2832/WMAT CQ1 Takamachi Nanoha vs Fate T. Harlaown

WMAT CQ1 Takamachi Nanoha vs Fate T. Harlaown
Date of Scene:	17 August 2015
Location:	WMAT Arena - Gizard Wasteland
Synopsis:	Two best friends face each other in the WMAT qualifiers!
Cast of Characters:	306, 381
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    The designated area for the battle is pretty clear, and Nanoha lands without much fanfare. She breathes a deep, nervous breath... because she knows who she's facing. Fate, her Fate, is skilled enough... so an older one is going to be a challenge! She'll have to use every trick she knows to take 'Destiny Ferrari' by surprise then.

    Oh well. Still friendly, she flashes a smile and gives a bow. "Hello! I'm looking forward to seeing you. Let's have a good, fun match, all right?" Nanoha twirls Raising Heart into a ready stands and spreads her feet, bracing herself, even though the wings on her ankles are still glowing and present.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
Already in Sonic Form, Fate likewise descends from the skies. She smiles softly to her opponent and holds Bardiche up. "It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what you know so far!" The blonde shifts her weight slightly, glancing at her Device. There's no command given, but he chimes softly, ~Zanber Form~ before shifting into an oversized sword.

"No matter who wins, after the match, I'll treat you to some cake, all right?" It's her responsibility as the older one! Besides, she wants to make sure Nanoha's not actually afraid of her or anything.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    "If you want," Nanoha agrees, concerning the cake. Afraid? Not exactly. Wary? Probably a little. "I wouldn't mind talking a little more. I know you were just trying to help. I guess things just didn't work out, huh? But... Fate and I are happy." Probably.

    Oh well, enough chitchat. Sayeth Raising Heart, <DESTROY HER>

    Nanoha sweatdrops, then shakes her head, "Good luck!" It's a pleasant chirp... the instant before she takes off, streaking /toward/ Fate, despite her knowledge that Fate is a melee expert. Raising Heart is held up as if to strike... but a few pink spheres bolt up from behind her instead, leading with those and using her own body as a feint.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
"The situation was a little strained, and there was some misunderstanding." From the soft tone of her voice, Fate doesn't seem angry about how things happened. "I'm glad you're both happy, though!"

Raising Heart's comment gets a giggle from the older blonde. It seems she's quite used to the Device's shenanigans. ~Ready, Sir.~

Fate nods once to her Device, then again to Nanoha. "And to you as well!"

As Nanoha flies toward her, Fate takes to the air as well, speeding forward to meet the smaller mage. ~Sir~ comes a soft chime from Bardiche as the pink energy appears behind her, and Fate quickly twists her upper body, throwing her hand out to form a shield. It was... almost in time. Most of the energy balls explode against the shield, but one manages to get through just before it goes up, striking Fate and obscuring her in a cloud of pink smoke.

A moment later, the blonde emerges from the smoke, holding her Device high and swinging it out, sending an arc of energy flying from the tip of the sword. ~Zanber Saber~

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    She was expecting a counterattack, of course. Nanoha jinks to the side, a blazing pink barrier popping up... but not really quite handling the attack, which smashes into it and slices through the side of one of her wrist bracers. It scorches her on the way, but it's still a light wound at least. "Mn," she mumbles, seeing that this one is if anything FASTER than the Fate she knew.

    <ACCEL SHOOTER PHANTOM SHIFT> Raising Heart pings, but there's no actual Phantom Shift. Without Vesta, it's just a sudden stream of projectiles, spattering out in a wide spray in an attempt to catch Fate in their pattern. Nanoha does a quick soaring hook around one of the rocky pillars, trying to use it for cover against the inevitable counterattack. "I didn't expect it to be easy, though!"

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
Fate becomes a blur of motion, briefly moving so fast that she can't even be seen, not unlike her Sonic Move spell... except there's no word required. Still, it shouldn't be hard for Nanoha to identify what she's doing. The first few blasts are easily dodged, and explosions erupt from the ground.... and a single one in midair, where one of the blasts seems to have connected.

Trailing steam from a burned spot on her Barrier Jacket, the blonde finally slows down and extends her arm toward Nanoha. ~Plasma Lancer~ "Quick shot, Fire!" There's only time for a few to form, but the balls of crackling yellow energy turn into arrowheads and fly toward Nanoha, occasionally arcing to correct their flight.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Fate should recognize the move that Nanoha does... just not the way she does it. As Nanoha comes around the pillar, Raising Heart pings, <FLASH MOVE>

    The sudden change of direction hurtles her BACK behind the pillar, meaning the bolts slam mostly into rock, with only a scattered clipping managing to shear some of her Barrier Jacket off. "Oop!" A little close there, but she darts around the other side at the ready, sending a brief spray of more tiny pink marble-sized attacks out, stuttering across the sky. Most are just meant to restrict Fate's fast movement... only a couple are intended to actually /hit/ her.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
A golden streak blurs out of sight as Fate moves, seeming to teleport to avoid the blasts. Anyone who knows her, however, knows she's not teleporting... only moving extremely fast. Fast enough that she neatly dodges most of the attacks, though one does brush just barely against bare shoulder as she dodges another.

Rather than trying to chase Nanoha around the pillars, though, Fate drops an armored boot down, using it as a pivot, and swings Bardiche at one of the pillars the younger mage is hiding behind. Whether or not Nanoha is back there, the stone spire is neatly sliced and comes tumbling down, sending rocks and debris every which way!

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Oops. Nanoha didn't think of that, and she really should have! The pillar starts to collapse, and she's left with pretty much one option: blow it up. Which she does! The explosion of pink shatters the pillar, but several large rocks still impact and drive her down, almost burying her beneath it.
    <DIVINE BUSTER>

    A pillar of pink light explodes outward, flinging rubble everywhere... and a certain little girl. It was partly a distraction, Nanoha trying some unconventional tactics against the girl who knows her so well. Flinging herself upward, she does a quick and dirty jab with her staff. She's much more practiced than the other Nanoha was at that age, like she's been training her staff-fighting. "Hi!"

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
Rather than sonic speeding away, a move which would leave her farther away from the young mage, Fate closes in quickly. She shifts to the side, letting the Device graze along her Barrier Jacket's side, and closes in to melee range. "Hello, Nanoha," she giggles softly.

Although she is well aware that Nanoha isn't defenseless in close, Fate also knows she has the avantage here, and seeks to press that advantage before the short mage can speed away. ~Thunder Arm~ Electricity runs along the armored gauntlet on her hand, and Fate swings it forward, launching a punch that discharges the magical energy on contact with significant force.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Smile. The little mage expected the counterattack, and just... let herself fall, tumbling back so that the strike passes narrowly over her shoulder and crisps the Barrier Jacket. She's in free fall now, much harder to track, but before she recovers Raising Heart locks on and she whips the front of her staff up toward Fate. "Raising Heart!"

    <DIVINE SHOOTER> The ping comes with the loud clatter of a cartridge loading and firing off, the fast /streak/ of pink light fired at close range. She's trying to get some distance again, but if she has any luck she can actually nail her opponent before Fate can adjust... and before Nanoha runs out of tricks.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
It seems Nanoha is already practiced in dealing with close combatants... something that makes Fate smile fondly rather than become annoyed. She can't be angry in this fight, not when Nanoha has offered to talk more later! Besides, it's not in her nature.

Fate hears the cartridge loading, but at this range, it's too late to dodge away or throw up a shield. The pink blast strikes her torso, just a bit left of center, and sears clear through her Barrier Jacket, leaving a hole over part of her stomach. The skin underneath steams a bit from the dissipating energy. "Not bad, Nanoha. But..."

Fate disappears, and just as suddenly is right on Nanoha's left side, trying to stop close enough to make it difficult to strike back right away. The blonde's hand is already up, palm right near Nanoha's body, and glowing brightly with golden energy that quickly expands out into a magic circle.

"Trident Smasher."

Triple beams of crackling energy explode from her hand at point-blank range as the magical energy flows down her arm and out through her palm.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    "Uh oh," Nanoha squeaks, realizing she played it a bit too close. She flings her arm out, a shimmering barrier of pink summoned up between her and Fate... but it's too late to fully solidify. It blunts the incoming from the FRONT, but the impact smashes Nanoha clean against one of those pillars, slamming her in hard with a little gasping cry!

    Immediately, she's on the move again, trying to get some space. And to help her... <DIVINE BARRAGE> Raising Heart pings, sending several large but ill-aimed spheres out, blasting them at a high rate to try to make up for the lack of accuracy.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
And just as suddenly as she appeared, Fate is gone again. With that much of a barrage, she's in constant motion, fading into view only to zip out again, just an instant before one of the blasts strikes her. It takes some time before she's able to finally -stop- dodging, letting out a few soft breaths as she tries to regain composure. "That was... dangerous..."

Armored boots touch ground for a moment, as Fate lifts her Device up. "Riot!" ~Yes, Sir. Riot Zanber.~ The sword reconfigures slightly, blade shifting, then separating as the blonde pulls it apart into a pair of swords, connected with a tether of energy. Fate suddenly dashes forward, leaving puffs of dust in her wake, and crosses the twin blades as she strikes at Nanoha!

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Riot Zanber. That doesn't sound good. "KYAH!" It's her regular panicked noise, not one that Fate really needs worry about. Also, she's actually pretty quick to throw up a PROPER barrier, as Nanoha's hand streaks out palm-first.

    <ROUND SHIELD> Raising Heart declares, catching the massive blade and... cracking. The barrier can't hold, but it does blunt the damage somewhat, so poor Nanoha is just hurled through another pillar instead of swat directly into the ground.

    'Just.'

    Sputtering, her Barrier Jacket now showing numerous tears and rents, she shakes the dust off with a few coughs... then quickly jinks aside, not staying in one place for long. "Ah... um... RIGHT!"

    <DIVINE BULLET>

    The ping of the different spell, one that the other Nanohas don't use, sounds out just before a highly-concentrated sphere of mana bursts out from Nanoha's hand, covering her escape... and surprisingly fast.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
With an attack that fast, Fate makes a quick judgement. Instead of trying to dodge it, she puts up a quick shield. It's fast, it's not that good... but it softens the attack just a little bit before it strikes Fate in the shoulder, at least enough to keep it from spinning her around, though she does stagger back a step to prevent herself from being knocked back.

"Mmm... bardiche?"

~Yes, Sir. Cartridge Load.~ One of the magic cartrdges is locked in, the casing ejected... then Fate vanishes again. She blurs back into easy vision near Nanoha, slashing out with one of the Stinger blades, then throws the other as she seems to vanish again. After it slashes out, the blade is yanked back the opposite direction, and Fate appears right in front of Nanoha, swinging one sword in hand while letting the other arc over like a flail.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Nanoha isn't staying still, she's dodging left and right, zipping to either side in an attempt to keep moving, to keep from getting pinned down by the counterattack. Fate is... faster than her, though. By a lot. Even with Flash Move, she's easy to keep up with... but she still manages to mostly dodge the first few slashes, zipping to the side and losing part of her ribbon, getting a deep gouge in her amored bracer...

    And then getting slammed right in the face, hurtling down to explode into one of the plateaus. At least, it looks like an explosion, with all the dust kicked up and the whole plateau crumbling(this IS a DBZ world, after all.)

    Then, as the dust starts to settle...

    <HYPERION SHOOTER> Raising Heart pings, the dust cloud making the lance of brilliant pink light erupt from an unknown angle. It's a powerful Divine Shooter, basically, blasting rapidly upward while Nanoha quickly dives toward another pillar for cover, trying to weave in and get 'lost' in the terrain long enough to recover from her coughing fit.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
Ah, that dust is making it quite hard to guess where an attack is coming from... though at the same time, each attack only makes more of it, so there's not much that can really be done besides rely on instinct and reflexes!

As soon as she hears Raising Heart's voice, Fate glances up toward it. She quickly leaps up, beginning to dodge away from the blast... but it still catches her right leg, almost completely searing away the stocking part of the Barrier Jacket. The blonde winces slightly, but doesn't stop her movement, flying up and right into the cloud of dust.

~Stinger Cutter~ comes Bardiche's voice from very close to Nanoha's right side, the blade glowing with energy...

...and that's when Fate erupts from the dust on the left, holding the other Zanber Stinger blade, the energy tether reaching toward the diversionary sword on the other side. The blade in Fate's hand glows as well, and she slashes at the girl, trying to cut through her defenses while she's focused on the other side.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Oh, that worked! Nanoha is relieved, and briefly slows down... but that flash of yellow light from the side reminds her this is a BATTLE, and she can't afford to slow down. She whips around, hand outstretched and ready to block... but at the last instant, she remembers the other attack. It's a pretty good bet that she's going to get attacked from another direction. So...

    <FLASH MOVE> Raising Heart chimes, blurring Nanoha's form for a moment. Just in time, really... even if the blade still manages to land a hit, scraping across the armored front of Nanoha's Barrier Jacket and shredding it, hissing over the skin beneath to force out a stifled cry from within.

    <LOAD CARTRIDGE>

    Uh oh. That loud *KACHUNK* that the staff sounds out can be heard when Fate is this close, followed by the less familiar next note: <DIVINE BULLET>

    It's not just one this time. Numerous high-energy projectiles spray out as Nanoha dives, hooking under and turning around to face her foe with a desperate panting breath. "C-Close!"

    She needs to stay out of melee range.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
This fight -may- end up giving Nanoha an advantage the next time she spars with her own Fate. Maybe. Poor Fate.

The first return shot is a near-miss, flying right through Fate's hair and sending a few strands floating to the ground. She brings up her gauntlet for the next, deflecting it away but losing a shard of armor as it's chipped away. The third, though, strikes her square in the stomach, exploding and obscuring Fate in a cloud of pink smoke. More explosions ring out in the cloud before the blonde streaks out of it, one sword held in each hand.

If Nanoha wanted to keep her distance... that might not be possible, as Fate is suddenly -there-, swinging the paired blades one after the other in rapid succession, leaving streaks of golden energy in the wake of each swing.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Did she get her? Nanoha is panting, the exertion of keeping up these maneuvers, plus all the aches and pains of the battle, starting to catch up to her. "Buh..." She wobbles a little in flight, then rights herself... where is Fate going to come from?

    There... and she's too late. The slash impacts hard, slicing through her Barrier Jacket in front and drawing a short, shrill squeal from the younger girl. She ducks the worst of some of the others, tumbling away, but when Raising Heart is lifted to parry-

    The slice shears through the staff, hitting Nanoha as well as the staff is cloven in two. The bottom half, now useless, tumbles away while Nanoha clutches the top half, lipping end over end as she tries to right herself. But what's she saying on the way down? Or... singing? Ragged but definitely melodi<span class=" bold_fg_m bg_n ++ ...

    chm"><STARLIGHT BUSTER></span>

    The gathering of power is brief, motes swirling rapidly from the immediate area around Nanoha. A much shorter collection time, but a much weaker blast, as the eruption of pink light flares out and streaks toward Fate.

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
Poor Raising Heart. She's seen Bardiche damaged enough to know how difficult that can be, but she also knows the Device is tough and will recover, given enough time.

That murmuring is a bit unsettling, if only because Fate knows Nanoha is preparing some spell or another. The blonde closes in again, both swords held in front of her and ready to strike!

That's when the blast goes off, catching Fate as her blades are just a few inches from Nanoha. It might not be a full power blast, but Fate's Barrier Jacket has been soaking punishment this entire fight, and it's not extremely durable to begin with. From afar, it seems that the blast goes right -through- Fate... though fortunately Midchildan magic is nonlethal, and her Barrier Jacket, weakened though it is, still offers a bit of protection. Still, the blast is enough to send her flying back, slamming into a pillar of rock, and slump to the ground. A soft chime sounds from her Device as its light flickers several times, then reverts from a pair of swords back to jewel form.

Takamachi Nanoha (381) has posed:
    Nanoha tumbles, then rights herself, streaking to the side and briefly bouncing off one of the pillars. Wobbling unsteadily, she looks around for cover... before realizing that Fate is actually flickering and losing power. "Uwah!"

    Without thinking, she darts over to try to catch in case Fate falls, only to see that she's slumped against a rock already. Instead, she unsteadily lands in front of her, panting heavily, and offering a hand up to the older woman. "Ah... I guess I got a little carried away. Are you all right?"

Fate T. Harlaown (306) has posed:
"Nnnn..." She was only out for a few seconds, but the blonde lifts her head as Nanoha approaches. "Ah..." A soft giggle, and Fate reaches both arms up to encircle the girl, trying to pull her into a tight hug. "Yes, I'm fine. You're every bit as strong as I remember!" There's even a light pat to the top of the head given if Nanoha hasn't tried to pull away yet. "Now... I did promise cake, right?"