doing so, she leaves her upper body open - and the maneuver manages to break through her guard, drawing blood from her torso and arms as the second slice connects in turn. She reels backward, checking to make sure that the rest of her hitpoints are intact and frowning at the sundered form of the dragon on her chest.

"Scorpions are very tricksy! But I can be tricksy too!" Tanwen declares as her tail whips back and forth and she lowers herself like a feline preparing to pounce. Wings sprout from between her shoulderblades as scales start to appear in patches around her forehead, neck and hands, her true draconic nature seeping through. And then, in very non-tricksy fashion, she flies forward with shield raised, attempting to batter into Roxana and knock her off-balance through sheer brute force!

If she succeeds, she'll proceed to try and grab hold of Roxana's braid, making use of the convenient handle to assist in her practiced maneuver of pulling her opponent around and backward to position her head between Tanwen's thighs. If that works in turn, she'll throw her legs out, using her hips to try and smash the scorpion's head between the stage and her own underside!

COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Roxana with Arch Dragon EX.

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

[ROXANA]
"We can be tricksy!" Roxana replies to Tanwen's accusation, flashing her a smile. It seems the Welsh woman wasn't joking about the fact she could be too though, given by what she has in store for the scorpion scrapper next.

Rox isn't surprised by the sight of the wings and scales. She's guessing that Tanwen hadn't watched footage of the Odyssey matches, since she seemed surprised by the Nebraskan's transformation. This isn't the case for the Gear though. She herself had enjoyed every second of seeing what her fellow competitors could do, sometimes watching for a second time those moments that captured her interest.

As well as any tricks she has up her sleeves, Tanwen is also in possession of a great deal of power. Roxana finds herself floored and to make matters worse, her own hair is used as a handle to assist in the dragon-girl's attack against her!

She starts to murmur from between the pale thighs of the other woman, trying to get revenge by throwing her head from side to side, so she can smack her with the same braid. As much as she struggles though, there's no stopping her head from being crushed, causing her to cry out in discomfort.

When she can finally wiggle free, Rox again bends backwards into a bridge, stopping to swipe out at Tanwen on the way. If she's able to stay steady enough, she'll attempt to follow up by bending forwards and swinging her claws up at her sides to strike with them both simultaneously.

COMBATSYS: Tanwen attempts to interrupt Double Scorpion Slash from Roxana with Dragon Crown EX.

[               \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Roxana           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\-------\0           Tanwen

[TANWEN]
"Tanwen keeps getting surprise gifts this fight. First the shoes, then the finding out she's fighting a scorpion gal, then finding out that this scorpion gal's a slippery fish!" Lou remarks.

"Don't tell Tanwen she's a slippery fish. She'll be expecting fins next," Tom comments.

Indeed, Rox is able to slip out of her pinning predicament much like a fish, claws already ready to go within a heartbeat. Seeing the attack coming, Tanwen quickly consults the flowchart of combat techniques that she has also stored in her draconic database.

-> Is the opponent attacking you?
-> I'm not sure
-> Headbutt

She lunges forward through the slashing claws, draconic horns at the ready, attempting to slam her crown into Roxana and knock her flat with a headfirst tackle! If she manages to do so, she'll stand up and drop bottom-first onto the scorpion - but who will prove the more tricksy?

COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Roxana with Dragon Crown EX.

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////////           ]
Roxana           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1           Tanwen

[ROXANA]
Rox may be able to slip away to try and claw at Tanwen, but the tiny dragon-girl is too tough for her to handle. Not only does she not manage to damage her, she also finds herself on the wrong side of a ferocious headbutt.

She's sent flying backwards, not only being struck by the crown of the Queen of Zack Island, but also smacking the back of her head on the stage. Blinking her black eyes, she finds herself seeing stars, and not just Coco and Chevy in the crowd. "I think I'm gonna be sick." She says, closing her eyes again as the arena spins around her. There's no let up yet for Rox though, as the fierce Welsh fighter follows up with a buttdrop.

"Could this be the end for the scorpion already, Lou?" Tom questions, his face full of concern. "Of course not, Tom." Lou corrects him. "She's a scorpion and a student of Coco. She's at least gonna try and get her revenge first."

Rox doesn't actually hear the words of the commentator but they are definitely on the same page. There's no way that the Gear girl is going to give up, no matter how much she's suffering. She starts to stand, swaying as she seeks to regain her equilibrium. Her beautiful face already has a bruise forming on her forehead and her normally perfectly groomed hair is coming loose from it's black hair tie.

As she looks towards Tanwen, she realises she can see two of her. Twin dragons! Exhaling deeply, Rox gives it her best guess and lashes out with her claw at the one on the left.

COMBATSYS: Roxana successfully hits Tanwen with Quick Strike.
- Power hit! -

[                     \\\\\\\\\  < >  ////////////////              ]
Roxana           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>>>---\1           Tanwen

[TANWEN]
Tanwen would have been delighted to be informed of the existence of her very own draconic twin. Unfortunately, she receives no indication that Roxana might be detecting such a phenomenon - as it turns out that she's perfectly on target with her claws as she lashes out for the real Tanwen. The dragonette is in the middle of rubbing her sore backside with her shield hand after its repeated use against the scorpion Gear. Apparently, possessing both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton makes Roxana an especially hard target for such maneuvers. The distraction is such that Tanwen suffers a penalty to her initiative in the next round - and Soraya manages to land a surprise attack, sending the dragon reeling with a fresh slash across her chest!

"Owww! Your claws are very sharp!" Tanwen cries out in pain. "Why are you allowed to have sharp claws when I'm not allowed to have a sharp sword?!"

"Tanwen raises a good point, Lou. Why does she use a blunted sword when last season featured several bona fide swordfighters using unblunted weaponry?" Tom asks.

"I got a feeling it's more for Tanwen's safety than anybody else's, Tom. I mean, it's a thing with this season's fighters. They just don't have that killer instinct in most cases. ...Or maybe their parental units or guardians ain't into it," Lou replies.

Tanwen crouches a short distance away from her foe, gasping for breath and wrapping her sword arm across her wounded torso while her shield arm keeps its load prepared for protection. Nearer to the ground as she is, she manages to catch a number of dirt particles on the breeze as they're blown up across the stage from the arena's dirt floor.

"O-oh... oh dear."

*AAHHHHFWOOOOHH!*

From behind the buckler comes an almighty blast of fire, hurtling out toward Roxana like the discharge of an allergen-fuelled flamethrower!

"On the other hand, our most serious safety concerns last season involved fire and a lack of self control," Tom remarks.

"Let's not get into discourse about any redacted elephants in the room, Tom," Lou recommends.

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Tanwen's Dragon Breath.

[                       \\\\\\\  < >  ///////////////               ]
Roxana           2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|>>>>>>>\-------\1           Tanwen

[ROXANA]
At Tanwen's suggestion that her claws are very sharp, Roxana peers intently at them and then holds them up to inspect the blood visible there. Wiping her weapons on her costume, she gives a little shrug of acknowledgement. "I suppose they are. I can't really blunt them though, can I? That would be animal cruelty or something." She states, throwing a wink the Welsh woman's way.

As Cadwallader crouches, Roxana detects that trouble may be coming. She doesn't really expect it in the form of a fiery sneeze however! Letting out a cry of surprise, Soraya the scorpion fighter lady spins in the air to turn her back on the blaze, lifting her braid up as she moves to avoid it setting alight. She's knocked to the floor by the heat and curls herself into a ball, covering her head as she waits for the flame to subside. "That's not very nice." She mimics Tanwen mischievously, though the truth is, it actually gave her somewhat of a scare!

As she holds herself tightly her body starts to transform, causing several gasps in the crowd from members of the audience who haven't seen Rox fight before. Four additional limbs sprout from the sides of her slim form and she starts to unfold her body, turning towards Tanwen and giving her a sly look.

Starting to stalk towards the dragonette, she reaches out to her, seeking to wrap all eight of her limbs around her petite frame. Her intention is to pin her in place, so she can hold her still whilst injecting her paralysing poison into her back via her stinger. If she's able to pull off her plan, she'll arch the redhead backwards, slamming her head into the stage of the arena with formidable force.

COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Roxana's Scorpion's Embrace EX.

[                        \\\\\\  < >  //////////////                ]
Roxana           0/-------/---<<<<|>>>>>>>\>>-----\1           Tanwen

[TANWEN]
Tanwen's fiery sneezing fit subsides just in time for her to catch the comment from Roxana.

'That's not very nice.'

The dragon feels her insides clench and gasps audibly as her own catchphrase goes from misdeployment to misappropriation. It's not a very good brand-building day for the young dragonette.

"But... but it was an accident!" she protests, taking the comment at face value. "And you're stealing me catchphrase! That's not very nice, either! You should say something like, euhm, 'that's a bit mean' instead! Except it wasn't mean, it was just me allergies, it was!"

It seems that someone has fed Roxana a Bug Stone, because she's evolving before Tanwen's eyes! This causes the dragon girl to shiver with a combination of fear and excitement. "Oh, wow! That's so scary!" Tanwen tries to back off as Roxana lunges forward, but finds herself captured in the scorpion's limbs. However, as the scorpion stinger raises up to stab into her back, she manages to shift, causing it to jab into one of her wings instead, before she powers out of the grapple. Purple discolouration starts to spread along the wing, but to Tanwen's good fortune, the circulatory system for her frame doesn't seem to depend on whatever capillaries are beneath that surface. She flaps up into the air, some strain showing on her ability to do so as she pulls a face with the effort.

"Looks like both of these young ladies are pulling out the transmogrificative stops, Lou!" shouts Tom.

"Is that a word, Tom?" Lou shouts.

"This is no time for etymographical fact-checking, Lou! Tanwen's going for the swoop-da-whoop!" Tom shouts.

Indeed, Tanwen is swooping and whooping above the stage, blazing heat building around her as she descends toward Roxana like a meteor! If the scorpion doesn't stop her or get out of the way, she'll crash straight into Roxana front-first, tackling her down to the ground in a roll. Should she manage to do so, Tanwen will terminate the tumble on top of her target, bringing her burning buckler up before smashing it down with definitive force! An explosion would rock the stage, sending one or both fighters flying away with the shockwave unleashed!

COMBATSYS: Roxana counters Dragon's Descent EX from Tanwen with Deadly Scorpion.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-

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

[ROXANA]
"Have you ever seen a scorpion giggling before, Tom? No? Well you have now." Lou remarks without waiting for a response from his co-commentator. The sight is a weird one indeed. A five feet and three inches arachnid is trembling with mirth as she's caught in a collision with a dragon-girl. The thing that's tickled the American shapeshifter is Tanwen's confusion about her catchphrase.

"Maybe I should come up with something of my own." Rox muses. "You can help me if you like. Once we've finished the fight though."

The Welsh woman takes on her alternative form, fending off the Toxique member's poison in the process. If Rox was currently in her human body, the pout on her lips would be pretty evident. She looks up as her opponent hovers above her, suspecting she will swoop down at any second. When she does, Rox is ready.

She can't stop the tackle and tumbles backwards with Tanwen on top of her. As the shield threatens to follow up though, Rox catches the arm that's holding it with her pincers and starts to squeeze it with her full power, in an attempt to get the dragon to drop it. To pile on the pressure further, she smacks her scorpion tail into Tanwen over and over, trying to get her to tire of trapping Rox, so she can be free to roam the stage again.

[TANWEN]
Perhaps Tanwen understimated the power of Roxana's final form. That is, assuming that it actually is Roxana's final form. Regardless, the flying reptile-mammalian hybrid creature finds itself trapped in the clutches of the arachnid-mammalian hybrid creature, stung repeatedly for her troubles. What had seemed like it might be a decisive moment of triumph for the draconic fighter is reversed in dramatic fashion, the poison visibly spreading into her body in the form of darkening vessels as the stinger manages to find an artery to pump its venom directly into her system.

"Oh my word, what a counter from Roxana! Things certainly seemed to be going Tanwen's way before Roxana managed to reverse her momentum!" Tom declares.

"She turned that swoop-da-whoop into a swoop-da-whoops, Tom!" Lou fires back."

"That's... not... very... nice," Tanwen croaks as her shield arm falters, her sword arm following suit. She nearly goes limp on top of Roxana, but flinches out of her fall like someone who's nearly succumbed to exhaustion before snapping back to attention. Tearing herself loose from Roxana's pincers, she turns away, trying to claw herself free from an entanglement that neither seem to want part of any longer. As she does, her tail, with a mind of its own, smacks violently from side to side, potentially colliding with Roxana's face in the process!

COMBATSYS: Roxana blocks Tanwen's Evasive Strike.

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

[ROXANA]
As far as Rox knows this is her final form, but then she is only eighteen and there's still time for her to discover more about herself and her abilities. Whilst Tom and Lou deliver their colourful commentary to the masses, the Nebraskan says things a lot more simply. "Yes." Is her response to Tanwen once again accusing her behaviour of not being very nice. "It's not meant to be."

The scorpion starts to feel Tanwen's weight becoming heavy on her, but the tiny dragon is soon gathering herself to go after Rox again, rather than settling down for a slumber. Her tail lashes against the American fighter's face, managing to connect with her chitinous armour a couple of times before Rox brings her body upwards to prevent herself from being struck again.

Whilst still down on the ground, Rox starts to slither forwards, weaving in and out of Tanwen's legs to try and disorient her. She works her way back around until she's rising up behind the Welsh warrior, attempting to lift her into the air. If she's able to manage it, she'll then slam her forwards to smack into the surface of the stage head first!

COMBATSYS: Tanwen blocks Roxana's Scorpion Slam.

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

[TANWEN]
Tanwen is just staggering to her feet when Roxana starts to slither toward her legs. Once again, the unworldly Welsh dragonette is left to gawk at the display by her opponent.

"She moves just like a slow worm!" Tanwen murmurs incredulously. "...A very /fast/ slow worm!"

When she's sliding amongst the dragon girl's hind limbs, though, Tanwen is canny enough to recognize the shift in tactic - one that corresponds with her own coming-of-age tale.

This is no slow worm tactic.

This is a cat tactic.

She and Winn have often had to suffer the trickery of felines insinuating themselves amongst the shins of their servants, demonstrating their power to topple their caretakers at any given moment. So when Roxana rises up behind her, Tanwen is practically expecting it.

"Put me down, Soraya!!" Tanwen demands, kicking and thrashing as she's lifted up off of the stage. Her wings have already shrunk away by this point, the energy needed to keep them in play depleted. She ends up falling out of Roxana's grasp, tumbling to the ground on her own terms and getting a bump on her backside for her troubles.

"Scorpions are the tricksiest," she practically hisses as she rises up, making a grab for one of Roxana's limbs. "Except for hobbits and dragons!"

If she can catch hold of her, she'll spin Roxana around before violently hurling her into the air. If that works, she'll continue to spin, boomerang-hurling her buckler up after the scorpion to smack against her while she's airborne and knock her aloft a bit longer. Then, she'll leap into the air, still spinning and intending to smack Roxana back down to the stage with an overhead sword smack!

COMBATSYS: Tanwen successfully hits Roxana with Skychaser.

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

[ROXANA]
Like Tanwen, Roxana's shape starts to shift again and she once more resembles a human female. Albeit it one with pincers, claws and a tail. "You think I move like a worm, do you?" She ponders, apparently in possession of pretty sharp hearing too. "Interesting."

Roxana Soraya Page has no plans to put down Tanwen, but the dragonette is capable of dealing with the situation herself. "I was gonna put you down head first." The Gear girl giggles. "As it turns out though, you're pretty tricksy yourself, so the dragon thing checks out. I've never met a hobbit though."

The Welsh wonder does bump her butt, so all is not lost. The lass is likely a lot less injured than she would have been if the slam had paid off. There's no time to fret about that though because Rox has another attack to deal with, one that's literally sending her spinning!

"Agggh!" The black-haired beauty bawls, as she grows increasingly dizzy. To make matters worse, a shield smacks her in the stomach and she's sent soaring skywards, gaining a sudden urge to vomit. Perhaps those quesadillas she had before the fight were a bad idea.

When she begins to descend, the scorpion-girl at first feels some relief, but before long she realises she's in for a less than smooth landing. The sword smacks into her and she's soon slumped on the stage, clutching her stomach and feeling her long eyelashes fluttering closed. It would be lovely to let herself rest here. She's given things a pretty good go. But then she thinks about how much she'd wanted to be a part of the NFG and how proud she was to be accepted. She thinks about Coco in the crowd and the time and effort that the purple-haired woman has put into helping her train. Rox realises that she has to give it one more shot.

Tanwen's words about her moving like a worm come back to her. Diving forwards on to her stomach, the scorpion starts to thrash violently along the stage, edging ever closer to her opponent. Once she's able to reach, she thrusts her claws out at Tanwen's lower legs, seeking to slash them until she's spent and slips into unconciousness.

COMBATSYS: Roxana can no longer fight.

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

COMBATSYS: Tanwen dodges Roxana's Scorpion Dive.

[                        \\\\\\  <
Tanwen           0/-------/-------|

[TANWEN]
Across from Roxana, Tanwen lands in a kneeling position, sword in one hand and shield in the other as she pants heavily. She turns around to see Roxana lying on the ground and lets her shoulders slump as the tensions drains from her body.

"It looks like Tanwen's managed to cinch it after all, Lou! A Skychaser out of nowhere!" Tom shouts.

"But it ain't over yet, Tom! Look out!" Lou shouts back.

Tanwen recoils in horror with a squeal as Roxana throws herself at her, thrashing her claws about in a final jumpscare straight out of a horror movie. Tanwen dances from foot to foot as she cringes away from each slash, shuddering each time until she's flapping her hands with displeasure. "Nooooo! It's too scary!" Queen Tanwen, defeater of firebirds, decrees in a moment of extreme flappability.

But the thrashing subsides, and Tanwen slowly lowers her golden boot down next to the other as her entire body shakes.

"WINNER by KNOCKOUT... TANWEN!" the announcer finally calls out.

"I... I won..." the rattled reptilian regent realises aloud. She starts to pump her arms and legs in the victory dance that her followers will have become accustomed to - but then, she suddenly doubles over, face turning purple as Roxana's poison takes its final revenge.

"Oh, dear," Winn says as he turns his face away. "Well, that's ruined me chips, it has."

"Oh my... I didn't realise that injected venom worked that way, Lou," Tom says.

"Maybe it only works that way on dragons?" Lou suggests. "Either way, looks like we got our scorpion and toad story after all..."

COMBATSYS: Tanwen takes no action.

[                         \\\\\  <
Tanwen           0/-------/-------|

COMBATSYS: Tanwen has ended the fight here.

Log created on 11:23:25 12/05/2024 by Tanwen, and last modified on 14:17:45 01/08/2025.