Tournament: Mikage vs Hanzo

    Merek walks up to the announcer stage in the tournament area, not long after his own fight, and takes a place to settle into the seat, before looking to the crowd. He will lift up both hands, then speaks. The man wears the sigil of Eas, an aide to the title of Wake's. "Welcome, one and all, to the next match of the tournament. Today, we see one of the top hunters, a legend with her lynx Rama, a team that can work together above all else for the New World Alliance! And, we will see this man, Hanzo. Named for any swordsman worth the mettle, and a gladiator of renown in the Sleeping Knights! Who will be victorious? Only one may take the step to the next fight! Fighters, get ready and enter the ring!"

Hanzo approaches when his name was called, advancing towards the ring. He wore a mixture of robes and samurai-styled armor. At his side was three Katanas, no doubt each with different status effects and merit. He looked ahead of him as his opponent was called, and he offers a simple bow by the time he arrives, his eyes narrowed, hand dropping low to his sword to draw only one of the curved blades.

He settled into a classic Kendo stance, and nodded only once that he was ready to begin. No words spoken. There was now only the fight to be had. If he was afraid, he didn't show it. If he was nervous, much the same.

There was only the coming battle.

When the call was set to begin? Hanzo charged, leaping forcefully off the ground towards Mikage!

There is always some nervous energy that lingers with Mikage at the start of any sort of tournament play. The Were Fang is known for spending much of her time in the wilds of the world, wandering and exploring, so her social graces aren't exactly at their peek.

She is dressed in the padded armor, leathers, and furs that one might expect from her role as a Ranger, though there is no sign of a bow, at least at first. Instead, she has a sword slung at her side. Rama, the white lynx, has his ears perked, watching, head-tilted at their opponent.

The girl offers a polite bow, "Let's fight well." When she rises, though, her blue eyes harden like steel, shifting into a defensive stance. She isn't trying to fight Hanzo for speed, instead, she allows him the chance at a first strike, knowing it will give her insight on how he fights.

    Merek will flag the two to begin the fight, "And both of the fighters are right to it! Let's see what they can do!" He then stands up while he takes the time to watch, leaning upon the front podium and watching.

The battle begins!

As Hanzo charges, his blade seems to glow with some kind of activation of a status effect or ability, even as his blade comes down overhead towards Mikage! "Beat crack!" Hanzo calls out the name of the additional ability, seeming completely on the offensive side for now.

Maybe overwhelming offense is his plan? Or is this just his way of learning how Mikage fights?

Either way, the battle is on, and Hanzo is not here to mess around.

One thing that Mikage is known for is her raw speed, something that allows her to avoid much of the physical attack that is thrown her way. She skids along the ground, leaving a furrow where her feet had been.

However, there are some things that simply cannot be avoided. The status effect takes hold, causing her to wince as the poison icon appears on her status bar. Even Rama gives a low hiss of pain at this, the two sharing the same health bar.

Trying to push through the pain, the girl reaches back and pulls what looks to be a strange rod from her back. It is made of wood and unusual mechanical parts. In a quick motion, she channels a bit of magic into it, causing a strange sound as it extends into a bow that seems to be made of machine parts. Lines along the weapon glow with her energy, flowing from her fingers, through a blue gemstone held centrally in the bow.

There is a sound, like energy building within the weapon as she channels power into it. Then, grabbing an arrow, she lifts it, aiming towards Hanzo. "Let's see how your defenses deal with this." A swirl of wind and water energy circles the tip of the arrow, and when she fires, it lashes out like a tsunami, creating a wave of elemental energy that follows the path of the shot.

    "And Hanzo begins with an all-out attack, testing the defense of Mikage, but her speed is legendary. She dodges and begins to use her arrows with magic to take on the samurai," Merek will call to the crowd. "It looks like the two are testing each other, which one will give way first!"

Hanzo noticed the speed of Mikage. But he was fast too. Maybe not as fast, but fast enough to catch her it would appear. The poison manages to take it's effect on Mikage, though Hanzo knows this will be a slow fade. His eyes narrow, and the girl charges him back, putting Hanzo on the defensive!

Alas, Hanzo gets the short end of the stick when Mikage comes back at him with a technique he has -never- seen before.

The arrow manages to strike him despite his strong defense towards it, causing him to be knocked backwards by the blow and rolling along the ground, the wave of elemental energy washing over him.

He doesn't stay down long though, pointing his blade forward and rushing with haste, his blade glinting in the light..!

The poison effect continues to tick down, causing Mikage to wince now and again, each time her health takes a minor hit from the effect. However, she manages to keep up her defenses relatively well. For the time being, Rama remains at a distance, the two moving together and apart, but so far, the cat has not engaged in direct combat. Still, his presence seems to be meant as a distraction.

As Hanzo's blade sweeps towards her, Mikage seems to almost flicker into mist. It hovers in the air where she had been a moment before, as if he had chopped her into little more than water vapor.

Soon enough, though, she emerges from another pool of that mist, showing a few scratches where his blade had caught her, despite the elemental defense technique. "You're good with those swords." She admits.

Then, reaching back, she loads another arrow, firing it off with a quick motion, trailing some force energy behind it. When it impacts, it seems to be followed up by a sound like a deep, rumbling growl. Mikage's eyes flash in that same instant that a frozen image of a massive, clawed hand sweeps forward from the impact point, slashing outward. The taloned fingers, perhaps, some sort of clue as to what sort of monster runs in her veins.

    "And Hanzo takes a strike from Mikage, but he comes back strong. Will it pay off for him to use all his energy on the attack? Will Mikage be able to defend herself?" Merek calls to the crowd. "As crafty as the lynx with her, what tricks does this woman have in that bag?" The man looks between the two and places both hands upon the podium, while the crowd will cheer for the two, "It comes to a match of speed! These two are really going all out!"

Hanzo keeps charging, the glint of his blade and the speed of his swing managing to cut Mikage before she fully turns into mist. He twirls on his feet and his eyes seem to narrow ever so slightly, his face serious. "You're good with that bow." He returns her compliment.

She loads another arrow and his eyes widen as he tries to use his blade to either slice through it outright or block it, yet he still feels the effects as he notices his status effects beginning to be noticed.

"HMPH!"

Hanzo grunts loudly as he goes to attack Mikage, lunging fast like a lightning bolt, the sound of thunder exploding from where he once was.

"If you like using status effects..." Mikage huffs in moments between blows, her breath coming quickly as she tries to keep up with his quick sword movements. "Elemental Machines have these mechanical parts which are good... at channeling all sorts of things. That's what my bow is made from." She explains. Even in the heat of battle, she seems to enjoy trying to help others, at least where she can.

As the poison seems to start fading, she seems to be able to press the offense. Elemental energy flickers up around her, seeming like an aura that buffs around her movements. The bow is lowered as she only raises her bow arm, allowing that thunderous attack to slash against her flesh, leaving a deep red line there.

However, what follows is her slashing out with her own hands, her fingers raking the air as if they were claws. Where her hand had passed, it forms into blades of wind and water energy that fly forward, launching themselves towards Hanzo.

Then, she calls, "Rama!"

It seems that these are only one part of her attack, as the feline finally launches into the fray, trying to bite at Hanzo's ankles.

    "The poison was a good technique, but it seems to be less effective at this point! Now, Mikage takes a good strike from Hanzo. Although, he better be prepared, it looks like she's coming back with some teamwork between her and Rama!" Merek will call along to the crowd.

"Makes sense. Never was one for machines, but it's an effective combat strategy." Hanzo's eyes darken, his gaze hardened as Mikage pulls out a partner in crime.

Hanzo draws a secondary blade, entering a two-sword form for greater attack and defense....only he's focusing entirely on defense. The elemental beast coming after him with bared teeth for his ankles, only for Hanzo to jump over it completely, his sword coming down atop it to try and ward it off.

As for Mikage's hands come out, only to find them grabbing the sharp edge of Hanzo's sword, the blade of his offhand attempting to stab the huntress in the side.

For the time being, Mikage seems to have let her bow remain at her side. The Were Fang seems capable enough both in melee and at range, though she has yet to reach for her sword. For the moment, she almost seems to be using her bow defensively, even if she is focusing more on attack.

The blade slices along her side, but it doesn't seem to do as much damage as one might expect. Still, she grits her teeth, eyes flashing with the hint of a shift that doesn't actually come. In fact, only a rare few have ever seen the Ranger in her monster form, and it seems unlikely that today will change that fact.

"Rama, bring the storm!" She calls another command to her lynx companion. This time, the cat brushes past her, seeming to absorb some of her elemental abilities, making him flicker as if he were possessed by elemental spirits. Lightning crackles around him and mist rises from his muzzle with an ice-cold atmosphere.

It is the cat who forms the primary attack, launching himself towards Hanzo with a powerful zap of electricity, followed by a bite of freezing cold. Miki pushes herself backwards, raises one arm to the sky, and summons a cold rain of icy shards from the air to follow-up on the assault.

    "And Hanzo continues the assault with his sword, meanwhile Rama comes as the main force of Mikage's attack, the two meeting in the fight and swinging," Merek announces. "Which of the two will win? It's up to anyone while the two keep fighting, though things aren't looking that great for our swordsman!"

Hanzo is just picking at Mikage, not trying to be too eager or too defensive. He slashes Mikage good across her side but it wasn't a deep cut. A surface wound at best. Eyes narrow as he twirls on his feet into a ready position as she commands Rama to bring the storm.

The creature manages to strike him hard with its storm, launching the swordsman backwards, though he lands on his feet, panting. He readies his swords even still, as the attacks come. He manages to stop the beast from zapping him, but it's Mikage's Ice Rain that does the number on him. He looks at his health a moment, a growl escaping his lips as he stands tall once more.

He exhales.

Then back into the fray with a flurry of blows'

Perhaps because her health has dropped, Mikage seems to retreat ever so slightly, not trying to continue to push the melee combat. A flicker of electricity forms around her feet as she darts backwards, trying to avoid much of the damage from the quick flurry of blows that Hanzo slashes in her direction.

Using her speed, Mikage manages to get herself enough distance to be able to utilize her bow as a proper weapon again, reaching for another arrow from her quiver. It's strange, as the arrows, themselves, seem to have no specific power to them. Everything is elemental energies that are channeled through the weapon. Light energy begins to form in an orb around the end of the arrow as she raises it.

When it flies through the air, there are shockwaves behind it and an explosion of light that follows. Rama takes this opportunity to back off, racing to take a flanking position on the other side of Hanzo, meaning that it will be more difficult to tell just where the next attack will come from - the cat, or his master.

    "And it looks like this fight will go to Mikage if she keeps up like this. Will Hanzo have a chance to win? It looks like the two are focused upon the battle completely!" Merek announces.

"Shit."

That's the word that comes out of Hanzo's mouth by the time the arrow fires off, he uses his sword to deflect the arrow -ever so slightly- to avoid getting completely demolished by the attack. It still hits him and hits him hard though, the explosion of the impact ringing out through the stadium.

But Hanzo was still standing, swords in his hands as he takes those deep, shallow breaths. He looks at his health. Breaking point time. He cracks his neck as best as he can, he starts to charge Mikage with all of the speed he can muster, water forming between his blades and coating them like they were rapids. He keeps coming, and eventually he intends to bring both blades around Mikage in an X-slice!

It was Do or die now.

For the first time during the course of the match, it appears that Mikage shifts herself to the defensive. As the attack comes in, she drops her bow, grabbing for the sword at her waist. The blue jewel that had been within the socket of the bow is now gone, quickly slotted into the sword, instead. It all happens in a matter of a heartbeat.

Her sword is drawn out, the weapon having runic symbols along the length. It isn't a particularly powerful weapon. In fact, it is quite low level by any appraisal of it. But what it lacks in stats, it makes up for in the ability to channel abilities through it. Much like her bow, this weapon allows her to extend her powers beyond their normal capacity.

She slams the sword into the ground, throwing up a barrier around herself which pushes back against Hanzo's attack. The force moves outward in a quick motion. Then, pushing to her feet, she sweeps that same blade outward, rushing forward in a slash aimed at Hanzo's midsection. It may only be at the last moment that it becomes obvious, though. The blade is laced with something. It seems that she, too, has some kind of poison effect on her sword.

Magic.

Bane of Hanzo's existence. He brings his blade down on Mikage's Barrier, an explosion of energy coming back at him even as he readies another swing, ignoring damage to wear her down as much as possible...yet, even his great defensive capability was overwhelmed by Mikage. Not so much her raw damage towards him, but the poison she edged her blade with. After he makes one final attack, his health reaches 0.

He falls down to the ground, his blades clattering to the ground as he takes shaky breaths. "Wow. ...you're pretty good. Bad luck this time." Hanzo rests his head, accepting defeat with dignity.

    Merek announces to the crowd, "And it looks like Mikage will be the winner! She moves on to the next round of the tournament! We thank Hanzo for trying the best he can to fight, and all of you for watching!" The man watches while the whole crowd will begin cheering along for the people, and makes a way from the podium.

Just as Hanzo's blade is about to cut into her, the duel ends with a small shower of fireworks and a glowing rainbow 'Winner' symbol that floats above her head and spins. The Were Fang lets out a breath, her expressing shifting from that hard, fighter's determination into a smile. Even Rama shifts, the cat immediately becoming his usual, social self as he darts to Mikage's side, rubbing up against her leg, his nub tail wiggling.

She stands straighter, holding her sword out and then bowing towards Hanzo. "You did well." When she raises her head again, a few strands of white hair linger in her eyes. "And, thank you." She flushes ever so slightly, even at the comment about being 'pretty good'. "If you haven't considered it before, you might try joining the duelist league. It's a great place to sharpen your skills against other players." Then, she sheaths her sword and crouches down to reclaim Dawnbreaker, the bow morphing back into the mechanical rod in her hand as she slips it into a holster at her back.

She walks forward, offering him a hand up. "Come on, I'll take you to the healers to get patched up." Since they are outside of a root town, she seems to be more than willing to act as a defender. "I'm sure Wake's people have this, but... it never hurts to be careful."