Tournament: Mikage vs Cyrus

    It's mid afternoon and the Cait Sith's black tail sways behind her, her flashy outfit a definite eye-catcher as she stands in the middle of the arena, a bright smile on her face. Back in the center of attention for now, as she looks towards each side. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Hymnist Riko here for you today to announce a wonderful duel between two skilled opponents!" she shouts out then points towards one side of the arena, "On this side, we have the Ranger of Storm Magic and her faithful lynx companion, Mikage and Rama! This explorer duo is usually never without each other and look nigh inseperable!"

    Riko moves to point towards the other side now, and with the same exhuberance, shouts, "On the other side, we have the Astrologian Cyrus! He might look bored and tired but under that facade, he must have the tactical genius of the great generals of eld!" she slowly backs away, wandering towards an exit. "Fair fights for you both and good luck!" she gives a small bow towards both opponents and then hides herself in the exit to watch. "And begin!"

Cyrus runs a hand through his poofed up hair, and steps forward as the gates climb up and he's given entry into the arena. The cane-bearing hand comes up as the crowd begins to chime in to the tournament's going-ons, motioning the item to greet everyone present. The glint of the Empire's sun catching the silver handle for a moment, sending a small reflection of light through the arena.

The youth moves forward on the sands, until he gets to the dedicated spot and spots Mikage. The two of them have been through a few adventures together now, and it feels a bit to go into a tournament against this young woman. After all, he's her dedicated healer. And here, he's going to have to drop her health to red.

Certainly, they both know one-anothers' combat styles inside and out for the most part. And where Cyrus has been having to deal with Guardians for the most part, Mikage is a whole different kind of challenge for the young man. With a heart that is beating all too fast at the realization that this battle may very well be over in a flash - of an Empyrial Arrow - he touches the UI and activates the invitation for a PvP battle to red HP as the young woman and her feline come out...

And gets into a readied stance.

One of the hardest things about a tournament structure like this, is that it seems inevitable that you will eventually face someone you know. As if it wasn't nerve-wracking enough having to fight strangers, it's that much harder when someone is one of your party members. So, there is just a brief moment of hesitation before Mikage takes the field. She stands there, eyes closed, trying to focus her thoughts. Then, Rama nudges her in the leg.

Blinking, she looks down, "It's just a friendly spar, right?" She asks the lynx, who does a quick circle around her legs before looking out towards the sands.  "Alright, let's do this."

When she walks out, she raises a hand, giving a wave to the audience, and then looks across towars Cyrus, flashing him a playful sort of smile. Then, she accepts the duel invite.

5...
4...
3...
2...
1...

It seems to be a common thing for Mikage to take advantage of her speed and strike first. Just as soon as his health bar appears before her, the Were Fang is closing the distance between them. Her hand rests on her sword, the blade brought out in a flash of motion. What follows is a series of quick thrusts of that weapon, followed by a more powerful jab as she tries to bring the handle of it down onto one of his arms.

Speed. The young woman ahead of him rushes forward about as fast as he'd expected her to come. Capable of flourishing in both melee and ranged combat, it means that there is no point to running away like he'd done to Jurou. She's faster than him, and from what he can tell, they have the same amount of experience in the game. This is going to come down to reaction times, and using their abilities to their fullest.

She comes in, hand on her blade and thrusting with that weapon. He uses his cane to deflect the first few attacks, dropping a flaming potion to the ground as she steps in towards him, bursting the flame up to create a small damaging area, and then moving back, drawing her towards him. Or rather, being chased by the relentless opponent.

His cane comes up, trying to deflect the more powerful jab, which slices a red scar of light across his shoulder, before he pushes his left hand forward in a monk-like strike, while holding a green looking potion. The shockwave causing the caustic nature of the potion to explode out towards her chest, right before he has a chance to backstep and get out of the path of it.

The youth shows Mikage a little grin of his own. She can see the nervousness in there. A smile to hide the fact that he's anxious. His tail even poofed.

    "The countdown starts... and Mikage shoots right off with a rapid series of thrusts with her sword and is following up with a jab with it and a pommel strike! But there goes the tactician in Cyrus' brain and he blocks quite a few of those attacks but the jab connects! Seems MIkage's speed is just enough to catch him off guard, but wait... what's that potion? On and there's the backstep to get away! What kind of response is MIkage going to get out of this?!"

As the potion explodes against her chest, it seems to sizzle against her skin, causing the Were Fang girl to hiss under her breath, gritting her teeth. "Damnit Cyrus. You and your damn acids." That is going to burn for a long time. It begins to eat through her armor in places, going as far as to reveal a few patches of skin that now show as red wounds at her sides.

She doesn't bother trying to get rid of it, knowing that it would only be a waste of her time. Instead, Mikage leaves a bit more distance between them, eyes narrowing. "Okay then... Let's see how you like this."

He had been worried about one particular form of light magic, and her sword begins to glow in the warm white light that usually would accompany it. However, it doens't seem to form into the bow he might have expected. Instead, she reaches out with one hand, seeming to make an upward motion, closing her hand into a fist.

At the same moment, huge chunks of rock come up and begin to seize at Cyrus' feet, trying to hold him in place. Then, with a roar of effort, she slams her blade down into the sand. The light magic extends from the weapon, jolting across the battlefield like broken earth, and then encircles the Cait Sith, enveloping him in light which blasts upward from beneath his feet.

Cyrus is indeed fearful of the high powered techniques that Mikage has access to. He knows very well that if anything, her DPS has never been lacking in combat. And she makes for a pretty decent dodge-tank. When she curses his acid, he manages a little grin - only for him to notice that bright light growing.

"Oh shit." He grunts and realizes he's too out in the open to dodge. He smashes a potion to the ground which immediately creates a current of flame around him, followed by another he smashes on his own chest by punching it with the flat of his hand. The vials, having their Integrity broken the very same way an Adventurer of Lander's HP can fall to zero, shatter into light that drifts off, leaving him with a buff.

He's about to try and get out of the way, but that's when the rocks suddenly grab him. The youth ducks down, kneeling and bringing his arms around his body to shield himself better - as the light magic ripples across the ground, enveloping... and then blowing him upwards into the air.

The feline sprawls his arms and legs all the way out, trying to grab onto something in the air. A few stones touching beneath his feet while most of his body glows red from the damage for a moment, right before he throws a potion right for Mikage's head, trying to get it to impact on Rama to ensure the feline can't cause him further problems...

As he starts plummeting towards the ground.

Luckily, the Snow Leopard is agile enough to start turning and try to get himself to land with his arms and legs downwards.

    The Cait Sith claps at all of this, "This is so exciting everyone, look at them giving their all for this!" there's a few cheering noises from Riko as she goes back to her announcing, "Looks like the potion was an acid bomb! It connected and Mikage is just powering through it! Such tenacity, I haven't seen anything like that before, and once more Mikage's on the offensive! A binding maneuver to keep Cryus in place?! This is some trickery, but when a Ranger needs to connect something, trapping is the best way to do it, it seems."

    "Wait, what's this? What kind of magic is Mikage using!? It's some white light and it's rushing the battlefield and heading straight for... Cyrus?!" Riko winces once the Cait Sith is knocked into the air "That looked like it hurt really bad, but Cyrus is making use of the air time to lob another potion straight towards... Mikage again?! No wait, that feline of hers is nearby too!" a pause "And down Cyrus goes! Let's hope he lands on his feet! I think he needs to go on a heavy offensive if he's to win.. but... it's still early in this match, who knows what can happen!"

The continuous flames from Cyrus are enough to cause Mikage to have to raise a hand to defend herself, the heat burning a bit against her skin. If nothing else, one of his skills was being able to return damage without actually making direct attacks. She pats down her arm, stopping the flame, then pulls her sword free from the ground.

"Rama!" She calls, the lynx leaping for Cyrus in the same instant that the potion is thrown. Though it impacts the cat, it doesn't mean that his jaws don't snap in Cyrus' direction, trying to grab hold even as the spell's effect starts to encase the cat in water.

It takes a second for her to remember that this isn't a real battle. The lynx shares her health in combat and that the duel system won't let it drop past red-zone. of course, that doesn't mean that Cyrus' effects can't incapacitate the creature if left too long.

Miki takes just a moment to check on Rama, and then sweeps her sword in front of her. Where the blade cuts the air, two glowing discs form, one of blue energy, the other of yellow air energy. The two lash out in an 'x' pattern, crossing the battlefield towards Cyrus.

Cyrus prepares for the drop, falling on his feet and making for a painful fall. He doesn't manage to make a roll out of it. He quickly motions his hand to the lynx, trying to keep its sharp teeth away from him. He's expecting a rather confused stare as the bubble spell sweeps it up for a moment and away from him.

Of course, that still leaves Mikage herself! In practically the same moment that Mikage lashes out towards him with the two glowing discs of yellow and blue, he rakes his cane along the ground and sends a fierce shockwave towards her position that arcs and seems to chase her - tearing up the ground at the same time.

The first blue disc hits him, causing him to spin in place for a moment, a red mark showing the cut went 'through' him, before he thrusts his weapon again, sending a shockwave towards her - this one not carving across the ground, but a kinetic strike that rushes towards her position like an arrow!

That's when the second disc hits and drops his HP even further...

There is a distinct moment of decision as Mikage has to choose to let Rama remain trapped in the ball of water that Cyrus has him in. The lynx seems to be swimming around in an almost comical way, his cheeks puffed out as if he were the strangest fish you have ever seen.

"Hold on, Rama!" She starts to move towards where the cat is trapped, but then that kinetic attack comes towards her and it forces the Were Fang Ranger onto the defensive. She raises her sword to catch some of the impact, allowing it to send her tumbling backwards in a controlled motion. When she finally stops, it is in a crouch, but there are clear signs that the impact has hit home. A few slashes are visible along her shoulders and forearms.

Her breathing comes hard, looking across towards the Cait Sith with a wild look in her eyes. The instinct for many Were Fangs is to transform when they take large amounts of damage, but she resists that impulse. Instead, she raises her sword above her head. A bit of frost forming along the blade. It seems to cause the temperature to plummet quickly, seizing the moisture in the air until it forms into sharp points of rain like bladed shards which come down all around Cyrus.

Just as he is forced to try and deal with that hazard, she rushes forward again. There is quick motion as she draws a vial from her side, "How about a taste of your own medicine, Cy?" Pouring it out onto the blade, Mikage slashes outward, trying to catch him with a blade... tainted by the cat's own poison.

    "And Mikage's forced on a defensive stance with that heat! It doesn't seem to slow her down though as she pulls her sword out of the ground now. "And now she sends Rama in to try to go on the offensive! And then joins her, sending in a couple disks of yellow and blue to be thrown at Cyrus! Hurry Cyrus, I know you can dodge it!" she tries to cheer him on as she watches, "And it looks like Cyrus is going on more of an offensive too! A shockwave of energy looks to start chasing Mikage!

    There's a loud wince from Riko, "Oooh, the blue disk goes right through, but Cyrus powers through to send off another shockwave, something like an arrow towards Mikage!" and there's another wince... "And the yellow one goes through Cyrus as well. He's a hardy cat though! So it's still not over until someone's HP goes in the red!"

"Don't be transforming now - I want to figure out that hidden species myself!" He calls out at Mikage as he sees that glint in her eyes. He remembers her and Seliana talk about that. That blink of light that comes before a transformation. That response to danger. The youth swings the cane around like a makeshift blade and touches it to his shoulder for a moment, as he begins to run towards her.

Well, run towards her at first. Only for him to almost skid as the temperature suddenly lowers and the condensation on the ground makes it smooth as ice. The youth quickly brings up a shield of fire, hoping to shield himself from some of the damage, as the icicles shatter onto his body... only for her to suddenly slice across his body her her blade - at the same time that he pushes his cane forward and activates a small hidden latch, causing a mixture to blast near her chest and covering her in a blinding light!

"I'd rather not!" He calls out to her, before turning his body and making for a martial kick right for her head - keeping his arms close to his chest to help defend himself from further assault, and tries to use the lightning potion attached to his pants to send a shockwave of electricity through her!

"Heh..." Mikage breathes the sound. "I'm not going to spoil our bet." Even now, her hair covers most of the tattoo, and unlike many of her brethren, this Were Fang is known for staying in her human form.

The moment her sword impacts against him, she knows that these next few seconds are critical. A split second decision... to retreat to the defensive, or press the attack? The kick impacts her hard, slamming into the side of her head and sending Mikage sprawling down onto the sands. Her health drops by a significant amount, enough that it looks like he had caused her to drop her guard.

Then, her head lifts, one hand moving across her face to wipe off some of the sand that lingers on her cheek. Her chest heaves, but she gets to her feet, taking a step back from him. "Do you remember this one, Cyrus? You were surprised I could manage it..." She breathes between comments, reaching forward.

Her hand closes onto thin air, light magic forming into a bow. Her other hand reaches back and draws an arrow that isn't there. "Well, I figured out how to use it with other abilities, too." The arrow is drawn back to her cheek. Then, just at that same moment, a vortex of wind blades forms around her.

"Tempest.... Arrow!" She calls out, launching both those wind blades, and the arrow of light, towards the Cait Sith.

Cyrus is confused when Mikage remarks on him being surprised t being able to manage something, just as he manages to get his attack in. That's when he spots the light across her bow, and he grimaces. He slams his cane to the ground and sends up a fierce wave of flame in front of him while facing it.

Only for the tempest of her winds to lick and swallow away the flames of his defensive technique. The youth grimaces at this revalation and stares her in the eyes. "I'll be glad to receive it." He answers her, though he once again feels that nagging feeling in his chest he doesn't know what to do with.

His cane comes forward at the same time the arrow cuts forward. The tip of his cane slams into the tip of that arrow of light, holding it for just a second. He gets shoved back, the flames uselessly wicked away as he attempts to hold back or even deflect the assault...

But it is for naught. The slightest misadjustment to his cane, and the arrow carves right through him. His HP drops so fast, the remark of <<WINNER>> appears above mikage before the light of the arrow has even fully faded from his body, and detonates spectacularly across the wall and grounds behind him, as the youth falls to one knee.

    "And Cyrus' potion ... puts the cat in a bubble? Looks like Rama's not going to be doing anything for now and the the shockwaves put Mikage on the defensive, but you know what they say when you try to trap a Hunter right? You're only a step closer to falling in theirs! And it's holding true as it looks like frost starts to form on her blade and she slashes towards Cyrus... while Cyrus is running in! The blade makes a connection and Cyrus reacts with that cane! Cyrus is never out of tricks, no matter how much he's being pushed it seems with a blinding light covering the woman!"

    "This is getting exciting, folks! The two don't want to give up and they keep pressing each other very hard with all their fighting spirit, it's a wonderful sight to behold! So much so, it looks like Mikage's guard has dropped from that assault! Is... is she going to recover in time or is this just the opening Cyrus needs to push ahead in the fight!"

    "It's a ruse! Mikage's back with a second wind it looks like and... is that a /bow/ forming out of light?! And a light arr... no wait, wind blades are coalescing around the arrow and this... this m ight be the final strike of the match! Can Cyrus endure this to make a comeback?!"

    Riko turns away, "I can't watch! BUT I MUST, for everyone is waiting with baited breath!" she turns back to look and "HE STOPS THE ARROW WITH A FLAME TIPPED CANE! No.. no wait, the cane twitched and the arrow goes right through him! The fight is over, the fight is over everyone! Mikage is the winner in a spectacular finish! But don't get me wrong, Cyrus held his own and did amazing with the opponent he was up against! Could it have gone different? Anything can happen in these duels..."

    Riko moves back towards the center, once the fighting is done... "Let's give both our opponents a round of applause and give it up one more time for Mikage and Rama!"

In that moment when the arrow flies, Mikage's mana drops to nearly empty. It was one huge attack, trying to finish off the battle, at the risk that she wouldn't be able to put up anything quite that powerful again. When it impacts, there is both some relief, but also a feeling of uncertainty that passes over her even as the duel system announces her as the winner.

The magical energy flicks out of her hand, and she takes a couple of deep breaths. Rama drops to the ground, freed from the bubble's effect and landing on the ground. The cat shakes himself off, puffing up almost comically in the aftermath.

With the battle over, Miki spares a moment to raise her hand to wave to the audience, then closes the distance between herself and Cyrus. She offers out a hand to him, giving the cat a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that. I couldn't let you turn it back around on me."

Should he accept her hand, she'll pull him up, and then tug the Cait Sith into a hug. "You fought well. Just... don't be too mad at me." She asks. Rama, on the other hand, starts to rub his wet-furred self onto Cyrus.

"Great... now you're both going to smell like wet cat for the rest of the night..." She complains, playfully.

The youth gets up and uses the cane partially to aid him in doing so, and taking her hand th make it the rest of the way. The youth stands tall and looks up at the audiance, waving for a moment at them and the announcer, before he looks back to Mikage, squeezing her hand softly. "No need to be sorry. It was a Duel. I may be your designated Support, but in this battle, I was your opponent." He answers her and taps his cane to his forehead, only to suddenly get tugged into a hug.

He eases into the gesture and hugs her on back, squeezing her softly for a moment, before releasing and then staring at the Lynx.

"Noo! The duel is over! No more!" He chides Rama playfully, before smirking at Mikage. "I'm not mad. But you /do/ owe me a snack now, for trouncing me /that hard/." He tells her boldly. "And while we eat something together, I'll go over my thoughts on some new potions I've got."

Thankfully, Cyrus is his usual easy-going self, and that is enough for Mikage. She just laughs, shyly tucking a few strands of hair away from her face as she joins him in waving to the audience. Clearly, there is no hard feelings between these two.

"Fine. Food is my treat." She walks beside him as the two depart from the fighting arena, "You don't happen to have anything that will make wet cats smell better, though, do you?"

One can only hope.