421/Fox vs Fox

Fox vs Fox
Date of Scene:	15 August 2014
Location:	TARGET: Phase Rock (PR)
Synopsis:	Kirika and Kagenashi's TORRID relationship begins with this clash of blades. A target zone is taken, and a half-breed and a nogitsune go to town on each other in the process.
Cast of Characters:	85, 481

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Kirika (481) has posed:
    Sprinting towards the territory, Kirika moves through security checkpoints like a ghost to the soldiers on-site. They barely notice a thing, just a cloaked spectre with a tail trailing behind her as she makes her way through the territory. Her blade is not drawn yet. As Kirika understands it, she has but one enemy in these duels.

    That enemy is not here yet, as far as she can see or hear. Her crimson eyes narrow from under her hood, and the kitsune half-blood draws her katana, the blade glowing with fiery runes as she calls out, "Forces of the Confederacy!" She announces, sword aloft as soldiers trail assault rifles on the kitsune warily. "I come on behalf of the Union, to claim this land for its uses. Send your champion and evacuate the territory, I would not wish for unnecessary bloodshed..."

    They do begin to pull out, the security present not taking their eyes off Kirika for a second as they get non-combat personnel as far away from the fighting as possible.

    Deep down, Kirika is sweating bullets. She's not used to being on the spot like this...nor does he have much experience fighting other Elites evenly like this.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    There is a rocky crag not far in front of Kirika that seems not to have anything on it. Once the soldiers have all pulled away, however, a figure abruptly phases into existence perched on that spire.

    Kagenashi stands perfectly balanced atop the stone, one hand on her hip while the other hangs at her side. Nageki is sheathed on her back, the cursed sword slumbering for the moment as its wielder stands eyeing her opponent. The smirking white fox mask stares down at Kirika, silver eyes barely visible beneath it, gleaming with predatory curiosity. Crimson fabric billows in the wind like a war banner. While she should be leaving a shadow across the barren, rocky terrain, none stretches from her, and Munashi is nowhere in sight at the moment. The nogitsune almost seems like a ghost.

    "Well. I have not seen you out in the field yet." Kagenashi's voice is ever serene, her tone no different than if she were meeting Kirika in the middle of a party. "If you truly want to take this area, then I will be your opponent. It will be a good chance to see your abilities first-hand."

    Her arms lift, and the katanas sheathed against her arms are steadily drawn, one after the other. First the right, its blade gleaming in the setting sun; then the left, crackling with energy as the high-frequency blade begins to activate. Both are given a brief twirl in her hands before she lowers them to her sides. "Come, then. You are the attacker; strike your first blow."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    The two foxlike ears on Kirika's head twitch as they sense Kagenashi's arrival to the field, the nogitsune recieving a very calm gaze considering what she knows of the Confederate. Bedivere's awkwardness around her and Kagenashi's actions in her own world have reached Kirika's notice, that much is certain, but as a formal duel, there is nothing personal to be had here between the two...so far.

    Kirika narrows her eyes, looking up at Kagenashi as she tightens her grip on Kinugiri. "The feeling is mutal, I am afraid to say. It seems we'll have a chance to rectify that here and now." She tenses up just enough to assume a stance, her sword raised as she coils up like a cobra about to strike, a tiger ready to pounce.

    No, this is but a fox on the hunt and it shall be such. Kirika raises an eyebrow at the display of nobility, before she shrugs, noting the more technological blade gifted to Kagenashi from one Samuel Rodrigues...

    Kirika takes off like a rocket, sprinting towards Kagenashi before she disappears in a flash of light with petals blowing all around where she once stood. A similar effect is spotted just above the nogitsune, and Kirika descends upon her enemy with a fierce howl as she slashes down upon Kagenashi with an overhead strike, flames coating her sword.

    "HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Kagenashi seems remarkably relaxed, all things considered. The nogitsune offers to let Kirika to strike first and she hasn't even entered a stance to be ready to retaliate. One might consider that to be a sign of an opponent who is either foolish, lazy, or lacking proper combat knowledge.

    In Kagenashi's case, it's all little more than an act.

    Kirika rushes toward her in a flash, teleporting up into the air just above the nogitsune to cleave down onto her. Anyone else would probably fall victim to such a surprising attack, but Kagenashi is nothing if not swift of mind and foot. The moment she hears Kirika's howl, she twists and crouches, leaping aside just as the flaming blade comes down on her. The fires barely flick at her feet as she leaps away, curling up into a rolling flip before she lands on the ground several feet away in a crouch. Flames and steel strike stone, but the nogitsune is spared by split seconds.

    Before Kagenashi even stands again, a tendril of purple-black energy like a bruise on the very world around her emerges from her shoulder. The power of pure malevolence suddenly lashes out at Kirika, and while the whip causes no injuries that can be seen, the sheer will to cause harm and destruction is enough to strike at the half-kitsune's very spirit, raking over it like unseen claws.

    Only once the whip strikes and dissolves does Kagenashi rise again, once more holding her blades to her sides. "You are swift. An excellent trait in combat."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Not swift enough evidently, as Kirika hisses as her attack hits naught but air, her head whipping upwards to stare at Kagenashi. She has been so used to fighting slower opponents that this may actually be a problem, even Lockdown could be outmanuevered time to time with enough luck, but with the nogitsune things may be a lot more complicated.

    Some part of her relishes the challenge, even as she lets out a growl and lunges toward Kagenashi with her sword raised. It's not enough, though, as she is hit with a horrific strike of personified malevolence, striking not flesh but spirit. KIrika lets out a howl of pain and anger, clutching her chest as she stumbles and drops to a knee. Gritting her teeth, she breathes ragged and heavy as she tigthens her grip on her sword once more.

    "As are you, it seems...th-this might be more of a fight than I expected." She says at last, and her warrior's spirit returns as she grips her blade two-handed and slashes at Kagenashi, leaping to cover the gap as she aims her strike midlong now.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    There are some times when having her swords lowered might be advantageous for Kagenashi. This...is not one of those times.

    Whether she underestimated Kirika's speed or the half-kitsune's ability to recover from that sort of magical strike, she pays for it immediately after. She lifts her swords in a cross to block and attempts to shift aside to evade, but neither is as effective as she would like. Steel rings out as Kirika's swords strike hers, pushing through a guard that is not secure enough to resist. The blade cuts into Kagenashi's side, cleaving deep into flesh and staining the purple cloth around her waist with blood. The only sound she releases is a tense gasp of pained surprise, however, faintly muffled behind her mask.

    With both the force of the blow and her own attempted leap, the nogitsune is cast aside, landing awkwardly and only still on her feet due to her incredible sense of balance. She clutches her swords in her hands, quickly forcing herself upright despite the aching pain in her side. That was a mistake she won't be repeating.

    "...good. So you can hit me," Kagenashi remarks, her calm tone slightly broken under the effect of lingering pain. She doesn't wait to recover, however, and immediately rushes forward again to keep the pressure on Kirika. A horizontal slash of one sword flows into a twirl, striking diagonally upward once, then twice as Kagenashi briefly turns into a swirl of flowing crimson and flashing steel. It might count as a beautiful dance, if it weren't clearly aimed to draw blood from her opponent.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika's sword will probably leave more than just a burning cut on Kagenashi, the blade's holy properties affecting her malevolence directly.

    She does however feel several slashes hit her, one from the contemporary blade and the other from the one that seems to vibrate enough that it seems to be doubly effective over any regular blade. A gasp escapes Kirika as she feels both cuts on her side, slicing up her shirt with blood leaking through the torn fabric. Grunting, she evades to minimize damage from the third strike, only giving her a shallow cut as she rolls to the left.

    Knelt down with her sword down, Kirika moves to lunge forwards at the nogitsune, her blade turning colder than the coldest mountain peaks with frosted edges. Letting out a shout, Kirika slices upwards at Kagenashi, then lets off two swifter strikes to follow it up.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    It seems Kagenashi isn't the only one to recover quickly. Kirika suddenly lunges at her while she's recovering from her last attack, more quickly than even she can react to in time. Two strikes cleave through the fabric of her kimono, slicing into flesh and sprouting ice crystals along the bleeding cuts that form. Another tense, pained hiss comes from Kagenashi, and she just barely lifts her blades in time to deflect the third hit enough to buy her the time to shift aside and spare herself little more than a graze across the arm.

    The holy energy of the sword does indeed have a significant effect on Kagenashi. She is exactly the type of creature such powers naturally counteract, and while the frigid ice leaves painful crystals in her wounds, the holy energy impacts her very nature. It is, all told, not pleasant in the slightest.

    Still, as much as it clearly hurts, Kagenashi doesn't allow such pain to slow her down too much. Rather than make use of her blades, the nogitsune spins to deliver a swift, strong kick of her heel at Kirika's chest, a strike intended to wind the half-kitsune and buy her some space at the same time. Even then, Kagenashi leaps back a few more feet immediately after, increasing the distance whether or not her attack has the intended effect.

    Strangely, mid-leap, she sheathes both of her swords again. Rather than the twin swords, Kagenashi switches to a single blade: Nageki is brought from behind her and pulled from its sheath, the nodachi's nine curved hooks in place of the cutting edge gleaming viciously, the cursed blade itself giving off an aura of bloodthirsty malice as if it were a starving demon.

    The fox woman is already starting to breathe a little more heavily than usual, but she maintains her poise against the pain, tucking Nageki's sheath on her back and taking the life-stealing weapon in a two-handed grip.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    The evil blade sets Kirika's neck-hairs on end, her body all a shiver as she senses a demonic presence from the blade that's beyond that of anything she's seen of Kasun. Kagenashi's threat level gets more and more evident as the fight drags on, and Kirika steels herself for what comes next.

    Her own sword flares upward as Kirika sees the kick coming, evading the strike entirely as she leaps towards Kagenashi with blade ready.

    "HYAH!!"

    Her blade flourishes, and Kirika pushes harder to knock Kagenashi back as she lunges to slash at her sidelong with her blade, lightning coating the edge as she strikes harder than before.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Lightning. This is slightly more familiar to Kagenashi, but at the same time, she finds herself faltering more under Kirika's attacks than she expected to. Despite only being a half-kitsune, Kirika's strength seems to rival that of a full one, at least to a point. Where does she /get/ that sort of power?

    Nageki is lifted to block, but Kirika uses the opportunity to push Kagenashi back, steel clashing against steel as she's knocked off-balance by Kirika's superior physical strength. That strike opens Kagenashi up for the horizontal strike against her torso, cleaving along her abdomen and jolting her with a burst of lightning. Only then does the nogitsune finally let out a louder sound of pain, stumbling back before she braces herself once more.

    She doesn't give Kirika another opening to respond. Rather than take the risk of powering Nageki by attacking her opponent, Kagenashi instead holds the cursed weapon against the deep, still-bleeding wound in her side. As the sword drinks, the trenches along its blade filling with a deep red and steadily beginning to glow as its power grows, Kagenashi lets four orbs of greenish-blue flame seep from the mouth of her mask. While she's busy powering Nageki with her own blood, those four orbs of fox fire rush at Kirika all at once, aimed to strike her dead in the chest.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Fox fire, definitely a nasty thing to get hit by. Kirika shrieks as she is hit by the torrent of orbs in quick succession. One knocks her off-balance, another hits her hard enough to disorient her, another strikes her in the gut, and the last knocks her on her back. Burns are left all over her body and clothes, each one painful enough when not factoring in the spirital damage to Kirika.

    Groaning, the kitsune forces herself to stand after her body slowly knits itself to heal the wounds enough for her to get back into the fight. "...I will not fall so soon!" She says, before she takes off in a run among the mountains, using her agility to carry her across the jagged points with nimble leaps.

    Her hand glows with flames, and Kirika leaps to teleport in striking range as she reforms just in time to fire off a ball of her own magic flames at Kagenashi. Her aim may not be the best, but hopefully at this range it'll strike true...

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Kagenashi keeps watch on Kirika as the half-kitsune rises and sprints back into action. The healing of her wounds is noted; some ability that differs between them, it seems. Kagenashi can't heal herself mid-battle like that, at least not without an ability that still lies outside of her reach at the moment. That could make this battle much more difficult.

    Nageki drinks and drinks, Kagenashi sacrificing her own blood to the sword for the sake of the continuing battle. Soon the blade has consumed enough that a thick mist of bloody energy hangs over it, seeping off like a steamy sheath. It's at that moment that Kirika suddenly teleports in, and where Kagenashi swiftly retaliates.

    A blade of that size is not a quick weapon, but something in its power seems to make it move fast enough to match a much smaller blade. Kagenashi lifts it just as Kirika's orb of flame is launched at her, and the serrated blade moves into place just in time for the orb to hit it first. The strange sheath of energy actually manages to slice through the orb, and while it doesn't stop the fire from hitting Kagenashi, it at least weakens it slightly so that it's not completely devastating. Flames smash into Kagenashi's shoulder, burning away her sleeve and scorching the skin beneath, but it could have been a much worse attack.

    The nogitsune resists the urge to stumble and falter under the building pain from Kirika's attacks. This is the perfect opportunity to retaliate, and it's one she won't miss. Nageki almost seems to direct itself as she strikes back at Kirika, slicing, twirling, and cleaving through the air with quick arcs that leave trails of red in its path. Each slash is quickly followed up with another, and the aura around Nageki seems to act similarly to a high-frequency blade, cutting far more effectively than any weapon like that should be able to.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kagenashi's blade does not escape Kirika's notice. The blood it drinks seems to power it, especially given the originator being so powerful a nogitsune indeed. It's enough to give Kirika reason to be wary, and she's about to brace herself from the retaliation Kagenashi is about to deliver to her.

    It comes with a barrage of attacks cutting onto her abdomen and upper torso with deep strikes before she begins to get nasty in return. "NO." Her blade parries the next two strikes, good fighting back against evil as Kinugiri's blade trails sparks of ice and magic against Nageki's own malevolent edge.

    Kirika locks blades with Kagenashi, and she suddenly whirls to deliver a swift knee to the nogitsune's stomach to disorient her before letting off a fierce flurry of strikes in return.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    When the cursed and holy blades lock, Kagenashi focuses as much of her strength as she can manage on making sure Kirika doesn't break through her guard. It's a feat that she isn't exactly built for. Kagenashi's focus is on swiftness, cleverness, agility. She isn't made for contests of direct strength, because she'll undoubtedly be outclassed in them. Kirika may be a few inches shorter than her, but the half-kitsune has clearly demonstrated her superiority in terms of physical strength.

    Even if she could endure that initial struggle, however, as bloody energy sparks and flickers against frigid ice and holy power, Kirika's abrupt knee to the nogitsune's already-injured stomach is more than she can handle. Kagenashi lurches with a sharp cry, and it's all she can manage to lift her blade and parry that first strike that follows before the next come over her. While Nageki's swift movement allows her to slightly lessen the impacts of those strikes, Kagenashi still suffers frigid slash after frigid slash, cutting into her skin and forming ice crystals around each wound.

    "...stronger than I expected," she murmurs, parrying another slash. This one, however, isn't simply a block. She does so at an angle to catch the end of Kirika's blade between two of Nageki's hooks, and using that as leverage rather than relying on brute strength, she twists the sword aside to open up the half-kitsune's guard and perhaps even disarm her. Whatever the case, she quickly thrusts Nageki forward immediately after, trying to simply run through Kirika with the enhanced blade.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika's strength does make her a natural counterpart to Kagenashi's more nimble graces, but she also has another advantage. The cursed blade does rip through her, but Kirika's evasive skills make it so that it only manages to strike her side. Ripping it free, Kirika rubs where her wound has already tasted the blade's cursed bite, and she's definitely given the sword enough of a taste tonight to want more.

    It's only natural that now she would want to finish things here and now, and she will do just that as she pulls her sword out of Nageki's grasp and flips it, so that she grasps it with a reversed grip. The pommel pointing up, Kirika uses that to clock Kagenashi across the face, before she envelops her left hand's fist in lightning.

    She lets off a fierce left hook, augmented by holy lightning as her fist hits home.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    If only Kagenashi had picked this fight when she were stronger, the odds might have become slightly less.

    As it stands, Kirika's swift escape and resulting strikes hit her fully. The impact of the pommel is bad enough on its own, its solidness coupled with Kirika's own strength; on top of that, Kagenashi's mask is more decorative than protective, formed from porcelain rather than anything more solid. The pommel strike sends Kagenashi stumbling back a few steps and creates a spiderweb of cracks along the mask's surface, and it has the added effect of stunning her enough that she can't bring herself to react in time to the follow-up. She sees the lightning-coated fist hurtling for her, but she can't adjust her stumbling to move-

    Kirika's fist slams into her face, shattering the rest of the mask and sending Kagenashi tumbling back over herself along the ground. The nogitsune rolls to a halt, propped up on one elbow on her side as she tries to regain her senses. Silver eyes like the full moon blink away the jarring impacts. A surprised and pained expression lingers on slender, graceful features. Soft lips are parted around coughs and gasps for breath, allowing the shimmering glow of the star orb in her tongue to shine clearly. Injured and weakened she may be, but even then, the fox woman is almost unnaturally beautiful.

    Kagenashi groans in discomfort as she pushes herself to her feet, struggling to remain upright and in a combat-ready stance. Her expression is hardened, but even then the exhaustion and pain she feels come through now and then in small winces and a too-firm clenching of her jaw. Her silver eyes are narrowed in a glare of wounded pride as she grasps Nageki in both hands.

    "...a half-breed. Of all the things to be bested by..." Her normally serene tone falters somewhat under an annoyed snarl. No more words are spoken before she suddenly swings Nageki horizontally...but too far away from Kirika to actually hit.

    What hits instead is the abrupt storm of slicing, crimson energy that whirls around Kirika the instant after that slash is made, cutting at her from several different angles in a matter of seconds as if by several blades at once.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Half-breed. HALF-BREED.

    Kirika's eyes narrow as she stops just enough to give Kagenashi an opening to unleash a flurry of slashes at her. Several deep cuts are left on her, shredding a good portion of her clothes. Those leggings are pretty much ruined for one thing.

    She seems to be welling up that slurr, as she just stands and takes it for a good while even as the blade's very evil just burns inside of her from the inside.

    She staggers, wobbling side to side as she squeezes her sword's grip.

    Taking in a deep breath, Kirika glares at Kagenashi as she sucks in breath, bloodied all over even as her wounds struggle to knit back together.

    "Enough." She rasps at last, before she charges, teleporting only to reform from behind, and /skewer/ Kagenashi with her sword. Kinugiri rips through the nogitsune's abdomen, before the half-kitsune pulls it free with a boot to Kagenashi's back.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
    Even as Kagenashi holds her blade to the side, prepared to strike, retaliate, or block whatever comes next, she's certainly not looking like she can take much more. Deep gashes, burns, and ice crystals score clothing and skin alike, lending her a ragged appearance. She can't even manage to remain upright, as much as she struggles to do so. Just holding Nageki is enough of an effort. Still, defiance gleams in her eyes, and her grasp on the cursed, bloodthirsty sword remains firm.

    Kirika charges, then vanishes. By now, Kagenashi knows what to expect from that. Her mind works quickly in that split second. Where would she be most vulnerable?

    Mercifully for Kagenashi, she's quick enough to make sure the blade doesn't skewer her completely. A twist of Nageki and a shift of her own body redirects Kinugiri to graze along her waist just above a previous wound, and rather than risk staying in those close quarters and being attacked again, Kagenashi takes the opening to leap back and land in a graceless stumble. The moment she lands, she vanishes, flickering out of existence...

    ...and doesn't reappear, no matter how long Kirika waits.