WMAT C1 D vs. Samael

WMAT C1 D vs. Samael
Date of Scene:	28 June 2014
Location:	WMAT Arena - Northern Mountains
Synopsis:	WMAT first round match between Vampire Hunter D and the Purely Awesome Samael.
Cast of Characters:	22, 73, 85, 232, 455

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D (232) has posed:
The World Martial Arts Tournament is not the kind of place you might expect to find a man as reclusive as D. He prefers to shun the spotlight, and to remove himself from social contact except whenever it is either unavoidable or necessary. So what is it which brings him to the Northern Mountains today -- fate, or necessity?

He awaits his opponent in the flat center of a bowl-shaped valley created during last year's tournament. The valley is vast and almost featureless except for a series of shallow streams and weedy growth of an expansive meadow. True to form, he is silent, patient, and still, the wind's tug on his flapping cloak his only movement.

The sun shines overhead, but it is, all things considered, the least of his annoyances.

Samael (455) has posed:
D would find himself confronted by nothing, at least for a minute or two. Then suddenly, the figure of a girl with a hat would suddenly *pop* into existance in front of him. She had arrived an inch or two off the ground, and landed with a dainty little step.

"Haaa, you're my opponent? How strange. I didn't think men still wore pale makeup...but it takes all types, doesn't it?" she said, looking him over curiously, leaning forward on the balls of her feet. Giving a toss of her hair, she skipped backwards with a twirl, before rising slightly off the ground. Odd, mechanical wings suddenly unfolded from behind her back, but they didn't seem to be actually attached to the girl, simply floating behind her.

"Though, maybe it's just because you stay inside so much...have you considered visiting a beach, or maybe a tanning salon?" she asked, a smile coming to her face as she crossed her legs, apparently sitting on nothing but thin air.

Medusa Gorgon (22) has posed:
Of course she had to show up for this fight. Arrangements had been done with Papaya hospital, patients had been stabilized... everything had been sorted so nothing would drag her away from the fight.
For now Medusa Gorgon is sitting in one of the front rows on her own, quite easily spotted thanks to her white medical coat. And just in case, there's a medical bag resting on her lap. Since she is a medic for this arrangement, might as well be ready, right? Her elbows rest on the bag itself, and her fingers are laced together as she waits for the fight to begin, all with what appears to be a sincere smile gracing her lips. Sure, Samael is a curiousity. But that was hardly her main reason for showing up here. And well, the interaction between the two fighters is amusing enough to begin with, whether Samael is ignorant or merely taunting D.
Oh yes. This fight ought to be well worth the time away from her work.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
Kagenashi sits in the hovering announcer's booth, devoid of weapons or even her usual clothing, save for the mask. Instead she wears a festive scarlet kimono, decorated with flower patterns. She rests her elbows against the desk of the booth and interlaces her fingers as a perch for her chin as she commentates.

"What a beautiful day for a duel, is it not? The sun is bright, the wind fresh, the valley lush and vibrant. Who knows how long that peace shall last, however, considering our two combatants this evening. D is the first to arrive, apparently not bothered enough by the sunlight to hinder him today. He cuts quite the imposing figure, particularly in such contrast to the surroundings. What of his opponent, however?"

"...ah, there she is, arriving quite simply out of thin air. She may not look as imposing as her opponent, but the girl known as Samael has already made a name for herself. She smiles and greets D pleasantly; undoubtedly that tone is going to shift soon enough once the battle begins."

D (232) has posed:
The teasing doesn't seem to faze D; maybe he's heard it all before? Only a shadow of surprise flickers across his serene facade, and that's reserved for the girl's method of appearance. "Greetings," he answers her teasing, his low voice mellow. "My name is D. We have not met before, but I already know who you are, Miss Samael."

In a fluid motion, he grasps his sword's curving hilt and begins to draw the long blade from its ancient scabbard. The sunlight flashes like fire across the steel's polished surface, but a more silvery kind of gleam highlights its keen edge. The same sharpness flaunted by his weapon is seen in his dark gaze as a gleam of intent.

"I cannot promise not to hurt you in our duel, but I can promise to make it interesting." His sword removed, he slips into a two-handed grip and a readied posture. "You may begin when ready."

Samael (455) has posed:
"Interesting? Straight up fighting's boring, isn't it?" the girl said, yawning. She looked around to the surroundings, before stretching a bit, her wings giving a flap. "So let's play a game. Do you like dodgeball? Or maybe tennis would be more appropriate?" she asked, before snapping her fingers.

Instantly, large drones started to unfold from her wings, but instead of guns, or some sort of weapon, they seemed to be something else. Strangely enough, in spite of the numerous machines unfolding from her wings, Samael's wings remained the same volume.They formed a circle around Samael and D, before something looking like solar panels unfolded. The pair were encircled by a forcefield of sorts, and the girl smiled, raising a finger.

"I'll go first."

A large, white energy ball appeared hovering above the girl's outstretched finger, and she winged it towards D. Instead of being aimed directly towards him, however, it was aimed to hit the forcefield behind him, in an attempt to nail him in the back!

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
Amusement slips into Kagenashi's voice as she comments from above. "Samael offers some scathing commentary on D's shade, but it seems not to phase the man at all. He only retaliates with a greeting and an introduction before drawing his sword. Will nothing faze this hunter today? He even invites Samael to strike the first blow, leading him to retaliate rather than initiate. Truly his courtesy knows no bounds."

The nogitsune's head tilts slightly to one side. "It seems Samael does not want a straight fight, however. She is instead offering a game instead, and strange machines begin unfolding from her wings, creating...a circle around both combatants. Interesting. It seems Samael has created a force field around the pair, and as her initial attack, she creates a ball of energy that she throws - oh, she missed? Ah, it is not aimed toward him, but to the opposite wall instead, bouncing off to strike him from behind!"

D (232) has posed:
The orb sails past D, and for an instant, he's safe. He didn't have to move at all. Was it a feint?

Behind!

The hem of his cloak snaps like leathery wings as D departs the earth in a high vertical leap. Dust trails from the spurred heels of his boots, and a gust of air flattens the grass beneath him. As fast as he is to react, he's not fast enough -- the orb clips him, imparting a bruising kiss to his knee and throwing off his trajectory.

At the apex of his leap, he twists, displaying impressive control over his body in a state where lesser beings might be helpless. Somehow, the motion alters the path of his descent: instead of falling straight back down to the ground, he swoops down at an angle. Now his cloak truly resembles wings as it flares around his silhouetted figure, giving him the appearance of an immense black bird.

In the midst of his deep shadow, the tip of his sword shines, a perfectly-aimed point snapping forward to stab the girl's shoulder the moment he is in range. The sword he wields is long and nimble; he doesn't have to be very close at all to attack Samael.

Samael (455) has posed:
As the orb impacted D, Samael clapped her hands together in triumph. "Ah! Looks like I get the first hit!" she said, looking rather pleased with herself. Unfortunately, she now had to deal with a very unpleased looking D looking to shank her. More drones unfolded from her wings, this time forming shields, stacking themselves upon each other to deal with D's blade, but it seemed that the Dhampir's sword was sharpter than she had initially thought. D's thrust pierced through one, two, three, four, five layers of shield drones, and Samael blinked, before skipping backwards. The bits of metal fell to the ground, reduced to slag by D's blade, and she sighed, putting a finger to her lips.

"Sooo, maybe I should be trying something else. I thought you wanted to make this interesting!" she said, shaking her head. "So, let's play something else. What about...oh, I know! Do you like dancing?" she said, a rather nasty looking grin coming to her face. She stepped to the side, and raised her hand. The entire enclosed space that she had set up suddenly was filled with constantly flashing and moving lasers of every color, looking more like a rave than a combat zone. Still, D would find that these beams, if he wasn't able to dodge, would easily carve off a finger or limb if he wasn't careful!

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
"Oh, how alert he is! It seems almost without needing to look behind himself, D leaps into the air to avoid the brunt of the orb's flight, suffering not much worse than a graze against his knee. And...how strange, he does not simply land. No, he swoops down upon Samael like a dark bird of prey, and with talons to match; his sword strikes out at her shoulder even before he is particularly close. Wise of him to use its length to his advantage, for it seems his opponent would rather keep her distance."

Kagenashi leans back in her seat, one leg crossing over the other. "Of course, Samael has defenses. Layers of armor form to protect her shoulder, and while D's sword pierces them well, at least she is spared from being completely skewered. Samael opens the space between them and offers D another inquiry. It seems she would like to dance, but that smile on her face suggests something less benign. Ah...yes, as expected. The field she has set up is suddenly filled with beams of many colors, and I am certain that those are not made of harmless light. D's agility is being put to the test in this match!"

D (232) has posed:
Sparks shoot back in an erratic shower as D's blade scrapes through Samael's many shields. The sparks illuminate his changing expression of astonishment in short-lived bursts; first, he is determined, his lips compressed in a hard frown; then, he is astonished, his narrowed eyes thrown wide; last, just before he touches down and recoils his sword, his upper lip pulls back in disgust.

Serenity falls over the Hunter again so suddenly after he lands that Samael might wonder if he was truly flustered at all.

Does he /like/ to dance -- no. /Can/ he? If he...must. It displeases him to face yet another mockery instead of a proper battle, but other than a short, sharp sigh, he doesn't let his vexation show. "Your games do not -- "

There's no chance he can finish his sentence before Samael's light show transforms the placid meadow into a fantastic demonstration on how to trigger epilepsy.

He's driven backwards, his footwork and reflexes tested to their superhuman limits. It seems wherever he goes, the lasers are there to meet him, and more than a few outdo his evasive quickstepping. He grunts in pain whenever one especially lucky shot drills a hole through his lifted forearm. The rest are glancing blows, searing thin gashes into his flesh whenever he's hit at all.

A clever opponent, he doesn't permit himself to be driven back. His initial retreat is followed up by a deliberate series of dodges which carry him through a wide arc until he's circled around to striking distance again. It happens so quickly that Samael might not be expecting him to attack so soon, but sure enough, D's shining sword cuts a horizontal slash through the air, the very tip of his sword whistling her way.

Samael (455) has posed:
Samael grinned, walking through the mess of lasers which parted to allow her to go anywhere she pleased, leaning forward. "They don't want? Do you not like them? Aww, alright." she said, with a pout on her face, dismissing the lightshow. Unfortunately, it seemed that D had taken the opportunity to get back into her face. Another surprised expression came from the girl's face as she flew backwards, and more shields came up to defend her. D cut through the pieces of metal like they were nothing more than paper plates, and she frowned.

"You're kind of boring, arn't you? Is that all you can do? Sword things?" she asked, yawning. "Fine, let's do it your way! How about this?"

Blades folded out from under her wings, forming a circle right above D. Unlike a sword meant to be used by a human, Samael's blades were handleless, with both ends coming to a wicked point.

One of them swooped down, but veered away at the last moment.

"Duck..."

Another one came down, but did the same thing, purposely avoiding D.

"Duck..."

The swooping and avoiding continued for a bit, before suddenly, ALL of the blades came down to drive themselves into D from every angle, attempting to leave no escape for the Dhampir.

"Goose!"

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
"Ooh..." Kagenashi seems to wince ever so slightly behind her mask. "D's ensuing dance is a remarkable display of skill, but even he cannot completely avoid the storm of light Samael has cast down on him. One beam finds its way directly through his forearm, while many more seem to be searing into skin and fabric alike. He will have to end this barrage soon if he wants to endure, I believe - ah! His evasions have brought him closer to Samael, and without warning he delivers a sudden slash of his blade across her in retaliation!"

"Just as the storm of lights is dispersed, Samael is faced with that sweeping moonlight blade. It is a last-minute attempt, but she dodges and blocks with another set of shields, which in turn are sliced clean through. It seems Samael is none too pleased about the situation, however, for her games continue to be interrupted by D's gleaming strikes. What will she do to counter this?" A pause as Kagenashi leans a little over her desk. "It seems blades have formed from her wings to surround D. Ah...she seems to be toying with him now, bringing the swords close but not quite hitting-" She gasps softly. "Oh, my, she has suddenly attacked with every single one at once, striking from all directions!"

D (232) has posed:
D flicks his sword in a silent gesture. 'Do your worst,' the gesture seems to say.

Gettin' cocky, now? You ain't won this thing yet, you know.

"I know," D murmurs. His response is intended for the sour voice in his head, but to Samael, it just seems like he's admitted to being a very boring guy. Hey, strip away the whole half-'blooded super-dhampir fated to either eliminate his world's greatest evil or fall prey to his own darkness' thing, and he /is/ just a guy with a sword and a bad sense of fashion, right?

Boring.

Samael's blades serve to demonstrate why the Hunter is considered so remarkable on his world. As the first one thrusts toward him, he jumps again, alights on its surface, and actually runs across it until the next one comes and he vaults to it, instead. Until Samael gets more clever, he keeps this going for awhile, putting himself out of harm's way through sheer athleticism and grace. It's unfortunate, then, that the entire swarm of weapons should thrust together the instant D commits himself to another leaping attack.

The dhampir is pinned to the ground by a dozen or more blades. No, he's not just pinned -- he's impaled. SOMEWHERE SOME VAMPIRE NERD FINDS THIS IRONIC AND I SHOOT THEM.

His left hand takes up D's sword of its own volition. Moving in an oddly detached fashion, like the arm isn't even part of D's body, it flicks its wrist, releasing the long sword like a javelin. An incredible strength puts enough force behind the weapon to let it easily reach Samael at lethal intensity.

D, meanwhile, works on freeing himself. His swift regeneration helps with the excessive bleeding.

Samael (455) has posed:
As the blades impacted with all sorts of squelching noises, Samael came forward, a rather mean looking grin on her face. Her feet slowly came down to the ground as she walked towards D, leaning forward. "So, how's that? That was better, right?" she said, tilting her head. "You didn't seem to like every else before, so..." The girl have a little shrug, before turning around. "I tried something else! But you don't seem to be so talkative anymore. Oh well."

As she was turned around, however, it seemed that D has other ideas. Or at least, his left hand. As the odd, independent hand wound up to flick the sword at her, Samael turned around at exactly the right moment.

The blade shot by her with all the force of a bullet, and her head swayed just at the last moment, the blade scratching her cheek. She winced as the red line opened, screwing her eyes closed. "Ow! You know, that wasn't really necessary..." she said, before flicking away the blood with a finger.

"Though...if you want to play like that..." The blades withdrew themselves from D's body, and Samael raised a palm to the sky. Upon bringing her hand down, the entire enclosure lit up, filled with a blinding red light. It would seem that Samael had just chosen to fill her entire force field with an obliterating red energy.

In the aftermath, it would have seemed that anything that wasn't dirt was completely and utterly gone. Grass, trees, and anything else had just been completely destroyed without a trace, and the ground was singed black with ash.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
"Mmn. D's leaping skill has been abruptly halted as he finds himself impaled against the ground by many blades. This is certainly a disadvantageous position for the hunter, particularly if he wishes to use his blade any further - wait, what is that?" Kagenashi pauses for a moment. "No, he can still attack, it seems. Even pinned against the ground, he grabs his sword and hurls it toward Samael! Oh, that will likely leave a mark; she is just fast enough to dodge that the blade scrapes along her cheek rather than impaling her. In return, however...she has pulled the blades from D's body and-"

Kagenashi suddenly winces, lifting a hand over the eyes of her mask as the bright flash of light consumes the field. Only when she lowers that hand again does she continue, awe tinting her tone. "...incredible. Samael has simply filled the entire arena with a blast of energy. The ground has been utterly scorched away, stripping out everything to create little more than a blasted landscape in the area of her forcefield. I am not yet sure if D has made it through, though..."

D (232) has posed:
It's time to reach into his bag of tricks.

Within the wash of red light, D is seen to raise his cloak over his face, and to curl his entire body beneath its folds. The traveling cloak he favors is an expansive garment. It protects him from the sunlight in his daily travels, but aside from that utility, he seems to favor it for its dramatic effect more than anything else. Could there be something more to the cloak after all?

No, not really. The blistering energy is resisted by the garment and D's relentless willpower, but it inevitably eats through his cloak to introduce its deadly power to his clothing and skin. If not for his body's swift capacity for healing -- if not for the overall difficulty one faces in outright /killing/ a dhampir -- he might be in significant trouble. As it is, he is slow to recover. He stays bent to one knee, smoke rising from his back and shoulders.

He tears the remnants of his cloak away. The tatters fall to the ground in a heap.

Without his sword, he's unarmed, isn't he? Virtually, but he's not entirely helpless. D lunges into a swift charge at Samael. As he runs, he makes several short, sharp flicking motions, a series of sharp wooden needles flung at the girl to keep her distracted. His real attack doesn't come until he goes baseball sliding past her feet and scoops up his sword from its resting place behind her; then, the weapon slashes through two quick vertical motions, glimmering light drawn through the air by the blade's fast passage.

Samael (455) has posed:
"Ahh, looks like you didn't like that much either. Should I have chosen another color? Blue, maybe?" Samael asked, pausing to examine her work as D tore what was left of his cloak away. It would seem, however, she underestimated his speed as D leapt into action. The needles came flying at the girl, and she quickly knocked them away, though one sliced a shoulder open as she leapt back, frowning. Apparently, D wasn't as beat down as she thought. Then, the coup de grace came.

D's strike after he recovered his sword came as a surprise to Samael as she whipped around. A shield came up, only to be sliced through, and the blade sunk into her shoulder, drawing blood and causing t he girl to wince and sink to her knees.

"That...really hurt." she said, before slowly standing up. "But maybe it's time to stop playing? You don't seem to be wanting to have fun with this, either, so..."

Even as she rose, however, the smile remained on the girl's face. It seemed that it had become less cheerful, and more murderous. More drones unfolded from her wings, but this time, they looked more...boxy.

"Let's see how you deal with this."

The boxes flipped open and revealed...missiles. Loads of missiles. Nothing but missiles. D found himself pursued with a bunch of homing missiles of all shapes and sizes, leaving trails that would make Ichiro Itano blush.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
Kagenashi gives a sigh that /almost/ sounds relieved when D rises and tosses aside his cloak, one hand alighting lightly over her chest. "Ah, good, I was worried the fight had met a very abrupt end. Now we can continue to a much more satisfying conclusion, or so I hope. D has endured Samael's assault at the expense of his cloak and no small part of his own body, but it seems not to be hindering him enough to stop his next assault. Deprived of his sword, he charges straight for Samael, hurling a set of wooden needles at the girl as he sprints! The needles are mostly knocked aside; it is only a distraction for the real attack, however, as he slides past and takes up his sword once more before assaulting her with a quick pair of slashes."

"Ah, finally a more solid hit. Samael's shields are sliced through once more, and this time D's blade finds purchase in her shoulder. She falls to her knees, but she is not down for long. Soon she finds her footing once more, and this time...she has missiles. Many, many of them, all of them rushing toward D with incredible focus!"

D (232) has posed:
D stands up to his full height. He runs his left hand along the surface of his blade, wiping Samael's blood away. Through an open gash in his shirt, his pale flesh is seen to be knitting itself, his blood resorbed, the last evidence of his impalement beginning to fade. "Do not mistake my lack of emotion for true apathy. I am enjoying our contest. I simply do not know how to smile."

The words are as dry as a desert at high noon.

The boxes open. D's serenity is shattered by shock. Missiles...were not anticipated.

Blistering propulsion clouds fill the air, and the missiles streak toward the Hunter, screaming their destructive intent. At this range, there is nowhere for D to run -- is this how the fight is to end?

The youth in black turns to put his left shoulder forward, and raises his left arm. His hand spreads open, displaying his open, flat palm to Samael. If he was directing traffic, he'd be telling it to stop. He doesn't think he can command the missiles to /stop/, does he?

The flesh in his palm churns like wet clay, forming the wrinkled and slightly distorted features of a small humanoid face. Pits serve in the place of its eyes, cut-off nose, and wide mouth. Somewhere in the incredible void of the creature's mouth and eyes, a blue flame flickers like a warm bonfire viewed at an impossible distance. The creature's mouth seems to offer a toothless grin right before it opens to obscene levels and draws in a breath.

That single breath becomes a consuming vortex. Almost all the missiles fired toward D are sucked toward the lipless maw, only to be swallowed away into whatever extradimensional abyss seemingly exists inside D's hand.

A few missiles escape, yes. These burst around D, and one strikes him directly, causing his tall stance to buckle. His ribs are exposed in a gory mess of ripped-up flesh and muscle. D breathes hard, pain in every breath.

The mouth closes, and D closes his hand into a fist. The same fist clocks Samael across the jaw when he charges in.

Samael (455) has posed:
Samael initially looked pleased as D seemed to be simply facing the missiles, with no attempt to dodge. "Have you given up? You know, you could save yourself some pain..." she said, before she suddenly frowned. As D's little companion in his hand appeared, Samael sighed, folding her arms. "Oh, I see. Is this really fair? You know, this isn't supposed to be a one versus one tournament, isn't it?" she said off-handedly, shrugging in indifference. Only, this time, while she was sighing and shrugging, it seemed that D decided to clock her right in the face. Ow.

Samael went flying backwards, and she righted herself in the air, shaking her head. "You know...it's not nice to hit a girl like that!" she said, as the force field enclosing D and Samael disappeared. The drones themselves flew back to their mistress, and she folded her arms, looking at D from her position straight in the sky. The drones fell into a circular formation, spinning slowly in front of Samael, and her expression flashed murderous for just a second.

"So, it's only fair I do this!"

A huge mass of red and black energy ripped across the sky, moving to slam straight into D. Regardless of how it affected D, the blast itself would destroy the ground around him, turning dirt to ash and destroying anything that wasn't already gone from her previous shenanigans.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
"For whatever reason, D is not going to try to evade the rain of missiles. He instead lifts his hand, palm outstretched toward the homing explosives - does he intend to simply take their impact? Ah, no, his hand opens into the face of his carbunkle! The creature opens its mouth and breathes in a powerful vortex, simply /consuming/ nearly all of the missiles. Ah-" Another wince from Kagenashi. "While most of the missiles are gone, it seems a few still escaped. D is badly hurt, but at least not shattered to pieces. Even after consuming all those explosives, he curls that very hand into a fist to hit Samael cleanly in the face!"

"The girl does not have her shields this time and is sent flying back through the air. Oh, she has retracted the force field as well. Perhaps she finds it better not to expend her energy on something like that as the battle wears on. Those drones that the field emerged from are hovering in front of her right now...oh! A powerful beam of energy is launched straight toward D! The very earth around him is turned to ash under that rush of black and red!"

D (232) has posed:
The last action taken by D before the battlefield erupts is to swing his sword into a vertical position in front of his body. His right hand holds the hilt at waist level, and his left slides up the blade's back to brace it at the curving tip. The weapon's edge is pointed toward the oncoming blast.

He is consumed.

After the chaos clears, the Hunter is found conscious, but in obviously poor condition. The sword isn't even in his grasp any longer -- it's on the ground several yards behind him. He is on his hands and knees, and each heavy breath he takes is an immense labor. Blood pours from mouth and gleaming red eyes, and from countless injuries carved into his body by Samael's extravagant power.

The crimson glow departs his vision like an ember growing cool.

He takes a deep breath, digs his fingers and toes into the scorched, ashen soil, and propels himself backwards the distance he needs to recover his sword. The weapon comes back to him almost mystically, a simple nudge from his toe all that's required to flip it upright and return the hilt to his hand.

He doesn't bother charging Samael this time; he leaps, shouting as he propels himself across the great distance now separating them. The single great bound brings him crashing down upon her again. This time, his sword doesn't /lead/ -- he raises it up in both hands, holding it above his head, so that after his knees strike her and put her down beneath him, he can thrust downward with all his might and impale the girl through her shoulder.

Samael (455) has posed:
It seemed that Samael wasn't expecting D to come flying right at her at all as she blinked, freezing in the air. D would find his blade hitting true as it sank into the girl's shoulder. She gave a small pained noise as both of them started to fall through the air. Quickly enough, however, Samael flipped over, pushing D away onto the ground. Still though, she put a hand to her new wound, frowning.

"Fine. If you want to be that way...let's do it that way!" She flew forward, following D as he fell to the ground. Blades folded out from her wings as they started to cut and slash D. An unending flurry of blades assaulted the Dhampir, and as he reached the ground, the girl drew back into the air, spinning and pointing at him.

"You should stay down there! It suits you!" she said, as more blades moved to pin him straight into the ground.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
Kagenashi's tone becomes slightly more serious as the chaotic blast clears, chasing away the tone of amusement that she started the match with. "Oh, my. D has survived the blast, but he looks quite wounded from it nonetheless. He is disarmed, as well; his sword must have been knocked away in the blast, for it lies quite a distance behind him. But...still, the hunter refuses to fall! In an admirable show of resiliance, he leaps back to take up his sword once more and almost immediately leaps /again/, flying across the distance between them with sword in hand so that he may knock her out of the air and...return the favor of impaling her against the ground!"

The nogitsune lifts a hand to her mask's mouth as the two switch positions in midair. "Ah, but Samael has come out on top, even after D's blade pierced her shoulder. Now D is falling and Samael descends after him, her wings extending into a storm of blades that assault him as he falls! Even more are coming down when he lands, and they will surely impale him once more if he does not move!"

D (232) has posed:
The way D manages to parry aside Samael's blades is nothing shy of miraculous, but not even miracles can save him from the inevitable conclusion. The ground's sudden arrival stuns him and takes his breath. The impact also interrupts the flow of his sword. Where once chiming clashes had protected him from further stabs and slashes, there is now silence, and in his defenseless sprawl, he is once more impaled. The only miracle remaining is the one protecting his heart from harm; had Samael's weapons found it, he would do more than shriek.

The wrecked youth is not quite defeated. Even as he gasps for air, he's moving, and once more pulling Samael's blades out of his own body. Only two are truly keeping him stuck where he is -- one through his thigh, one through his chest -- and these are pried away after a moment's insistence. He staggers to his feet. He has never looked so ugly and diminished as he does in that moment.

The youth looks up at his smirking foe, and sees his exhaustion mirrored. Yes, she smirks while he /grimaces/, but there's no doubt in his mind that Samael is near the end of her rope, too. Which of them is the more determined? The child who treats bloodsport as a simple game, or the Hunter whose reason for competing is incomprehensible?

What does he /want/ that makes him fight so /hard/?

No answers are coming. The Hunter tugs the brim of his traveling hat a little lower, picks up his sword, and throws himself at Samael with all the vigor of a man making a last ditch effort.

His sword slashes the air in rapid strokes. Two gleaming diagonal lines followed by a horizontal arc followed by a downward swing so forceful, the air itself gusts with knife-edge sharpness. The series of attacks comes so quickly, it requires sharp eyes just to see each one; to those of more mundane senses, D simply appears to vault upward, and create some kind of unseen blast almost like a shockwave.

Samael (455) has posed:
Samael frowned as D got up, sighing. "Oh, really? You're still standing? Geez, fine." She said casually, her swords floating to life in the air. Then D drug himself off the floor and somehow launched into a series of sword strikes.

His blade cleaved through oen of the floating blades. Then another. Then another. Then another. Aaand another. As much as Samael kept throwing at him, D seemed nothing short of unstoppable. Even when two, three, four blades were thrown his way, the Dhampir simply cleaved through them.

D cleaved his way through to the girl, but just as he was about to land the final stroke, she sighed, shrugging. "It can't be helped, I guess. You win, I guess! Congratulations!"

With what seemed to be no malice in the girl's face, she started clapping, in the middle of the destroyed and ash-ridden landscape.

D (232) has posed:
Samael is...surrendering?

D plummets back to the ground, and lands in an awkward crouch. Strange, how he seems to be feeling so much more pain from his injuries than the girl he's defeated -- is it because of who she is? /What/ she is?

The incredulity is writ plain on his blood-streaked countenance whenever he lifts his head to regard Samael a final time.

"...I will not forget you." And considering how long a life he has had and how many faces he has seen, that is quite a thing to say.

D bows his head, and seeks for the strength to journey home.

Kagenashi (85) has posed:
Kagenashi is nearly on the edge of her seat. "/Somehow/ D has managed to parry Samael's blades as he falls, but his landing is - ah! Again he is impaled against the ground by Samael's blades! He is still moving, however. He is not down /yet/, and he once more pulls the blades free from himself. Again he is on his feet, and though torn and ragged, he is still in the fight. With a tremendous leap, he rushes at her once more with strike after strike of his sword. I can barely make them out from here; it is nearly a blur of moonlight from this distance, but I see Samael's swords being cloven in half one after the other! He goes in to strike-"

Pause. Kagenashi falls silent for several moments before sitting back in her seat, her hands falling to her lap as she lets out a slow sigh. The nogitsune clears her throat briefly before speaking again, much more calmly than before. "...well. It seems Samael has given D the victory and is applauding her opponent. A rather unexpected way to end the fight, but with how worn down both of the combatants look...it certainly could have been worse. I suppose this means that D shall be continuing to the next round after an undoubtedly /thrilling/ battle against Samael."

She looks around the arena, or at least what's left of it, before murmuring thoughtfully to herself, "I wonder how long it will take to rebuild this area for the next fight."

Frederica (73) has posed:
Having been watching the fight, and having seen the nasty piece of work that is Samael rip and blast into D, Frika had her doubts. Samael can after all take on several people at once. But then, this is a tournament with limits. She supposes the Pure wielder forefeited rather than exceed those limits, which is a good enough win in her books.

The energetic Cait Sith bounds onto the field as soon as the end of the match is announced, moving fast to offer support to the fighter she'd been cheering for. Not that medical staff are supposed to have favourites, but ... well, Frederica sometimes disregards silly rules she doesn't like. Besides, Samael isn't nearly as badly hurt as D is, so it's perfectly fair for her to favour him! Professionally, that is. "Can... can you walk?" she asks, skidding to a halt beside D. "Or should we start the healing here?

D (232) has posed:
"Nnh...perhaps." D digs his sword into the ground and leans into it, using it like a prop or a cane to get himself upright. He realizes the weight of his scabbard has gone away; his hand can find no trace of the swordbelt usually worn across his chest and back. It must have been lost in the battle, he supposes. Finding it isn't a priority at the moment, but he'll need it later.

"...thank you for arriving so quickly." He had been afraid Miss Gorgon would appear to tend his injuries; Frederica is much more welcome sight. "Yes, I can walk, if we can go slowly."

Frederica (73) has posed:
"No problem!" Frika says cheerfully, giving a very out-of-character thumbs up. Out of character for her normal form at least... perfectly appropriate-seeming for the perky avatar. "Here, I can give you a hand. Er, arm." she says, quickly correcting herself as she reaches out to assist.