Description: The Hong Kong Coliseum serves as the stage for two young competitors, Riko and Azrael, to challenge Miss Elisabeth Blanctorche. (Winner: Elisabeth)
The Hong Kong Coliseum is likely one of the best possible places to hold a match between powerful fighters. Perhaps Masters Stadium or Howard Arena were built with that specific purpose in mind, but that this particular venue has been overlooked for so long is likely a tragedy, the concrete floors plenty powerful enough to be able to take the severe pounding that such a fight might produce with little or no damage. What would happen if the floor itself was directly attacked is unknown, but for simply walking around and fighting it should hold nicely. On top of that is the size; the building can hold about 12,500 people, every seat for this match sold out. Sure, it's only a simple sponsored fight, but Hong Kong doesn't see all that many fights, or at least not compared to Southtown.
And so the stage is set, thousands upon thousands of fans sitting in their seats and waiting for the fighters to arrive. A loud cheer goes up when they arrive, one of them being Azrael Hibernal, completely unused to fighting with spectators. He looks up into the large mass of faces, and shakes his head a little, unsure of whether or not it's going to affect his concentration. The fact that they're here to enjoy his fight, and seem so very excited about it doesn't seem to elicit much of a reaction from him, no waving to the crowd or goading them on. It's really their presence that gets to him. If he makes a mistake, over 10,000 people will be there to see and judge him over it. He pushes it out of his mind, knowing that thoughts like that could very easily lead to such mistakes.
Maybe Azrael's apprehensive. But his partner for this match?
Back and forth. Back and forth. Riko Koganei rocks on her heels. The walls of the arena tunnel are beginning to get a little claustrophobic. Just a little. She's restless. Definitely restless. Impatient. Wouldn't you be, for your first big fight in months?
Yeah, months. For ages and ages, she's been a girl on a mission, a faithful ninja serving her master's bidding. But now her mission's complete, she's ready to -cut loose-. That's why she's here, after all. Fighting in an SNF match in Hong Kong, on the way back home to Southtown.
Alright...so maybe stopping to fight in a major televised event in China...isn't exactly quite "on the way back". But it's not -that- big a detour. Besides, it's the principle of the thing. A girl's gotta have fun, you know.
One of the SNF staff members keeping watch on Riko shoots her an annoyed glare. Her constant rocking motion's irritating, apparently. In reply, Riko sticks her tongue out. She doesn't care. Then she idly pulls out a small foil-wrapped square from one pocket, unwraps it, and pops the contents onto said tongue. She works her mouth round a little bit, before pursing her lips...as if to blow a bubble.
The announcer stops her, though. Now that Azrael Hibernal been introduced, they're ready for Riko's entrance.
Riko grins. Then she blasts out, moving like a rocket. Like a little feminine freight train. Which is exactly what she is. On wheels. Wheels of polyurethane, to be precise. She comes charging out of the arena tunnel, loops round Azrael, before stopping in a powerslide, in-line skates skidding against the arena floor.
She draws herself up to full height, folding her arms - just under the legend emblazoned on her t-shirt:-
'133t n1nj4'.
COMBATSYS: Riko has started a fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Azrael has joined the fight here on the left meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Azrael 0/-------/-------|
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth has joined the fight here on the right meter side.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////////]
Azrael 0/-------/-------|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
While the other fighters in the SNF may be uncertain, or even care-free, Elisabeth Blanctorche is simply calm, cool and wholly composed.
She stands by herself, a small gathering of SNF officials behind stage tending to the heiress as she sits. They speak to her, rehearsing rules and going over various bits of information, all while the Frenchwoman seems otherwise unimpressed. Dark eyes are fixed on the crop idly held between slender digits, lips pulled into a thin line. Again, her goal eludes her. Try as she might to find "him," she always winds up paired against others. It's a touch daunting.
But Elisabeth never gives up.
The cheer from the first arrival draws the woman's gaze up from the crop, her slender figure slowly easing out of her chair. A few officials follow the dark-eyed Blanctorche to the edge of the back stage, the Coliseum alive as she simply stands and waits. The others introduced, Elisabeth watches on with a stern, almost unimpressed gaze. Secretly, the heiress sizes them up. She hasn't seen either, nor heard of them.
"...interesting." A SNF official glances her way and asks if she'd repeat herself. Elisabeth simply waves a hand, dismissing the inquiry. She exhales thereafter, a sigh sliding past her lips before she marches forth, into the spotlight.
There is no hesitation or apprehension from the woman as she emerges, her head held high as she strides with a confident gait. No glance is spared toward the audience; as composed as always, Elisabeth strides toward the other fighters, offering each a glance before she draws a breath into her lungs.
"Do your best," she states, though her words seem almost commanding. Then, without further adieu, the Frenchwoman blazes forward, boots planting only as she closes in at Riko. Sliding toward her, the heiress' hand on her crop's grip tenses before she thrusts it forward, attempting to bash the poor girl in the gut with its hilt.
Azrael keeps his eyes on his teammate as she skates out to him, losing sight for a moment when she actually circles him, and then nods a little. That little trick might actually prove to allow some rather nice mobility. It's not something he'd ever adapt for his own use, but for it's own purposes, and on a hard ground like the concrete, it ought to be fairly effective. His attention goes to Elisabeth when she's announced, her collected and calm nature instantly causing him to become more serious, all thoughts about the crowd suddenly unimportant. He's here to improve, to become better, and he'll never improve if he doesn't pay attention.
A nod is given at the words given to him by the Frenchwoman and he tightens as she suddenly springs forward, only to find that she's heading for Riko instead of himself. He reaches behind him and removes his weapon easily, giving it a few experimental twirls. He can't do anything about this first strike, but he'd much rather have the attacks concentrated on him. He watches how the attack plays out with intense scrutiny, and then makes to interpose himself between Elisabeth and Riko after there's any retaliation, intent to make Elisabeth go through him if she wants to get to the ninja. It's not that he thinks she can't handle herself, it's just that he's very sure of his own ability to take incredible abuse.
COMBATSYS: Azrael focuses on his next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-------|==-----\-------\0 Elisabeth
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Riko dodges Elisabeth's Fierra.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Elisabeth
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
Do your best. That's what Elisabeth said.
Riko's eyes flash. Brightly.
"I will!"
And she -moves-. The riding crop, wielded by Elisabeth, brushes lightly against the fabric of her t-shirt, barely tickling her abdomen. It should have hurt. Should have impacted with punishing force. And it would have...
...if Riko hadn't slid backwards. Not by much. Just an inch. Gliding on her trusty skates, a smooth, fluid motion.
She smiles. Her hands come together, palms touching, fingers interlocking - forming a distinctive shape, the sign of the Ram. As the ancients would put it, one of the classical animals of the Chinese zodiac. The Ram seal, a traditional means of focusing chi.
Of course, if you ask Riko, she'd tell you it -really- stands for Random Access Memory.
Electricity sparks around her body. The display screen on her iPod, clipped to her waist, flashes a brilliant blue. Sparks dance up and down the cord to her headphones. They spread to engulf her...until she's a blazing torch of light.
Now, please remember...Elisabeth, and her riding crop, are still just an inch from Riko's form.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Riko's Light Fantastic.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
Riko's enthusiasm catches the woman off guard, however brief or vague the expression on her features is. Secretly, the woman smiles. She's pleased. They both seem willing to do their best. This means she can't let them down by giving only a little of what she's capable of giving, right?
Moving forward, Elisabeth's first strike seems aimed for Riko. But ever swift and graceful, the ninja girl moves out of harm's way, that large, knobby crop hilt biting material as she avoids the strike. Planting a foot afterwards, the woman lets the crop slowly ease back into place at her side, a hand still held firmly in her grasp. She doesn't frown. She doesn't smile. Elisabeth just stares.
The girl prepares a counterattack, her teammate simply biding his time. Grinning ever so faintly, the heiress simply readies herself, her feet planting as the girl blazes forward that short distance. And, despite the close proximity, the Frenchwoman shrugs off the attack. She doesn't move; it barely causes her to jerk.
With a plant of her boots, Elisabeth hops back, placing distance between herself and the two fighters. Looking from Riko to Azrael, she simply observes either, watching patiently. It's time for them to make their move.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth focuses on her next action.
[\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
Azrael steps in after Riko's attack finishes, moving directly in front of her and then simply charging Elisabeth. His weapon spins around quickly as he rushes forward, and then right after he passes it from his right hand to his left the arm extends, a small wispy ball of energy forming in his hand and firing forward towards the Frenchwoman, the young man charging straight after it with his weapon picking up even more speed, trying to give Elisabeth absolutely no respite. The energy is effective, but it's also meant as a distraction, as a moment after it would hit he lashes out with his weapon, attempting to send the blades of his weapon across her stomach five times before he'd drop back into a defensive stance, trying to stay aware of Riko and keep himself between the other two fighters, balancing an offensive and defensive game by trying to force Elisabeth to move the way he wants via offensive pressure.
Outwardly, Riko's as cheery as ever, her body language, every aspect of her being...broadcasting nothing but gleeful confidence.
Inwardly... she studies Elisabeth, her mind racing, ticking over like a drastically overclocked CPU. That opening move was fast. Powerful. More worryingly, this Blanctorche woman just shrugged off her chi attack like it was nothing.
Not good.
Her smile becomes genuine, then. Of course, this wouldn't be -fun- if it was easy.
Riko slips one hand to her backpack, tugging on the zip, reaching inside. She watches as Azrael launches his attack. Watching very carefully. She's never met this guy, she's never seen him fight. But every movement has a pattern. Every fighter has rhythm.
As he launches into his five strokes, five slashes of the blade, Riko starts to count. She taps a foot, skate wheels rapping softly against the floor.
On the /sixth/ count, just as Azrael finishes...Riko moves. She -leaps-, twirling elegantly over Azrael's head and shoulders...with barely any clearance. Going right above him, almost as smooth as they'd practiced this. Azrael hits low. So Riko hits high.
Her hand whips free from the backpack, something serpentine blurring as it uncoils - a length of metal. Bicycle chain, clad in translucent blue plastic. Which doesn't make the end any less -hard-.
COMBATSYS: Azrael successfully hits Elisabeth with Necrotic Slash.
-* CRITICAL HIT! *-
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/------=|====---\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-------|
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth counters Improvised Tactics EX from Riko with Mirage Derriere.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/---====|
A charge attack? Distracted by Riko's twirling and elegant movements, there's precious little time for the heiress to respond. Try as she may to provide a suitable defense to Azrael's offense, the woman's defenses are breached; struck, the cuts themselves going rather deep, causing her to stagger back on those well-polished black boots. A hand lifts, briefly accessing damage. It's a mild concern, but not enough to hinder her in the fight just yet.
Eyes flicker up, deep blues locking in on Riko as she descends. The chain noted, the hand at Elisabeth's midriff rises. A blur of silvery-white chi erupts from her fingertips, and this veil of energy catches that chain. There's a flash between both fighters, and suddenly and perhaps unexpectedly, Elisabeth appears BEHIND Riko. A split-second later a boot lashes out and strikes the girl in her backside, to send her rolling forward.
Elisabeth turns her attentions from the girl toward the odd young man thereafter, eyes narrowing slightly, her expression thoughtful.
Azrael's attack goes off without a hitch, and he manages to slice right into Elisabeth after the ball of energy hits her. The problem is that while his offensive was successful, Riko's was not only cut off but turned against her, making the pressure offensive an immediate failure.
Many of Azrael's teammates so far have been uncaring, and perhaps he has too, but not this time it seems. "Are you alright?" A quick question only, because he can't spare any time. He's fighting a powerful opponent, and that means he can't let the pressure down for fear of letting the momentum shift into Elisabeth's favor. Still in close proximity, Azrael moves to strike again, this time swinging his arm out without his weapon, a large 'blade' of that black energy of his forming out past it and swiping through the air, the slice forming a crescent shape in the air through where Elisabeth is standing.
"Peachy," Riko chirps, "just peachy!"
That's what she saysin response to Azrael's question. From where she's lying, face-first on the cold, hard, arena floor. She doesn't LOOK peachy. Honestly, she isn't. The roar of the crowd, all the people screaming in the stands... that just adds to her growing headache. That hurt, that really hurt. Where the heck did that Elisabeth person -come- from? The woman just intercepted with that energy move...and then she was -behind-, and then...
Riko tumbles upright. Then backs away, gliding in reverse. All the way to the edge of the arena.
The teen stops several feet from the concrete barrier. Not so close to the wall that she has no room to maneuver. Trapping herself isn't the intention. Giving herself breathing space, that's But more importantly, far enough that she's got a moment to breathe. Let this Azrael guy take the next hit or two. He's gotta be good for something, right?
Riko's eyes track the other two fighters. She bites her lip. That was more than just speed. No, she almost seemed to teleport. Almost like the signature technique of Riko's own ninja sensei, a technique Riko herself hasn't mastered yet.
The implications are clear.
She doesn't dwell on them, though. In fact, she doesn't give any sign that she's planning.
No. Hell, Riko even turns slightly, looking up at the spectators nearest her, the ones just above, just over the railing. She gives them a jaunty little wave - grinning, in particular, at a little girl in the front row.
Of course, as she does this, her other hand grips her bicycle chain tighter. It's now coiled in her hand. And if you look carefully, it's a little blue. Not the blue conveyed by the plastic coating. The blue from the faint flickers of chi.
COMBATSYS: Riko gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/------=|======-\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/-------/=======|
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Azrael's Grim Eradication.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-----==|======-\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/-------/=======|
** Riko pose edit:- Delete 'that's But more importantly' from the fourth paragraph. Apologies. ***
While the two exchange banter between one another, Elisabeth remains ever calm and composed. Observing either, the woman seems content in being little more than a taciturn watcher, keeping close eye on either fighter. Azrael caught her off her guard. She'll be sure not to let that happen again.
Dark eyes stir as there is movement caught from the corner of her eye, Azrael's attack caught in her peripheral. Her response is one swift, fluid motion; as he comes in and attempts to strike her with the blade of energy Elisabeth's hand jerks the crop from her side. Turning her body toward the attack, she accepts the brunt of the blow against the sleek riding crop nestled at her side.
Those eyes flicker again. Briefly observing the young woman as she seems to gather chi energies the heiress is familiar with, Elisabeth seems to forget Riko for the time being. No, her sights are set on Azrael now. Moving forward, the woman unsheathes the crop at her side, lifting it high. With one harsh motion the woman draws it down, swiping it toward one side of the young man's face. But it doesn't stop there. Another motion, back up, will seek to swipe the other cheek upon ascending.
COMBATSYS: Azrael endures Elisabeth's Strong Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/-------/=======|
Azrael stands immobile as the Elisabeth lifts her weapon. His eyes had flicked over to Riko as she withdrew, not being able to catch a glimpse of the energy she's building, but assuring himself that she's doing something useful. And then the crop comes down and smacks him in the side of the face, hard. It smacks him powerfully, and causes him to twist around. Normally he might have fallen, but it'd take quick eyes to notice his footing, one foot behind the other. And upon the hit his muscles tighten, his body whirling around to roll with the impact, feet moving quickly once more as he continues the motion, using the force of the blow to spin himself around in a complete 360 degree turn. And as he comes back around so does his weapon, hands held apart as he swings one blade forward in a powerful strike rather than the spinning maneuvers he normally uses, attempting to slash hard into Elisabeth's side while she still recovers from the strong attack.
Good. Azrael's occupying Elisabeth. A perfect time for Riko to make her move.
And so she does. She kicks off, resuming motion. Getting in position for an attack.
Except...Riko's heading backwards. Even further towards the edge of the fighting ground. There's nothing there but the barricade separating the fighters from the audience above. Just a solid wall, surmounted by a metal railing.
This doesn't seem to concern Riko, however. As she backs up the last few feet to the wall, she raises her hand. The bicycle chain clutched tightly in her fingers...glows, sparking with stored energy.
Riko grins.
She snaps her wrist. The chain uncoils, sketching a blazing arc in the air...
...over her shoulder.
The end of the chain lands high above Riko's head. The metal cap slamming into the steel safety railing. The people in the front row have about a split second to feel astonishment. Before they need to -shield their eyes-.
With a loud CRACK, the elemental energy flows through the chain. Into the railing. Electrons racing as the blue chi-induced electricity blasts all the way across the barricades, into the support pillars of the Coliseum. Up into the girders and rafters surmounting the indoor stadium. Into the spotlights high overhead...
...and then down, down, down, shooting like a lightning bolt through the air, straight towards Elizabeth, just as Azrael launches his own attack.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth dodges Azrael's Fierce Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/-======|
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Elisabeth with Metamysticparallectrolysis.
- Power hit! -
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/=======|
When Azrael moves at Elisabeth, readying his attack as she recovers from the previous blow, he'll come to find...
...she's not there.
Having moved out of harm's way, little more than a blur of motion, the Frenchwoman outright avoids the weapon he wields at her, allowing it to strike little more than empty air. One down, one to go. Those deep blue eyes sweep around, locking on Riko as she flicks her wrist. The electrical chi is noted, watched closely. Biding her time, the woman patiently waits. Almost...
At the last second, Elisabeth attempts to dive out of harm's way, to avoid that bolt of lighting. Her footing fails her; she doesn't prove fast enough and, as result, is struck, the shock enough to jar her briefly before she simply lifts a hand up and rubs her face. She'll need a moment to gather her wits, thanks. She's blinded by that surprising burst of electricity.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 0/-------/-======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/=======|
Azrael's tactic of absorbing the blow for rotational velocity and then moving into a powerful assault seems to have failed, which really is too bad, considering that he could have mounted a real defense against the attack. Luckily Riko comes to save the day, blasting Elisabeth with that... really, really complex attack. One thing or another has caused Elisabeth to back off and try and get her feet under herself. For the entirety of the fight Azrael has been going on a powerful offense, but this sudden lull in attacks from his opponent causes him to back off, spinning his weapon around lightly and backing away, putting Elisabeth at a 90 degree angle from himself and Riko. Once this is accomplished he holds out his arm with his weapon in one hand and black energy begins swirling up around him, small and wispy at first but quickly forming into a twisting torrent of dark energy. If Elisabeth is going to hold back in order to gather herself up, so can he.
COMBATSYS: Azrael gathers his will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/=======|
"Ooh," Riko says, as she skates forward from the wall, "Carggian standoff!"
She closes in with the other two...before coming to a halt, more or less. If everyone's content just to stare at each other, Riko certainly isn't going to be so crass as to spoil the moment. She just shrugs, eloquently.
"Better than Mexican, I guess."
The bicycle chain clatters to the ground, Riko letting it slide from her fingers. She kicks it aside, absently, knocking it away with one skate-clad foot. She sways a little, shifting her weight, the very picture of nonchalance.
Unless you've got pretty good chi sense. In which case, you might detect the energies Riko's building...in between the little casual gestures. Like sliding her headphones over her ears. And thumbing her iPod.
She begins to hum.
o/`
COMBATSYS: Riko gathers her will.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/-----==/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/----===/=======|
When the woman's hand drifts free of her face, there's a curious sight to behold. Not one, but both fighters are holding their ground and, what's more, they're pooling their energies and biding their time. Furrowing her brows, the heiress offers a mildly annoyed look as she looks between Azrael, who seems to be taking himself seriously, then to Riko, who seems to be fooling around with her Ipod. Dark eyes draw to a close. What a conundrum.
Regardless, the Blanctorche heiress makes a move. Rushing forward, her path leads her straight to Riko, the crop at her side swiftly exiting the sheath. Striking forward, she attempts to simply knick her gut with the leathery tip, to sting at best and likely distract the girl as she fiddles with the small device.
The time to renew himself was time well spent for Azrael, the energy he was able to regain easily making up for momentarily giving up the initiative. And since Elisabeth has chosen to attack Riko rather than himself, he goes completely unpunished for it. Now that she moves in to attack he rushes in as well, moving in at an angle to try and intercept her before she can make it to Riko, slicing out at her with his weapon and not aiming for her body this time, but for her legs. Perhaps if he can hit her there it'll cause her to trip and somehow mess up her assault.
COMBATSYS: Riko blocks Elisabeth's Quick Punch.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/--=====/=======|
Riko doesn't seem to be looking at Elisabeth, no. Doesn't seem to be paying attention. She doesn't bat an eyelid as the tip of the riding crop flicks towards her.
Of course, it isn't really inattentiveness if you're just doing it to fake out your opponent.
At the last instant, the very last possible moment...Riko reacts. Her hand brushes across the front of her iPod, neatly plucks the headphone jack from the player...
And then intercepts Elisabeth's crop with the wire. Twisting it across, a little loop round, then -taut-...redirecting and diffusing the force of the attack.
The end of the crop still slashes into Riko's midriff, hard enough that she winces, slightly. But not as hard as it could have been.
Then she strips the headphones from her head, establishing a firm grip on both ends of the wire.
And she -pulls-.
Azrael's trying to take Elisabeth's legs out from under her. Riko's got an equally vested interest in seeing that she loses her balance.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Azrael's Medium Strike.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/--=====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth dodges Riko's Quick Throw.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/--=====/=======|
Her attack on Riko yields little result, but it gets the job done. It seems to sting a little and leaves its mark on the girl, and does well in distracting her. Accomplished, the heiress of the Blanctorche name spares a glance, catching sight of Azrael JUST as he arrives. Blinking once, the woman again unsheathes her crop, catching that weapon on its edge, absorbing the blow.
It's then, as the woman sheathes that black crop at her side again, she catches a flicker of movement from Riko. Returning her attention to the girl, she does little more than hop up, jump roping over the lengthy wire, letting it whiz beneath her. As she descends, however, her hand tenses around the braided hilt of the crop.
One motion. It's one motion, a fluid withdraw and thrust of that sleek crop toward Riko, but it's enough to herald three points of silvery-white light and send them soaring at the girl, with hopes of knocking her back.
Azrael's attack is caught, but the nature of the weapon striking several times is especially punishing; perhaps not as far as harming Elisabeth goes, but it might numb the arm she uses to hold that crop a bit might more than would be expected. There's almost no time between the block of his attack and Elisabeth's vaulting of that chain while throwing out those beams of light at Riko, and Azrael frowns slightly, knowing there's nothing he can do to try and help her now. And rushing in at the moment might serve only for him to miss and accidentally strike his teammate instead, which would be a really, really bad thing. So instead he waits it out, once again looking for chinks in her armor, trying to find a way to get past her guard like he did originally. Hey, maybe he'll find one again!
COMBATSYS: Azrael focuses on his next action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/--=====/=======|
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Riko with Etancher.
Glancing Blow
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/=======/=======|
Meanwhile, in the United States of Riko, the government has declared a state of national emergency. Really. Riko's eyes are certainly wide enough to count as geography, and they're not exactly willing to welcome any Elisabethian invaders.
Especially not invaders of the chi kind. Those silvery bursts look /nasty/.
As they spiral towards her, Riko springs into motion. She tosses the audio-jack end of her headphone cable -straight upwards-. And it -keeps- flying, the wire extending to nearly impossible lengths.
Well. Actually, nothing's impossible. Not if you have the foresight to modify the drastically oversized earpieces of your stereo headphones with an incredibly compact spool.
A soundless 'clink' from above as the jack, magnetized by chi, makes contact with the arena rafters far overhead. Riko hauls herself /vertical/. The first chi burst scorches her, damaging her sash and t-shirt...but the second and third fly clear.
Riko continues winching herself up, dangling upside down.
"Jeez," she complains to Elisabeth, in a distinctly fake voice of irritation, "you're already so much better than us, do you need to /rub it in/?"
COMBATSYS: Riko gains composure.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/------=/=======|=======\=------\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/-======/=======|
The bursts of light strike Riko, leaving a lasting mark across the poor kid's sash and shirt. She hangs...upside-down? Frowning slightly, the woman lands, a soft click of heels on hard floor before she draws her eyes shut. Another stalemate? To make sure, the woman opens a single eye, casting it toward Azrael. He's not coming either. Well, this doesn't work well, does it? Someone has to move.
So Elisabeth will do it, if they want to be that way. Mildly annoyed at best, the woman pivots on her heel and darts for the odd youth, Elisabeth takes to the air, soaring at him with a leg coiled beneath her. Only as she closes in does she snap a leg out, looking to smack Azrael across the face with the heel of her boot.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Azrael with Light Kick.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////////// ]
Azrael 1/---====/=======|=======\=------\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 1/-======/=======|
Azrael is relieved when Riko manages to avoid the brunt of Elisabeth's attack, having realized the danger those beams of light would have put her in if they had all connected. He only has a short moment to enjoy what's mostly an evasion, because Elisabeth is suddenly coming straight at him. He tries the maneuver Riko did at the beginning of the fight, trying to jump backwards just enough to avoid the kick, managing only to buy a short amount of time before the heel smacks him in the face. He winces painfully from the hit, stumbling backwards a short ways. "Nice kick." Complimenting his opponent? Why not, it -was- a nice kick.
He studies Elisabeth closely for a very short moment, and then eases his hands back on his weapon, gripping it near the end of one blade and then stabs hard for her chest. If the stab connects a large current of chi will flow through the weapon and stun her so that he can reel back to deliver several powerful blows across her body rather than the several relatively weak ones he normally uses.
Wait for it...wait for it...
Suspended overhead, like some sort of demented teenage skater bat, Riko watches the clash from her inverted position. Azrael's taking Elisabeth head-on. A complex combo he's planning. She can see that from his movements alone. She nods, once, to herself.
Time to help his odds.
When Azrael makes his move, so too does Riko. She kicks off her vertical perch - but swings before she does, so she drops back to the ground at an oblique angle...
Her flight would take her past Elisabeth. To her right and behind.
No contact. She'd miss the woman entirely.
On the other hand, when Riko flies, she forms her hands into the Ram seal. And as she glides past Elisabeth, she snakes an arm forward, releasing an extremely damaging, but more importantly, extremely /BLINDING/ blast of point-blank all-suffusing chi.
A distraction for Azrael, if all goes well.
It's really. Really. BRIGHT.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Azrael's Morbid Massacre.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////////// ]
Azrael 1/---====/=======|=======\==-----\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/---====|
COMBATSYS: Riko successfully hits Elisabeth with Houdini.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > ///////////// ]
Azrael 1/---====/=======|=======\====---\1 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/---====|
Her kick strikes, and in turn a compliment. Nice kick? "Merci," she replies, rebounding off the youth's face and landing a short distance away. With one smooth motion the heiress rises fully, a hand seeking out her hip once more. Her expression is calm and composed. Blue eyes narrow slightly, observing both. What will they do next, she wonders. It's just a matter of watching, and waiting.
First, Azrael. Charging at her, the woman watches and, with another smooth motion, she moves her hand. Lifting it suddenly and swiftly, her forearm blocks the incoming weapon by striking his forearm away, deflecting the attack. At her side, her fist glows. Then, Riko.
Furrowing her brows, she tries to shrug off THAT attack, a hand shooting out in an attempt to simply absorb what of the blow she can. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The result? Struck, the woman skids back a few feet. Her hand continues to glow. Then?
Lifting her hand up, she simply opens a hand, her palm blazing with white chi. A beat and the area around her and the stage erupts in bursts of silvery-white light, a brilliant light show meant to snag both fighters from either side of her and juggle them about before it fades. Whether they're hit or not, well.
Elisabeth is looking pretty winded.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Azrael with Noble Brass.
[ \\\ < > //////////// ]
Azrael 2/<<<<<<</<<<<<<<|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ <
Riko 0/-------/---====|
To put it succinctly, Azrael attempts to simply get the hell out of the way when the lightshow begins, which is pretty much impossible when the entire stage is lit up. His attack hadn't managed to do much to Elisabeth, but Riko's attack sure hit her dead on, so the previous maneuver hadn't been a complete loss. The attack against Azrael goes off without a hitch, and he's simply flattened to the ground. There's just about nothing he can do to stop it, really.
He looks completely fried once he the attack is over, laying on the ground on his back with his weapon just laying over the top of him. He's not knocked out or dead, but he sure hurts like hell. He was blown so far away from Elisabeth by the attack that there's no way he can try and hit her, so the only thing he can really do is... try to get back up.
COMBATSYS: Azrael takes no action.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
COMBATSYS: Azrael can no longer fight.
[ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
Flop.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Riko with Noble Brass.
[ \\\\\\\\\\ < > //////////// ]
Riko 1/---====/=======|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
The first thing that crosses Riko's mind is:
Okay, wow, that's one really big attack.
The second thing that crosses Riko's mind is:
It's probably a good thing this arena floor is the most heavily renforced in Hong Kong.
The third thing:
Well, a good thing for the building owners, anyway. Probably not for me, since I'm going to be hitting it after being juggled in the air by successive waves of immense chi.
And the fourth thing:
I hate it when I'm right.
...
"Ouchie," Riko moans, as she hauls herself upright. Her skates slip in all directions before she finds her balance. Or at least part of her balance. The other part looks like it's been lost somewhere in rural Alaska without a road map. She gives her head a firm shake, focusing her eyes back on the battlefield.
Such as it is, anyway. She takes stock of the situation, her mind working fast. Her partner's out. There he is, sprawled on the ground. She can see him just barely stirring ... but no, he's probably not a factor. Not any longer. Then there's Elisabeth. -She's- standing. Not good.
The roar of the crowd reaches fever pitch, the cries from the spectators pounding through the arena.
Riko smiles.
Yeah, maybe this is a lost cause. But if she's going, she's going with style.
A faint blue flicker runs through her skates. Down the plates, over the wheels. She straightens, suddenly. Makes a couple of experimental motions.
Then she's -off-. Racing forward, arms pumping. Aiming to loop round Elisabeth in a complete circle.
And as she does, her skates leave glowing trails of chi on the floor. When she breaks off...
The audience gets to see /another/ massive geyser of chi. This time blue. Made of lightning.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth just-defends Riko's Level 360 EX!
[ \\\\\\\\\\\ < > /////////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/---====|-------\-------\0 Elisabeth
The display is enough to practically illuminate the stadium, bursts of white light erupting, prisms of light flickering and dancing about. It's brilliant and blinding, the attack, the light a testament to the Blanctorche talents. This is Noble Brass. This is the all Elisabeth has. It would be an insult to them to do otherwise.
Standing at its center, the woman's hand is held high, her palm closed as it glows brightly. Boom after boom, lights around buffet and juggle the fighters, sending them rocking about mercilessly. It feels like forever. In fact, it's mere seconds. Then, the grief ends, and either fighter is released of its awful embrace, to fall to the floor.
First falls Azrael. Glancing aside, the heiress offers a frown of sorts, eyes hooding slightly as she watches his fallen form. Try as he might, the youth does not rise. SNF crews begin readying their medical supplies. Next, is Riko, tougher stuff than her comrade, despite the awful beating she just took. Her frown, however faint, remains as she turns to acknowledge the ninja. The girl has tenacity. She has strength and indomitable spirit.
Elisabeth can respect this.
Holding her ground as the girl charges forward, the Frenchwoman waits. Skating circles around her, she watches patiently, those dark blues taking note of the floor. Then it comes, that feeling at the back of her neck. Chi. She's ready for it. In fact, more ready than ever. She pushes THROUGH it, seemingly unscathed by the bursts of lightning. And her attack sends her lunging right for Riko, a blur.
And she has a hand reeled back. Why? She's looking to just slap the girl right across the face. Pretty swiftly, too.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Riko with Feiderite.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ////////////// ]
Riko 0/-------/=======|=------\-------\0 Elisabeth
Riko's head snaps back. Rather painfully, since she's still in mid-motion when Elisabeth lashes out. Caught as she skates. She reels, drunkenly. But stays, somehow, on her feet. Somehow staying on her wheels. She narrows her eyes, skids to a stop...and then whirls round, accelerating again. Like a rocket, chi surging through her skates.
Now, Riko's an inventive sort. That's why she's put wires in her skates, in her wheels. Metal components, all the rudiments of an electric brush motor.
And she's got chi that can generate alternating current.
She moves. Fast. Barreling towards Elisabeth.
Oh no, she ain't going down that easily.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth fails to counter One Hit Wonder EX from Riko with Mirage Derriere.
[ \\\\\\\ < > ///////// ]
Riko 0/-------/-------|===----\-------\0 Elisabeth
Slapped, a ring of flesh on flesh echoes between them, causing the poor girl to skid back and reel about. Impressing the audience and the heiress herself, she maintains her footing. The woman knits her brows slightly, head tilting. Her tenacity is impressive, indeed. But she won't give up, not yet.
Watching at the girl nears, the heiress again paints the air with chi, trying to stop the girl and strike her. Unfortunately, her tenacity proves greater; struck, the woman goes staggering, a hand clutching her gut, where the wound from Azrael weeps a little.
Riko slides back, recoiling slightly after the attack. She continues her backward slide away from Elisabeth. By this point, she's too tired herself to do much else. Yeah, she's barely on her feet. But before she moves entirely away from Elisabeth...her hands come together, forming into a familiar seal. She's done this before. She'll do it again.
At near-zero range, Riko explodes with electric chi.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Riko's Light Fantastic.
[ \\\\\\ < > //////// ]
Riko 0/-------/------=|===----\-------\0 Elisabeth
Yes. Like Riko, the Blanctorche heiress is winded herself, evident by the way her shoulders sag, her lips parted as she tries to catch her breath. Still, like the ninja, Elisabeth is holding her own. She has to. It's all she can do. Anything less would make her look foolish.
Thus as Riko explodes with energy, Elisabeth holds her ground. Bracing herself, she catches the girl as she barrels into her. She does not push her away. Instead, dipping low, the woman suddenly delivers a brisk uppercut to the ninja's jaw. It's not enough to send her skyrocketing, but enough to stagger her back a few steps.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth successfully hits Riko with Quick Punch.
[ \\\ < > //////// ]
Riko 0/-------/----===|====---\-------\0 Elisabeth
And on the chin, Riko takes it. That kind of blow would be incredibly painful to her under normal circumstances. Her entire spine curves with the impact. It knocks her clear off her feet, sends her spilling to the ground on her back.
Riko pants heavily, her ribcage heaving. Even the very act of drawing breath /hurts/, damnit. She's not bloody-minded enough to deny that. Or ignore it entirely. Her vision's blurred, she knows she can't get back up. Can't stand, not anymore.
But before the blackness claims her, she gathers up every last spark of chi she has. Then -forces- the air around her to ionize. For a moment, just a moment, electrons line up...
...just right...
...ignition.
A brilliant blue spark jumps through the air, dancing towards the black metal buttons on Elisabeth's jacket.
COMBATSYS: Riko can no longer fight.
> //////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Elisabeth
And then Riko lies still. What, you expected her to get up? No, she blew her special effects budget for the month already.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth blocks Riko's Metamysticparallectrolysis.
> /////// ]
|====---\-------\0 Elisabeth
The strike hits, causing the poor skate-bound ninja girl to reel back, and ultimately slap down to the ground, a heaping mess of pain and suffering. One look at Elisabeth shows she's no better herself. The heiress is panting, trying hard to breathe. The front of her pristine white coat, now tattered by the slashes of Riko's teammate's blade, are stained a rich brown. She's bleeding and tired.
But she's tenacious. Like the ninja-girl.
The air electrifies, that familiar tingle at the back of the woman's neck as the air ionizes between them. Another display? Furrowing her brows, Elisabeth's hand lowers, tensing around the crop at her side. Watching, waiting. Anticipating.
With one motion the heiress whips out her crop, one hand hold its tip as the other holds the braided hilt. As the spark flies her crop thrusts forward, blocking the majority of it. A few sparks whiz by, singing her face and causing her to wince slightly, but otherwise, Elisabeth holds her ground.
When Riko falls, the Blanctorche heiress falls to her knees. A blare of a horn and a shrill announcement declares her the victor. She, however, ignores it. She can't hear it. She's trying to catch her breath.
COMBATSYS: Elisabeth has ended the fight here.
Log created by Elisabeth, and last modified on 10:30:15 03/24/2007.