Arashi v. Wisteria

    Wisteria in human form stands waiting for the announcement to enter the arena floor. The tall albino human with her geometric bun tattoo on her neck. She waits for the announcement of commencement to make her entrance.

The arena is set, the crowd is buzzing, and the familiar voice of the Nightmare Bard projects over the stadium. "Good evening Breg Epona! Are you ready for more action and glorious battle without having to risk the hazards of a raging battlefield?!" Cue heightened cheering from the spectators. "I thought so! Well get ready for some edge of your seat excitement, as in a few minutes our next contenders will be taking the field."

Kauchemar is performer by nature and by trade, so doing this routine is right up her alley. "Tonight is a doozy, as we have TWO swordmaidens to cross blades for your amusement! Arashi the spellswording pwny versus Wisteria the hareraising bladeslinger!"

    Not one for dramatics, Arashi arrives without a whole lot of fanfare. Sure, the crowd may react due to her previous performance against Kasai, but beyond that, the werefang-equine seems to be all business and little else.

    Wisteria walks out into the arena, lifting her hand and waving at the crowd smiling widely. She's dressed in her kimono and hakama with katana at hip as she usually is. Her human form as white as her bun form, with her eyes a red that one normally only sees in lapines.

    When she reaches the center of the arena she bows to Kauchemar and then bows to Arashi. "Best of luck." she says as she smiles, it isn't the smile she gave the crowd, instead it is part smile part snarl, an expression many kendoka learned to fear through her mask.

It doesn't matter if Arashi doesn't do fanfare, Kauchemar is here to provide all the colorful commentary you want. "Look at that determination folks, already focused on the fight ahead. While her opponent is a bit more bouncy, but oh my that 'smile' is nothing to take lightly. There is a brawl brewing for sure."

Kauchemar steps back, grabbing her ghost sword by the hilt. "Count it down with me people...

4...

3...

2...

1!" Kauchemar slams the flat of the sword against the haunted shield floating next to her like a gong. "FIGHT!"

    With Wisteria entering the arena, and bowing, Arashi at least gives a bow in return. "Same to you," she offers. Good sportsmanship is always preferable to ninja'ing nonsense that she so hates. Once she's back to an idle stance, and Kau begins their countdown, the equine draws both blades, one normal, one broken, clearly prepared for the fray to follow.

    When the countdown completes, Arashi lunges forward. The unbroken blade is turned flat and brought down in a potent overhead strike to get things started.

    Wisteria is an old hand at suden attacks when the bell rings and she takes a shuffle step to one side, a sudden flare of magic around her says she was ready for the start of the fight as a sheild manages to deflect the blow just enough to keep it from doing real damage, though it does seem to put her off her pace for a moment.

    Then her own sword slashes out of the sheath in an iaitsu strike that flares with green and black energy sending a wave of poison along it's cutting edge.

"And Arashi comes out swinging... Not the normal way you use a sword, but swinging none the less!" The sword is let go to return to it's counterpart at her side, and Kauchemar picks up her lute instead. "As expected Wisteria takes a ringer but refuses to take it lying down. That enchanted blade is going to have some bite to it!" Once the commentary is out of the way, the bard does what bards do best, and provide some musical atmosphere.

o/~ Faking falls, stop and stall, take it all... Fact is, I'm taking mine... I'm taking mine
Time is up, out of luck, Should've stood up when you had the time... But you're out of time!
Let's do this! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

Lock and load! Rock and roll! Bitch, it's all over!
You're going down... You're going down!

Get ready to settle the score! And get ready to face the floor!... 'Cause it's time to remember it's WAR! o/~

    It may have only been a glancing blow, but if it put Wisteria off balance, then it was a success for Arashi. With that chance before her, the were-fang pushes forward, feeling the bite of the poisoned blade, but wanting to make sure their moment isn't missed. A trio of wicked blows comes first, alternating between both blades. Following after it is a rather wicked stab, and twist, with Arashi's broken blade.

    Wisteria facing the massive serries of attacks, stomps one foot. A stone pillar slamming up into the air deflecting the first serries and then the slash that catches her opens a gaping red mark across her in wireframe. The bleed icon blinking into existance next to her HP bar and in her view. She does a few side stepshuffles with her usual kendoka way. Then her sword slashes out, a crackling black energy making the blade grow, any impact sure to slam that black Wave art into the mind of the foe.

o/~ This is war!
And it's on tonight... So get up and fight! Get up and fight!
You had aaaall your life to run and hide... Now step up, now step up!
Let's do this!o/~

With her trademark musical atmosphere moment done Kauchemar turns her attention fully back to the fight at hand. "These two are holding nothing back from the start. There's no visible bloodshed but this is going to be left seeing red for both involved! Arashi takes the swift strike in stride and comes back with a barrage.. Including that busted blade! That's like the sword version of purposely using a rusty dull knife!" If she wasn't so into the moment herself Kauchemar would probably cringe at the exchange of blows. "Wisteria has to resort to making the earth move beneath her feet, but it's not enough to entirely stop taking a wicked strike, even as she retaliates with a technique that's probably going to make a lot of men in the audience feel inadequate!"

    Frustration? Maybe a little. Arashi's last two rushes have been met with some rather solid defense, and it MIGHT be getting to her. Just a snort, but little else. The bleed effect landed, so she has some satisfaction to go along with it. Still, the shock of Wisteria's blade just barely manages to land, mostly deflected by the were-fang's unbroken blade.

    With another opening presenting itself, the warrior rushes in, stabbing one blade forward while the other goes low into an upward arc.

    Wisteria pulls back from the first slash and then she's a white bunbun woman, long ears and little button horn on her forehead. "Not bad." she says grinning, her bun mouth full of row on row of ragged razor triangles. "Keep your zanshin!" she says her blade snapping out in a slash before she jumps and kicks off of several air runes that appear propelling her far enough across the arena to give her a moment to bandage up and stop at least one of the bleed effects.

"They slice, they dice; the only corners being cut here are off each other's HP bars!" While Kauchemar's punny commentary continues to cut the ears of the audience. "Arashi knows how to defend with those blades as well as strike, dulling the effectiveness of Wisteria's enchanted strike, and lauching a few blistering blows of her own." The nightmare's eyes glow with fringes of flame around them as she has to use her own arcane sights to keep up with all the intesne slashing, as well as Wisteria going on a high speed defensive. "That wascally wabbit is fast on her feet though, doing her damnest to not stay in Arashi's danger zone longer than necessary after retaliating with one of her cutting strikes!"

    There's that defense again. Sure she did manage to land a decent blow, but this other were-fang is just pushing the wrong buttons. It's why, even after her blade turns (in a slightly off way) to block Wisteria's blow, that there's a loud roar before Arashi just -lunges- in pursuit. A flurry of blows is sent the bun's way, a familiar technique, but far stronger looking than the usual but leaving the equine just slightly off balance.

    Wisteria is a kendoka and putting her blade between someone elses blade and her body is an ingrained reflex. The slashing winds still manage to slash red through her frame. Then a black eye snaps open in her forehead, the eye flicking around randomly until it spots something about Arashi, and locks into place before her sword snaps out in a fast blow at just that place of weakness.

Kauchemar has ventured with Arashi as well as moderated the fights long enough to know -that- look that comes over the other equine Were Fang. "And now you see why I keep calling her a 'pwny'. She comes blasting back at Wisteria like a twister in a trailer park... wait, none of you in the audience are going to understand that metaphor." She shrugs. "Nevermind, moving on! Wisteria blocks the blade but still gets slashed by the wind magic. Better watch out Arashi, because she's got her Arcane Eye on you!"

A pause, and then Kauchemar scrunches her snout a bit, muttering about how forced that was under her breath.

    There's something about that eye that just rubs the equine the wrong way. Rather than move in for another all out barrage, Arashi instead retreats and takes up a defensive stance, blades crossed. After Wisteria's strike the equine lunges forward, looking to strike Wisteria's weapon hand before hopping back again.

    Wisteria's blade snaps up to catch the blow from Arashi, she manages to avoid the blow but it takes her off balance a half step as she moves. Perhaps those big hits earlier made her overestimate how hard this blow was coming in. However she does counter, leaning in with a deep thrust, a move that kendoka do not perform often in a match. She does know what she's doing with that thrust however, and the green/black of poision courses along her blade once more.

"Wisteria finally puts Arashi on the defensive for a bit. A bit she chomps at as soon as she gets the chance," there's an actual horse wordplay, finally, "to make a sneakier strike. Looks like the bun is also going for a more precise approach, trying to find a gap in the equestrian girl's tactics." Kauchemar keeps the commentary rolling almost as fast as the fight is going. "Can she thread that needle, or will her strings be cut first?" She partially turns to look at the arena stands behind her. "Are you folks on the edge of your seats? I know I would be, if I was sitting down right now!" Honestly the crowd hasn't stopped cheering, it just peaks and swells with the intensity of the actual duel.

    With the sting of that attack landing, Arashi knows she has to go heavy next round, regardless of what comes next. With Wisteria's attack coming precise, and poisoned, the mare surges to one side in a flash before the broken blade is stashed, both hands going to her fully forged one. The attack to follow is a cleaving strike, diagonal and from above. Even with that poison biting into her, she's still coming as hard as possible.

    Wisteria spots the massive blow coming and with a stomp another of those stone pillars snaps from the ground. The blade cutting through and still managing to score a nasty wound across her chest. She then lifts her blade, that dark crackling energy sheeting along the blade making it seem to grow before she slashes. That dark mind magic crackling through it's targets thoughts.

The two ladies go a bit on the defensive, but they're not letting up in doing so and the crowd is going wild over it. "You seeing this? Who says you need to be a big bruiser to dish it out?" Kauchemar herself has really gotten into it, not that it stops the clever wording from flying. "There's no brakes on this pain train! Wisteria might of found a kink in Arashi's counters, but at what cost? Again she's got to call on terra firma to help cover her bunny posterior before trying to counterstrike!"

    Pillars, pillars, pillars. What is with all the pillars every time Arashi gets a good chance for taking Wist to the school of hard knocks!? Still, the fact she actually -cleaved- the thing gets a gasp out of the rauckus crowd all around them. Afterward, her unbroken blade is brought between herself and Wist's attack, again the shock of her blade only glancing her frame with the sting of her fading poison causing her trouble again.

    Nice and close, the equine gets a deadly look in her eyes, slashing with her full blade before stabbing forward with the broken one with that familiar twist from before..

    As the slash comes in Arashi the bunbun leaps back the jagged end of the broken blade scoring a hit that while minor does cause her to take up the bleed icon again. Explodes backwards on the next step her big bun feet slamming on one air rune after another a thunderous sound cracking along in her wake as she moves like a white bolt to take up her stance again a good distance from Arashi. Then she leaps forward bounding again from air rune to air rune her blade out in that stabbing motion again.

"Arashi cuts through that stone like a knife through butter... we have butter here, right? Just not the chemically preserved artifical kind..." Kauchemar gets a little sidetracked with her witty remarks, but snaps back to the action quickly. "Here comes another big blow.. and it's diversive so she can go for the gut again! She's doing everything she can to keep Wisteria from going on an all out assault with that enchanted blade." She pauses to rub her chin thoughtfully as the were-bun gets evasive again. "Here comes Bunny Foofoo, hopping through the forest~... Look at that magic footwork as she tries to manuever into a better striking position."

    There's a moment here where Arashi is just sorta left wondering what she has to do to get, what she feels, is a solid hit in. The way Wist is bounding all over certainly makes it hard to land a good blow. So. Time for all out strikes once again. To catch up with Wisteria, the equine moves in a flash, so fast in fact there's thunder left in her wake. It allows her to nearly avoid all of Wist's attack before unleashing a furious assault, fiery at first, leading to the air cutting as wildly as both her blades.

    Wisteria sees the flurry of blows coming and a sheild snaps up around her again, dropping into kendo defenses. Her blade dancing from strike to strike to block them. The bleeding from before still makes her HP bar drain, then she's stepping back and with a quick one two X cut she sends slashes of black energy coursing at Arashi.

"And now they're both turning this into a running battle. As we near the climax there's only one way to improve this delightful dance of blades." It was only a matter of time before Kauchemar went back to her instrument and auditory inclinations. "More musical accompaniment!"

"o/~ Now the dark begins to rise. Save your breath, it's far from over
Leave the lost and dead behind, now's your chance to run for cover
I don't wanna change the world, I just wanna leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up, take the path that leads to nowhere

All is lost again... But I'm not giving in!

I will not bow! I will not break! I will shut the world away
I will not fall! I will not fade! I will take your breath away o/~"

It's possible that she switched back to singing because she was running out of sword and cutting puns to use.

    Huh. A familiar attack, even if it is a different element. Seems Arashi knows just how to block it, placing her full blade in place to block the majority of the assault. The attack that follows is from her broken blade. Rather than strike with the jagged edges, she instead brings down the pommel in a fierce shot aimed for the other were-fang's head.

    Wisteria dodges back from the smashing hit, that energy coat making it glance off, even as she stomps her foot having another stone pillar tossing her high into the air and backwards, a backflip and before she lands she screams, it's the battle cry of the Caerbannog and many of those who've seen her fight in the arena were wondering if she'd get hurt or angry enough to use it's horrible horrible noise.

The music is jamming right along with the exchange of blows. At least until Wisteria goes ballistic. As the Caerbannog cry rings through the arena there's an audible sour chord as Kauchemar cringes and fumbles her musical interlude. "GAWD WHY DO RABBITS SCREAM LIKE THAT?!"

    Well. That's an odd noise. The mare can't help but wince at it, surprised Wist had that kind of rage in them, but, well, if they're going to yell she's going to try and make use of it. After a shake of her head, Arashi surges in, blades up. The longer of the two stabs forward first before the broken blade follows it in for a trio of brutal up close swipes.

    Wisteria goes into another of her defensive flurries blade flashing to defend against sword swipes before stomping her foot and launching into the sky once more with a pillar of stone. Before she rushes in again with a flashing blade making an upward rising slash.

Kauchemar wiggles a fingertip in one ear. "For Goddess' sake, that chilled even my bones.... Though I know who to call if I ever do a heavy metal bardcore album." Runs a hand over her mane as if smoothing it back into place. "Despite that horrendous noise it doesn't seem to be a death knell just yet, as both our fighters are still standing. And I'm running out of descriptions." She muses for a moment... then snaps her fingers. Stands and points dramatically out at the arena.

"Mare-auder vs Bun-barian!"

    It's far enough into the battle that Arashi is starting to recognize what Wist is doing... and probably visa versa. Familiar with the attacks now, the mare has a good idea of the slash that's coming and moves to deflect it as best she can. Once it's handled the were fang steps forward, sending her unbroken blade straight for her frame.

    The fight is coming to the point, that hairline between victory and defeat. Wisteria has her zanshin twisted to the sticking point. So rather than try and dodge or go into a flurry of parries she shatters her own sheilding. This explodes into a burst of bright light that is a blinding flash before she takes the hit from the broken blade. Her blade fills with that twisting black and green light of poison before she sends a cross slash at Arashi trying to end this in a flash.

"This could be coming to a heated close, folks!" Kauchemar puts a hoof up on the edge of the commentator stall to brace herself. "Arashi is running low on horsepower and Wisteria looks like they could juse a jumpstart." Unfortunately the nightmare hasn't run entirely out of puns yet. "But after a battle of wits and defenses, Wisteria takes the risk to her wellbeing and goes on an all out offensive!"

    Well, that was unexpected. Arashi hadn't seen a spell the entire time, at least, not like that. Just like with Kasai, there was a wicked swordfight going on, and to see a spell used at the last second? It just felt the same. It almost felt like cheating. Granted, there are no rules in a fight like this, but the equine didn't care and it just set her fight off.

    She almost doesn't bother to block, but reflexes in her rage-state put her full blade into the right position. Afterward, both weapons are brought to bare in an outright fury. The blows are viciously thrown toward the other fighter. Wisteria wanted to end it last round, and Arashi feels exactly the same!

    Wisteria laid it out and with those last few slashes, even with her zanshin up she just doesn't have the strength left when her guard comes up, the first slash the second the third breaks through and drops her HP into the red. The tall bunbun drops to a knee, resting her katana point down. "Go...good fight." she says panting

"Now that is the sort of furious exchange of blows we come to see!" The crowd is hyped, though Kauchemar holds a hand up to get them to partially simmer down to see the outcome. One has to wonder if -she- already knows, or is just playing the moment for drama. Maybe a bit of both. It's a brutal round to follow... but in the end Wisteria drops back with her HP going red, and the WINNER fanfare going off for Arashi. "And there you have folks! Arashi has yet again come out on top! But lets hear it for both our fighters and the show they put on!"

    There's a bit of a wobble from Arashi. Lingering poison and all that. Though, once the dire-shire gets the little 'Winner' text with the fireworks, she heaves a breath. Lots of cheering and all that, but that isn't really what she showed up for. Instead she just offers Wist a hand up. "I feel bad for the monsters in Aincrad."

Wisteria drops into the RED the word WINNER pops up over Arashi's head with a Rainbow of fireworks that fill the sky over the arena.

Kauchemar flops back in the booth. "Good grief, I didn't even fight and I'm exhausted after that show."

    Wisteria climbs to her feet "Nice fight, really made me have to dig deep." she says with a soft chuckle even as her hitpoints recover due to the end of duel.

    "Thanks," Arashi offers back before stowing her weapons. Time to head on out of the arena, giving the same lazy salute/wave as she slips through the exit. Woo.

    Wisteria shifts back into human form and waves smiling at the crowd. She's got experience at this and even a national champion has a few losses under her belt. She keeps up the same easy way with waving and heading into the waiting area.