3069/WMAT C1 Material-S vs Testarossa Fate

WMAT C1 Material-S vs Testarossa Fate
Date of Scene:	20 September 2015
Location:	Papaya Island - Stadium
Synopsis:	Material-S and Testarossa Fate collide in the WMAT!
Cast of Characters:	177, 380, 401
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

---

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    The contestants haven't even arrived yet and the crowds are already going wild. Though Fate had lost her prior match, the last minute lottery thrusting her back into the competition had not been rejected when the news came, but to hear that her opponent would not only be the champion of prior tournaments, but also Seikou, was something of a daunting reveal for the mage.

    Nevertheless, it's time.

    The announcement on radio for the whole Multiverse to hear, and then the stadium gates open. There's a flash of gold. A brief streak of black and gold light as lightning flashes once in the skies overhead.

    And Fate Testarossa is standing atop the highest pole the stadium has to ovver, overlooking the arena below.

    [GET SET] Bardiche pings, low and cool, the ever faithful Device as stoic as usual.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    Lacking Fate's speed, Seikou doesn't streak into the stadium. She flies in, trailing orange sparkling lights, and floads down to land atop a different pole. There, she does a small curtsy before twirling her own Device, the stafflike Luciferion, and exchanging the normal, polite greetings she does.

    "It is good to see you make it into the tournament again, Testarossa," Seikou says in that calm tone of hers. "My first opponent shall be an interesting one. I look forward to seeing what you've learned in the last year."

    <ANNIHILATE HER.>

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    Every time Fate sees Seikou, the resemblance is just chillingly uncanny. Like Nanoha, but in shades of black and dour, the sight of the Material sends a wave of mixed and confused feelings through the blonde, just like they had, the night they had first crossed paths in the Garden of Time, amid the chaos of battle and berserking robots.

    Unlike her manner towards most of her opponents thus far, Fate is not... Wholly cold.

    "I'll do my best."

    A Snakt-HISS of machinery and Bardiche's axe-head snaps back, coming to life with the crackling hiss of ionized air as the Device's golden scythe blade sparks to life. She takes a breath.

    They say a warrior can make any decision and carry it out in the span of seven breaths. Fate makes hers in one.

    [GET WRECKED.]

    In barely the blink of an eye, she's off the post, a streaking blur of black, cloak trailing behind her wildly. Right out the gate she's at a breakneck pace, crossing the arena distance and hoisting that scythe, swiping horizontally in swift and efficient cutting stroke, head on.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    Fast. Very fast. Not that Seikou expected any less, but there's only so much that she can do to prepare for the raw speed that her opponent is packing. She's already dropping away, ducking back so that the slice cuts off a bit of ribbon, slashing very shallowly into her flesh beneath. A grazing wound, but first blood is drawn.

    Not that Seikou bleeds, usually, but the effect is the same.

    She didn't try to block it, opting to dodge instead. The Material's staff whips around, and instead of retreating the blunt end is aimed at a sharp, vicious jab toward Fate's midsection.

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    In a flashy twirl, Bardiche is recovered and swung low in a block, but between her own momentum, and the strength behind Seikou's swing, even managing to deflect Luciferion as Fate does, the force still sets the blonde's arms ringing, hands threatening to go numb right at the onset of the match. But Fate doesn't choose to remain a blatant target for a much more proper reprisal.

    With grunt and a bone-jarring jink aside, the blonde twirls, twintails flowing behind her, cape yanked so hard on the air is gives an audible snap as Fate whirls in an attempt to follow up her first stroke by tryingot abuse her speed and get into a blind spot while right up close, and press her assault, rather than give Seikou the advantage of distance she assumes, the Material has.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    It's a pretty tricky maneuver to deal with, any way you slice it. Seikou is fast, but not nearly as fast as Fate. Disengaging from the melee isn't something she can easily do. Maybe that's why she's fighting up close like this. This time, she does try to block, the quick slash half-deflected by the staff and tearing through her dress, opening a shallow graze along her leg this time. "Mn. Fast." Words of approval. Unfortunately for Fate, Seikou has a strategy to deal with her, and it's in her off hand.

    <BURST IMPACT,> Luciferion pings, just as Seikou's hand comes up... charged with mana. The palm releases a powerful impact, wind-charged mana exploding outward in an attempt to both bruise Fate, and to knock her back a considerable distance... if she can connect.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline is sitting back and watching the battle with the mic in her hand, leg swinging. The Solar's normal quiet and dour attitude is partly gone. She can't be said to be excited, but she's more animated than usual, at least. "It's looking surprisingly bad for the champion so far. Fate is fast and mobile, and is darting around to avoid Seikou's counterattacks, harrying her from the sides. It's nothing major yet, but this may end up being a battle of attrition, since Seikou can't seem to get a solid counter in. She's changing tactics now, finally attempting to open up some space with some powerful explosive magic. Didn't I promise you explosions?"

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    Now that earns a grunt; the sudden eruptive force of mana from Seikou's hand forces Fate back, one scarlet eye squinting shut when she's caught off guard by the charged blast hits her like a wave, buffeting her ba<span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ k.

    chy">[DEFENSER]</span> Bardiche pings, autodefences still doing little to halt the buffeting force as she regains her balance. However...

    Fate is working on the assumption that distance- even mid-range is a very dangerous place to be, against the Material that looks so much like her best friend. The fact that a gap is forced open earns a subtle widening of scarlet eyes. The moment that follows is one of a very brief, incipient panic, a sensation that is quickly smothered, shoved away deep inside herself as she's forced to make a snap decision in the span of a single breath again, one she likes considerably less than when she had made her initial push for assault.

    [PHOTON VULCAN FULL AUTO FIRE.]

    Bardiche's voice is the only warning preceding the barrage of blanket fire, a streaming hail of small golden projectiles from wild angles forming jagged and interlocking patterns as she tries to use the curtain of fire to regain the distance she forcibly lost.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    Numerous projectiles streak toward Seikou, and the Material is ducking backward with a shield forming around her. It isn't strong enough, though... perhaps she's underestimated Fate's strength? Several slam right into it, but after the assault begins to weather it, the barrier shatters and she's struck full on in the chest, tumbling back and smacking against a pole with a vaguely-annoyed grunt.

    <PYRO SHOOTER.>

    She's gained some distance, even if her Barrier Jacket is smoking and she's taken several hits. She responds with what she does best: several bright orange projectiles that burst into flame, roaring and flinging themselves toward Fate, even altering their path to burst into searing blasts when they near the girl. "You have improved more than even I expected."

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline announces, leaning forward to watch, "Seikou has forced some distance between herself and Fate, and now Fate is worried. She responds with a hail of projectiles that manages to get through Seikou's guard, tearing into the Material badly. But Seikou is at range now, and returns fire with flaming projectiles of her own that are seeking out Fate's movements. It looks like they're starting to step things up."

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    For the moment, Fate's main concern is getting back into that close range, at any cost. But the flurry of flaming projectiles on course for Fate sets the blonde swerving. Twisting and throwing herself into violent maneuvers that would make a lesser flyer dizzy or pass out, even when putting on her best effort, she doesn't come out unscathed.

    For all her aerial acrobatics, Bardiche throws up an autodefense spell again when there's one that she CAN'T dodge, and when that one slams her in the stomach, it all but kills her momentum, shattering the shield earning a cough of shock and pain. In that instant it's fairly easy to see where her Barrier Jacket and skin are scorched from nearer passes, but that hit was winding.

    To her credit though, the mage recovers well, throwing herself downwards in a breakneck descent, landing her feet in a stomp on a golden sigil of light that forms in the air, bringing Bardiche to bear as the scythe head snaps back into spear configuration.

    "... Thank you."

    [THUNDER SMASHER.]

    If she can't get close in again, she's not going to hold back with the sudden pillar of crackling golden light that lances straight for the Material.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    It's a strong attack, but Seikou can deal with this one. <ROUND SHIELD,> the Device pings, setting up an orange barrier right in front of Seikou as the girl darts to the side. The crackling light slams into the barrier, filling the air with light... and when it fades, Seikou's outstretched arm is burnt and smoking, with her bracer cracked and scorched. "It always surprises me how much more dangerous your magic is, in some ways," she murmurs.

    But no attack?

    That isn't quite right. Seikou's attack is coming. Abruptly, two bursts of flame erupt from the ground, burrowed under and streaking up, trying to blast Fate from behind while Seikou is talking. The blonde is maneuverable, so Seikou's trying to overcome that fact with a sneak attack.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline's eyebrows raise at the change in tactics. "It looks like Fate's given up on trying to press the close combat advantage now, and is relying on her speed to even the battle! Her lightning attack is hard to dodge, so Seikou is using barriers, but it looks like she's really eating some damage there. Meanwhile Seikou's own attacks are a little too slow, and she's relying on... talking? No, wait, that's not it! She's sent some of her fire bolts underground, to try to outflank Fate!"

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    It's pure reflexes that are Fate's saving grace on this one.

    No sooner than her own spell dies down and Bardiche begins to vent the accumulated heat build up, Fate's eyes flick down just in time, at the sudden hot glow from below. The eruption of fiery spells from the ground itself earns a sharp gasp, and then Fate leaps off her platform. The golden ring dissipates to nothing as the blond somersaults backwards, arresting herself in the air as easy as breathing, Barrier Jacket smoldering gently before...

    [SONIC MOVE!].

    Just like that she's nearly gone- a sudden snap of speed carrying her at a pace nearly impossible to track by ordinary sight, barely even a blur...

    Ka-CHUNK.

    The Device's revolver cylinder revs once, before loading a cartridge and consuming it in an explosive krump, internally storing the released energies for a moment... From behind Seikou.

    [MIDNIGHT REAPER.]

    Bardiche's golden scythe crackles, arcs of purple energies dancing visibly along the scythe's keen edge as Fate takes a heaving, cleaving, swing.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    A cartridge load. That's a bad sign. Seikou immediately has an aura of orange, a last-second barrier rising up as the swing comes in. The barrier shatters instantly, but it delays Fate's attack enough for Seikou to hurl herself to the side, bouncing off a pole and steadying herself with a shake of her head. Rattled, but relatively undamaged by her unorthodox maneuver, Seikou focuses on her foe.

    "Difficult this year," she murmurs... and there's a hint of a smile there. Her staff snaps down into place, and Luciferion pings loudly, <BLAST FIRE.>

    A much larger blast shoots across the ring, aiming to make it harder to dodge by sheer volume rather than speed, and the fact that Fate might be off-balance.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline announces, "Fate takes a page from Seikou's book, using her superior mobility to get behind Seikou and move in for a close strike. Seikou uses an emergency tactic that unbalances her, but it looks like she's making up for it with a large blast of power that sends flames toward Fate's entire side of the Stadium, trying to minimize where her more agile opponent can go. It's getting heated up, now, with both showing their skills."

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    Difficult is true, Seikou isn't making this easy on Fate, either. Nor had she expected her to. But the sudden emergency hurl means Fate's slash impacts with little more than dust and shield spell, and the WHIFF of air getting cut is a vicious sound in and of itself.

    But missed swings won't get Fate a win.
    When Luciferion unleashes that pillar of mana and flame, Fate's hand snaps forward.

    [LAYERED DEFENSER!]

    It's not an autodefense spell, but a focused and controlled round shield, one layered on another, layered on a third, and she swings this in front of herself to try and halt the onslought. When it hits, she's jarred, the first shield shattering instantly, the second already cracking and splitting like glass as her hand trembles, fingers and arm going numb as her gauntlet creaks- cracks- and starts to fall apart; the glove beneath searing away. Sweat beads on ehr brow as Fate WILLS the shield to hold, but for all she tries to endure, with one last smash, her final defense is sundered, earning a small cry as she's slammed awash in a deluge of burning pain. Fate near hits the ground before she rights herself, landing in a crouch that forms a crater. Huffing and panting, Barrier Jacket burned and smoldering in places.

    A small sigh of breath, and then she's a blur. Just a streak of gold along the ground, leaving a furrow in the arena floor from her passing, before she comes straught up from beneath.

    Her intent is to get that scythe at Seikou's middle like a hook, before twirling a heave to fling- both the Material AND the golden blade, before Bardiche announ<span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ es:

    chy">[SABER EXPLODE]</span>

    Before making it erupt with large electrical and concussive force.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    There are some attacks that Seikou can't avoid, or at least can't avoid without more trouble than it's worth. The small Material's body jolts as the the explosion hits her, and she chooses to weather it with a simple Protection shell. It's a weak defense, comparatively, but it means her focus is free for other things. Other things like a counterattack.

    Flung as she is, it's perhaps surprising when Seikou hurtles from the cloud of the explosion /forward/ toward Fate, smoking and with her jacket in tatters. There's a large burn down her side, the damage starting to accumulate. All so she can thrust her hand forward in another atta<span style="color:k.

    corange"><BLAST IMPACT></span>

    An explosion of flame, once again partly intended to fling Fate about, but also to stun her. Seikou's just going to power through this.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline is leaning forward with some surprise on her face now, watching and clutching the mic tightly. "Fate is really showing her dedication to this fight tonight. Not letting Seikou have a moment to gather her wits, she's hooking the Material with her scythe, and the blade is exploding! It's a good strategy to keep Seikou busy, and it looks to have really hurt the Material, as much as she can show being hurt. But Seikou isn't letting that go without a counter, and she's moving in to close combat again, trying to blast Fate across the stadium. Is this a valid tactic, though? It's already been tried once."

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    This time, Fate is ready for when Seikou's hand reaches out to blow her away again. This time, she doesn't take it, like she did at the onset of the match. This time, she shoots straight up, barely evading the surge of force just in the nick of time, and losing a portion of her cloak for her troubles.

    But for all her speed, she is undeniably panting. Body sore and aching, burned and wearing down. The match is already a test of her endurance as it is. But there's something in her eyes. A defiant gleam of purpose as she looms overhead.

    Chunk-<span class="underline bold_fg_y bg_s ++ hunk-HISSSSSS!

    chy">[ZANBER FORM.]</span>

    Once again Bardiche's cylinder spins and expends two cartridges, the scythe's shaft shortens, axe head fanning back, splitting, and snapping apart into a wide crossguard, before golden light sizzles to life again.

    This time in the form of a -massive- two handed sword.

    "Nanoha lost... So I'll have to make it to the end of the tournament for the two of us. --Haaaaa!"

    It's a direct challenge and statement of intent to the champion, as she brings that collosal blade down in a mighty HEAVE.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    "Maybe you will," is all Seikou says to that determined look. She whips her own Device around, barriers flinging upward to try to block the blade-

    They are, surprisingly, a fraction too late. Forming just as the zanber smashes down, they don't get a chance to reinforce with magic before being shattered, and the blade smashes down against Luciferion to send cracks through the shaft of the staff, and sending Seikou at high speed into the ground with a smashing of stone and a massive cloud of dust. She even coughs, voice slightly pained. "... very nice."

    That doesn't mean she's given up though. A faint shifting noice of her Device reconfiguring, and then the low hum sounds of something more.

    <DISASTER HEAT>

    It isn't a fireball this time. This is something new. It's a brilliant, narrow /beam/ of lancing heat that cuts across the sky, trying to slice through Fate and send pain through her body. It is still nonlethal, just strong.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline shouts, actually getting into the fight, "And Fate is determined to see this through, Champion or not! She's just summoned a giant blade of magic, and without a second thought, smashed it right through Seikou's defenses! This is really something to see, Seikou is getting pretty brutalized, a first for any time I've seen her! She's pretty beaten up, and just vanished into a cloud of... uh oh! A blast of magic announces that she's still in the fight, and not a weak one either!"

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    Maybe she will, but for now, Fate knows the only way to victory is through Seikou.

    Which means she still has a tough road ahead of her.

    Spying Luciferion's shift, once again, Fate is on the move, streaking down to meet the Material groundwards, but her trip is arrested by a more than mild inconvenience. Swerve and evade all she might try, in the end, Fate is forced to hold Bardiche in front of her, using the wide electrical blade as a shield. The results aren't effective, when the zanber is batter aside, this time drawing a louder cry of pain, before Fate nearly drops into freefall. A twist at the last second and she lands relatively on her feet, hunkered on her knees and panting heavily.

    "... Thanks."

    Now that she's properly braced however, Bardiche's cylinder spins again, spitting another Cartridge with a CHUNK, a large targeting rune forming in the air in front of her as she hoists the massive blade level. And thrusts into the center of the circle, unleashing a huge wave of ele<span class=" bold_bg_y fg_n ++ tricity!

    chy">[PLASMA ZANBER SMASHER!]</span>

Material-S (177) has posed:
    Tattered Barrier Jacket shows gashes and bruises, burns running all over Seikou's body. She's actually breathing for once, deep huffs that make her steady herself, witht he orange wings upon her ankles fluttering. She's eying the girl seriously now. "I may lose. However, I do not intend to step aside now. You must defeat me fully, I am afraid." A hint of a smile. "Something you are doing well at."

    <AIR DASH>

    The spell came from nowhere, no hint. The chime of Luciferion was sudden, almost perfectly timed. Even so Seikou almost doesn't make it, the Zanber Smasher cleaving down and sending electricity outward in an arc that singes her foot even now, burning away the shoe of her Barrier Jacket. The rapid movement serves another purpose beyond dodging, though.

    It puts her above Fate.

    <TORNADO BUSTER,> the Device pings abruptly, with a roar of mana. The funnel of brilliant orange mana screams downward, forming a sharp tip of twisting wind, flame, and magic that aims to tear through any defenses in the way, along with a good chunk of the arena floor.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Staring at the two with more than curosity, Madeline almost forgets to announce. "Fate is keeping up the offensive, but just as Fate is wise to Seikou's tricks now, Seikou's getting the same to Fate. A sudden blitz of movement carries the Material out of harm's way, and above Fate. The Champion is charging up some new spell that... it's a tornado of magic! She's send some kind of fire tornado down upon Testarossa, and it looks like Fate's going to need all her skill to avoid the fight ending then and there!"

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    If the fight was intense before, it's heated now. Literally. Though the crowd is going berserk, after this match, the stadium is going to need some repairs done. But for now, a few craters aren't going to get in Fate's way. The sheer force of Plasma Zanber Smasher is enough to gouge a deep furrow in the ground- and for quite a distance, but even Fate displays the same surprise as the crowd, when Seikou blitz-spells out of harm's way.

    The shadow over her head however prompts her to snap her gaze up, brow knotting as that spiral of FIRE starts to form.

    [THE EYE OF THE STORM SIR.] Bardiche suggests. It's insane. It's crazy. It's just the kind of stupid ten year old decision one would expect Fate Testarossa to not make.

    She makes it.

    In the span of a breath she makes her decision, blasting straight up, into the twisting spout of wind and heat, buffeting and burning all the way up, she kicks up her speed, to remain inside it for as briefly as possible.

    Before trying to come out the top, from beneath Seikou with a MASSIVE uppcercut of her Device.

    "I don't expect you to make it easy. If Nanoha was here instead of me, she'd be fighting you just as hard."

    Look at that Seikou, this is the most chatty Fate has been in any of her fights.

    "So that's why I will."

Material-S (177) has posed:
    Well, the unexpected is a good way to win. Seikou certainly didn't expect that, that's for sure. When Fate comes OUT of that storm of flame, from within it, she's startled enough that she barely has time to raise her Device at all. A Device that takes the hit and shatters along the shaft, splitting it in two. It saves her from a harder hit though, and she 'merely' takes a heavy impact in the chest, starting to tumble backward. "Ah..."

    Dazed as she is, Seikou hits a pole, tumbles aside, then whips her remaining half up for a quick counter. A cartridge loads with a loud clattering noice, and then-

    <BLAST FIRE>

    The same attack as before, yes, but at a much closer range this time. The fireball streaks toward Fate with a widening spread.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    Madeline stands up, now excited and surprised! "This is really heating up... and Fate does a daring move that I didn't expect! She flies right through the tornado, barely making it through before the funnel forms, and goes right for Seikou with a power attack! Seikou didn't expect it either, it looks like, because she's sent down, and looks pretty badly hurt! She counteracts with a fireball of her own, but it's not looking too good for the Champion!"

Testarossa Fate (401) has posed:
    The initial slash had all of Fate's might behind it, and for a brief instant afterwards, even though sucessful in the stroke, she's offbalanced from inertia. And simply because Luciferion if cleaved does not mean she expects the Device to be ineffective. When Fate hears that cartridge load, for a moment, the best she can do is look ready to eat a full serving of pain, before Bardiche steps in. Her ever faithful and stoic Device suddenly and explosively detonating the outer layers of Fate's Barrier Ja<span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ ket.

    chy">[REACTIVE PURGE!]</span>

    It's not a form change, but a sudden emergency defensive maneuver, using the outward explosive force to fling Fate out of harm's way and mitigate the blast of magical heat that washes over her, allowing her to regain her composure and balance with a breath and a lot less scorch marks than a shot like that would have warranted.

    She's dangerously unarmored, and with none of the active streamlining of Sonic Form. Continuing like this, before her Barrier Jacket can reform is immensely risky. But Fate chooses the big risk, for the bigger reward.

    In a streak of gold, she launches herself for Seikou, turning Bardiche to try and SWAT the Material to the ground with the flat of the blade as she huffs.

    "Bardi<span class=" bold_fg_y bg_n ++ he..."

    chy">[READY SIR.]</span>

    With a snap, the Device's cylinder flips open, six spent cartridges falling free witha gentle clink-clink-clink on the ground far below as she slams a speed-loader into place and slides six fresh cartridges home. No sooner than she does, the Device revs up, six explisive bursts signalling that Bardiche has consumed ALL of them.

    Fate studied her mother's calculations... She just needs to repurpose them... She can do this.

    It takes all of her concentration as the skies darken, stormclouds pull in, dark and ominous from seemingy nowhere, gold and purple lightning dancing in the clouds as thunder roils, independantly of the visible energies, but rather shakes the skies audibly roaring...

    From the strain on Dimensional Space itself.

    One last mighty peal of thunger backlights fate, casting the mage in silhouette as she raises her Device aloft. And with a single downward swipe, like a general of old signalling troops to march, initiates the spell.

    [THUNDER RAGE... O.D.J.]

    Like a dam breaking, a rift to Dimensional Space briefly tears itself open, dropping a whorling mass of oppressive purple-gold pillars of lightning onto the arena.

Material-S (177) has posed:
    This is bad. This is very bad. Seikou is surprised, but smiling as she sees the power building. "Mn. Welcome to the Championship round, Testarossa." She still does try though. Her hand goes up, and the barrier that rises has several layers, shimmering into view as a series of bright orange discs. She doesn't think it's going to be enough.

    She's correct.

    As the extradimensional lightning blasts down, the barriers shatter and splinter. One, two, three. Her stoic face tilts to the side as she considers. A flicker of a memory, only seen from the other side. "Hm. Different worlds," she muses.

    Then the electricity crashes down upon the dark-clad girl, sending her into a violent arch that spasms through her body. She doesn't cry out, just holds there for a long moment... then, as the attack ends, she tumbles to land roughly on the ground, smoking and unconscious.

Madeline Vance (380) has posed:
    By now Madeline is standing up and actively excited, the Solar's normal demeanor gone. She's excitedly narrating the results, pushing forward to the edge of her seat. "Seikou's fireball is incoming... but Fate does a dangerous maneuver and blows her armor off! Now faster, she manages to avoid the worst of the attack and responds with a massive lightning attack of her own... and it's a direct hit! Seikou goes down, but she doesn't seem disappointed. The Champion is defeated, what an upset!"