300/WMAT B3 Ryuko Matoi vs. Corvo Attano

WMAT B3 Ryuko Matoi vs. Corvo Attano
Date of Scene:	28 July 2014
Location:	WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand
Synopsis:	WMAT B3 match between Ryuko Matoi and Corvo Attano.
Cast of Characters:	140, 385, 398, 430

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Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Fighting in the wide open part of the desert didn't really appeal to Ryuko, so she decided to poke around the ruins a bit. Lots of places to scuffle, here. So, with the wind howling through the place, she shows up with sword in hand, in her school-girl outfit. "No pullin' punches, with Kiryuin out of the tournament." She takes a breath, and takes hold of her wrist. "Ready, Senketsu?"

The Kamui replies, <<Hah. As if you need to ask.>>

    His confident reply is all Ryuko needs to hear. She pulls on the tab on her glove's wrist, and a spreading bloom of red stains her black outfit, turning it crimson red. It explodes off her body, the threads expanding outward, and then converging again, wrapping themselves tightly against her body, all while a fiery and vicious-looking apparition seems to swallow her whole. The Kamui's power, unleashed, as she's left wearing her trademark, skimpy battle garb once the flashy transformation is complete. The shoulder spikes shoot out of the outfit, the Kamui's single eye focused on Corvo, now.

    Life Fiber Synchronize..!!
    Kamui Senketsu..!!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
The usual fog that hangs over the Devil's Hand hasn't gone anywhere ... but fortunately, the cameras are designed to compensate for a lot of it at long range, and it's not so heavy as to get in the way of closer focal lengths. Of course, with the contenders meeting inside the ruins, the fog is even less of an issue.

Yuna is in her Light Suit's Flight Form, hovering near one of the camera platforms, microphone in hand. "Looks like they're just about ready to go; Ryuko's just transformed into her fuku's combat mode ..."

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    This is not going to be easy.

    Just the mention of 'no pullin' punches' has a cold shiver all down his spine. He has scars already, lifetimes worth of scars, the thought of adding more doesn't always sit that well with him. But he's part of this, and he wants to see where it goes. He wants to see if he still has it in him, if he still can find the joy Kilik had shown him or the fervor that Jinx had brought, however unwilling, to the surface. Or what this new opponent would bring out in him.

    Preferably not blood or entrails.

    He needs both of those.

    So it is with no music, no fanfare that he would, one moment, simply not be there, and the next he simply would, a soft 'whf' and a billowing of shadows, the masked form of the former bodyguard standing still for a moment.

    Then Yuna would get an idea of the weapon he weilds, as he pulls out a compressed and folded handle, flipping the weapon out and around and allowing the compressed and folded sword to unratchet with a soft clickity-KLAK, the switchsword unfolding into it's simple, deadly gleaming dark gray blade, exotic Tyvian alloy gleaming like rich, dark oil.

    Those soft bottomed boots, capped with folded Galvani resin are whisper silent against the ground as he shifts, an intricate vaguely spanish flourish of that dark blade offered to Ryuko, the man standing still and silent, watching her unusual readying shenanigans. His head tilts. Just faintly. A beat.

    And then a 'whf' and he's gone.

    But he's not playing the long-drawn game this time. Not if he can help it. She's going all out, and he's not going to give her an opportunity to grind him into hummus if he can help it. It's a simple crossbow bolt, if comparitively tiny, the sound of it's launching barely a whisper of air, but it would thud in with some solidity if it connected well at all. He's aiming for the legs- hampering her movements at all would help here.

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    Rather than occupy one of the stands that might end up a long ways away from the action, the heiress of REVOCS has deigned to use her family's influence (read: money) to arrange a private 'booth' of sorts; one of those floating spectator stand setups that she and her Elite Four can have all to themselves. This way they can remain in position to watch the action no matter where it goes... assuming of course it doesn't go inside the castle.

    Then again, there's always camera feeds for that.

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    It's all she can do, to avoid the sudden, silent attack from that variable weapon of his. The quarrel grazes her lower thigh, drawing a brief spot of blood against her outfit, before the hungry Kamui soaks it back up and seals the frayed portion. She might not see him, but she heard a few things. She has a good head for fighting, something in her that just seems to 'know' how. It might look like just a blind swing, but..

    She lashes out with a swing of her scissor blade, in the direction the crossbow bolt came from. Where she heard those few, faint sounds over the wind whipping around. Depressions in the sandy ground, where he /had/ been. She has to guess, but hopefully her guess is a good one. Otherwise, he's going to prove a slippery opponent.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    He's near silent, but it's far from supernatural- it would be a hell of a hard thing hearing him, but she could catch a bit of the quiet little 'thth' of the bowstring- and there would be a quick movement from behind one of the walls- and then he's stumbling, blood hanging in the air even as he pauses, gathering himself as best he can- he can't blink again without running himself down too far on energy. Best occupy his body with things other than Outsider-gifted teleportation. Like that blade of hers- he doesn't want to catch it too many times. An odd weapon, to be sure, and he's already bleeding from it, the brief glimpse of him out from under cover with a wet red sheen on part of that dark bluish gray-black jacket.

    She struck at him with her blade, so it would make sense for him to strike at her with his- and he does so, a quick couple of flashing cuts, trying to drive her back and give him time to find some sort of cover.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"And both Ryuko and Corvo are jumping straight into the fight!" declares Yuna, clutching her microphone as she leans forward a bit in mid-air, watching the two fighters go at it. "Corvo's opening shot drew first blood, but it isn't slowing Ryuko down as she leaps in to slash at where she thinks he's hiding ... and she's right! Corvo's back out of hiding and slashing right back at Ryuko - nice bladework from both of them, and they're still just getting warmed up!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    It's been a while, since Ryuko's had to deal with someone who has Corvo's speed, much less someone who seems to have a slight edge, when it comes to putting that speed to precise use. She's not able to parry those strikes effectively enough, one catching her arm and another her side. "Nnf!" She grits through the pain, though, and manages to find her footing, again, the blade of her sword scraping loudly against the stone and sand.

    She swings her sword again, but not to attack. It's the sheer force behind it that she's looking to use, and it manages to kick up a sizeable amount of that sand. If it doesn't blind him and leave him vulnerable to a counter-attack, it might at least prove a good distraction, and give her a moment to close the distance again. She reverses the grip on her sword, holding it with the blade back. She uses a fist to the chest, to start, but follows it up with the blunt edge of her weapon to his side.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    Even Corvo can be blinded, if only for a little while; the mask protects the eyes, and a quick gutteral whisper turns Ryuko into a pillar of glowing lurid gold light in his vision; nobody else would see but she's done all in glowing yellow amid dim sepia tones, her vision a bright white in his own- but the cloud of sand makes it a brief flurry of movement all the same, and castiing the vision spell causes him to be caught offguard enough for it to hit.

    The fist hits the bonded Galvani weave of his vest, driving air from him but leaving him somewhat unhurt- but the solid strike of the blunt of that strange weapon pulls a tight cry from him- his reaction? That mask, that strange grotesque oddly almost empathic looking mask suddenly pulls back, a slight glint off those multi-lensed optics- and he tries to crack her in the face with a quick headbutt, before he'd kick back in a flurry of dust all of his own. Dammit, he needs distance!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Ryuko ... swings at the ground?" Yuna sounds a little confused. "- ah, trying to kick some sand and dust loose, making cover as she closes in on Corvo again - and punching instead of cutting! It doesn't seem to help all that much, though, as Corvo just headbutts her; that's gotta hurt, especially with his mask and helmet!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Well, he's got some good armor.. But, maybe, made a mistake with the headbutt. It scrapes up her forehead, and manages to get a little blood flowing from her nose. She swipes at it with her tongue, and sighs, "Boy, you just stepped onto my turf, when it comes to fightin'.. This is totally how I like it!" Ryuko doesn't seem phased by the headbutt, even if it definitely looks like it hurt. What does she do? Well, mask or not..

    She's going to give him one back. She just strides forwards a few steps, leans back, and slams the crown of her head into Corvo's. If it's a street fight he wants, that's just what he's going to get. The red trim of her outfit starts to glow faintly, and some steam vents from under the outfit's skirt, as she goes on the attack.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    Oh CHAUFFER- he's having flashbacks to trying to handle those guards, and his face beneath the mask would be once big frustrated wince, leaving him stumbling back- he reacts without thinking, slashing at her again in a quick brutal flurry, eyes wincing and smarting and demenor sharp and terse. Getting close to her was a mistake, a mistake from the start- and yet when he got angry it got hard to be, well, smart, leaving him glaring and using his blade entirely too much.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna winces sympathetically, "Looks like Corvo's attempt at using his head just backfired, as Ryuko headbutts him right back - and if that hurt Corvo as bad as Ryuko, her head's a LOT harder than I guessed! And it's left Corvo off-balance from the look of things; he's swinging his blade hard and fast ... Can't blame him too much, Ryuko's being a pretty scary opponent! It's hard to say if either of them really has an advantage ..."

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Well, nevermind his armor.. He's still fast. Those first couple of strikes slice into her sides again, but the Kamui seems to prevent them from going too deep. Regardless how exposed Ryuko might seem, it seems able to protect her. She takes advantage of the fact that he seems intent on staying in melee, though, and manages to parry the last attack with her sword. She's quick to turn that on him, spinning it around her wrist so she's holding it normally again. Something to deal with his armor, this time, though.

    Planting her feet, her Kamui shimmers, with brief flashes of red, and her sword is soon a blur of stabbing thrusts, aimed at hopefully piercing him and making that armor a moot point.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    The vest is only so good, and it protects him, it does, but beneath that he is a frail, fragile thing, and the blades bite deep and he bleeds... and there's a kicking back, a spastic movement, a blur of dust and a 'whf' and he's gone... save for the, splashes, of blood, on the ground. Save for those.

    He can't stop now. He doesn't have time to heal up and his regeneration can't keep up so far- he's tired, and he's cold and shaky, adrenaline hammering through him. He has to be careful. He has to be-

    There's a pause, and- the click of a gun? Sounds archaic, and it is archaic, as he draws a pistol, swinging out from behind the wall he was hiding on, his dark blue a dark purple with blood by now... and fires-

    And misses.

    The explosive bullets spatter and rain, but don't hit Ryuko, leaving her unscathed.

    They do however hit the wall behind her- sending a, well, wall of stone down towards her!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Ryuko stays in close against Corvo, giving at LEAST as good as she's getting" Yuna continues. "I can't even see how fast she's swinging that scissor-blade of hers - and Corvo ... wait, did he just disappear? Yeah, seems like he vanished out of her melee range. Is that his -"

Then the gunfire. "Holy cow - Corvo's gone from trying to fight Ryuko with his *own* weapons to using the arena *as* a weapon! Shooting out a chunk of the wall so it'll land right on top of her ... *wow*! I was thinking Ryuko might have the upper hand, but Corvo is NOT to be counted out yet either!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Ryuko hears the click of that gun.. He went and vanished on her again, but he was setting her up for another attack. And, as the bullets explode around her, it's all too clear what his intentions are. They become even more clear as that wall collapses on top of her, burying her in rubble. Oh, she's not dead.. not knocked out yet, either, but there's a pained groan from under there, to let everyone know she's still kicking. Some of the rubble moves, too, as she starts pushing her way out. But, just doing that is going to take too long. And to be honest, she's been holding this back a while, out of spite and her desire to do so against the opponent she'd wanted to fight. But seeing as she's so close to the finals, there's no reason to hold back, now..

"Senketsu.. SENJIN!!"

    She explodes out of the rubble, having cut most of it to pieces. All she had was that sword, though, right? Wrong! Her outfit has transformed! Everywhere possible, there's something sharp jutting out of it, spikes and blades and thorns of various shapes and sizes, not counting the three on each hand, that she's now lashing out at Corvo with, as she lunges towards him!

Satsuki Kiryuin (430) has posed:
    High above in the floating spectator stand, a young lady in white watches, her eyes locked on to Ryuko as Senketsu undergoes its transformation.

    "...Hoh..."

    Only the faintest hint of a smile tugs at the corner of her lips, but it is there nonetheless.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    There'd be a beat, where he's staring at her. A few slight points connect-

    Then 'whf'

    And he's gone.

    AGAIN.

    He's not getting close to that. He's not facing that, he is CERTAINLY NOT GETTING CUT UP BY THAT. If he can help it. No sir. No ma'am. Not him. Nope.

    Quiet, silent, sneaking, slinking, watching her lines of sight, her movements, he'd stalk her, his regeneration mild enough to have no easy prayer of closing the wounds but there enough to stop the bleeding, and after a while the blood trails would cease.

    Just enough time to choke down a quick gulp of water, the little pep to his systems helping a bit, and he pants, pulling the mask back down...

    And should she try to find him, at some point she'd get another of those crossbow bolts coming flying at her. This one is a lurid blue, and would blaze into soft purple fire that would rapidly become normal orangey fire as it- misses her again, catching some of the creaky wooden scaffolding to some of the ruined bits and- sending them down at her again DAMMIT!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"And in response to getting a freakin' wall dropped on her, Ryuko shows off a whole new mode for her Kamui!" exclaims Yuna. "'Senketsu Senjin,' she called it - she looks like she's wearing a chainsaw or something now, all points and edges and sharp bits and claws; I hope the lining isn't as sharp as the outside looks! But Corvo manages to dodge and get away, just nicked at the most. He's 'hiding' again now ... - *WHOA!!* I have no idea what kind of bolt THAT was from Corvo, but it - skimmed past Ryuko ... *DIRECT HIT* on the wall, and he brings more of the architecture down on top of Ryuko! I have *no* idea how he pulled that off, but I have to say this now - Corvo's definitely got the upper hand at this point! Can he keep the advantages on his side, or is Ryuko going to pull out another surprise to counter him and turn the tide?!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    So much for that.. This ninja shit is getting old. She'd had enough of it, after her fight in the first round. She glances around a bit, but another sneak attack catches her off-guard, again. More rubble and some scaffolding, and a rock manages to hit her in the head, some blood trailing down the left side of her cheek, dribbling down her chin. Her whole head is throbbing, and now she's starting to get mad. She shakes some of it off, noting that that last attack really cut her up some.

    "Alright, enough of the sneaky crap.. Don't need to see you, to get you out of your hiding spot!"

Those claws and blades cut clean through the heavy stone ruins easily, and she takes down a whole wall.. and the one beyond that, in an effort to drive Corvo out from wherever he might be. Part of the ceiling held up by those two walls caves in, as well!

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    Oh oh oh oh oh! CrapcrapcrapcrapCRAP! Ngh! Run RUN, run sliiiide slide slide jump jump slide 'whf' run run run! 'whf' jump and again and sliiiide-*CRUNCH* and the ceiling catches him where the walls did not, driving the air out of him and partially pinning him under rubble of his own. Oh. Oh ow, ow, pain. Pain pain, pain. NGH PAINN...

    He strains at the stone, trying to free himself, feeling his energies flush again- and- 'whf' and he's standing, aching and bleeding and standing. And oh, oh ow, oh that hurts...

    Then more. Well. Ninja shit. Though he HATES that term. Hates it. He's porting in with another soft 'whf', suddenly within range of those blades, but his own actions are as deft and as swift as he can make them, jabbing and stabbing and dancing in, trying to spear the death porcupine before she can spear him, and hopefully get away afterwards!

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
"Ryuko's turning Corvo's own tactics against him now," Yuna reports, "cleaving through rubble and sending it tumbling down on top of Corvo ... I don't care how good his armor or his helmet are, that has *GOT* to leave a mark ... but he's still in the fight, somehow - popping out from under the rubble and - teleporting, trying to get some good stabs in on Ryuko herself!"

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Fighting inside might've been a bad idea.. So, time to take this outside. Ryuko's forced to weather the storm, as she's forced to try and parry his attacks with her new form. She hasn't had a whole lot of time to fine tune it, so he manages to slip in several strikes past her defenses. But, yes. As for taking the fight outside, now.. She charges at him, leaps and spins in the air, quickly turning into a whirling mass of red, a blur made of razor sharp edges. She looks to slam right into Corvo, and not just hit him.

But carry him straight out into the desert outside, out in the open.

Nevermind the fact that he has to deal being in close proximity to a huge, human food processor.

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    Oh.

    Bother.

    There's more than just the blur of her clothes there. There's a lot of blood. Just a, lot, of blood. It spatters across the stones, and his clothing is pretty well shredded by the time he's done; his bone charms lying scattered, his vest fallen half open, and his coat in tatters. Bullets glint a soft indigo across the sands, incindeary bolts sticking out of the dunes and grenades merrily rolling downhill, a spread of sleep darts, almost artistic, against the stones.

    And Corvo. Just, bleeding. It pumps, it runs, it drips, the desert hungry for it. He is a ghastly thing, all blood spattered skull mask and raw red wounds, his sword running with it, a merry stream down the blade. A trembling shudder, as though he's suddenly gripped with deathly cold...

    And it all stops.

    A shaking breath, and then he looks at her. Straight through the mask. Looks at her. Straight at her. Straight THROUGH her. Like a bolt.

    And then he's gone.

    No 'whf', no blur, no bloom of sand, nothing.

    They wouldn't see anything. They wouldn't see the frozen second, a moment hanging in air. They wouldn't see him stepping across the glass-still sand. Up to the just rising up form of her. All that fierceness. All that potential. All that anger. He studies her... and then he lifts his blade. And jabs. And lances. And cuts. Little. Precise. Cuts. Not enough to even scar, if they're looked after. Not enough to damage nerves or cut muscles or part tendons or anything. Just. Enough. To hurt. And wind. And wound. And bleed. Enough to take down a normal man only to have him rise again a week later, sore but whole. He has the training. he has the determination. And by the Outsider he will bring no harm he does not have to.

Ryuko Matoi (140) has posed:
    Maybe somebody will be able to explain it to Ryuko, when she wakes up. Just what in the hell happened. What that attack was, and all. But, when it's all over, there's just a lot of blood. Way too much blood loss for the Kamui to keep working anymore. Senketsu immediately goes dormant, so he doesn't overdo it, but it's just a second too late. She's passed out, before she's even on her knees, and slumps quietly onto the sand. Oh, she'll be fine, with some rest and some time to recover. But as far as the tournament goes? It's about as 'quiet' an exit as one might expect from her.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna lets out a brief yelp, jinking to the side as Ryuko goes rocketing out of the ruins. "So much for close quarters - Ryuko's taking this fight out of what they've left of the fortress, carrying Corvo out into the desert blades-first and giving him hell along the way! Corvo's still got some fight left in him, though, not giving up - wait, he just disappeared out of her grasp ... ?"

Even Yuna doesn't see what happens next. "... holy - *wow*. I didn't even see what Corvo did there, but Ryuko is down and the referee's calling it! VICTORY IN THIS MATCH HAS BEEN AWARDED TO CORVO ATTANO!! Corvo advances to the next round of the tournament, while Ryuko has been eliminated in the same round as her rival Satsuki!"

Corvo Attano (398) has posed:
    And Corvo is just, guttered. Almost gutted. There's just nothing left. He's cut and bloodied and exhausted. He doesn't quite, collapse. Okay it's a collapse. But it's a collapse onto his knees, so there's that, right? Right? Right.

    Oh bugger he's in a lot of pain.