2751/WMAT BQ1 Moonfin (Starflot) vs Black Knightmare (Amalthea)

WMAT BQ1 Moonfin (Starflot) vs Black Knightmare (Amalthea)
Date of Scene:	07 August 2015
Location:	Papaya Island - Stadium
Synopsis:	Starbound Flotilla's Moonfin meets The Black Knightmare in the WMAT qualifiers!
Cast of Characters:	395, 626, Starbound Flotilla
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The Starbound Flotilla was only allowed to send one person for the WMAT; the entire gang can't participate all at once, but they're here in spirit. And physically, too!

    "Cameras?"
    "Aye, matey."
    "Lights."
    "This is ridiculous. Lights active."
    "Sound system."
    "Checked like doubles, ready to go."
    "Holosystems."
    "Affirming. No errors detected."
    "Pyrotechnics."
    "Floran checksss, promissse not to burn."
    "Let's give them a show."

    The rest of the Core Fleet captains will not be interfering in the fight. Instead, they are manning stage equipment at the sidelines. Equipment hums to life in preparation for the arrival of the combatant, Moonfin of the Starbound Flotilla!!

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin arrives with a walk that is very clearly meant to be as theatrically humble as possible. Just milking the humility there. He's not in his armor quite yet; that comes later. On his approach, though, theatricality goes wild. Pyrotechnics fire off, a swarm of drone cameras surround him, dramatic eastern-style samurai-esque music plays with an intensely modernized harsh kind of beat, a series of spotlights focus on him, and tremendous, ornate, holographically projected gates form ahead and behind each step, flickering out of reality when he passes in a shower of light.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Once he reaches the center, he places his hand on the hilt of his blade, still sheathed at the Matter Manipulator at his side. This cues the armor; with a brilliant blue light, it forms around him. Light durasteel plate styled after ancient diving equipment, with heavy influences from the armor of samurais. The faceplate fills with cyan light as a HUD lights up and obscures his vision. The holosystems now dedicate themselves to projecting an array of outrageously intimidating statistics about the armor. He keeps his hand on the blade and does not move, silently and motionlessly preparing for the Black Knightmare's arrival.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    And then the arena darkens... A cloying cold mist gusting over the ring as the crowd hushes. The cheers for Moonfin's opponent are not as pronounced as the applause given for the Hylotl as the lights dim, and the entrance on the opposite side of the arena opens with a heavy creak of the entryway.

    And then the music stars.

    An air raid siren over the sounds of gunfire and helicopter blades, a din of the sounds of battle and an electric guitar.

    The Black Knightmare's pace is slow and unhurried, an easy trudge of heavy metal shod boots as the armored figure approaches the fighting grid. Though short in stature, every step carries a ringing, resounding, clatter of dark plating as black as the night itself. Finally, finally, the dark armored foe comes to a halt, a low hiss of steam visibly filtering through seams in that nightmarishly barbed armor, one baleful blue eye visible through the slats in the bladed helmet. One one hand holding a heavy kite shield, the other a sword of equally dark steel, Moonfin's foe stands ready. Waiting. Wordless, and staring. It lasts for a long, long, moment.

    "This is your only warning. Stand aside. Or fall. Your choice. I won't care."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "Of all the principles a Hylotl must hold himself to, the most important is this: In all things exemplify perfection to any who see you." Moonfin says, remaining silent. The holosystems begin showing tremendous square panes bearing the countdown all around Moonfin, ominous and intense, shown in a harsh red. 10, 9, 8... While the Black Knightmare's only showing one blue eye, Moonfin shows one red one. Behind the HUD, his enemy will be able to see a single red eye open. "And perfection demands neither. You shall not have your apathy, but you shall have your choice. It is this:" As is appropriate for a Hylotl, he makes sure this is as theatrical as possible; his body and his armor begin to emit a aura of power and crackling lightning that intensifies without any motion or sound from Moonfin.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "Fifth Sea Hylotl Style: Lightning Striking Stormy Oceans." When the clock hits zero, Moonfin moves in a single swift motion. His intent is obvious, but there's only a moment to see it: The traditional first strike of a theatrical sort of samurai, trying to flash-step inside the Black Knightmare's defenses and draw his blade along her torso. This one's a POWER KATANA, humming with energy along its elegantly engraved surface. The safety subroutines will let it work at full power in every strike short of a killing blow. He seems to be seeing if this can end in one dramatic strike; his flourishing pose at the end, having stepped behind his foe, gives the enemy no regard, instead drawing in a sudden rush of spotlights to frame him strikingly!

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "WOOO! GO MOONFIN!!" Although here in the capacity as one of the officially registered medics for the tournament, Kyra is hanging out behind the scenes with the rest of the Flotilla core fleet. "One shot KO!" Kyra chants, "One shot KO! One shot KO!" Probably not going to happen, but she'll cheer on the drama anyway.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "Perfection..." It's a soft murmur of repetition as the dark armored knight. While Moonfin is so grandiose and theatric, the Knightmare just... Stands there. Showing no signs of getting ready, no signs of preparation, simply standing there and waiting for a long moment, that lone eye locking gaze, cobalt against scarlet.

    And then the Hylotl is off. But where Moonfin roils with visible aura and holographic effects, it just... Waits. And it's rewarded with violence. As soon as the countdown comes to an end and he's off, the black figure still hasn't made a move on the offensive. Until that intense burst of speed brings the two together. It may not end particularly as the Hylotl had planned. Those reflexes must be insane, the way the shield is brought up and swung aside in a vicious parry. Even as the power katana bites through an edge of the dark steel and into the arm beyond, the act is like viciously opening a door, fast and with intent to smack both the blow and the Starbounder aside. And then... Like a completely typical villain, then comes the demand.

    "Show me."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin completes the assault and finds his attack lacking. After the flourish, he examines his free arm, where his enemy's violent parry struck on his way past, bruising the skin below. The armor there is crumpled and battered. "Remarkable." He says, in a disdainful tone, shaking his arm just enough to allow power conduits to reconnect before grasping his katana in hands again. He's a bit brutally bruised under the armor, but barely shows it. "Then you shall see what I speak of." He mutters, bringing his sword up to another dramatic position.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The next attack is once more prefaced with those dramatic words. "Fourth Sea Hylotl Style: Warship Tossed by Waves." And he rushes in for another new strike. It looks, for a moment, like how he'd struck before, ready to draw the blade along his enemy's body. But with a sudden shift, he ducks down low, practically sliding as his armor flares with motion-enhancing technologies and he dodges away from any repeat of that parry... He slides along the ground on one knee and the side of one foot, intending to go under the shield and lower his center of gravity, as well as his angle of attack.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    With a single flourishing twirl, he attempts to slice through the back of one of the Black Knightmare's legs at the joint and skid right past them before the inevitable retribution, hoping to send them down to one knee. If they intend to stay still, Moonfin intends to move in for rapid hit-and-run strikes like this, and to KEEP them still.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    And of course, once he skids to a stop, Moonfin does a quick dramatic gesture that's well-practiced to help him immediately rise to his feet in a single fluid motion. None of his move seem to ever be done without a dramatic gesture name before and a dramatic gesture after.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    This time the energized blade finds better purchase. This time that defense isn't so impenetreble. It happens rather fast as the dark armored figure still hasn't opted to move just yet.

    "Just get it over with and come at me already." Grunted in a gruff and sneering tone as the amphibious fighter declares his next strike. The parry isn't attempted again, that would be too predictable, but the sidestep isn't fast enough in coming.

    Give the warrior credit, he does not gasp nor flinch from the pain as it cuts into a joint of that dark armor, earning a shower of sparks, and the red glow of heated metal- cooled by a slow trickle of liquid silver. To anyone else the blow would be crippling, it is staggering in fact but gauntlet-clad fingers ball into a tight fist, ignoring the pain through a sheer effort of will. But retaliation is swift and vicious in coming. That black blade is drawn, clasped in a white-knuckle grasp as the Knightmare wheels about, armor screeching metal against metal in a shrill and un-oiled sound much like a screeching bird of prey in strike. The intent is fairly simple; To bring that dark blade down on Moonfin's back while he's still in passing transit.

    It probably earns some boos and jeers.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "Ugh! YOU'RE NOT STYLISH ENOUGH TO BE A THIEF!" Kyra heckles the Black Knightmare. "MOONFIN, END THIS CLASSLESS CHUMP!" It's pretty clear from Kyra's tone that she's ENTIRELY DISENCHANTED with Moonfin's opponent.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The blade slams brutally into the armor at Moonfin's back. But as it comes down, the Black Knightmare gets to hear a sudden kiai. "HAAAAAH!" He calls out, slipping his blade over his back. The intense impact transmits brutally through his back, but he has a chance to spread it to his arms and blunt some of the wounding. And then, forcing himself to stand while still locking the blades together. There's a quick bow-like nod to Kyra, who he's kept an eye on, before he does something utterly unexpected.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    He does not waste time with turning around to meet the Black Knightmare directly. Instead, his brutalized back armor remains bared to his foe. All three of his eyes close and he rushes them, stepping BACKWARDS. He's doing his damndest to catch her off-guard with incredibly unconventional sudden strikes; trying to keep that blade locked against hers so she cannot strike, he tries to use the extra time he bought by refusing to spend half a second turning around backflip over his foe before she can get her shield up, intending to strike at her from above with a heavy slash to the helm before landing behind her again, and attempting to do yet another flash-step attack at her back!

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    His intent should be obvious: Make it impossible to simply face one direction to take him on. He intends to strike from many angles; first the angle from her front, and then from her back once more, before flashing by before she can -- hopefully -- turn around. "Third Sea Hylotl Style: Piranha Swarm."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Blades lock, sparks fly. Unfortunately for all of Kyra's jeering, the Knightmare isn't TRYING to be stylish.

    Leaning in while blades hold, the whisper is as cold as a tomb's breath in Moonfin's ear.

    "Your fans will find themselves sorely disappointed."

    Of course it's caught by the microphones, rendering it not the most private jab as the Hylotl explodes into that flurry of motion once again, even without turning. And the first of that flurry does indeed catch the armored bulk of the Knightmare off guard, only barely reacting in time to get their own dark blade in the path, dulling the impact but not wholly stopping it from punching at chestplating.

    But to be passive and let the rest of the blows come would be to play a losers game of waiting. And they do come from unexpected and bewildering angles, armor shooting sparks with each ringing impact on impact on impact slams home and hits with stunning force. Yet...

    Yet the final blow doesn't come. After taking a beating, in a complete display of some kind of monstrous level of endurance, the dark knight does not turn, but slings sword back over shoulder, halting the blow from behind with an eruption of firefly sparks and light.

    "Your speed is worthy of respect." Given grudgingly. But that's about it before a twist of the armored warrior's wrist attempts to knock the katana away, body flowing with a speed and grace wholly out of place in that screeching armor as the motion smoothly swerves, clutching the sword's hilt like a baseball bat and swinging for the stands in the same twirling motion to face Moonfin once again.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The Dark Knightmare successfully manages to disarm Moonfin with a surprised cry. It slams into the ground blade down, of course, easy to pick up soon, but not quite yet. This is where things get extra theatrical, though. Amalthea goes to swing at Moonfin's midsection and launch him elsewhere, but he shows off a surprising degree of genuine skill for a moment. No fancy words, no flourish, nothing like that. Instinctually, he frees both hands and, as the sword comes around, goes to catch it in a pair of armored gauntlets.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The gauntlets clasp around the blade on either side, utterly blunting the sharpness of the strike, but not preventing its damage entirely. The physical shock transmits through his arms and into his body, provoking a heavy grunt. Both gauntlets spark and sputter as systems inside them overload, but there's a tremendous burst of pyrotechnics and an intense musical sting that comes with the cameras getting a close-up of the bare-handed blade block, and his armor flares with a brilliant cyan fire. He's knocked back several feet, drawing a heavy trench in the ground, but he stays on his feet.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "For the Hylotl, blades are an extension of the soul." He says, in the brief gap afforded to him by the distance between them. Shaking his hands, the shredded fingers of his gauntlets fall apart, and he shrugs off layers of shattered armor at his back. He cracks the knuckles of his webbed fingers dramatically. "To disarm me is not to take my power. But it is worthy of note. I offer you the same respect you hold for me. However, this duel is far from over." He takes a dramatic martial arts stance here, prepared to move in using hand-to-hand combat.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    There's another rush of cyan fire. When he dashes in, this time, it comes with luminescent afterimages, a sign of activating his armor's DASH TECH function. Darting back and forth, zipping around with tremendous speed, he attempts to give the impression that he might attack from anywhere in a 180 degree range of his angle on the Black Knightmare. "First Sea Hylotl Style: Swordfish Strike." When he goes in for a heavy chop with the still-armored side of his hand, he's coming in low and sliding close to the ground again. He's going for that wound he made on the Black Knightmare's knee! If he can land the strike, it'll be as bad as a fresh wound from his own katana.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    As sword is cast aside and swing captured in gauntlets, the moment hangs for a dramatic beat. The scrape of metal on metal keens until the blade is released. "I would be wholly disappointed if that were the case." Given in reply to noting that being disarmed isn't going to stop the blademaster Hylotl.

    Of course there's that calling of attacks again. The blaze of motion and light make it difficult to track, but going low seems to have much better results this time. Especially if going for that already injured leg. The Knightmare's endurance is astounding, but it proves that the Knightmare can feel pain.

    It's a snarl that sounds out. A bestial growl of surprise as the blow nearly takes the dark armored beast off footing, knee joint leaking a glowing liquid silver flow and forcing the Knightmare to favor the leg.

    But not to put them down entirely. The wounded leg comes back down in a stomp, intent on putting the weight of all that plating down in a severe kick before letting the injured knee buckle and following it down with the edge of that ebon shield, wielding it like a heavy steel cudgel.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Three swift motions. The stomp nearly crushes Moonfin's hand, which is mostly unarmored. With all the force the Black Knightmare can use here, Moonfin would have lost that, if it weren't for the speedy retreat of that hand. A second motion, swift as the first, moves just as effectively. Moonfin is a fishman, a Hylotl; his motions are like water. The shield was more than likely to shatter his torso armor and fracture several ribs, but when the Black Knightmare swings it, he's not there anymore.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The second swift motion was to slip around that strike like a stream, bending in practiced but inhuman ways, arching his back such that the edge of that shield passes barely over the rim of the diving-helmet's opening. Launching off of his feet and onto his hands, Moonfin swiftly does a back handspring away from the swinging shield and snatches up the handle of his blade on the way, skidding back. The stress and close-shave danger of that elaborate three-part dodge maneuver clearly filled him with a tremendous amount of adrenaline, judging by the panting breathing and thee tense stance.

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    "NOT DISAPPOINTED YET!" Kyra finally heckles back after Moonfin's masterful set of dodges. She actually let out a held breath as she yelled that, previously fearing that she'd witness the Black Knightmare taking off the Hylotl's hand.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    He calms his breathing in an instant, assuming the cliche Calm Samurai mannerisms, and grasping his sword in both hands now, held in a defensive posture between himself and Amalthea. "And as you can see, a Hylotl never disappoints." He says, forcing a calmly smug tone despite how much effort it took to pull off that attack and that dodge. "I belive we may now both agree that the waters are tested rather enough. It is now time to take our plunge into the deep end."

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "Fourth Sea Hylotl Style: Surge of the Icebreaker." And Moonfin darts in with another speed-enhanced rush, first with a heavy series of jabs, and then with an elaborate, theatrical rush of low slashes and overhead swipes. His motions are dance-like, rhythmic, and artistic. "You have shown me, now, your brute strength and force. Tell me, Knightmare, do you possess a soul that can match the artistry of battle as much as it can match its brute force?" He's not doing hit and run now, that dodge really amped up some of his confidence.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Brute strength is one way of terming it, certainly. But there's something else beneath the bestial might of the Knightmare's every motion. A fluid ease of motion that says... They're holding back. Or at least they were, until that flurry of blows hails upon armor. For a moment, the knight is on the back foot, armor denting with ringing impacts, shield brought to bear to absorb and weather the storm, by the time it's up, two furrows have been left on the battle grid, where they had dug in boots and still got forced back ever so slowly.
    "A soul?" The murmur is so soft it's nearly lost under the din of the crowd cheering Moonfin on. "I have barely showed you anything." Hissed in reply. Before the Knightmare roars. It's a sound that can be found somewhere between the dirging tolls of a church bell and a lion, and then the surge might come as a surprise.

    Even on that injured leg, the dark armored figure picks self up several strides closing the distance. Shield held out like a wall, that dark blade is raised, readied with a practiced and professional economy of motion to place it in prime position for lash out, yet without telegraphing a blow too openly.

    "You'll forgive me if I don't float."

    Yet that blade does. A glimmer of light reflecting off the dark edge as it lashes out, repeated thrusts bearing that razor tip in a rain of flashing steel.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin takes the blow heavily. His blade attempts a series of parries that does not come through; the sword strikes, heavily, against Moonfin's body, evoking a small spray of blood, a wide burst of bruising, and an explosion of ablating armor as the Durasteel torso-piece explodes in sequential pieces, as does part of Moonfin's helmet. His rush is stopped utterly, faltering and then retreating under the lashing-out thrusts. The only reason that he winds up avoiding taking a blow that would qualify the Dark Knightmare as the winner is because he takes a rough, tumbling roll away from them, putting a lot of distance between the swordsmen.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    As he tumbles away from the lashing strikes, he leaves a trail of armor. The front torso armor, much of the gauntlets, large portions of the back, and parts of the helmet are absent now, ripped off of his body. This means the helmet, with its holographic HUD flickering from the damage, can't hide the fact that he's panting with exertion now. "Remarkable. I will see all you have to offer, then. Or you shall find that the sea will drown you." And with that, he plunges his sword blade-down into the ground again.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin, of course, does not mind the Dark Knightmare's 'heel' behavior. In fact, he seems to go along with it, reveling in the chance to take on someone with a similarly theatrical nature, even if it's a little more direct than his. He turns, instead, to the crowds, taking a moment at this distance to be dramatic, tearing off the remaining wreck of his helmet as he speaks to them. "Then shall I grant this knightly beast their prompt? Shall we delve deep into these depths and see what they truly have to show?" He is a showman at heart, and he does his damndest to whip the crowd into a bit of a fury.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "Of course I shall." He turns back, pounding one broken-gauntleted fist into the opposite palm with enough force that it shatters off, and making dozens of spotlights center around him. He raises his bare, rather bloodied hand and points to the sky. "It is time to bring out the /Spellsword Project/!" And from above, with the help of the SFS Connoisseur, a tremendous red light descends on him from above, releasing a heavy shockwave when it lands, alongside a sting of multiple fireworks going off. What emerges from that red light is something that a few have gotten the chance to see: Moonfin in Spellsword armor. Unlike the Durasteel armor, which was styled more after an anachronistic diving outfit, this one is fully styled after a high-ranking feudal soldier's armor. The sleek, dark cyan armor is clearly powered, as it has amped up his size to a full seven, perhaps eight feet, and steaming mists of depleted Erchius scream out of ports in its back. The japanese stylings to it are enhanced by the presence of holographic-looking panes of light that resolve into reality over it, giving it a luminescent suit of additional armor layering.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    From his back, he draws a MUCH larger blade. It's a HEAVY POWER KATANA, with an array of ELEMENTAL ENHANCEMENTS. It's meant for someone his size, meaning nobody outside of the sort of eight-foot melee monsters that this armor turns him into would be able to wield it. The plates clank and hiss heavily, but he flicks the tremendous blade around several times in flourishing motions that indicate that this size has no downside to dexterity or speed. It also features a quick holoprojection showing that the Spellsword Armor is a Murasame Zaibatsu product, and giving some advertising information. Is he SPONSORED? "Sixth Sea Hylotl Style!" He calls out, still doing his best to whip the crowd into a frenzy. The pause is accentuated by more streams of fireworks going off over the arena between them. "Hurricane's Wrath!" And he dashes forward with a series of defensive strikes against... The shield? He's keeping a defensive posture enough that he can try to mostly block return attacks, but his extreme dexterity and strength intend, entirely, to wear that shield arm's endurance down as much as possible, to make it feel ineffectually heavy!

Kyra Hyral (626) has posed:
    Kyra falters a little, struck with the cognitive dissonance of seeing the friend she's cheering on suddenly splashed with product placement of the most heinous degree. "Oh, I didn't know the Zaibatsu was going to advertise like this too. I mean, I know they were sponsoring the WMAT this year." Yes, she saw them on the list. "GOOOO MOONFIN!"

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Stirring the crowd into a frenzy is easy. For Moonfin. They're like putty in his grasp, waiting for his every flourish like a massive collective canine consciousness salivating for a bone. And they practically FLIP OUT with the quickchange into a fresh set of armor, and a now much larger blade. In the face of it all the Knightmare stands, silent and impassive. Only a slight widening of the eye indicative of any change in expression beneath the night-colored steel of the monstrous warrior's visor.

    "You'll forgive me if I don't have anything to match in showmanship." Hissed in that hoarse neutral tone as the blade twirls and flourishes. Until Moonfin goes right for that shield. Every impact rings loud and true as the battering leaves notches and gashes in the shield's already pitted and scarred surface. That shield arm must be numb by the third or fourth blow, but... The Knightmare weathers the storm, even as every blow forces them back a pace, up until the very edge of the ring. Then, once more, like violently opening a door the shield abruptly swings outwards with explosive force, followed by a lunging step, this time the Knightmare is seeking to be the one to get inside Moonfin's guard. It's a surprisingly graceful and swooping way the blade follows, flowing in time with the knight's step, both hands grasping the hilt in an initial upward stroke, twisting the blade and bringing it back down in a crossing diagonal cut, forming an X of dark steel in motion.

    Okay maybe this one does have a little flaire to them.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    The Black Knightmare might begin to get the feeling that if he stopped being so showy all the time, he'd probably be way more effective. It seems to be a personality flaw that's especially severe in the WMAT! That's because his trained reflexive defenses seem way better than his thought-through offense. For now, the instinctual movement sweeps one arm away from his blade, crashing the armor against the blade and intending to deflect it. It didn't work entirely, no; there's a spray of sparks as it crashes into a shield and overloads several subsystems in the armor, making them form tiny surface explosions as the holo-shield dramatically blasts away in a shower of light-shards. He manages to take most of the damage to the arm's shield systems, not the torso's.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    With the shield arm hopefully numbed and jarred, Moonfin intends to strike much more directly. "Third Sea Hylotl Style: Cracking Shells." He rushes in now with a heavy knee strike to the shield from below! The intent is to force it violently up and out from between himself and the Black Knightmare, hoping to exploit that numb arm, and then hopefully, while his foe is stumbling, swing a heavy strike from her sword side. Even if she blocks with her blade, he hopes to make enough force to stagger her and, finally, get her on the defensive... But that may not work out, since the Black Knightmare's got more defensive spec than he does at the moment.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    Blocking that heavier blade with a longsword, isn't exactly going to work out very well. That's actually what the Knightmare attempts. But the result isn't so spectacular. It's stunning. Literally.

    Now there's a grunt as the larger, heavier, power katana punches through the blade's meager and hasty defense, and slams with a crash into an armored side.
    For all the beating that's been laid out, now, finally, the Knightmare is flung off feet, landing in a heaped clatter of armor with a snarl of pain.

    The crowd goes berserk, like a beast sensing blood on the water, as the collective cheers of 'Moonfin! Moonfin! Moonfin!' only get louder.

    Much to their dismay, the fight is not over, the black knight rolling with the momentum a beat longer before coming to a stop on knees.

    "I'll make you regret that."

    It's a threat. A promise of pain to come.

    A Thromise.

    One intended to be acted out right then and there. Rather than let the weight of that battered shield slow their fighting, they dump it, the heavy black steel clattering to the arena floor as the Knightmare now takes a dedicated two-handed stance with their blade, hold it up and to the side, stepping in once footing is regained in a sweeping slash, putting the twisting motion of hips and waist to add force to the swing, its followup, and then a third horizontal cut.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin takes a mirroring position when the Black Knightmare dumps her shield. "One must never regret the actions of perfection." He says. Of course, this is entirely wrong; the triple slash combo lands square on his torso this time, only partially deflected on the first couple of attacks. The armor crumples and a spray of light and sparks blast out of his body. He can roll with the strikes, but no amount of fluid affinity can make him avoid the blows. There's tremendous bruising and exhaustion under the armor, and a brilliant lightshow to go with it.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    He has to ENERGY-DASH, rapidly, back from the Black Knightmare to avoid a fourth and fifth blow, grunting heavily in pain. "Remarkable, but inadequate. I do not regret pain; a blade does not regret the heat it is forged in." He says, through audibly gritted teeth. He takes a crouching position then, doing another array of flourishes meant to build up hype for what comes next, before something seems to finish charging in merely a second or two, and a scream of depleted Erchius can be heard gushing out of the ports in his back. He LEAPS up into the air, rather high! His arc is framed by striking holographic spotlights that show off his height, and frame the dramatic pose he takes it in!

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    And then, from mid-air, he begins a tremendous somersaulting spin, blade out aggressively. Something is set off up there; there's a HUGE gush of brilliant cyan flame as Moonfin's POWER SLAM tech activates! His acceleration downwards is intensely multiplied from that of gravity's. He intends to smash down onto the Black Knightmare from above now that she's lost her shield, with a tremendous strike that will crater the ground and emit a gushing, fiery shockwave, whether or not it slams into his foe's armor or his foe's blade. Even if it's head-on blocked, the attack ought to transfer so much momentum and force that the ground will crater under the knight's feet instead! And of course, as is always audible: "Sixth Sea Hylotl Style: Smiting Hail of the Tempest!" His impact will be emphasized with a lot of close-ups from those camera drones, a lot of pyrotechnics going off, and a lot of lights amping up in intensity!

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    "I did not say I'd pay you back in pain."

    The Knightmare replies, halting after the third stroke, the fourth being a mere feint and the fifth never coming at all as they re-steady themself and regain balance and footing. That injured leg is slowing the dark knight down, even if they do an astounding job acting as though the pain weren't so inconveniencing.

    "You won't be able to say you're so perfect if you're not the victor."

    Oh now someone is talking big. It's more classic typical villainous intent right up until the Starbounder takes to the air. Inwardly, Amalthea is cursing ditching her jump pack for this role, but such is life, as the Hylotl decides to come back down. The reaction in the face of the shockwave is too late. Try as the dark knight may to tumble roll away, the concussive blast crumples the armored foe to the battle grid. And for a long moment... There's silence... Motionlessness. It would most certainly seem over, like Moonfin has won, and the crowd is completely losing it.

    Until they all let out a collective gasp.

    One dark gauntlet suddenly snaps forward, intent to get around an ankle and YANK. It's a violent attempt tp pull Moonfin to ground as well, as the Black Knightmare tilts head up with a snarl, lunging to bring that spiked and bladed helmet forward in the sudden and terrible reprisal of a headbutt.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin strikes a pose of dramatic victory, sheathing his sword with a dramatic click at the exact moment that the Dark Knightmare's gauntlet lashes forward. His armor is heavy, but it's not THAT heavy, compared to the high strength of his foe. When she goes in for a headbutt, shield systems spark and blast out quickly and powerfully, creating an explosion of light shards as the holoshielding around his head overloads all at once. Moonfin is knocked away by the force of the strike, stumbling back while his samurai-styled helmet disintegrates around him. He's clearly bleeding and VERY bruised. One of his three eyes is swollen from the impact and he seems dazed and exhausted!

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    With his head now bared, he at first falls -- of course, stylishly and theatrically -- onto his side, at a relatively safe distance from his foe. The slowness with which he stands will give the Black Knightmare a similar chance to get to their feet. He pants and grunts through the pain, before seeming to collect himself. "Hhhhh... hhhh... Well done. It is a day unlike many when you can make the celebrations of a Hylotl be poorly timed. Consider the victory celebrations postponed, but not for long." As he gets to his feet, he reaches for the old, discarded blade he dropped before, that he has settled near.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    He cracks his neck as he draws the old blade from the ground. Compared to his HEAVY POWER KATANA, the original LIGHT POWER KATANA seems unusually small; it seems, however, that he intends to wield one blade in each hand. At his size, they work as a functional daisho pair, dual-wielded. He takes one more moment to rile the crowd, even while bleeding from the head. "It seems they take some objection to your celebration! It seems they seek an upset from what you want! Well," He brandishes the larger blade up. "It is my place to ensure a story worth your celebrations!"

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "It is time to face the /storm/!" He calls out, and then there's a sudden shockwave! The spotlights fix on the blade, making it cast dramatic shadows around, and the camera-drones go in for close-ups. It is, suddenly, saturated in a high volume of what looks like some form of fluid energy, almost water-like. He's activated the blade's ELEMENTAL ENHANCEMENTS, picking WATER affinities! Holographic tides gush around the pair dramatically. "Sixth Sea Hylotl Style: Typhoon Devastating Shores!" He declares, theatrically.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin takes a ready stance, and if the Black Knightmare hasn't yet, he waits for them to do so as well. And then, with a brilliant jet of cyan fire and afterimages, his enhanced speed closes in with a brutal charge. From here on out, his method is simple and direct. Charge the foe with rapid flash-stepped strikes and tank any parries, perform rocket-assisted leaps over them and attack from above, and infrequently attempt to step inside their defenses and go for several seconds of brutal slashing at the torso, sustained only long enough to backdash out of the inevtiable retribution. The watery enhancement seems to be an improvement to range, elongating the sword's effective range. When blocked, the fluid part of the blade seems to continue, blasting a harsh physical impact in spite of the halting of the blade. And frequently, the smaller blade is used to dart in for stylish double-strikes, meant to catch his foe off-guard. Looks like he's going for one more shake-up style change!

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    The crowd holds their breaths. A collective intake gasp as Moonfin lands. The cheers when he rises back up are damn near explosive; drowning out the creak of dark steel as the Starbounder's terrible dark foe rises to feet as well, swaying drunkenly, venting steam and hissing breath. Bets are being taken a mile a minute, odds shifting back and forth by the second, announcers blathering in every language under the sun for extra dramatic purposes, despite translation effects. Yet that lone eye is clear and lucid despite an inordinate amount of pain that would render any other fighter insensate.

    "I'm not celebrating yet."

    Whatever dire and terrible celebration the Knightmare might have planned, the crowd sure won't be cheering them, when Moonfin wields both power blades. Casually, the dark armored figure reaches down, picking up the shield from the arena floor and strapping it back on. "I envision this tale with a different ending entirely..."

    Those are word sof challenge as the Knightmare takes stance and stares down... The arena quiets... Dying down to the barest whispers of silence, quiet enough to hear the soft breath of the wind, before the charge is met from both sides. There's less flash from the Knightmare, but their speed is enough to tear great chunks out of the arena floor with every thunderous foot fall before the two meet in the very center of the stadium, blades flashing, swinging, crashing against steel and armor and light in a dazzling flurry of a breathtaking melee.

    Shield is cleaved clean in twain, new fresh gouges pit dark armor, splashes of liquid silver flying in dazzling arcs as swords swing in a whistling song of blood and violence. It's now, that Moonfin might get a true feel for his foe's style. Not simply thuggish and brute force as it seems, but there's an inhuman fluid grace and economy of motion in every swipe, even as the two trade vicious and crippling blows. It's wild and ferocious, tempred only by severe discipline, much in the same vein as handing a beast a sword and letting it teach itself.

    When the melee breaks via backdash, the Knightmare is brought to a knee, not even gasping nor breathless, but suddenly jetting black hot exhaust and still staring with that lone eye.

    Less stylish. Still quite the crowd-roaring spectacle.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Moonfin is in a bad way himself. The armor's shield systems are completely overloaded, with only some power left to dramatically frame his legs. His left arm, holding the smaller blade, has been exposed; only some protective mechanical framework remains, all the armor having been sheared off, and plates all across the torso are crumpled. "Congratulations. You've made it to the final lines of this chapter." He says, panting heavily. Blood leaks out of a gash on the arm that he uses to wipe his brow.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "Then it's time for... The FINISHING BLOW!" He calls out with a dramatic sweeping gesture. But he's not attacking yet. He is, of course, a showman as much as the Black Knightmare is. Pyrotechnics go crazy, drawing repeated circles around the ring and arcing high up. A fresh batch of camera drones swarm in and surround both combatants, some flashing brilliantly as they take still shots, others humming with recording equipment. The holography system blasts into overdrive; elements of a cliche samurai's duel setting; a flickering, tremendous, elegant tree with drifting petals and leaves all through the air, an array of holographic eastern-style swords planted blade-first in the ground, a series of large, ornate, wooden gates frames between himself and his foe. As this happens, he gets a bit more overt, calling to the crowd and gesturing widely at them, prompting more cheering. "Come on! Is that all the noise you can make? Louder! Shout so hard for the battle that the heavens themselves can hear it! /Louder/!"

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    "FIRST SEA HYLOTL STYLE!" He shouts, casting the smaller sword aside and gripping his main one in two hands, held back and to his side. He takes a stance like a runner about to start a dash. It's a prompt for Amalthea to go for one final strike as well. "RIVER MEETING SEAS!" There's a few moments that he spends on more theatricality; a gush of brilliant cyan fire, mixed with the purple mists of depleted Erchius blasting out of his back. And then he rushes in, meaning to strike at the Black Knightmare in the traditional last strike of any samurai: A single flash-stepped slice, stylishly modulated such that the damage will only be noticed several seconds after. The ending should put them back to back; whatever strike that his foe performs, this specific attack was designed to ensure he can maintain maximum stability and stylishness, and make sure that, no matter what wound he's suffered, he'll have the opportunity to dramatically flip his blade around once, elegantly graze the sheath with one side, and slip it in with a soft click timed perfectly with either the sensation of pain in his foe or the overwhelming of his own stability.

    Whatever the results, he has made sure that the holography program is designed to slice all the fake props in half as he does, leading to a flickering, bisected stage, dramatically frozen in its halved state.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
    The final lines of the chapter. But how will this story end?

    There is but one way to find out. And for the moment it seems like this chapter is at an end. the Knightmare struggles to rise again, but fails, stumbling back to kneel. The tension is at a maximum as the Hylotl declared the final strike is to come.

    Like eating right from his hand, the crowd EXPLODES, the very stadium roaring loud enough to shake the earth make eardrums bleed, in time with the pyrotechnics.

    "Then... Let us end it."

    Just barely able to stand, that dark blade is held back and to the warrior's side. Were it a katana it would be ready and waiting in its sheath, but such tactics are ill suited to a longsword.

    The Hylotl comes. And though the Knightmare cannot put on a charge of their own, they manage a single step forward, blade flashing in time with blade.

    For a long moment the two stand with backs to each other, the dark knight holding that blade in a new position, indicative of a blindingly fact slash of their own, remaining utterly still, until Moonfin clicks blade back into sheath, every single person in the audience holding their breath.

    Once again the Black Knightmare drops to knee, a vicious spray of that molten silvery blood. But still doesn't turn head to see if that dark blade has cut yet another useless thing.

Starbound Flotilla has posed:
    Something critical sparks in the armor Moonfin is wearing as his blade clicks into its sheath, and there's a spray of blood from his back. Unlike the Black Knightmare, Moonfin does not stay up. He falls to one knee, a dramatic mirror of his foe, but slumps over, falling on his side, spraying sparks as his armor tries to reboot, and then going from a dramatic, screaming hiss to a low hum as the armor begins administering first aid. Compared to the show before, it seems almost comically humble. A small holo-panel pops up above him, a built-in indi<span style="color:ator:

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Amalthea (395) has posed:
    It's a beat after Moonfin drops to knee, that the crowd wails in collective outrage. Slowly, the Black Knightmare manages to rise and stand again with one last hiss of steam.

    "You fought well. But I'm the one who closes this book today." Whispered in a hoarse murmur, broadcasted over the stadium speakers. The dark armored monster is already trudging back towards the locker rooms as the fog machines mist over the arena once more.