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Takamachi Nanoha     As usual, a streak of pink lands itself on the slats of the arena stone, thumping lightly atop them. The small girl passes her Device, the staff Raising Heart, from hand to hand with a slightly fidgety motion, eying the crowd uncertainly. She did well last year, but this year even getthing through the qualifiers was hard, and she's never fought this particular opponent. It's going to be an interesting battle, that's for sure.

    No reason to not be polite though! "Ah... Takamachi Nanoha, hello!" A small bow given to both her supposed opponent, and the crowd, and she straightens up to get her staff in a defensive posture. "I hope to have a good, fun battle!"
Testarossa Fate     Somewhere in the stands is a small blonde girl. ... And a smaller, rambunctious, redhead puppy-girl.

    "FATE! FATE FATE FATE! Get me ramen! I want popcorn-- can I have beer? I'm old enough in dog years for it! Hey why are they called hot dogs-- they're not really made from dogs are they? AM I A CANNIBAL IF I EAT ONE?!"

    Fate Testarossa sighs and pointedly ignores her dog, quietly waving a 'Go Nanoha' flag.
Samar     Unfortunately, while Samar may be intimidating, she's also lacking in variety. As with all of her prior matches, the Princess lies sprawled on the back of her hulking symbiote as it lumbers onto the arena floor. Still, she's a striking sight regardless, resting on her elbows in a majestic, regal posture like the queen she's certain she is. Red eyes peer down at Nanoha once the Abyssal Princess is settled into place, and a moment is taken to brush black hair from her eyes.

    "'Fun' is not what I'm here for," Samar remarks with some haughtiness. "Still, I hope you prove to be an interesting opponent. It's taken some time for /both/ of us to get here, so I guess that must be a sign of something, isn't it?"

    The many cannons on the symbiote's torso swivel down to aim at Nanoha. Steam and ichor seep from between the creature's teeth, and Samar just smiles. "Shall we begin, then?"
Takamachi Nanoha     "Eheh. Okay..." Nanoha says, rubbing the back of her head as she peers at the symbiote. Shipgirls. So weird. Well, it's at least a water person on land, right? But those cannons don't look like they're fooling around. "Um... all right. May the best... um... girl... win..." Awkward, that. But ships are girls, right? She hopes she didn't just insult the Princess, that would be awkward. More awkward.

    Right, the fight.

    <SACRED SHIELD> Raising Heart says, announcing a refinement of the spell she's been working on. Numerous little marble-sized ping globes spill out from the ruby atop the staff, circling around her and picking up speed in a rapidly-growing set of orbits, like a simple explanation of an atom and electrons. Pink ankle-wings flutter, carrying her a few feet off the ground and ready to dodge.

    Without much warning at all, a few of those orbiting pink spheres fling themselves away from Nanoha, rocketing at high speed toward Samar to start the match!
Samar     Samar's expression widens into a slight smirk. "Yes. May the best 'girl' win."

    The Princess is ready, clearly, but it seems she's waiting to be the one to react this time, rather than throwing herself into danger. It's been a risky tactic before, after all; better to be cautious this time, now that she's in the main tournament.

    That doesn't mean she's going to sit back, though. As those spheres fly at her, the symbiote suddenly raises a bulky arm and uses its pale flesh to shield its controller, letting those spheres blast against its skin in a way that clearly leaves a mark, but at least spares Samar herself.

    Samar's expression darkens with determination as she thrusts her arm forward. "Fire!" The symbiote's own arm lowers, and the various guns along its torso blast to life, firing anti-air shots after Nanoha that explode in the air to make any flight she'll attempt much more difficult.
Takamachi Nanoha     Anti-air flak is not going to be easy, because Nanoha is an aerial mage. She still opts to keep moving though... it's probably a good idea to keep to the air, where she's at her best, against an opponent like this. Maybe that isn't the best idea, because the explosions rattle her and make the shielding pink glow of her magic flare up, her Barrier Jacket exiting the flak barrage with a few tears and marks.

    "Ah... I guess this is going to be one of those battles, huh?" Samar doesn't seem to have much in the way of real mobility though, so Nanoha is streaking left and right, trying to keep ahead of the anti-aircraft barrage that's fielded against her.

    In the meantime, her 'shield' of orbiting spheres will start shooting off her own barrage, zipping little shots of pink toward Samar's Symbiote and self. At least they're non-lethal?
Samar     Unfortunately, Nanoha's right: Samar's symbiote is as much of a lumbering tank as it looks like. The creature still turns to try and face Nanoha wherever she darts, but this may be another situation where Samar is simply outmaneuvered. And if Nanoha is strong enough to be in this bracket, then there might be strength on the girl's side too...

    Still, there's enough energy in the Battleship-Symbiotic Princess for a few quick bursts of speed. As proven when Nanoha's spheres open their own fire, which Samar herself swiftly avoids with a sharp jerk to the side on her perch. Fortunately, Nanoha's aim allows the symbiote to duck slightly as well, sparing it from having to tank too early in the fight.

    The lumbering beast is quick to retaliate, though, as a couple of anti-air flak try to box Nanoha in to a specific area in the sky: an area that one of the heavier main cannons on the symbiote's shoulder aims for, firing with a powerful report to try and shoot the magical girl down with a shell whose explosive power is akin to a grenade!
Takamachi Nanoha     Incoming! Nanoha eeps, her hand held out in front of her and a shimmering barrier of pink raised up, tanking the shell. At least, that's the idea. What actually happens is the explosion engulfs her, and the girl is knocked backward, smoking and rattled heavily. There's probably some heavy bruises in there, under the jacket, and the fact that she hits the ground and rolls a few times isn't exactly encouraging.

    <ACCEL SHOOTER> the Device announces, just as she rolls to a stop and shows surprising agility in tumbling directly to her feet, injuries or no. She's favoring one leg slightly, but still whips the staff around in time to release a heavier ball of energy, blasting at the tanklike form for cover fire while she tries to recover her wits enough to take to the air... without slamming back into the ground from her ears ringing.
Samar     The symbiote snarls at Nanoha, a sound more like a mechanical engine than a living creature, but Samar just smiles with contentment. The smoking artillery along her beast of burden's body swivel down into place again, focusing on Nanoha as she gets her footing. That halt in fire might have been a mistake, though.

    The next thing Samar knows, a powerful blast slams against the symbiote's snout, sending it stumbling back with a low bellow as she lifts up her arm to shield herself. That smile's gone once she lowers her arm again and looks down to the scorched blackness on the symbiote. That was close...

    A more severe frown settles on Nanoha, then. "Hm. Like I thought, you are strong. Why not show me some more of that?"

    The air rings out with more reports as another couple of shells from the main cannons fire on Nanoha, trying to keep her from getting too high into the air. The arena floor's going to need some replairs after this.
Takamachi Nanoha     <FLASH MOVE> Nanoha's Device announces as the guns fire. The small girl vanishes in a hail of gunfire, sending up stone and dust from the impact of the shells where she is standing. Or was, anyway. The pink streak was a blur, her speed boost carrying her out just in time and getting singed instead of hammered. It probably still hurt a lot, but it doesn't have the bruising concussive effects of the last shot.

    <DIVINE BUSTER QUICKENED>

    "Ah... all right!" Nanoha calls out to the question, though she's unable to hide some of her nervousness. She's fought some truly terrifying foes before, like Seikou, the Wolkenritter, Seikou, the Book of Darkness, and Seikou, but this is new and unnerving enough that she's not able to banter and bluster all that well yet. Not that she's ever been one for high wit in combat.

    Massive pink lasers, though? Those she can do, especially a large single blast aimed toward the mass, from above, in the hopes she can compensate for any more sudden movements.
Samar     The blast of that laser isn't nearly enough warning for the symbiote to evade with its slow movement, but it's a lumbering creature built to soak up punishment anyway. The pink laser blazes against its torso, blasting against several of the anti-air guns and notably damaging the metal hull, but as the beast gives a foghorn-like howl and stumbles back, Samar keeps her grip on its head. Her falling off would be a terrible thing right now, especially if their connection were severed.

    "Keep firing! Don't let her overwhelm us!"

    The symbiote, pained though it may be, still obeys its master. With a low rumble, it blasts its anti-air guns back to life, peppering Nanoha with a dense spray of flak. On top of that, its main guns fire every so often too, trying to shoot her down with more direct weaponry whenever it seems like she's stuck in one place. This constant firing tactic may not be the best, but Samar has plenty more up her sleeve if things go out of her favor.
Takamachi Nanoha     "GYAH!" So many cannons! Why do so many of her opponents have to keep her on her toes so much? Nanoha has to rely on barriers to protect herself, the brilliant pink circles trying to shield her body and... mostly succeeding, with the smaller flack. Some of it pings through, knicking off her...cloth. That cloth is some kind of mystical armor, as well, though not as effective as the barrier itself.

    Also not foolproof by far. One of the larger shots is deflected by one of her bracers, but the thick bluish guard cracks under the assault, starting to loosen and flake off. A more immediate problem is one that manages to connect with her midsection hard enough to send her into a spiral downward. Nanoha manages to catch herself before slamming into the ground too hard, but she still 'bounces' off of it with a loud grunt, the girl's body disoriented from the impact and probably hurting quite a lot.

    <DIVINE BULLET> Raising Heart offers, and as Nanoha veers upward again to try to get some distance, a hail of smaller bullet-like pink projectiles fill the air, the barrage streaking toward Samar as another kind of cover fire. They're tiny... but incredibly dense packets of magic.
Samar     "Now!"

    Samar's sudden shout comes a second after Nanoha opens fire again. The symbiote opens its mouth, the depths of its throat suddenly starting to glow a baleful red - just before those projectiles slam into its body, bursting with powerful magic and blotting out its metal-and-flesh form in a cloud of steam. The guns stop firing, giving Nanoha just a moment's reprieve...but that red light is still growing brighter and brighter in the cloud.

    All of the sudden, the steam is blasted aside by a swirling crimson beam of energy that blares up from the symbiote's mouth, roiling through the sky straight for Nanoha. All of an Abyssal's hate, sorrow, and abandonment, condensed into a single raging beam sent straight for the magical girl; that's not going to be pleasant to endure, if she has to!

    Samar waves the remaining steam away, a sharp glare on her face as she watches for her opponent. This arena isn't really suited to the Leviathan form; as much as she might want to, there's some real risk of artillery hitting the audience, and Samar's not going to risk disqualification in this tournament. If Nanoha starts seriously outpacing her, then the Princess will have some real danger on her hands.
Takamachi Nanoha     Hate and sorrow are terrible things! Nanoha really doesn't like them, and now she REALLY doesn't like them! Barrier forming, she doesn't even try to tank it, trying to deflect it just enough that she can throw herself to the side. This is probably a good idea, but it doesn't work out all that well. "GYAH!" The barrier shatters, and the blast also shatters the damaged bracer, clipping the small girl. A clip is all it needs though, as it forces her into another spiral and to slam into the ground, rolling several times. Ow.

    <LOAD CARTRIDGE>

    The loud clatter followed by a sudden surge of power from the Device might be something to worry about. Especially as Nanoha rolls once or twice more to make sure more cannons don't hit her while she's down, but is lifting her staff up to point the spear-like tip toward Samar. "Shoot."

    It's much like the earlier attack, that brilliant pink light. This one is much larger and roars toward the Symbiote with a wave of power that tears up the tiles of the arena on its way.
Samar     That gives Samar some much-needed breathing room. The symbiote's assault fades, black ichor seeping from between its teeth alongside red steam. The beast lumbers around to face Nanoha again, its guns swiveling back to face her as Samar exhales a short breath. "I have to say, you're stronger than you look. I can see how you've gotten to this point."

    The blazing beam of pink light suddenly flares toward the Battleship-Symbiotic Princess, and Samar is quick to duck behind her symbiote's powerful frame. The beast howls, stumbling back from the force of the beam; guns are twisted and bent, metal scorched and broken under that assault. Smoke is already starting to roll up from a hole in the creature's torso as it leans a little to one side, but it at least seems to be able to endure damage like that.

    But maybe if Nanoha's strength is fighting from afar...

    Like a massive gorilla, the symbiote suddenly lurches forward, leaping toward Nanoha with its powerful arms, bellowing like a foghorn. One giant hand curls into a fist, and as it comes down, the beast of metal and flesh drives a powerful /punch/ toward Nanoha in an effort to knock her out with brute force!
Takamachi Nanoha     Many versions of Nanoha are weak in close combat, it's true. This Nanoha is less so, but it is still not her strength, and a giant fist like that is something she... can't really use her usual tactics for. She's still just getting to her feet, preparing to dodge cannon fire, when the fist smashes into her side and sends her hurtling in against the nearby wall, crashing into it hard with a painfull *CRUNCH*

    No, she didn't break anything, her Barrier Jacket saw to that, but it's... in poor shape. The other bracer is cracked, and the armored chestplate falls away once she moves, leaving just the flimsy jacket and the bodysuit beneath for protection there. "O-ow..."

    <MASTER,> Raising Heart reminds with a chime. There's a battle to be fought. <LOAD CARTRIDGE. DIVINE BULLET.>

    Nanoha is already moving, if a little more staggered than before. "Ah... Shoot, shoot!" The Divine Bullets that rattle out are mroe numerous in number, and with a cartridge backing them they lance out at high speed and power, filling the air. The empty and spent cartridges clatter to the floor of the arena as Nanoha tries to wobble back into the air, a few parts of her jacket showing blood and her Device venting steam with a loud hiss.
Samar     Samar's symbiote isn't exactly built for sudden bounds and blows like that. It nearly topples forward when it lands from its punch, and Samar has to keep her grip tight on its head to keep from falling off herself. Still, they both manage to keep from a disastrous - or at least embarrassing - conclusion to that devastating blow, and after a few moments, the symbiote's back upright with Samar brushing strands of hair from her face.

    Just in time for rapid blasts of Nanoha's Divine Bullets to pepper all over the symbiote's faltering tank of a frame. Blasts crash over metal and flesh, blasting holes in both: smoke and flames billow from the damage to its metal hull, while the blasted pale flesh strangely doesn't bleed at all. The creature howls and stumbles, while Samar, teeth clenched tight, grips firmly to its head. It can't take much more of this, that much she knows.

    Such is why, with a roar that causes the crowd to flinch and shakes the earth, the symbiote begins a raging assault of artillery on Nanona.

    Anti-air guns fill the air with flak. Main cannons send grand explosions across the arena floor. Another swirling beam of crimson energy blazes over the ground amid the chaos to where Samar /thinks/ Nanoha must be. Chaos and destruction rain down on the magical girl, but does she have the strength to endure it all?
Takamachi Nanoha     Nanoha can't take more of this punishment, either. A squeal sounds out as the rain of artillery bombards the area where Nanoha is /trying/ to do evasive maneuvers. She... kinda manages it, her shiels going up and making the haze glow pink from all the power she's spending. The 'sound' of Barriers shattering is pretty loud though, and it's obvious to anyone that Nanoha took some hits... even before the haze starts to clear and she's bleeding from one arm, panting heavily with her jacket torn and tattered. More importantly, Raising Heart's haft has a long crack down it, and the Device is sparking now and then.

    More dangerous still, Nanoha is humming softly to herself.

    <GATE AR-R-R-RAY ONLINE. CHARGING.> Raising Heart announces with a stutter that has nothing to do with Talk Like A Pirate Day. Runes flicker across its surface as a circle of power leaps to life, and the Device has swirls and motes of pink light funneling into it.

    <STARLIGHT BUSTER>

    It's another beam of pink! This one is... bigger. Is that all she knows how to do? It had better work, though, because whatever she's pumping into that, it's casing the staff to break apart down the haft, with a loud splintering noise.
Samar     Samar's power is faltering. She's putting out all she can in this fight, but there's a limit to the amount of artillery she can pour into a single battle. Soon enough, the symbiote has to stop, slouching where it stands as red steam pours from its mouth. Samar's red glare is fixed on the cloud of dust and debris where Nanoha is, though: is her opponent done? Did that finish it?

    ...no. Not yet. And Nanoha's ready to return the sheer force Samar just sent crashing onto her.

    A blazing pink ray blasts down on the Battleship-Symbiotic Princess. Both woman and beast raise their arms to try and defend themselves, to no avail: the symbiote is burned and blasted, guns twisted and ruined, while even Samar herself finds herself jarred by the blast. By the time it's done, even /she's/ slumping over, struggling to stay upright as she steams from the force of that assault. Looks like Samar isn't nearly as durable as the symbiote she uses as her shield.

    Panting for breath, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, Samar glares across at Nanoha with burning fury. The symbiote appers ready to fall over, but Samar refuses to let it fall: she can't fall /here/, not now that she's in the main tournament itself! She /can't/!

    Her guns may be all but worthless now, but the symbiote still has some strength left. Samar pushes it, forcing it to charge toward Nanoha like a raging elephant. Barreling toward Nanoha, the symbiote rears its fist back and puts all of its weight behind a last, reaching /punch/ to finish the battle.
Takamachi Nanoha     While she loves to compete, Nanoha is fully aware that the array of opponents she has to fight is pretty strong this year. She's wobbling after that intense blast, and when she sees the fist coming... well, that's going to suck. She's not fast enough to avoid it, and raising her staff in front of her is... not the wisest of moves.

    With a thunderous impact, the punch shatters the haft of Raising Heart and sends Nanoha across the field again, smashing into another wall. She coughs once as the dust settles, opening her eyes, staring at her heavily-damaged opponent. With a weak twitch, she pushes herself out of the girl-shaped crater she made...

    And falls flat on her face. THUD.
Samar     This time, the symbiote's landing isn't so controlled. The creature's punch hits, and it lacks the strength to keep itself from toppling right over. It tumbles and rolls, a mass of metal and ghostly flesh crashing forward for a few more feet before it all comes to a screeching halt, smoke and flames billowing from holes in its metal hull and ichor seeping from between its teeth.

    ...but in that chaos, Samar managed to disconnect from the creature, unlatching the tube that was locked into the bracer at the back of her neck. Her landing was a little more controlled, but not quite perfect: at least she ended up on her feet in a crouch, rather than sprawled out on the ground.

    It's from that that she stands, her black dress ragged but intact, her head still held high. She watches Nanoha to ensure that the girl isn't going to get up...and doesn't, after all.

    Samar allows a heavy sigh - almost of relief - to fall from her. She relaxes a little where she stands, arms folding over her chest. "...you fought well. I'm impressed," she mutters, a statement Nanoha likely won't be able to hear at this point.

    That cleanup is going to take a while, anyway.