05-06 TOA R1: Raine Ikazuchi v. Liquid Shadow

[LocoColt04]

And so it begins.

Standard tournament rules apply, yada yada, etc. Be sure to glance over the Tournament Information and Standings thread one last time before beginning the fight.


First come, first serve. I'm curious to see what kind of environments you create.


THIS ROUND ENDS ON THURSDAY, 02 SEPTEMBER 2005.

[Toph Bei Fong]

It was the first time that she had entered into a tournament like this before. She knew she wouldn't really be fighting for real, but she was still nervous because of who her alter-ego was. Who she really wanted to be but couldn't bring herself to be. Jade Williams was escorted to her pod, and she was put under immediately. She seemed as though she was brought into a room with wooden walls and many different kanji symbols on the walls. She was suddenly wearing a light blue kimono with a dark blue sash wrapped around.

She saw herself sitting across from a person in the shadows. Their appearance was a black silhouette. She couldn't see their features at all. But slowly, ever so slowly, their features were more apparent. She could see her long black hair with red streaks in various places. Her mystifying gray eyes felt as though they were sucking in her soul, and at the same time yearning for someone to call a friend.

Her black attire looked as though she had been on many quests. She was wearing black pants and a black long-sleeve top. Her figure was something to be jealous about. Her perfect C cup breasts, her long legs and thighs that can squeeze the life out of anyone. Arms that can accurately aim an arrow without a shake. Everything about her seemed perfect. Jade saw her pick up a cup of green tea and take a sip of it. She gave a satisfied sigh and looked towards Jade. She gave a sweet yet sadistic grin. Then she moved her lips to speak.

“Greetings, I'm Victoria Slywit. I'll be fighting for you in the tournament; not only that, but I believe we have some history, don't we?” she moved closer to Jade, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. Jade blushed rather quickly, and her heart began to race.

“I-I-I-I think so. I remember when I first thought of how I wanted to change myself. And... well here you are.” Jade tried to keep her eyes to Victoria but each time she looked into her eyes she couldn't help but blush and look away sheepishly. Each time she did so made Victoria grin.

“And I thank you for creating me. I cannot repay you enough. But believe me when I say I'll go into this thing with my all. I'll win for you; but on one condition.” Victoria bowed to Jade and moved to sit next to her. She put an arm around her. “Don't give up your dream to become me. Bring me to life.” She moved Jade's chin in her direction, leaning in and kissing her lips ever so gently.

Jade's heart was racing at its peak and her cheeks were beet red with embarrassment. Victoria merely grinned and giggled softly. Victoria went into the closet and pulled out a broadsword and a bow & arrow set. She manipulated her hand muscles and her smooth fingernails soon turned into sharp claws that could cut through flesh with ease. She cracked her neck and walked up to the sliding door.

“You could either come and watch me fight, or stay here where it's safe. It's up to you.” she looked back at Jade, gave a wink and slid the door open and walked out onto the prairie filled with long grass. The grass easily reached up to her waist. So it was easy for her to use her stealth and speed in this area. If her opposition had good hearing, then her stealth would be of no use for they would hear her rustling through the grass. Though luckily the sun was almost completely set, and dusk was nearly approaching.

Jade witnessed Victoria leaving the room. The door was left open and a gentle breeze entered, running across her face as she stood by the doorway. She gave a sigh and stayed by the doorway. Even if she wanted to watch the fight, she wouldn't be able to because the grass was so long.

[Liquid Shadow]

((OOC: Sorry that this is a little rough, it's been a while since I've done any serious writing.))

“Would you like to step inside the pod now sir? I believe your opponent has already entered and prepared.”

“Hm?” Kurt glanced at the operator with one eye as he rubbed the sleep out of the other. Still slightly jet-lagged from his trip here he had barely managed to stumble into the preparation room before collapsing into the first vacant chair he could find. Shrugging off his overcoat he slapped himself lightly in the face to try and focus, attempting to remember exactly where he was and what he was supposed to be doing there.

“Right... the tournament...” He muttered to himself as he remembered Will signing him up for another set of inane fights to try to get some recon done for EON. He didn't see why it always had to be him though, as Vincent would probably do a better job in the fights anyways. Although... Vince had a habit of making bad decisions when left to his own devices.

Sighing inwardly he looked up at the operator again, a young man obviously assigned there for his technical ability and not his way with people, before setting his eyes on the 'pod' as the operator had called it. Personally, Kurt thought it a foolish idea to gather a group of fighters together in one place to have them then fight each other virtually. A few secure lines and they could have set up a pod in each fighters living room instead of trucking them halfway around the world. On that same note, some people may not even need the pod.

“Actually, I think I'd rather a direct neural connection, if that's possible.” Kurt stated without looking back to the operator.

“You're wired?”

“Take a wild guess.” Kurt held his arms out for the operator to see, displaying the metal implants that ran between his wrists and elbows. With a mental command a hatch popped open on his right arm and a grasping claw unfolded, waving eerily to the young man before retracting again.

“O-okay, just a second please.”

As the operator searched through the wiring of controls for the appropriate connector, Kurt reached up behind his right ear, dislodging the flesh-coloured dust plug from the connection port it had been protecting. Taking a cord from the operator when he came back, he plugged in and flipped the switch that was featured further down the cord, body going limp in the chair as his consciousness left him.

------------------------------

The consciousness 'awoke' to a room of white, and if it were still Kurt Sharle, it would recognize it as something from the comics he read when he was younger. But as it was, the consciousness could not think of that, for that was how Kurt had made this room, a room where neither he, nor his alternate persona existed, a room of transition to keep the two worlds apart. If the consciousness went backwards it would be Kurt Sharle, if it went forwards it would be Zeto Numbra, and if it went sideways... well it didn't exactly know what it would be. But for now, it was just the consciousness and the white hot room.

For a few moments the consciousness stayed there, content in soaking in the nothingness around it, but slowly the room began to change, and it was no longer all white. The ground was covered by long grasses and a lone female figure stood, long black hair dancing in the wind, waiting...

Now knowing its destination the consciousness pulled itself back into the white hot room, focusing on what it would become. At first there was no change, no movement, but soon a form emerged, a vessel for the consciousness, a persona that would carry on in its place. Flesh and blood in human form wrapped simply in blue and black fabric, a weathered traveler with no shoes to his name. Satisfied with its creation, the consciousness gave it a set of arm guards, shining brightly silver and etched with symbols that many believed to be little more than superstition, before spiriting it to the field in a blink of light.

Landing in the grass Zeto finally opened his eyes, a few moments needed to adjust to the bright sun overhead. Letting out a yawn he stretched out his limbs as best the restricting grass would allow, taking time to prepare himself before addressing his opponent.

“Hello there.” He finally stated with a lopsided grin, seemingly unconcerned that he was about to be battling this woman, possibly to the death. “Zeto Numbra, at your service ma'am. May I be graced with your name before we begin this little dance?”

[Toph Bei Fong]

OOC: Sorry, I couldn't do much with what you left me. o_x

“Victoria Slywit,” she gave the man a smirk. “And don't you forget it, boy.”

She sadistically smiled as she bent backwards into a cartwheel. When Victoria brought in her legs once more, she pounced into his direction with sixty percent of her full agility. Her claws sparkled as the sun slowly faded into the horizon. They inched nearer and nearer to his unguarded abdomen. She licked her lips as she thought about smelling the would be blood that would trickle down onto the blades of grass.

Her maniacal laugh echoed throughout the prairie as she crept through the grass.

Jade could barely see Victoria now, as the sky was beginning to grow to dusk. She grew frustrated with herself and the time the battle was taking place. She wanted to see Victoria in action, but could not.

[Liquid Shadow]

Moving quickly Zeto was able to bat away one of Victoria's strikes while the other slammed into his gut, the only thing saving him from being disemboweled then and there being the unique composition and enchantments on his clothing. As it was the magic prevented her nails from piercing his clothes, and the fibers locked together as soon as the hit happened, turning the potential stomach wound into the equivalent of a swift kick to the abdomen. Stumbling back a few steps to catch his breath, Victoria disappeared into the grass before his vision cleared, a disembodied laugh mixing with the sound of the wind that breezed through the area.

“Oh, so that's how it's going to be, eh?” Zeto muttered as he pushed his sleeves further up his arms, his arm guards flashing as they caught the rays of the sun. Running his hands over them they glowed a soft blue for a moment before fading, the metal seemingly evaporating into the air around him until only two slim bracelets remained on his wrists and a cloud of silver dust floated around Zetos' body, reaching around six feet in every direction.

“And now we play the waiting game.”

As soon as anything moved into the field of silver Zeto would know, the link that allowed him to mentally maneuver also providing some feedback when another source attempted to move them. So all he had to do was wait until Victoria tried something, then he'd be instantly alerted.

Yup. Just had to be patient.

Just a little longer...

She couldn't stay out there forever...

He can do this just as long as she can...

“Dammit, the waiting game sucks.” Zeto exclaimed as he lifted his right arm up over his head, all the silver dust to gather around his hand in a ball. Once he gathered it all he commanded it into a long blade that extended out from his hand, stretching up fifteen more feet into the air. Twisting on the balls of his feet, he chopped down with his hand, smoothly chopping through the grass with the blade as he turned a full circle until there was a circle around him where the grass was only a few inches high, the blade disintegrating again as he finished. He had no idea if Victoria was close enough to be hit by that move, but it was at least a start.

[Toph Bei Fong]

Luckily for Victoria she wasn't in the area of his circling attack. She had been stalking him from many yards away, covered by the tall grass. She was sure that she moved her body with the stealth that she had since she was a mere child. She ever gracefully pulled an arrow out of her pack and lined it up towards his throat. She pulled back the string ever so slowly and let it go. The arrow whizzed in the air as it flew towards its target. She hoped to the dark god that it would hit, but it probably wouldn't because she hadn't mastered the arts of the bow as of yet.

If this didn't get him, she would have to use that technique. And she didn't want to have to use that technique if her life depended on it. Not only was it highly inaccurate, but it depended on the chance of the male hormones and their ability to be seduced.

[LocoColt04]

OOC to Raine:
...you shouldn't edit your posts in tournaments, even if you give a little "I may or may not add more" notice. Why not? Because your opponent could be in the middle of writing a new post, for all you know. Changing your post could make the opponent's post completely useless.

That's always been a tournament standard, whether it's RP or RPB. Next time, make sure you've got what you want written prior to posting it.

(3) - Please DO NOT edit your posts. There is a fifteen minute grace period for typo editing and such, but you may not edit your posts otherwise. Why? Because then you risk screwing up your opponent if s/he has already started writing. That, and since this is a tournament, after all, all submissions should be in their final form.

[LocoColt04]

I'll just get straight to the point. Repeating myself is tiresome.


post001 - Raine Ikazuchi

Interesting? I don't really have any other words for it. Reading this though, I now understand the events which occur in your round two intro, which I skimmed a couple of days ago. But that's irrelevant. There's a major problem... the way Jade and Victoria sit across from each other and talk. Jade CANNOT exist in the virtual world, so in essence, your entire intro is null and void. Good setups, though. Introductory posts don't really count for or against you anyway, so don't worry about it.


post002 - Liquid Shadow

That's cool. Good job of incorporating the time period into the real world. Not once did the thought of cyborgs come to my mind. It certainly makes things outside of the fight more interesting. Clever thinking. You fall into the environment flawlessly. While I'm a bit of an action junkie myself and can't understand why the fighting doesn't start at the end of the second intro in any of the fights this year, I can respect the way you end your post, asking the opponent's name. Chivalrous, you are.


post003 - Raine Ikazuchi

Of course you can't do much with what he left you. Answer the question; start the fight. Which you did. Somewhat. I am a bit confused as to exactly what's going on, though. First, you say she pounced. Then you say she's crawling. I don't know what to make of it, and I'm sure LS didn't either. In any case, you at least make your target clear -- Zeto's abdomen.


post004 - Liquid Shadow

I see what you mean when you say you're a bit rusty. The post is good, but some of the sentences near the start have to be re-read, which hurts the flow.

The waiting game, huh? Interesting thing to throw into a fight so near to the beginning. It's good to see you didn't end your post that way, though, because it would've killed any sense of forward direction this thread had. Big sword you made, though. Simple attack, simple to understand. Simple is good.


post005 - Raine Ikazuchi

Not a bad post. I wish there had been a response so we could see where this would've gone. Nevertheless, you make it obvious that she's not a good shot, which leaves plenty of room for reaction here.



There wasn't really an easy victor here. We could pick on a ton of little technical errors, but grammar hasn't been a part of the TOA (save flow) since the tournament was given to me. As such, you both had some problems with your posts that you should work on, mostly in terms of clarity. At the same time, there were some really strong points, as well. It's close, and with the new judging system this time around, we don't have to be so picky, either.


Victor: tie