Duelist League: Fukasa Yuri vs Uta

Rumors spread across Yamato. Fukasa Yuri, who is known to have been a top-tier PVPer, is going up against Uta Furore, who is known to... just do her thing. It is notable that both fighters are members of Crescent Moon, so this will be a great opportunity for the guild to show off both how good its experienced members are, and how good the mentoring they give to newbies can be.

Everyone else can just join to see two people beating each other up. Because, seriously, who doesn't enjoy watching two people beating each other up?

Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     Frankly, it had been a whim to join the duelist league. A moment of nostalgia for her PVP days before all of this started. So when she got the request to duel Uta? ... Fukasa Yuri was taken aback, frankly she hadn't expected anything to /come of/ joining the duelist league. And so, like an overly excited puppy, she had done all of her preparations. Updated her gear to the best of her ability, cleaned her barnacle-covered trident (And then made sure that it was properly barnacle-ie and covered in seaweed and ocean debris), and even gotten her hair done!

     Of course half of that was moot since she usually didn't wear much in the way of heavy armor, instead preferring the freedom that magical or light armor afforded her to stab things better. And so, like the excited little fish that she is, Fukasa Yuri was waiting at the agreed upon duel location! ... She had totally been there already for several hours, fidgeting and generally making the landers uncomfortable since she looked like she was ready to stab someone. That and the general just.... air of anticipation she had around her making the area tense.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

Water, water everywhere!

Welcome to Mac Anu, the City of Canals!

Instead of the busy and wide open space of the main square, today the setting of the fight is a cozier corner of the city. Small streets that form small yards for brick houses, small arched bridges with stairs spanning short distances over narrow canals, balconies with marble pillars, street lamps of wrought iron and stone stairs that descend right into the water, and give access to gondolas. The crowd bustles among the small shops in this area: doors are embedded into the walls, or visible under the porticos. Pigeons fly overhead or land to peck at some morsel a distracted passer-by might have dropped.

Uta breathes in deeply, to enjoy the invigorating smell of sea water. She sits on the stairs that lead up such a small bridge, waiting for the right moment for the duel to start. This also doubling as kind of a promotional event for Olympus in general and Crescent Moon in particular, there is, of course, quite a crowd, but due to the restricted fighting environment, they are split between the sidewalks and the windows and balconies of buildings.

Uta has been shining her white lacquered staff herself, and- well, that's it. Same newbie gear she was wearing out of chargen. Same baseline appearance you get out of a menu bath, laundry... and if combing by menu is possible, that's totally what she did.

Does that mean that her hair smells like soggy crackers?

These are questions best left for another day.

"Oh, hi, Fuka!", Uta exclaims as she raises her staff in greeting. "...sorry if I made you wait. I have no idea of what time it is, but judging by your posture I'd say... I want to stab people o'clock? I must be just about in time then!" While she speaks, she begins some warm-up exercises.
Rizadoman
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


    Through the sea of spectators there was a set of horns moving through it almost like a fin, seeking something, searching for something, almost like a predator looking for food. Finally the owners of said horns breaks through the spectators and reveals himself to be Rizadoman heading towards one of the vendors who seems to always be around during these matches as he trades a few coins for the traditional hot dog and , in honor of Fukasa, the sea weed juice. Looking at the juice for a moment he really hopes it is only a name. Wading his way back into the ocean of people he finds himself a good vantage point to watch the fun that is about to occur.
Merek
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

    Merek makes a way along to Mac Anu city, and finds a place to begin watching his friend with the duelist league. He takes a moment to adjust that clockwork that the man works with, then he nods a bit, while waving.
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     Probably by the end of this, Uta is going to hate the smell of seawater, really. And the taste of it. And the feel of it on her eyes and body and... really it's just going to be awful probably, even if she wins! Regardless, Fuka /had/ agreed to one thing. She was going to try not to be outright mean and overwhelmingly crazy because it was a promotional event. This was a /friendly duel/! Yep. ... So she was only going to probably drown Uta a lot! ... Look it's just her combat style really.

     Fuka flashes a sharp-toothed grin towards the crowd, lifting her spear in something vaguely approaching a wave towards them, possibly even getting a few cheers from members of her extended web of contacts! ... But most likely they're just like 'why is this lady being so awkward'. "...Yeah? Yeah that sounds about right, Uta~." Fukasa says, turning that grin towards her. "It's been a while since I did any PVP though, so don't get too disappointed if I don't give you the greatest fight you've ever had." She just hopes she does, as she leans lightly against that trident.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

Uta waves one hand dismissively, "Oh, it's okay, I'm sure you'll do just fine. I... I am the one who apologizes in advance. I am not sure if I'll be able to give you an appropriate fight, because, well, I have no idea myself of what I'm really doing at the moment. I just... wing it." She shakes her fists in some direction, probably towards Carmina Gadelica Marina.

Bells ring from some tower in the vicinity. "Oh, OH! It's the signal! Time to start!", exclaims Uta, and after a few swipes on the menu to interact with the duel system, off she runs towards her opponent, staff thrusted forward, ready to thrust it forward at Fuka's stomach.
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     Fukasa couldn't help but smirk at that, crossing her arms over her chest and around that trident. "You'll be fine, Uta! Hah, you've been active in the alliance longer than I have, after all~." She smirks. And then that smirk falters, thinking on that. "I... feel like there's a pun there somewhere but I'm not really getting it if there is. Is there a pun there because that's going to bother me until I know for sure." Fukasa frowns a bit. And then the bells start to ring, and the 'DUEL START!' flash appears.

     And there was an Uta dashing towards her, thrusting a staff towards her stomach. Fuka quickly slams her trident on the floor, a small pufferfish appearing that sends her sliding along the ground to the side, turning the blow from a direct one to a glancing blow that ... still seems to have hit hard from the gasping breaths that Fukasa is taking. "Dear goddess that was simple but painful." She mutters, spinning to the side and gathering the water just used for her defense-- to turn it into a massive whirling disc of water that she sends flying for Uta's side, that puffer fish blowing some extra water into the attack!
Rizadoman
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


    Rizadoman watches the Undine as she summons the water disc, holding his chin and nodding his head slowly. " Yes yes , using the water as a thin blade of death. Yes I see. " Taking a bite of his hot dog he nods some more and then watches Uta evade the incoming attacks while looking over at his tail and finally trying some of the seaweed juice..the look on his face says it all.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

"I know, right!", exclaims Uta all cheerful. "Hitting people with a stick. It never gets old. It- EEP!"

Pufferfish-enhanced disc of water, incoming! Uta leaps to one side, rolls on the floor, away from the attack, barely grazed by the rotating projectile. "...though I have to admit that hitting people with a puddle frisbee is even more impressive. Not many people can do that."

She closes her eyes, and the chanting commences. Dark tendrils coalesce around the gem atop her staff, pulsating and rotating along with the music, and after some ominous passages in a minor key, a beam of darkness departs in Fuka's direction.
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     "Nice, simple, and effective. Ow." Fuka responds, grimacing. It had been hard to focus on that disc of water too, so it hadn't been /nearly/ as strong as it could have been.

     "Actually it's one of the standard attack options that everyone can learn. It's simple, but effective!" Fuka replies to Uta, flashing a grin towards her. As Uta begins to chant, Fuka chants as well! "Those drowned and lost, I call thee forth." She talks, summoning ... several undead sailors bearing giant cutlasses that place themselves between Fukasa and Uta, taking part of the beam. Which was for the best because...

     Fukasa doesn't even try to dodge, instead continuing with two other chants, one so quick that it's impossible to make out what she says. "Hold onto something." Is the only warning that Uta gets, as a massive wave suddenly comes out of the water under that bridge, CRASHING over it! ... And ... leaving behind a massive bubble of water that surrounds Uta, inflicting the [DROWNING] status effect on her. Immediately following up on that, Fuka sends in those sailors to attack her!

     And Fuka herself sends a burst of water straight for Uta's face. Yeah, seems that Fuka isn't holding back at all. Which is good. Probably. Except for Uta. "...You're going to hate water by the end of this."
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

Uta blinks.

The water slams Uta to the floor, and when the bubble pops into existence, with Uta in the middle of it, as if she was some item encased in a marble, she swims for her dear life, cheeks bulging, eyes popped out, going blue in the face for the lack of oxygen.

...or whatever it is that people in this world breath.

She tries to speak, but all she manages is to sort of mouth "I. Hate. Water. ALREADY!", as much as she can without opening her mouth enough to let much water in. A few bubbles do come out from her mouth, and rise up the sphere she's trapped into.

That was a pretty clever move. Unable to sing, all Uta can do is to jab her staff in painful slow-motion out of the bubble, hearing only those muffled, gurgly, swushy underwater sounds as she does so. The staff cannot do much, but keep projecting the tail end of the beam of dark energies from earlier towards Fuka...
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     As that attack comes in towards Uta... those drowned sailors continue their relentless approach, stepping in closer as that staff is swung towards Fukasa and taking it like the unrelenting meat shields that they are! Continuing to swing those large cutlasses at Uta underwater, unlike Uta they moved at full speed towards her, attacking her with everything they've got and taking just as much! Really they're just... not going anywhere it seems.

     And neither is that water. Right as the 'drowning field' spell begins to fade and that bubble of water starts to dissipate, flowing back into the ocean below. "...Well, I'm sorry then. Because it's really for the best if you just Drown." Fuka calls out, "In fact, let's just Double Drown on that!" She grins as she lifts her trident with both hands, two blue magical circles glowing at either end as two puffer fishes appear on either side of Uta, adding one... two... further layers to that drowning bubble. As well as two more stacks of that [DROWNING] status effect. Meanwhile, Fuka seems content to just stand back at this point.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

Those dead sailors leave Uta no respite, and the double drowning leaves her no much choice either. Her face is turning colors no human face is probably supposed to turn, and it doesn't look reassuring on a Spriggan, either.

It seems that after a long time, she finally remembers she has wings. One, two, three flaps, using them more like fins than to propel flight, she manages to navigate her way into pushing her head out of the constricting water enclosure. She takes a deep, wheezing breath, just in time for a blade to slash against her face. "OW!", she shouts, a glowing gash drawn across her features. "Stop that! I need my face! For... being insulted, I guess!"

She can sing again now, and so she does. As her operatic voice hits the final note of a short melody, a beam of light departs from the gem, towards Fuka.
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     Breathing is a good thing, and so is remembering to use your wings. Fuka just... smiles as she watches Uta start to come out of that bubble of water, which... was probably difficult, as it didn't /want/ her to leave, and even followed her. "...Do you really need your face for being insulted, Uta?" Fukasa asks, stepping closer to her as she sings... once again, Fuka doesn't even bother to defend. No, instead she once more let that beam of light cut through those drowning sailors, cutting through them and leaving... only one or two of them left, really. They weren't doing so hot. And they weren't attacking anymore, instead just taking that defensive position.

     Not that it did that much /good/ for her, as Fukasa just... steps closer and lifts her trident, a whirling disc of water suddenly being stabbed towards the woman as Fukasa just... laughs, a quick chant following. "Time to go back in, Uta... Drown." And she lifts her 'free' hand from her trident, quickly slamming her hand towards Uta to unleash another wave of water and put her right back into that [DROWNING] status effect.     
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

"Water! Why did it have to be /WATER/?!"

She breathes in deeply, closes her eyes, and braces for the worst.

The watery chansaw does a nice impression of a deli slicer. We'll give you one guess as to who the sausage is.

And then, you guessed it, more drowning!

Once again gasping for air, but producing only bubbles, Uta... attempts a desperate maneuver:

Step 1, grab the tip of the staff between the soles of your shoes as you float there.

Step 2, your hands are now free to do something else reach inside your jacket.

Step 3, pull out a harp. A small portable one, not the huge kind used for concerts.

Step 4, pluck strings underwater, and create the needed melody to activate the Magical Musical Staff.

That does seem to produce the desired effect: a beam of magic shoots out towards Fuka...
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     And strikes easily, once again Fuka continuing her trend of 'not really bothering with any sort of defense' as that beam comes flying out towards the fishgirl. "You're the one who chose to duel someone who's known to be like a tidal wave on the battlefield~." Fukasa cheerfully replies to Uta.

     And then she lifts her hand towards Uta, chanting a very different spell this time. She chants quickly, a ball of ... electricity forming on the tip of her trident, which she quickly jams into that sphere of water that Uta was in. This had double effect, a flash of light from the electricity suddenly coursing through that water, and the spear continuing through to attempt to stab into Uta's chest!

     That sphere of water finally bursts, but... to add insult to injury, Fukasa chants a quick spell and turns that bursting bubble into a sudden rain of /sharp ice/ that flies towards Uta, attempting to thoroughly cut into and through her, as well as coating the ground in a thin layer of ice that's hard to walk on!
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

Well, first you have an electrically fried /and/ boiled Spriggan, and finally pelted with ice.

That, needless to say, Hurt(tm).

At this point, harp shoved back into her gi, dripping wet and shivering, she wrings her jacket, sneezes, and as she does so, little lightning bolts of electricity depart her mouth.

She sniffs, the way someone with a cold might.

"Wait, wasn't it /you/ who challenged me? I... I lost track!", Uta comments, confused. Another big sniff.

She coughs, and loses no time. The singing resumes, and this time the glowing gem in her staff shoots not one, but two beams, a red one towards Fuka, and a green one towards Uta herself. They impact on the two fighters' bodies, like leeches, and energy begins to flow from Fuka to Uta, their HP bars ticking in different directions.

Uta's singing, meanwhile, gets stronger and louder, to the point it turns into a blast that sends a shockwave in Fuka's direction...
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     Luckily it doesn't hurt /too/ much thanks to systems in place. ... Okay maybe it did, at the very least it hurt her health bar!

"...Y-you're not supposed to be able to get colds, I think! ... I think! ...Stop that, if you get sick I'll feel bad." Fuka says as Uta sniffs and sneezes in front of her. Aaaa no stop thaaaaat.

And then singing begins and those two spells activate, causing health to tick in various directions. In her case, down. Painfully so. Ugh, poison effects are the worst. "...I'm pretty sure you challenged me! Unless I did it accidentally, I wasn't doing the duelist league stuff in spite of signing up..." Fuka shrugs helplessly. And then... well. those pufferfish are back at it again, water flowing along the ground and mostly taking Fuka out of harm's way as that shockwave comes towards her!

Once she's out of harm's way, she spins, water flowing around her trident as the tips of it glow, and she chants a quick spell! A jet of water is sent flying towards Uta, followed quickly by a single sharp stab right towards the center of Uta's chest! If she had a heart, she'd be stabbing for it! ... Do they have hearts? Hmm. "...Has anyone dissected an adventurer? ...I feel like I'm stabbing for your heart but do you even HAVE a heart?" She muses out loud towards Uta. Fukasa Yuri used Confusion!
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

"OH! Yes! Someone /did/ dissect an adventurer!", exclaims Uta, managing to beaming enthusiastically despite her face being twisted in pain while her chest is being skewered.

"Doctor Prophylaxis has conducted an amazing amount of medical research into applying pre-apocalypse medical procedures to our avatars! While surgery can be performed on superficial tissues, like stitching wounds, it would appear that there's some sort of barrier, manifesting as a glowing light, that prevents access to our internal organs! Isn't that amazing?"

She moans and somewhat screams a bit in pain. Those poked holes must hurt. "...I strongly recommend his recently published book, 'Medicine: The Healing Science.' I've started reading it, and I'm hooked! And- OH! Speaking of hearts!"

Uta's approach is more instant and direct: taking advantage of their closeness, the Spriggan goes for a point-blank punch to Fuka's heart, martial-arts style.
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     "Oh, right. I saw something about that. Huh." Fukasa says thoughtfully, continuing her trend of 'mostly not defending', she takes a strike RIGHT TO HER HEART. And uh. It hurts. A lot. In fact her health bar ticked down /dramatically/ from that. She gasps softly from it and lifts a hand to her chest. "...This is going to be a close one, huh? ... Better not give in 'til the last!" Fuka says, suddenly flashing a grin.

"If there's a barrier protecting internal organs, then I don't have to worry about damaging them, right?" She shifts suddenly, her own hand lifting as it glows to strike Uta's chest, followed by a jet of water that shoots from that same hand, attempting to tunnel straight through her, and finally... "It's never going to get old, so... MORE ICE RAIN~." Fukasa calls out.

Yep. The poor spectators were probably miserable at this point, with all of the water and ice being thrown around by Fukasa. Demoralize the opponent, win the mental battle and you win the war, right? ... Maybe. Okay no Fukasa's just having fun and is kind of a bitch.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

"...I don't think so, why do you-"

Those eyes pop open before Uta curls into a ball of pain and not breathing. And being pelted by ice.

Not much to do but taking the blow, barely attempting to sing some song to cause minor healing magic...
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     As Uta curls up like that, doing her best to weather the storm. "...You can give up if you're suffering too much, Uta." Fukasa says softly, as her eyes begin to glow with arcane energy, seeking out Uta's weak points. Which... well, since she was curled into a ball... was her spine. She lifts her hand towards Uta.

     And unleashes a thin lance of water towards her spine, cutting along it with a sustained burst of that jet spray of water! ... And then, just to be absolutely sure...

     Those drowned sailors are back. "...I kind of feel like I'm bullying at this point, but, well..." She directs the sailors towards Uta to unleash them towards her and start ... basically beating up on her while she's on the ground with those large cutlasses. Once the 'VICTORY' stuff splashes over the air around them, though, those sailors IMMEDIATELY dissipate.

    And Fukasa is runnning to Uta's side to pull her into her arms and wrap her arms around her, attempting to soothe her. "Oh gosh when this is /real/ my fighting style seems SO MUCH MORE BRUTAL I'm sorry Uta are you okay?"
Rizadoman
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


    Rizadoman begins to clap and cheer for the fighter, " WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Good Job! Yeah!" If anyone around him did not clap and cheer or started to boo even they would have seaweed juice poured on them and face a lizardman glaring death glares at said person.
Uta
Mac Anu - The City of Canals

"...Real? What? When? Who? Real? What's real? What's reality? Do we really exist? What's the meaning of life?", Uta asks, clearly stunned. She shakes her head, attempting to clear it, but her wandering eyes do not offer much reassurance on the subject. "Wait, wait, I know."

She holds three fingers in front of her face. "How many are these?" She stares at them with a bobbing head. "Uh... five?"

She turns towards Fuka, "Ok, nevermind, I think I'm good... what was that about it being real?"
Fukasa Yuri
Mac Anu - The City of Canals


     "...I meant, like. You know... when it's... less of a game? When I'm hurting a person who possibly might have that as their body forever, instead of, y'know. It just being a short respawn timer or whatever." Fuka responds to Uta, reaching to pat her head. Soon, she would release her though, standing up and clearing her throat and lifting her trident in a victorious pose! "Yeah~. ... Oh you were holding up three Uta." She says.

     "...Hey this was fun. We'll have to do it again sometime. When I have even more water to throw at you." Fuka grins towards Uta. "I'm sure you'll beat me next time, you're always progressing at breakneck speed~." She smirks and then starts to ... walk away. Probably go to curl up in a corner because aaaaaa it's different when you're beating up a friend.