Multiverse Crisis MUSH - User contributions [en]

Tales from the Multiverse 1 (Mel Brock)

2016-09-25T17:57:27Z

Tunod: Formatting and tweaks.

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2016/09/25
|Location=Sol Territories Alliance
|Synopsis=Pilot article in Starways Digest by PsiMarshal Mel Brock.
|Cast of Characters=941
}}
TALES FROM THE MULTIVERSE #1
 By Marshal Mel Brock
 In "Starways Digest" newsfeed

          The way I figure it, most of you probably already know me from news sites and feeds. There's this weird thing, where apparently people like hearing about the stuff I get up to? But on the off chance you just stumbled across this feed from somewhere in the Stratus Empire, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Mel Brock, STA Marshals. I'm currently the 7th Active PsiMarshal, and also designated liason to the Union Armed Forces' Elite Corps.

          And yes, I now have a talking sword living with me.

          Let me confirm some rumors and shut down some others: Yes, she's magic. Yes, she's capable of projecting a woman's body in a flashy outfit. No, she's not inextricably linked to my soul, or sapping my life force, or dooming me to a terrible fate. I've managed that last one quite fine on my own, thanks.

          I should probably roll things back a little. See, according to the Marshal brass, I'm one of the most well-known Marshals, possibly the most well known. So when the STA signed on with the Union, I was apparently at the top of pretty much everyone's list to toss at the Elite Corps. And thanks to *that*, I am now at the top of everyone's "hey, what's the Multiverse really like?" list. Including, as you may have noticed, Starways Digest. Now that I've been out here the better part of a year, they want me to start doing a regular column for them. 'Tales from the Multiverse' was the second choice. I vetoed the first one.

          I'm not calling my column 'Marshal Matters'. I wouldn't inflict that on you.

          I tried to think of about a dozen ways to approach the ever-painful 'in this column, going forward, I shall...' But I just couldn't do it. Couldn't think of a way to make it hurt less. So instead I'll just say, buckle up, keep reading, and I'll try to give you interesting articles to chew through. Because "The Multiverse is strange" is a phrase that gets kicked around a lot, but buddy, I'm here to tell you you have no idea. Just hearing the phrase is like just hearing "Everfrost is a cold planet." Yeah, sure, technically accurate but it doesn't even begin to give you an idea.

          As I write this, I'm winding down from a day where I helped quell a riot before it started. I was helped in this endeavor by my talking sword. I was also helped by a man by the name of Reiji, who is a.) teaching me how to use my sword like an actual sword, and b.) an exorcist whose partner is a fox spirit that's centuries old. Her name is Xiaomu. She likes video games. The gathering that almost became a riot was in a city of gods, where an ancient dragon had been allowed to move in, so its cult showed up to try and march right into the palace and visit both it and the queen. Queen's name is Priscilla, by the way. She's not a bad person. Half dragon, half god.

          And here's the kicker. It almost became a riot because the summoned spirit of an ancient historical figure showed up and demanded they worship her instead. I'm not going to list which historical figure it was. You wouldn't believe me anyway, and she might get upset by me plastering her name everywhere. Or she might enjoy the publicity. One of the two.

          I tell you this story as an illustration of the world my legendary fortune has dumped me in. I have coworkers that are honest-to-god magical girls. Got others that pilot giant robots, and not those clunky bulldogs the Stratus field. I've had to fight an infectious, parasitic horror from the deep, and let me tell you, THAT one made it hard to sleep for weeks. And, yeah, on a routine bust I had a magical sword decide that I was worthy to be her wielder, and she's now living on the Firestarter with me. Her name's Hravn, and she's a sweetheart. Very inquisitive, about me and about the world at large. She's almost as new to this Multiverse thing as I am.

          And that right there, that's the point I want to make. More than anything else, they're all people. The exorcist and the fox? They're just regular coworkers and buddies. They practically bicker like a married couple. They've got their stuff they consider normal, the things they deal with every day; to them, starships and psychics and space cops are the uncommon and fantastical. Dealing with evil spirits is just another day.

          So if you're gonna keep reading from here on out, that's the one thing I want you to take away from this. Everyone I talk about, everyone I deal with, first and foremost they're a person. Anywhere, everywhere in the Multiverse, when you get right down to it, it's all run by people just like me or you; they just got different standards of 'normal' sometimes.

Tales from the Multiverse 1 (Mel Brock)

2016-09-25T17:52:10Z

Tunod: Created page with "{{Cutscene Header |Date of Scene=2016/09/25 |Location=Sol Territories Alliance |Synopsis=Pilot article in Starways Digest by PsiMarshal Mel Brock. |Cast of Characters=941 }} T..."

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2016/09/25
|Location=Sol Territories Alliance
|Synopsis=Pilot article in Starways Digest by PsiMarshal Mel Brock.
|Cast of Characters=941
}}
TALES FROM THE MULTIVERSE

By Marshal Mel Brock

In "Starways Digest" newsfeed

The way I figure it, most of you probably already know me from news sites and feeds. There's this weird thing, where apparently people like hearing about the stuff I get up to? But on the off chance you just stumbled across this feed from somewhere in the Stratus Empire, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Mel Brock, STA Marshals. I'm currently the 7th Active PsiMarshal, and also designated liason to the Union Armed Forces' Elite Corps.

And yes, I now have a talking sword living with me.

Let me confirm some rumors and shut down some others: Yes, she's magic. Yes, she's capable of projecting a woman's body in a flashy outfit. No, she's not inextricably linked to my soul, or sapping my life force, or dooming me to a terrible fate. I've managed that last one quite fine on my own, thanks.

I should probably roll things back a little. See, according to the Marshal brass, I'm one of the most well-known Marshals, possibly the most well known. So when the STA signed on with the Union, I was apparently at the top of pretty much everyone's list to toss at the Elite Corps. And thanks to *that*, I am now at the top of everyone's "hey, what's the Multiverse really like?" list. Including, as you may have noticed, Starways Digest. Now that I've been out here the better part of a year, they want me to start doing a regular column for them. 'Tales from the Multiverse' was the second choice. I vetoed the first one.

I'm not calling my column 'Marshal Matters'. I wouldn't inflict that on you.

I tried to think of about a dozen ways to approach the ever-painful 'in this column, going forward, I shall...' But I just couldn't do it. Couldn't think of a way to make it hurt less. So instead I'll just say, buckle up, keep reading, and I'll try to give you interesting articles to chew through. Because "The Multiverse is strange" is a phrase that gets kicked around a lot, but buddy, I'm here to tell you you have no idea. Just hearing the phrase is like just hearing "Everfrost is a cold planet." Yeah, sure, technically accurate but it doesn't even begin to give you an idea.

As I write this, I'm winding down from a day where I helped quell a riot before it started. I was helped in this endeavor by my talking sword. I was also helped by a man by the name of Reiji, who is a.) teaching me how to use my sword like an actual sword, and b.) an exorcist whose partner is a fox spirit that's centuries old. Her name is Xiaomu. She likes video games. The gathering that almost became a riot was in a city of gods, where an ancient dragon had been allowed to move in, so its cult showed up to try and march right into the palace and visit both it and the queen. Queen's name is Priscilla, by the way. She's not a bad person. Half dragon, half god.

And here's the kicker. It almost became a riot because the summoned spirit of an ancient historical figure showed up and demanded they worship her instead. I'm not going to list which historical figure it was. You wouldn't believe me anyway, and she might get upset by me plastering her name everywhere. Or she might enjoy the publicity. One of the two.

I tell you this story as an illustration of the world my legendary fortune has dumped me in. I have coworkers that are honest-to-god magical girls. Got others that pilot giant robots, and not those clunky bulldogs the Stratus field. I've had to fight an infectious, parasitic horror from the deep, and let me tell you, THAT one made it hard to sleep for weeks. And, yeah, on a routine bust I had a magical sword decide that I was worthy to be her wielder, and she's now living on the Firestarter with me. Her name's Hravn, and she's a sweetheart. Very inquisitive, about me and about the world at large. She's almost as new to this Multiverse thing as I am.

And that right there, that's the point I want to make. More than anything else, they're all people. The exorcist and the fox? They're just regular coworkers and buddies. They practically bicker like a married couple. They've got their stuff they consider normal, the things they deal with every day; to them, starships and psychics and space cops are the uncommon and fantastical. Dealing with evil spirits is just another day.

So if you're gonna keep reading from here on out, that's the one thing I want you to take away from this. Everyone I talk about, everyone I deal with, first and foremost they're a person. Anywhere, everywhere in the Multiverse, when you get right down to it, it's all run by people just like me or you; they just got different standards of 'normal' sometimes.

NODE: City of Spirit - Crystal Park

2014-07-12T08:13:57Z

Tunod:

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/07/10
|Location=The Homeworld
|Synopsis=Nozomi requests help to explore a part of her Node, the Crystal Park. Things are learned! To be continued, too.
|Thanks=Abstractum.Net, as the GM.
|Cast of Characters=2, 63, 73, 219, 342, 347
|Tinyplot=When They Return
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' As before, opening the wrought-iron gates is easy - only Nozomi or TIGER can do it, fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately - and when she does, it simply slides open at her touch, revealing what looks like a heavily altered castle, like the interior of a modern palace. The hallway is long, looking like it's going to need to be walked along for a minute or so. Along the walls are several mirrors, hung at regular intervals. One's own reflection is not visible in them, but rather, an empty hallway. The door opens out into an exterior that really doesn't match the strange palace-like interior. It's an alleyway, albeit relatively clean. There's a dumpster here, but it's full of weird, discarded crystals alongside the usual contents of trash. If one heads out of the alleyway, they will find a relatively active city street. The ghosts of several horses, a chariot suffused in brimstone and fire, and what appears to be a carriage with a tree growing out of it are all stuck in a bit of a traffic jam with several perfectly normal, modern cars; walking alongside on the various sidewalks are mostly humans, but among them, wearing similar clothes and walking with similar purposes, can be seen a werewolf, a pair of walking skeletons, and something pale enough to be a vampire, just to name a few. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Nozomi is here, hands folded in front of herself, with the large mechatiger known imaginatively enough as TIGER sauntering along beside her. She still walks in school clothes, her school having not yet let out for summer vacation; the reminder of the strangeness of this world is enough to give her pause briefly, bringing the girl to a stop just out of the alleyway. It isn't quite a loss of nerve, but she has, at the very least, dropped it for a moment and needs to collect it. "Ah, it's... I-I'd forgotten it was this busy," she murmurs. "And very supernaturally pervasive," TIGER remarks idly. "My sensors will never lack for readings, at least." 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Well, the supernatural presences will mean Ariel's magical nature won't be in danger. This doesn't change the fact that the cloak and hood she wears - Diea and the Spirit Hood - are pulled up more than usual. The unicorn is in humanoid form, right now, but even covered as she is she can't hide the cracks and ugly, yellowish seams and marks all over her pearl green chitin. She got beat up pretty bad in her match yesterday. Her spirits are still high though! "So, I guess we're looking for tension?" Or rather the cause of it, but she's simplifying. Despite the fact that it's the TRASH, Ariel is also going to slip over and pluck out one of those crystals, just to see what they are and if they have any sort of mystical significance. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' Given the request for help, Homura has shown up. She is still somewhat bruised and beaten from her fight with Tomoe, but both fighters had gone easy on avoiding serious injuries, so recovering was not too difficult. She is wearing plain black pants, with a white dress shirt and a bowtie. The red ribbon in her hair matches the red frames of her glass, which as ever show text and transcripted radio chatter on the lenses. She taps a button on the side to mute some of it, though. The sight of a new Node is always worth a detour. This one's... weird, in its own way. She stares a bit at the traffic and the dissonance of that carriage and the spirits when contrasted with the cars. "That is... normal, correct?" she asks Nozomi, just to be sure. 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' Speaking of school uniforms, Kotoha is here today in hers. "Seems not too different from the last time. You sure you're going to be okay here, Nozomi?" She obviously is not speaking about physical safety. "I think it'll be fine, though. You have me and Taiga." The hanyou glances over toward Ariel, then Homura. "And two adorable companions along with us. Looking sharp there, Homura!" Leaning over slightly, she smiles at the unicorn and extends a hand. "And you I haven't met. Hi! I'm Kotoha, from Sakurashin Town." 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' "I think so," Nozomi replies with a little nod to Ariel. "It was... I think the place we wanted was this way," she adds, indicating the north. Kotoha's words confirm Homura's question, but nevertheless, she does nod to the magical girl. "Mn. It's kind of... I-I think it's Taiga's nature. Normal and supernatural. That's the kind of place this is." Kotoha's words also seem to have given the girl some courage. She gives the hanyou a little nod. "Yeah. I'll... I think I'll be fine." Taiga rumbles. "If we are to visit Crystal Park, I believe we should be moving. It was this way." Without further preamble, he starts off, and with a surprised little noise, Nozomi moves to fall in step. 

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:''' Frederica blends in well enough despite lacking a school uniform. She's a girl after all, and she even has a hood drawn up around her head. Unlike Ariel's hood though, hers has pointy ears poking up from the top. Oh well, perhaps she's intending to act as a go-between from Ariel to TIGER or something. She has no problem helping. Nozomi, after all, is a nice girl. Also someone Frederica's inclined to help more than most because she's completely unthreatening. Not that Frederica minds helping, and she's been meaning to do more work to help Shinrin and the rest of the Abstractum group. Still, it's a bit odd of a place. She peers about curiously. "Crystal Park? Well, sounds delightful. Or warped, I suppose. These nodes never turn out to be entirely nice, do they?" she muses. "Things ARE friendly here, right?" she asks no one in particular. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' This is the same shopping and restaurant district that the group found themselves in before; it seems primarily dominated by various stores catering to the mythical side of things, all sorts of creatures. Like before, the group emerged from something near the back-alley entrance to some kind of ghost restaurant that serves what Ariel will find are crystals full of STRANGE GHOSTLY ENERGIES, and is across the street from a "vintage" (tastefully decayed) clothing store for undead, and there's a phone shop for ogres down the way. That's not what you're here for, though, of course. Various taxies blare horns at obstructive traffic sorts as they go on by, making it clear that it'll be easy to get wherever you need to go. Despite being isolated from the multiverse, they seem to take multiversal credits! So you can get anywhere from anywhere else, probably. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Nozomi looks at the taxis pensively for a moment, before turning to nod to Frederica. "Ah... kind of," she murmurs. "A-as friendly as anyone ever is, I guess..." Fidget. "Ah, in any case, it might be faster if we got a ride..." Taiga looks amused. "The others can spend their money if they like. You, Nozomi Houken, have a free vehicle whose speed easily matches a taxi." She looks at him for a moment, confused. He simply arches one metallic feline eyebrow in response. "...o-oh. Right." Quietly, she climbs onto his back. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' "Ariel," Ariel replies to Kotoha. It's with a smile despite injuries that are probably still aching. The hand is taken for a quick, slight shake before Ariel resumes poking around, then falling in behind Nozomi and Taiga at first, tucking the crystal away. "Diea, if we swap to Blue Chroma sometime tonight we should take a look at that together." But not now. Now she has to get around town! "Ah... I'll just follow Taiga." She flicks her hood back and drops to all fours, taking unicorn form. Even injured, she can do this much. In fact it might do her good to gallop a bit. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' "I always look sharp," Homura tells Kotoha, before nodding to Nozomi and following along. Alright then, a world where these elements blend together then. Should be interesting, and in a different way than Psyber's too. That one is less... obvious? Overt? It's more subtle. And the factions are separate. Here it seems to coexist. "I'll follow along, don't worry. I don't need a ride," Homura insists. If it comes down to it she will just do that time thing she likes doing and show up at the destination without the fuss of having to get there quickly. She should really get a driver's license. The idea of learning from Psyber kind of terrifies her though. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel looks over her shoulder. "Um... well I'm a little small for it, but would you want to ride on my back, Homura?" 

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:''' Frederica sighs and shrugs. She's got no interest in running the whole way whatever other people do. She COULD, even if she might not be able to keep up, but then she'd arrive all sweaty and she hates that. Instead she peers out into the street and hails a cab. With a shrug she glances over towards Homura and Kotoha. "You're welcome to come along." she says offhandedly. Fortunately stinginess and selfishness aren't among her many flaws. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' "...M-Miss Akemi." Claire speaks up softly. "...I think this is the only chance we will ever get. T-to ride a unicorn, I mean." The ring stares dead on at Homura, as if expressing that this is a weighty moment. Meanwhile, of course, Diea is bright and positive about this. "Right, I'll make sure to take a look at it if we're on that chroma!" 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' "That is... ah..." Homura stares at Ariel for a moment. Well, it's that, or go with Kotoha, or just walk alone. Sigh. And then her Abstractum says that. Whyyyyy. "I... suppose that's alright for this time." She will ride Ariel, sure. She probably used to want to ride a unicorn just like any other little girl at some point. She'll just justify it as being for her Abstractum though. Since she sounds like she really wants that. 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' "That's such a pretty name!" She gives Ariel another smile before straightening up again... then blinks in surprise. "Oh hey, now that is neat!" She lifts a hand to wave to Frederica on her arrival, then turns to Nozomi. "You and Taiga go on ahead. I can keep up." A little laugh is given to Homura. "Darn right!" Kotoha reaches over to pat the girl's shoulder, but then withdraws it quickly and shakes it as if in pain. "Go on, you'll probably look really cute riding her! Really cool!" She said cool, not cute. Everyone heard that, right? Kotoha whispers a few words under her breath, and there's a very soft *click* sound, but the hanyou quickly turns toward the cab. "Sounds like a good idea! We'll meet you there, guys!" 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' It's not quite clear who's happy here, but it's gotta be someone. The weird convoy of people head towards CRYSTAL PARK, a more upper-class part of town. Moving steadily north, they'll find the humans get less and less common, though they never truly become overtaken by the magical menageries. There's just a LOT of humans. This seems to be the part of town that's dedicated almost exclusively to the monsterous, the magical, and the supernatural, though; Crystal Park is named as such because the closer you get to its center, the more buildings start to incorporate crystal into their construction, in all sorts of colors and densities. The buildings are tall, many of them residential, but some are more expensive department stores, this is the home of the largest public library in the city, and there's also a financial district on this side of town. It's dominated entirely by a castle-esque skyscraper made entirely of black crystal that demands attention intensely. But the whole district is available to anyone, and they can stop and find pretty much whatever structures you'd normally find in a city like this. It is also a lot more noticable around here because of the lowered lighting that there's not one single star in the sky, even as it starts to descend into darker shades of evening and night. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' While Ariel is a little small for Homura, Ariel is also much stronger than her size would indicate. So she actually doesn't have that much trouble trotting around with the schoolgirl on her back. Her head still sweeps side to side though, noticing a few things even in her normal wide-eyed innocence. Especially as it gets darker. "That's really strange," she mumbles. "I wonder if that's normal? It's hard to tell with Nodes." She'll let one of the others do the actual questioning for Reasons, though. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Taiga spends most of his time on the rooftops, though he does pop down to the street briefly now and then, either for the convenience of his chosen path or to make sure the others still know he's there. Nozomi spends most of her time glancing back to Ariel and Homura. But they come to Crystal Park eventually, and as they do, her attention becomes more and more drawn to the architecture. "...it's really pretty here," she murmurs to herself, although local radio probably picks it up. Eventually, Taiga leaps back down to the street and allows her to slide off; when he does, his rider turns to look around some... and her eyes come to a stop on the sky. "Ah, there's... a-am I seeing things, or are there no stars...?" Taiga looks upward, and then immediately begins sweeping the night sky with his sensors. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' Now to be fair, Homura's almost 17 and not in school anymore! Schoolgirl will only apply for so much longer. And she'll be in university in a month and some. That's going to be... weird. Also whether or not she is happy is hard to read. It's probably true SOMEONE is happy here. Upon arriving at the Crystal Park, Homura dismounts, showing hints of a blush as she asks Ariel: "Let's... never mention this happened, yes?" She'll never hear the end of it. "You're right. This place is beautiful. I wonder what it is with architecture and crystals that makes it... work." She can't think of an exception, at least any that she's been to. So far all of her experiences with crystalline structures have been good ones, in terms of eye candy. "The black crystal is a little bit more ominous, though." She looks about, to see if there's a sign pointing at the castle identifying it by name or somesuch. She might even try wrangling information out of a random passerby, see what they know, if Nozomi hasn't already scouted the area. 

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:''' Frederica's orders to the taxi driver, no doubt something suitably mystical, are simple. "Follow that TIGER." she says. When it turns out the TIGER isn't planning on going by way of roadside, she shrugs. "Follow that unicorn?" she says instead in much less grand fashion, gesturing to Ariel. Orders given, Frederica sits back with her legs primly crossed, enjoying the ride. She's never had a problem reclining while others labour. She'll do her part of course, but that part doesn't involve travelling. She does peer about however, taking notice of the black crystal building. It's pretty. It's ominous. "It's pretty ominous." she says aloud. Once reunited with the team, Frederica eases out of the cab with a sigh. Pushing her hood off her head and straightening her hair, she looks about more for form than for purpose. "So, what are we doing here anyways?" she asks. "Has the purpose of this node been discovered yet? Do we know where we're going and where the Them are?" 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' There may now be photographic evidence of Homura's magical unicorn ride. Said photograph may end up falling mysteriously into Madoka's hands. You know. Hypothetically. And certainly not the fault of any innocent young hanyou. "Now that is pretty...." Kotoha peers out the window of the cab as it approaches. "Hey, Mister...." Since she doesn't know the name of the driver, she'll stick with generic titles. "What sort of crystal is that out there?" From inside, she assumes the absence of lights in the sky is from a reflection... though once they arrive and she steps out, the hanyou's gaze travels upwards. "There really aren't any stars up there..." She walks over toward Nozomi and rests a hand on Taiga's head. "See anything up there we can't?" 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' The sky? Nada. Nothing. Nothing on sensors, no magic. Not even anything normal you'd see, like, you know, a moon, or stars! No radiation from them, zip. It's uncanny. Any signage relating to the titanic black skyscraper-castle have an odd symbol, like a chess rook, and they seem ubiquitous enough that people are just expected to know what they mean. That doesn't mean people are particularly offended or think it's weird when asked though. Homura is told that it's the Valdearg building, whatever that means. The cab driver says, to Kotoha, "Citadel Shards. Dunno what they're made of, but a few hundred years ago they were all together in a big Citadel. Not much chance of gettin' it put back together now, though." The human seems less than perfectly educated, but he's trying to be helpful and polite to what he assumes are people from out-of-town. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' "There is nothing up there which I can detect, at all," Taiga replies simply. "That in and of itself is abnormal. Ordinarily, stars have their own metaphysical presence, or at the very least metaphysical gravity, in that they affect things under the heavens in minute but noticeable ways." Nozomi, meanwhile, has come to be more concerned what they have come to be told is the Valdearg building. She looks up at it with a faint frown, and then walks over to Homura and the passerby who has been questioned. Her own question comes out quietly, owing to the fact it's a stranger, but it still comes out. "Aah...w-what's... what exactly is the Val... Val-de-arg," she sounds it out, "Building? We're... from out of town, and all..." 

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:''' "Right." Frederica says, shrugging. "I suppose that means we haven't discovered what we're doing in this node, and They haven't appeared." Bad news if they collectively know little, but at least it means she's not left ignorant compared to the others. In this place, at least. She considers, frowning slightly. "If this is a world of crystal, the black crystal building seems to be exotic. Sort of an anti-world thing. Like... well, like we might expect our adversaries to be, wouldn't you say?" she offers to Nozomi. "Shiny, beautiful clear crystal everywhere, and then there's this black stuff. Shall we investigate it?" she asks cheerfully. 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' Out of town works. Homura will wait until Nozomi gets her answer; she too would like to know what this imposing black crystal building is. It looks important, though; and black, in Nodes, tends to mean... well. She wouldn't be surprised if whoever rules that castle is a Pure. 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' "Citadel Shards, huh... Thanks!" Kotoha even adds a bit to the tip before waving the cab driver off. "That means there either used to be a citadel here or somewhere else..." She considers for a moment. "Or there was a place called Citadel that made these. Or a guy. Citadel's a name in some worlds, right?" As she hears Nozomi stumbling over the word, Kotoha rests a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yup! We're totally out-of-towners. But don't worry, we're the good sort of tourist!" The hanyou glances back toward Frederica. "So what're we looking for, anyway? Gotta be honest, I'm here to support Nozomi. Haven't really had time to study what goes on in here." Though she probably should have. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' The passerby - he is what appears to be a paper-elemental businessman of some sort - explains that it's the building that's the headquarters of the Valdearg Conglomerate. He seems to think that explains about all anyone would need to know, so he unintentionally implies that the conglomerate is probably a Big Deal around here. Shinrin says, "We shouldn't jump to conclusions yet, Frederica, but you're right, it sticks out rather a lot and bears some investigation." A few firm nods from the eye on the medallion. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Nozomi gives Frederica a little nod. "Yeah... i-it did kind of seem... like it had some kind of significance, I-I guess...?" She's all for investigating it, absolutely. Especially once she hears that it's the headquarters of some sort of conglomerate that sounds Important(tm). Taiga pads up next to Kotoha, and then as attention turns to the tower, he turns his sensors on it as well. It seems worth a scan. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' Massive amounts of magical power gush out of the tower at all times, visible now to Taiga, thought the gush of power seems to be intended to be subtle and unobtrusive, easy to set aside with the rest of the background magical noise, but never hidden. The tower seems to be a combination power-station for other magical relays in the city, collection center for magical power being brought in from some kind of external proxy source, and housing for what appears to be the most powerful magical creature in local space. Taiga will be able to recognize the signature as a fairly standard dragon, multiplied in intensity by orders of magnitude. 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' Ariel has a thought, too, and shuffles over to flag down someone who looks smart. In humanoid form, now. "So these shards, do they have any sort of um... abilities, or are they just collector's items?" Maybe she can find one to examine as well. Like, with Sorcery. In fact, why doesn't she open up her senses a bit to that sort of thing right now? Feel the flow of the world, see if there's anything warping it. It's a long shot, but probably safer than trying it next to the forboding black building. 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Shortly after Taiga begins his scan, anyone the least bit familiar with him, or with the mannerisms of a predator, will be able to notice the difference. Ordinarily, his scans are casual, much like a cat simply scenting the air. But once he begins his analysis of that tower, he stills. Completely and totally, save for the miniscule twitch of his ears here and there. It is the freeze of a predator who has caught a scent, or perhaps scented danger. His tail twitches once. "There is a dragon in that tower," he says after a moment. "One of extremely significant power. And it's absolutely awash with magical energy besides. Flowing in from elsewhere. Flowing out to the city. Not in torrents, but steadily nonetheless." Nozomi looks between Taiga and the tower several times, her manner becoming more nervous by the moment. "A-ah...?" 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' Ariel can feel a low, soft tugging in many directions, some sort of magically-charged energy being traded back and forth rapidly all around the city. Harmonious Diea quietly activates Mystic Drives and increases her precision massively, and Ariel, through the abstracted interface of her magical connection with the cloak, will come to understand that she just accessed the financial network for the stock exchange! Now why would THAT be magical? "Part of the homeland, from before it changed." What appears to be a literal devil - red skin, horns, the works - is having a bite to eat outside a nice little vegan coffee shop. He's answering Ariel casually. "Bit of history, they say it's good luck to have a building with a bit of shard in it." 

:'''{{#var:2|Homura Akemi (2)}} has posed:''' "What happened to the homeland?" Homura asks, idly, while mostly being a huge useless wallflower. Well, that, and she kind of looks towards Nozomi and Taiga as the idea of a dragon-- literal or otherwise-- residing in that castle comes out. Starting to look more and more like that castle is going to be worth, at least, a visit. Though, can they just go in? Do people seem to go in and out of it freely, or only rarely? That's worth observing, though asking the locals might not hurt either. They'd know, if anything. 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' "Whoah, a dragon?" Kotoha looks at Taiga, wide-eyed, then back to that building. "I wonder if it's a good dragon or a bad dragon. We should go see either way! That's what we're here to find out, right?" Kotoha pokes out her tongue, and sparks begin to dance over it. "Shortcut: detective and helper!" With a small *poof* of smoke, a magnifying glass appears in Nozomi's hand, and a deerstalker cap on her head. An old-fashioned pipe appears in Kotoha's mouth, then begins to blow bubbles upward. And, of course, a monacle appears in front of one of Taiga's eyes. Don't worry, it's just a plain lens. "Right. Who else needs investigating gear?" 

:'''{{#var:73|Frederica (73)}} has posed:''' Frederica gives the demon a funny look, but doesn't make the obvious comment about the weird denizens of this realm. They're friendly, or at least not hostile. That's what counts. "I really have no idea what's going on here." Frederica finally admits to Kotone, grinning as if saying she's clueless isn't a bad thing. "I'm here to help a friend, that's all. And my specialty is doing horrible things to horrible things, I'm afraid. I don't really have any special way of finding out what's going on here, besides looking. There's no psychic energies I can sense, but that doesn't exactly help us." she says. She can't exactly probe with telepathy or anything, considering she's about as far from telepathic as it's possible to be and still be 'psychic'. "So yeah... dragon. Black crystal fragment of a giant citadel. Seems like a plan." she nods. "I... I suppose I could use some investigating gear, if it'll actually help?" 

:'''{{#var:219|Ariel (219)}} has posed:''' A dragon! Oh dear. Well, Ariel isn't hearing that until after she's done her own business. She smiles, then gives a little bow, "Thank you, sir, that was most informative!" Then she spins around and trots over to rejoin the others to share some information. Under her breath, "Thank you, Diea. That really helped." Now, to the others, Ariel pipes up when she's close enough for them to hear(or at least Nozomi) and not random passerbys, "Um... so it turns out that these Citadel Shards are good luck, so they try to build them in their own buildings. If you want to reassemble it you'll have to tear down the city, I guess. Oh, and... there's some kind of magical force running the stock exchange. I was afraid to try anything there, though. Partly because the most complex stock thing I know is the straddle." 

:'''{{#var:342|Nozomi Houken (342)}} has posed:''' Blink blink. Magnifying glass. Blink. Nozomi stares at the new tool in her hand, then reaches up to her head to poke at the new adornment on her head. "A-ah... um...?" There might be a little color in her cheeks. What is this, she doesn't even. Taiga does not react in the least to his dapper new adornment. But then Ariel brings information. The shards of a citadel built into an entire city. But they're considered good luck. "...I-if people think they're lucky, we probably shouldn't... I mean, unless... u-unless there's some reason..." Taiga, meanwhile, quirks his ears, sweeping the city to try and get a look at the flow of magic. He's not really going to be able to decipher the stock market, but he can at least find the flow Ariel is talking about. "I'm afraid I can't help with financial matters either. They are somewhat outside the arena of ending supernatural threats." 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' "Oh, not too much. It's still around, you know." The devil says, shrugging lightly. "It's not like it went away or anything, it's just... Well, it changed a whole lot when the humans got here, or that's what people say anyway. We took the Citadel apart as a show of good faith, but... Good to keep with our heritage, you know?" A grin and a nod to Ariel. "Happy to help, miss. I hope you enjoy your time in the city." What a polite devil. 

:'''{{#var:63|Kotoha Isone (63)}} has posed:''' "Right!" Kotoha looks at Frederica and taps her chin. "Let's see... Shortcut: other assistant!" Poof! A notebook and pencil appear in Fredrica's hand, and a fake mustache on her upper lip. It's easy enough to pull off if she wishes. The hanyou blows a few more bubbles from her pipe and pulls it from her mouth. "I say we go in and see if he's taking visitors. He might be a nice dragon! Or he might be asleep." She's already walking toward the tower Taiga indicated. "Let's go! What's the worst that could happen if we go say hi?" She totally just said that. 

:'''{{#var:347|Abstractum.Net (347)}} has posed:''' There's a lot of... Magic, but it seems more like the magic is an element of something more. In fact, it seems more like it's concentrated in, and emitted by, various assets of some sort, though it's nearly impossible to see what those are, just that, as Ariel found before, at least part of the stock market is in there. TIGER should find itself fairly precisely aware of its nature as connected to some abstractly exchanged quantities, though. 
}}

WMAT B1 Cowboy Courier vs. Satsuki Kiryuin

2014-06-25T01:44:30Z

Tunod: Created page with "{{Log Header |Date of Scene=2014/06/24 |Location=Papaya Island - Stadium |Synopsis=First-Round World Martial Arts Tournament match between Satsuki Kiryuin and Courier Six. |Th..."

{{Log Header
|Date of Scene=2014/06/24
|Location=Papaya Island - Stadium
|Synopsis=First-Round World Martial Arts Tournament match between Satsuki Kiryuin and Courier Six.
|Thanks=Yuri Stinson, for excellent commentary
|Cast of Characters=32, 106, 430
|Tinyplot=WMAT
|pretty=yes
}}
{{Poses
|Poses=:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' It's a busy, bustling afternoon on Papaya Island, and nowhere is busier than the World Martial Arts Tournament stadium. A dozen media choppers and hover vehicles are circling, crowds are buying vendor food en masse and filtering into their seats, and ringside reporters from numerous different worlds are talking into cameras and crystals and any number of odd technological capture devices. There is a certain tension in the air. It's the first match of last year's B-bracket champion, and his opponent is the daughter of one of the sponsors. The crowd is abuzz with anticipation. Johnny's opponent is nowhere to be seen just yet. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' Here it is. Johnny shifts a bit, adjusting his duster a little bit as he steps up and onto the field. Behind him in the grassy area sit his entire crew, with most of the folks working at the Mojave Express getting front row seats somewhere close. No pressure. Quite a spectacle here in the stadium today as he carefully adjusts his gear. His riot helmet is still under his arm as he lifts up a hand to wave at the crowd, pulling a massive cheer out of the audience. There's plenty of New Vegas swag out on sale and in the crowds tonight, that's for sure. A fight under the lights for the glory of New Vegas. God, what a thing. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' Yuri Stinson is sitting in a hot hair balloon that has been painted with a chibi-anime Yuri. He is leaning over the edge. He's wearing one of those hats people wear to sip beer, but instead it has two massive jugs of moonshine. He speaks into a microphone, "The Cowboy Courier has arrived in the arena! All that we're waiting for now is his opponent." Slurp slurp slurp. 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' And... where is his opponent? Just as the murmur of the crowd starts to get uncertain, a noise from above grows louder. One of the helicopters has peeled away from the media cloud, turning to fly straight in towards the arena and descending until it becomes easy to see that's no broadcast chopper at all. It's larger, boxier, a small cargo helicopter with a REVOCS logo on the side. It banks around as it arrives over the arena, turning itself until the rear hatch is towards the ring... and then the hatch swings itself down slowly, becoming a ramp, and a bright, shining light spills out of the helicopter's cargo space. "My apologies for keeping you waiting... Cowboy Courier." Out onto the ramp steps Satsuki Kiryuin, radiant in both the figurative and literal senses; confidence and a shining light both shine forth from the young lady, who plants her sword on the ramp and rests her hands on it for the moment. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' That gets the older fellow to brighten up a bit as his opponent arrives. Hell, he's not going to begrudge the young lady a fancy ass entrance, now is he? Though, he chuckles at the name she delivers to him. Christ, Swank, you come up with the dumbest crap. "Howdy. And it wasn't much of a wait. I've been held up in much worse, I can assure you." The easy drawl in his voice evens out a bit as he looks up at the light and over towards the Samurai Schoolgirl. "For the record, I ain't here to take you down any pegs. Just here havin' a good time and representing the fine people of the Mojave." 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' Yuri leans over the railing of his hot air balloon, "Alright you guys! Make this a good fight and I want to see the two of you put on a good show for the crowd!" He pauses a moment, "WMAT Trivia, this is the second time that the Cowboy Courier has fought an eligible bachelorette in the opening round. And I do have to say, his opponent is looking quite radiant today." 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' "Ego doesn't enter into this contest on either side, then," Satsuki replies, her voice carrying well over the sound of the helicopter; either from speakers or a natural projection, she can make herself heard quite nicely. "This tournament is a stage on which to test myself. That my first test would be last year's champion..." Her lips curl into a smile. "It's certainly an interesting twist of fate." And then she leaps. The sheath of her blade held in her left hand, the Queen of Honnouji simply jumps straight off the helicopter's ramp, going into a straight free-fall towards the tournament grounds. But no sooner has she leapt than her right arm goes to her left bicep, and snaps in three switches on the blue band there. Blue stars shine. Crimson radiates from her bicep down her clothes. A net of black and red Life Fibers radiates outward. Fire and fabric roar as a beast, only to be restrained by tight straps. White and blue attire takes shape. Pulls tight. Towering shoulders erupt, eyes open. "LIFE FIBER OVERRIDE!" "KAMUI JUNKETSU!" By the time her feet slam into the ring's surface, Satsuki is transformed. Bakuzan's sheath is cast aside carelessly, the blade held in her right hand. Her entire manner is calm - the stillness before the storm. "Come at me with all your skill, if you please." 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' Johnny lets out a low whistle at both the transformation and the nature of the outfit and... and most of all the stern and imposing look she's giving him. A grin. Wait, what? Yup, definately a grin that vanishes as he puts the blank, expressionless riot helmet on, the red lenses of the armored headpiece flashing to light. His voice crackles through the external speaker on the front. "Girl, I ain't intended to do a damn thing else." The Courier's quickly loping backwards along the ring's surface, those red lenses going bright as he draws a heavy, retro-tech looking Plasma Rifle from under that duster, levelling it at his shoulder and letting lose a peppering series of bolts. Time to test the Nature of the Girl. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "Wowsers, folks! Satsuki transforms into a scandalous new fashion ensemble! If this is what Revocs sells, remind me to order a few outfits for FIA. Still, she looks steeled and prepared for a battle," He laughs slightly and then says, "But the Courier isn't too off guard by this transformation. A moment of admiration and then he opens with a hard volley." 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' The very instant Courier pulls the trigger, his opponent is in motion. And she is /fast/. That outfit enhances everything about her well into the superhuman. Her blade whips up, snapping back and forth impossibly fast, outright parrying several of the plasma bolts as she rushes in. But enough of them are fired with enough precision to slip even her guard, and one catches her cleanly across the abdomen, scorching the skin; far less than bare skin should by all rights be burned by plasma weaponry, but still more than a little problematic. More problematic, however, is the fact that Satsuki is practically in the cowboy's face already. She's not quite in reach just yet. But that doesn't stop her from whipping Bakuzan diagonally in a downward slash, and unleashing a single, cutting shockwave. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' At least it's not goddamn fire. Johnny's had enough of that bullshit to last a lifetime. Still, the wind slash catches Johnny just as he's reloading the rifle, blasting one of the microfusion cells apart nearly in his grasp. He snarls through the helmet's speaker, and blesses his lucky stars for decent armor and the fact that it was a depleted cell. Still, he's got a girl up in his grill who can apparently take plamsa shots to bare flesh and not have too much trouble. Good. Those red lenses focus out, and Johnny plants a foot on Satsuki's belly, shoving at her to try and empty out the rest of another clip of plasma at her. Everyone wants to get up in his face, damn. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' Yuri stands up in his hot air balloon and leans over the edge, watching the blade parry several bolts, "Oh! Satsuki takes a mean couple bolts that hit her! But what should vaporize only scorches. I guess these clothes are risque, but not riSKY!" He chortles gently, "She fires back with a heavy shockwave slash that rattles the Courier's teeth a bit! Luckily New Vegas has a great dental plan, and the only solution he has to this right now is MORE PLASMA!" 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' The shove is well-timed enough that even with her strength, Satsuki is pushed off-balance, a success that surprises her enough to allow another plasma bolt through - this time it clips her left thigh, burning Junketsu's fabric and the skin underneath. "Interesting indeed," she murmurs, whipping Junketsu up, only to bring it left-right-left in a rapid series of slashes, displaying more of that incredible speed and unleashing more of those blade shockwaves. But the first one was just a warm-up. These aren't bars of smashing force. The shockwaves are more refined, more narrow. They cut with almost as much sharpness as Bakuzan itself. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' And Johnny's growling quietly though the whole of it, the heavy ablative riot armor soaking up most of what would have sliced a normal foe in two. That plasma rifle is, however, neither armored nor tanky at all, and one of the slaces finally beats the snot out of the weapon, the energy cells going dead and shorting out impressively. Johnny's helmet crackles, his voice coming out. "Damn girl, you are sure hard on the equipment. Let's try something else, shall we?" He drops the busted shards of the rifle, and draws a long black staff from out of wherever it is he holds all his crap. Maybe that Pipboy of his. A breath in that helmet, and the end of the staff comes to life, a massive, electric purple blade of energy splitting forth out of the end of it. The Courier twirls the Protonic Inversion Axe to face Satsuki, and steps in once twice, trying to use his superior reach to score a hit on the spry and underdressed lady. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "More of those plasma bolts firing from his handgun! Satsuki is finding that those sting her quite a good deal! But she doesn't seem upset, just slightly impressed." He leans some more over the railing, "She fires a barrage of those shockwaves at the Courier, these ones a bit more slicey than the last. And boy do they look pretty painful. The Courier switches out weapons, his rifle broken. He gets out a really wicked lookin energy axe and swings heavily!" 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' An energy blade. This is different. So he intends to face her directly on her own turf, so to speak - in melee range. Wordlessly, Satsuki steps into the clash, bringing Bakuzan up to neatly parry the first strike... only to get surprised by the second, taking a direct slice down the chest. Not deep, but deep enough to hurt, to add to her growing list of injuries. She takes a step back and gives Courier a wary look-over, considering his stance, his physical attitude, with a much more critical swordswoman's eye. "So there's more to the cowboy than guns," she observes. There's a certain vibrance to her voice that wasn't there before. The prospect seems to be waking her up, so to speak. And then she takes a step and lunges in, lowering her shoulder as if cocking to bring her sword up in a brutal slice... but instead, she shoulders herself right into the Courier's arms, attempting to shove them aside with her own weight, and only /then/ deliver a single, fast slash with Bakuzan. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' If you're looking for a swordsman or axeman with finesse and fine technical, dueling form, you're not going to find that in Johnny. This is a lumberman's stance, the stance of a person who uses the axe on things much larger than Satsuki. But he's strong, very strong. Not quick enough to get his defense back in as she steps close though, that slash clipping him right through his armor and splashing blood all over the stadium. The helmet crackles. "Didn't nobody tell you? I'm a science cowboy." There's a grin in his voice though, as that axe comes in and around to trap Satsuki and Junketsu close, twisting her against the shaft to attempt to align her body the wrong direction as he moves to get away. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "Satsuki seems to really be getting into this fight! Her movements and swordplay are that of a true warrior! She's matching blow for blow! But the cowboy isn't going to give an inch in this battle! Some fancy handwork with that axe he's holding." Yuri says simply, but excitedly. 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' At least Johnny's blood won't be alone on the arena floor. When he pulls away from the grapple, Satsuki's joins it, adding a deep cut on her left torso to complement the burn on the right. It's easily the deepest wound he's inflicted so far, and the set of the Council President's face gives away that she's feeling it even through the enhanced pain tolerance and toughness granted by her uniform. And yet she's smiling. In she rushes, waiting until he's only just turned to face her before unleashing a direct, forceful onslaught. Three slashes, fast and accurate, and then a fourth that turns out to be a feint. Instead, she lets out a booming, "HAAAAA!" and the sheer force of the kiai itself becomes a shockwave strong enough to blast a grown man clear off his feet, shattering the arena tile around herself and the cowboy. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' One. Two. Three. Johnny swats at all three attacks, the flickering hateful purple blade of that axe trying to blunt the lot of them before he's blown right the hell on his ass by the last KIAI. There's the force he remembers from last year, the sort of madcap over the top destruction he's used to from this damn foolish place. But he's not about to give up just yet, no sir. He rolls forward and out of the rubble, coming up to his feet dragging the blade of that axe into the rubble behind him. Is his arm broken? The Axe comes around for a wide, haymaker of a swing, Johnny's right hand gripping the very end of the handle a- And that hand with the Pipboy flashes out of the darkness of that duster, a massive 12.7mm pistol BARKING a retort at Satsuki. The red lenses flicker as the Courier plants shot after shot at Satsuki's center of mass, unloading the clip. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' Yuri slaps his hands down on the rim of the basket in his air balloon, "Wow! These two aren't pulling any punches! Every attack is a doozy, every swing is a shudderer! Satsuki uses those amazing sword techniques to swing a series of powerful slashes! She follows this up with some ki-powered baulder-ass-whopping powers! An the Courier really feels the sting of those moves! But that man is built tough and not gonna buckle under just some fancy sword work! He's drawing down with a powerful axe and pistol combo. What raw physicality!" 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' And Satsuki's feint is answered with a feint in return. Her eyes widen, Bakuzan ready to intercept the axe only for the true attack to turn out to be an entirely too-large pistol. Her defense is last-second and sloppy, managing to cut the first two bullets cleanly in half, but the inhuman movement itself taxes her body hard enough to exacerbate the wounds she already has. And with the next two shots, her blade isn't even fast enough to manage that. She just manages to divert the third from going straight through her, instead glancing off the flat of her blade and biting deep into her right bicep, and the last one? It manages to go right through that huge shoulder pauldron and out the other side, bringing with it a splatter of blood and a hiss of pain. Anyone watching very, very carefully, may see just the faintest, briefest shudder, not from Satsuki, but from her outfit. It could very easily be missed, and almost be imagined even if it is spotted. Almost. Nevertheless, the Queen of Honnouji is not done and not backing down. In a whirling movement, Satsuki whips her leg up, and then drives it straight down into the arena floor, an axe kick hard enough to shatter stone and knock a large chunk of it up into the air in front of her. Then comes a spinning side kick, with enough force to absolutely powder the chunk of arena, creating a cloud of dust that billows out right at the Courier. And with that for cover, Satsuki charges right in, going for a single low slash - aimed for one of Johnny's thighs, trying to destabilize his stance and reduce the strength he can bring to bear. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' Johnny sees the attack coming in, knows she's going for something more than just the stone, but the problem is he can't tank both at once. He drops the pistol to get a firm grip on his weapon, and the axe comes up and around to homerun swing the piece of the arena with the business end. But that leas his leg open, which makes it entirely understandable that he cries out in pain when the slice cracks open the armor down there, spraying more blood into the arena. He lets out a cry of pain, filtered into a blat of noise by the speaker on his gas mask... And then something clicks nearby to Satsuki's head. It's that Pipboy of his. There's a little ping of energy, of noise, of math, of data and statistics and calculations. It's been computing. And just as fast as Satsuki's been moving, Johnny's whole body shifts and moves, like he's being dragged by wires into exactly the right position. He swats at the Queen's face with the butt of the Axe, attemtping to stun her, before taking three downward swing, his body aiming directly into her predicted dodges. What a cheat. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "Satsuki is caught out by that axe-pistol feint combo! She splits the lethal shot in half, but the act of doing so has exacerbated her wounds! A common problem with superhuman abilities used by normal people!" Yuri educates the audience, "But she's coming back in with her own heavy slash, trying to take the Courier's legs out from under him. The Courier can feel the pain on it, but he doesn't want to give up. Like they say in Vegas 'If the chips are down, double or nothing!'. And he aims a bit of a combo with that axe." Yuri pauses, "Incidentally, speaking of doubling up, the Ultra-Luxe on the New Vegas strip would like you to know they've now added over a dozen new worlds currency to their already massive catalogue of accepted money sources. The Ultra-Luxe, for luxury from all worlds and a unique taste in elegance that you will always remember." 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' For a moment. For just a brief, breathless moment. Satsuki moves at the very limits of the speed that Junketsu can give her. Her body cries out at the sheer strain. But she moves. She brings Bakuzan up. She parries the smack to her face and then cleanly blocks the axe swing. Her wounds, just starting to bleed a bit more slowly, begin to pour forth red again. That cost her. But it prevented a much worse injury. And it leaves the two of them face-to-face. And Satsuki with one hand free. When Satsuki punches, she punches for the center of mass. And the force is enough to create a cone-shaped crater in the arena, even if Johnny happens to be between her fist and the area behind him. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' Johnny has never had that happen before. She's fully dodged a V.A.T.S barrage at close range. The moment only stuns him long enough to drop his axe to the stadium floor. He's going to need his hands free to- And then he's face to face with the Queen, the Samurai, the Lady of REVOCS, and that gas mask is implacable. He can feel the force of the blow rock his chest and he staggers back, a hand dipping into his duster. His bag of tricks still hasn't run out, possible won't ever run out. The Courier is a Man of Science, and Science has so many magical fields. Like Hydraulics. Johnny's gas mask crackles, and he lets out a warm, happy murmur. "Pretty lady, it's an honor to fight you." And then that hand comes back out, a massive Power Fist on the end. And he sets his feet, launching a single, massive straight jab at Satsuki, aiming to blast her right back across the arena. "HHHHHHYYAAAAAAA!" 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "Satsuki is looking tired, but not ready to pack it in yet! She blocks the axe, but doesn't look too comfortable doing so. Still, she comes in to try to swing a few punches the Courier's way!" He pauses a moment, "But the Courier manages to take those shots like a champ. Square in the chest and rocked back a bit. He wants to punch back! With that big ol' fist, no less!" Yuri sighs a bit, "Both of them are such a mess by now! Luckily, they can stop off at the Revocs booth right after the match and replace their mussed up clothes with the latest in Revocs fashion. Whether you're looking for elegant evening wear or rugged clothes for the workaholic, Revocs has you covered." 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' And then Johnny manages to take the full strength of her fist, or deflect it, or /something/ - she isn't sure what just happened, and the naked surprise on her face at Johnny's ability to negate concrete-shattering force is no small thing. "What-?!" And then she receives a punch of her own, right to the center of mass. Hard enough to crack ribs, even through her Kamui. Hard enough to knock her clear across the arena, into a tumbling slide from which she only recovers with a fair degree of effort. There is a moment where she has to simply breathe, to gather herself. But then she forces herself straight, lifting Bakuzan up in that one-handed grip and pointing it at the Cowboy from across the arena. "And you have been a splendid opponent as well, Cowboy Courier." She slings the weapon around behind herself, holding it low and away, with her injured left shoulder forward. "But I believe it's time we brought this match to an end." Satsuki's foot shifts, and the stone cracks beneath that blue high heel. And in the next moment, she's pushing off, arena shattering under her feet with sheer strength. She hurls herself towards Johnny, not even charging any more so much as lunging with the kind of strength that can tear apart buildings, throwing herself like a projectile and bringing Bakuzan up, over and down with a booming kiai and all the strength Junketsu can grant her one-armed slash. Even avoiding the edge of Bakuzan itself is no guarantee, the immense power behind the strike bringing with it a positively crushing collateral shockwave. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' If there's ever been a lady in Johnny's life, it's been Lady Luck, the one gal who's ver let him down. But Lady Luck is pressing her time thin with Johnny tonight. From botched VATS to the fact he drew against the strongest person he's probably ever fought in this damn tournament to the sheer audacity of Satsuki's Indomitable Will. But Luck Is Still With The Courier, as he manages to roll an armored shoulder into the brunt of the blade attack from the Kamui-empowered Queen of High School. The weapon, thankfully, does not break. Johnny nearly does though, his whole body wracked with the impact of getting stomped on by the Missle that is Junketsu. And ever and still the emotionless eyes of that riot mask look up at Satsuki in the base of that strike, her energy still echoing into the arena, and he SHIFTS. His hand lashes out to try and snag at that long black hair, his fist trying to hurl her into the arena floor and deck her once more with that Power Fist. 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' "That heavy blow lands upon Satsuki and you can feel the impact even up here in the commentator's balloon! A bone-breaking blow from the courier! And while that would be the end of most people, Satsuki gets right back up and presses her assault. That massive blade comes up to land a DEVASTATING hit on the Courier. BUT LIKE A CHASTE GIRL ON A FIRST DATE HE REFUSES TO GO DOWN! He lashes out, trying to just grab his opponent and pummel her out with that fist." 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' For a second time, Satsuki is utterly shocked by the Courier's sheer grit. The arena around them shatters, and yet Johnny remains unbowed. This time, there is only the shocked expression. And then she finds herself slammed hard onto the arena floor, an impact made all the worse by the injuries she's already suffered - especially those ribs. When she hits, blood is coughed up. But before that fist can come down towards her again, Satsuki turns. Her left arm whips up, catching the powerfist barehanded, or at least as barehanded as she can be while wearing Junketsu. With all her strength, she plants her right foot and pushes, shoving herself up to her feet againt through sheer brute strength, and in the same motion first pushes the Courier's fist back, then shoves it hard to the side, putting it out of the way. The forward motion leaves no room for her to bring Bakuzan to bear. He's inside her reach. But she has a much simpler weapon she can still use to hit Johnny with, putting all that Kamui-enhanced strength behind it. It's called 'her forehead'. 

:'''{{#var:32|Courier Six (32)}} has posed:''' Finally, there's a cracking noise from the Courier's body, more specifically that helmet, as one of the red lenses smashes open, leaving a very surprised looking Johnny staggering to stand. The speaker on his gas mask is busted, but now that there's a hole in that helmet, Satsuki can hear him directly again. "Heh. Ow." And then he's slumping over to roll to his back, waving at whoever will see, mostly Satsuki. "Done done done call... call somebody ow jesus ow." 

:'''{{#var:106|Yuri Stinson (106)}} has posed:''' Yuri is clapping heavily as he hovers overhead in the hot air balloon, "What a finish, what a finish! Satsuki, battered and bruised, uses her head to defeat her opponent! Literally. A mighty headbutt brings the Cowboy Courier down for the count and calling for the towel to be thrown in! What an amazing display of grit, determination, and combat prowess on both their parts! Still, in the end, it will be SATSUKI KIRYUIN who advances to Round 2" 

:'''{{#var:430|Satsuki Kiryuin (430)}} has posed:''' And with blood streaming down from her forehead as well, Satsuki forces herself to stand up straight, regarding Johnny with a calm expression despite the injuries all over. "That was a splendid duel," she declares simply. "It has been a long time since someone has pressed me so." She sweeps Bakuzan around herself in a flourish and then turns, striding away across the arena... Towards Bakuzan's discarded sheath, lying there untouched among the rubble. High overhead, that helicopter swoops in again, moving in to collect the Queen of Honnouji and bear her back to her kingdom. 

}}