2853/WMAT AQ1 Rhapsody vs Madeline Vance

WMAT AQ1 Rhapsody vs Madeline Vance
Date of Scene:	19 August 2015
Location:	WMAT Arena - Yunzabit Heights
Synopsis:	WMAT AQ1 Rhapsody Vs Madeline Vance
Cast of Characters:	325, 380
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Rhapsody (325) has posed:
Welcome to the WONDERFUL Yunzabit Heights! Known for its cold winds, rising hills, and never-ending steppes. It is in this, the most wonderful of combat zones, that Rhapsody will go to battle with Madeline Vance! There are no crowds to distract, no flashy entrances nor roaring fireworks, just the Izzet Guildmaster, sitting on the edge of one of the steppes, waiting for her opponent.

Currently, she's clad in her trademark blue and red trench, a bit of armor showing underneath, with her spellblades at her back. Despite the laidback look she's showing, she's rather nervous about the battle that is about to begin. A win would be ideal, but a loss would leave her fate in the tournament to the fight between Vance and Rogers. She hopes to not have to worry about it.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline is, by contrast, not nervous at all. A win or a loss, it doesn't matter for her, so long as she gets what she wants out of the fight. Her opponent is a little different from most, but a cursory look up and down has her satisfied, nodding her head in a casual greeting.

    For her part, she's wearing a lightweight set of armor, namely a chain shirt and leather wraps around her hands, with bracers on the forearms. It's an athletic look, that is also aided by a sword at her side... even if she doesn't make any move to draw it. She looks young, late teens perhaps, but that means nothing in the Multiverse does it? "Hello. I look forward to a good fight."

    Yeah, not much for small talk.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    To be honest, Rhapsody wasn't going to chitter much either. The Izzet Guildmaster wanted to get to the good part! Once she lays eyes on Madeline, she hops off the edge she had been sitting on, drops to the same level, stretches her arms, legs and tail out a bit, heaves a sigh, and sets a stance. For now it doesn't appear that she's going to be drawing one of her blades, either.

    "So do I," Rhapsody finally admits. It had been a year since the last tournament and she was hoping her training was going to pay off. Today, she would find out if it had. "Lets dance then, shall we?" She allows herself a little smirk to go with her coy remark and then she surges forward. One of her hands balls into a fist, however, the twist she makes causes her opposite leg to come around to try and deliver a kick to the woman's side.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    And it's on! Raising her arms to guard, the incoming kick needs handled with something else, leading Madeline to swiftly lift one leg to block in a jarring block that absorbs part of the blow. She lets out a small grunt, but thus far doesn't do anything fancy. Just pure, simple martial arts... even if her style leaves something to be desired in the elegance category.

    That being, it's a simple and brutal style, a swift jab aimed at the leg that kicked at her before Madeline dances back, still on the defensive to consider her nonhuman foe and get her measure. "Mn. Just hand to hand, then?"

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    "For now!" Rhapsody responds as her leg is knocked away. She, at least, finds herself off balance for a moment, but finds herself not so bad off. "It IS the World Martial Arts Tournament, after all. We can be fancy in a minute." Alright, so maybe she is chattering a little more than expected, but she was being polite! Good sport was a worthy thing, she felt.

    After finding her stance again, the dragon moves forward again, step by small step, before throwing another blow. This time the punch isn't a feint, continuing straight for the woman's frame, followed by a second from the opposite side.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Immediately it becomes clear that Madeline, for all her slight frame, is much stronger than she looks. Not just that jab, which was a test, but when she blocks the first punch with her forearm. She is still a fairly lightweight woman though, and the second gets through to hit firmly at her side, with a slight thudding impact that has her grunting and taking a step back.

    "Mn," she agrees. Or does she? Either way she still isn't doing anything fancy either, giving a sudden quick snap kick of her own, aiming toward the injured leg again, before ducking back and into a defensive stance. "All right..."

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    The kick comes around, Rhapsody braces for it, takes it, and then takes a step back to leave the other in front. Small reply, so, no major response comes from the Guildmaster. Instead, she gives the woman a nod. 'Not bad,' is what the dragon tries to convey.

    Next up, the dragon spins about. She likes to take advantage of the fact she has a tail, something most people easily forget about. Half way around, the tail tries to slam into Madeline's side. The dragon's momentum continues and another swift kick comes around to follow up.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Despite being in the middle of combat, Madeline seems to have paused, holding still for a moment... an instant that allows the tail to smack right into her side, almost bowling her over. She IS sent flying, actually lifted off her feet and grunting as the impact slams in and deeply bruises her torso, setting her to stagger a few steps back.

    An instant later, a bright shimmering golden light appears on her forehead, and she darts forward /much/ faster, doing a swift but simple jab. Unlike the first, though, this one has far more power behind it than it should, hitting like a sledghehammer if it connects.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Well. That was unexpected. After feeling the strikes connect, Rhapsody had moved back into her regular stance. The sudden speed that Vance brings to the table, along with the potent strike behind it, sends the dragon skidding backward a few yards, the last one or two a number of steps in reverrse. "Now that's more like it! Though, I think you have the right idea," she muses before drawing her red spellblade, pointing it toward the woman. "Time to get a little 'flashy',". As if to emphasize her point, a thunderous roar and a brilliant light arcs away from the blade. A bolt of lightning reaches out from the blade for Vance's body!

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Despite the danger, Madeline doesn't stop. She's already moving again, darting forward at high speed... and getting blasted with lightning, which pours right through her in a jarring blast that leaves her smoking and sizzling, with the scent of burned flesh. Oddly, she doesn't cry out in pain, but it did slow her for an instant...

    Before a quick series of the same powerful blows launch out, her fists moving at an inhuman speed now. She's steadily ramping up her use of Essence, with a careful eye on Rhapsody, who has managed to blast and injure her more than she expected so far. Her motions are slightly slowed thanks to the mounting injuries.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Seeing this woman continue to charge, desipte the bolt, is enough for Rhapsody to at least take hold of her blue spellblade. As the blows come, the first catches the dragon square in the stomach. Before the second can connect, the blue spell blade is activated causing a silvery metallic coat to cover her for a brief moment. As it fades, the third blow finds it's mark, sending Rhapsody back again, now with her back to the cliff she had been sitting atop earlier. "Gh. Hey! I like that energy! Lets keep it going!" she calls. This was a tournament! People were watching! It was a good place to put on a show!

    In reply to Vance's increase in pace, the dragon pushes off the wall and surges forward. With both blades now in hand, the dragon comes in low, trying to put the pommel of the weapon into into Madeline's midsection. After that, she'd bring her knee up to try and catch her before finishing with an upward slash from her red spellblade!

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    A loud THUNK and then a CRACK sound out, followed by a spray of blood as all three hits connect... solidly, for the most part. Madeline staggers backward, stumbling a few feet away and looking startled at the use of a sword like that. She used one once, as well, but this actually seems to confuse her. "Ah... all right."

    She didn't have a gun before. Now she has a pistol, one that fires at near point blank a burning, brilliant burst of energy that has gathered around the bullet. A single shot, no more, but not a simple lead bullet.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
        Where did that gun come fr-*BLAST*

    The guildmaster's thoughts were simple to see even from afar, and via camera. There wasn't a gun, then there was, and then it was lighting up all of Yunzabit Heights! For a moment the world is bleached out. When it comes back, the dragon is on her back, looking up at the sky. "Ow..." comes her simple response. It's followed by a wince as she pulls herself back onto her feet. "Ok.. That was really good," she compliments as she steadies herself, then finds her stance again.

    Without a word of warning, the dragon explodes across the short distance that separated the two. No more fooling around. Especially if Vance was about to bring that much firepower to bear. As she closes distance, the red spell blade is sent forward, looking to stab at her opponent. If it connects, or if it doesn't, the guildmaster pulls the proverbial trigger on the weapon twice. Two cracks of thunder roar out, to brilliant bolts of electricity are heard, but possibly aren't even seen! Who says lightning can't strike twice?

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Yeah, Madeline is already fried and bruised, she'd rather not take any more surprises. She's expecting /something/ this time, and even as another pistol appears in her off hand, her forehead glows with a brilliant yellow light. The twin lightning blasts connect... but they mostly ground right through her, as the Zenith pours her Essence into a temporary but powerful reinforcement of her body. Some of it still leaks through, causing a jerk of pain, but clenching her jaw deals with that.

    And now she's perfectly lined up, she thinks, to lift both pistols and unleash a /torrent/ of bullets, tightly-packed rather than spraying for hopes of hitting Rhapsody. The dragon girl might have an easier time dodging this spray, but if it hits she'll be taking multiple bullets. At least they aren't /on fire/ like the last one was.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Dodge? No. That would have been nice, however. Instead, the momentum of Rhapsody's strike kept her moving forward. The hail of bullets catches her clean, peppering her whole body. Thanks to her armor, nothing is fatal, but there are holes all across her trench coat. Don't mind the crimson trails along her white hide, that's what the WMAT Medical Staff would be for, later!

    For now, though, the dragon needed something more potent. Stronger. More -raw-. That's when she appears to take a -breath-. It's after she's brought herself to a stop before Vance. The glow from her muzzle is a bright white. When she lets loose that breath, a torrent of raw energy erupts from it, roaring for Vance's form.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Uh oh. The moment Vance sees that drawn breath, she realizes that this is probably not something she should try to tank again. "Ah..." Another flare of golden light boosts her leap, sending her high into the air for an acrobatic flip over the blast of power that still singes her left leg, making it smolder and hiss. Or maybe she's the one hissing.

    Surprisingly she doesn't use her pistols again though. In midair like this, she switches tactics, her uninjured leg whipping down in a pulverizing, powerful /smashing/ kick toward Rhapsody's shoulders and back, aiming to drive the dragon into the steppe's ground and rebound off of it onto a safer vantage at high ground.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    The sudden rush of potent strikes has left the dragon in a daze. When the woman appears from the blast no worse for wear, the guildmaster actually panics. The panic serves Vance well in that it allows her strike right where she pleases, driving the dragon into the ground. The ground even craters under the strike. "Ngggh..."

    This time, Rhapsody is far slower to rise, stumbling once she gets to her feet. "Why'd you start hitting so hard," she asks, somewhat absently, with far too many cobwebs clouding her mind. Still, she manages to look up and spot Madeline, headed for higher ground. After shaking her head to try and clear the daze, she lunges to follow. The red spellblade is brought around as she unleashes the three remaining bolts of electricity it had to offer, trying to close distance as she fires each shot. If she can catch up, she'll end her pursuit with a strong downward slice, "MY TURN!"

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    "Because I want to win," Madeline answers as if it weren't a rhetorical question. She lands atop a different steppe, but that isn't really going to help her here. The numerous lightning bolts that crash down, because this is in a DBZ realm, bury her in a billowing cloud of dust and cause the ground beneath her to crumble away, crashing down farther and obscuring her for a moment.

    When she does leap out of the dust, she's actually on fire, or at least one arm is. Coughing, she almost misses her landing, slamming into the ground to one knee.

    Did she even attack? Yes, there was a single shot in the air... sending a molten bullet toward Rhapsody's midsection.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Normally, fire wouldn't hurt a dragon, but then again, Rhapsody wasn't exactly a normal dragon, was she? When the bullet slams into her, it actually prevents her from coming down on Madeline. Instead the blow sends her back up a bit, arcing, and crashing down onto a steppe a bit further away. A similar cloud of dust and smoke drifts up around where she landed. Is she out? Down? No. Not yet, at least.

    When the smoke clears, the Guildmaster is using one of her spellblades to help herself onto her feet. This fight was a GOOD one. She was enjoying it, despite how close it felt. Both were hurting, both were on the verge, but now? Well, one blow could do it. Knowing this, she takes a deep breath and leaps up into the air. With enough height, she'd unleash another blast of energy from her maw, possibly more potent then the last due to the amount of time she had to prepare!

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Another blast incoming, and now Madeline is still getting to her feet. Uh oh. "Mn..." She'd rather not spend this much Essence, but she has little choice. The glowing brand of a brilliant circle on her forehead pulses with light again, followed by... being swallowed up by the energy blast.

    When the smoke begins to clear, Madeline is wearing heavier armor, some kind of plate material, and it too is glowing like the sun thanks to the multiple reinforcement she gave herself. The ground around her is scorched and blasted, still smoking, and she's breathing hard after that. The faint image of a fortress might be seen around her for an instant... but the brilliant glow itself doesn't fade.

    Surprisingly she doesn't shoot, though. The heavily-armored figure leaps instead, launching herself in for a vicious lunging elbow jab at Rhapsody's chest. She can't keep up this level of fighting, on foot, for very long. She wants to end it here and now.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Not a scratch? Rhapsody's expression goes -white-, well, more white, considering that Vance tanked it like a golem, or some other crazy tough creature. She's so shocked, that as the dragon is coming down, Vance's elbow comes crashing in. The guildmaster barely has the sense to reach for, and pull the trigger, on her blue spellblade. That silvery coat protects her again, reducing damage, but making sure she survives both the strike, and the fall.

    More smoke after the impact, and another slow rise for Rhapsody. She doesn't jump to assault Vance. Instead, she tries to track where she'll land. It's as the woman comes down, that Rhapsody tries to go into a whirling frenzy. A last ditch effort, with both blades, to put the battle to an end. The strikes and slashes would come at a frenzied pace, the dragon finding a brief second wind as she lashes out over and over again. Is it enough?!

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Apparently, Rhapsody hasn't fought an Exalt before... even one as watered down as Madeline is fighting. It was a risky defense, as it wasn't a perfect defense, but it worked out for her there. Not so this time, as she's burned through most of her Essence and is now trying to /dodge/ away. The flurry of blades is too fast though... while most scrape and shallowly cut, or even glance off her armor, at least one of the strikes slips between the plates and staggers her, the woman clutching her side and grunting. Her vision just fogged for a moment... is she near her limit?

    Well, yes she is, but she's not out of it yet.

    Another quick kick... but this is more like a knee. As the strikes slow from the desperation attack, Madeline ducks down with a wheeze of effort, still holding her side. Another flare of yellow spends the last of her Essence, or close to it, for a hard lunging strike that will hit like a truck, if Rhapsody isn't fast enough.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Truck, train, plane, bus? Freightliner! Whatever it hit like, it sends the guildmaster -soaring- across the Heights, through a cliff, out the otherside, and down to .. somewhere someplace. It's quite clear the medics are going to have to go get her. Oh dear.