2017-07-19: White Knight Leo vs. Lady Chloe Alexandre: The Rematch

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DC: You switch forms to Bladesinger Talise!
DC: Talise Gianfair switches forms to Bladesinger Talise!

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

As the Tournament ambles into its final rounds, the crowds are getting bigger and more energetic. The last match between Lady Chloe Alexander and White Knight Leo was a nailbiter, so it's no surprise that the rematch has completely sold out. Only the basic decency of Lacour's officials kept the promoters from trying to jam as many people in as they could. Back in the staging area, Leo adjusts his cravat, and takes a final glance into a mirror to ensure everything looks just right. From behind stone walls, he hears the chime of the announcer's voice-amplification Symbol as it powers up.

"PRESENTING!"

The doors swing open. Leo strides purposefully out onto the coliseum floor, alone, and without the spectacle that has marked some of his earlier entrances. "FROM PARTS UNKNOWN, THE SWORDSMAN, WHITE KNIGHT LEO!"

The crowd roars. Leo beams, and delivers a sweeping, grandiose bow to his adoring fans. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

After her last match, Talise has concluded that she doesn't deserve to be here. Not after she struck with frustration and legitimately hurt June in the process. She didn't want to win that way. She'd been holding back ever since her last fight with Leo, coming up against two Lunies and someone with no armour and a prosthetic leg full of guns; the end of her last fight was the first time she'd used the sharp part of her weapon, in the hopes she could get through the tournament without injuring someone.

(But using it in anger was the wrong way, no matter how much she was trying to embarrass me,) she resolves as she bows her head, adjusting her Lady Chloe mask. (I can't ever let my anger rule me again. I'm better than that. I have to prove it, right now.)

The crowd, of course, come for the action. To them, Talise Gianfair's inner guilt is of no moment. She pushes it down, deep into the pit of her stomach, and replaces it with that broad, confident Lady Chloe Alexandre smile, tossing her platinum-blonde hair back with a snap of her head and bringing her sword up with a flourish.

"AND FOR THE REMATCH!!" screams Master Torque. "THE LADY FROM THE MYSTERY MARE! THE MYSTERIOUS... MYSTERY... MYSTERION!!! IT'S LADY CHLOE ALEXAAAAAAAANDER!!"

(At least pronounce it right,) Talise reflects, but Lady Chloe nevertheless steps forward and salutes the crowd with a quick snap of her sword. Then, planting a heel, she turns to face the Beastman across the field from her.

"This came sooner than fate might have expected," she calls across the field with a broad smile, her chin coming up. "Both of us have had a long road here, White Knight of Althena. But only one of us can continue on and challenge for the right to the name 'champion' - now, let's see who it will be!" 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Leo rolls his neck as Torque continues to do his thing, limbering up. His eyes fall on Chloe from across the arena, and if he feels scornful or angry, it does not show on his face. "Well met, Lady Chloe," Leo says, with a smile. He draws his blade, and the smile turns into more of a smirk. "You've done well to make it this far." Will it be well enough to continue? Leo settles into a guard stance, studying his foe as the audience and Torque count down in unison. The energy in the coliseum is rising to a fever pitch.

"BEGIN!"

Last time, Leo stayed on the defensive initially. This time, he does nothing of the sort. He rushes Talise, blurring across the distance between them as soon as the countdown ends. He barely leaves footprints in his wake, but the dash ends in a spray of dirt as Leo stops himself, twists on his heels, and brings his blade upwards in a diagonal strike. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with School of Georg Heldalf!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair guards a hit from White Knight Leo's School of Georg Heldalf for 58 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

Thanks to leverage and sharp dealing, Linvidia Diargento is ensconsed in one of the fine private boxes overseeing the action.

She is currently studying a program in order to catch up with who is fighting who exactly, and why. Other than the tournament. "Yes, yes," she mutters, "I know it's from Blastemol... honestly..." 

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Althena's Guard has a commanding presence in top 8 -- the exact match of the Fiends', in fact; one participant in winners' bracket, and one participant in losers' bracket. This match decides if -- for the moment -- that remains true.

Lemina Ausa is here, at ringside, with a bunch of food. She seems more interested in the food than the match, perhaps because... well. White Knight Leo, at this point, has had more matches in the tournament than literally anyone, as the sole survivor of Losers 1 still in the bracket. There's only so much you can boo someone before it becomes less-than-fun.

She does spare a customary fart noise as Leo comes in for a quick dash-and-slash, though. It's important to remind yourself who you are and what your deal is. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

You've done well, Leo says. Lady Chloe merely inclines her head gravely. Talise, meanwhile, wishes she could believe it, convinced she's been more lucky than she's been good.

She pushes the thoughts to one side, though. As the match begins, she takes a single step back and starts the fight on the defensive - it was she who struck first last time, and she'd expect Leo to plan for her not to do the same thing twice.

He makes a different move. Talise tries to push the doubts out of her mind. She clenches her jaw, narrows her eyes and holds her ground, angling Rastaban's blade across her body. "Then let's decide it," she fires off, before Leo's on her.

The big Beastman pivots and swings, and Talise angles Rastaban into the coming blow. Steel crashes against steel; the edge of the White Knight's blade rakes the top of her thigh, cutting through the tough material of her trousers and scoring her skin with an angry red line. She winces but manages to divert the worst of the blow away, flicking her sword to one side.

Then she takes a step into Leo and swings her blade back. The two-handed sword rips through the air as she attempts to push his sword aside and deliver a hard slice to his dominant shoulder.

Leo's got armour on, she's certain. He's a tough swordsman and she knows what he's capable of. Part of her is glad she doesn't have to hold back. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Breaking Wave!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Breaking Wave for 58 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

... on the other hand, a pair of arms folds across Lemina's head from behind. "Is that jealousy I detect in yonder fart-noise?" quips a familiar voice. Oh, it's Maya. Back to watch more of the chaos and--she appears to be dressed in a completely different combo of black cloak and pauldrons, with trademark orange dress nowhere to be seen. She looks like an anime character. Yeah, even by these standards.

"Hmmmnh~, more swords. I liked it better when you were ripping the place up with explosions, you know? More dynamic." 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Many swordsmen who open with that kind of blow don't prepare for reprisal. Leo is not one of those swordsman. As soon as steel hits steel, he shifts his weight back, stepping into a fencer's stance and swinging up his blade to block. Talise's blade cuts through the fabric of his sleeve, tracing a line down his right arm. That's all she gets--Leo steps to the side, a little cut, but still very much capable of fighting.

The arena floor flares and flickers, rising up beneath the competitors' feet. A spring of water flows up from nothing. Both competitors are suddenly about halfway up some sort of stair-step waterfall, thick with vegetation on either side.

Leo does not let it slow him down. He clenches a fist, and fragments of stone erupt from the earth in front of Talise. Is he trying to make her lose her balance? The current isn't that swift, but the rock is a little slippery. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Earth Edge!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Earth Edge for 58 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Lemina startles a little -- but then the owner of the arms reveals herself, and all is well. She glances up and to the side, seeing Maya -- what.

Lemina turns and looks at Maya for a little while. She stares, mystified, at the girl's newfound fashion sense. "... Not gonna ask," she says. "You pull it off, but yikes."

After a moment she actually remembers to respond to words. "Well, it is a tournament of arms. I think I'm the only real mage left in it!" She flashes a v-for-victory, noting, "Even in an arena setup that's designed to way, way, mega-way favor swordsmen, I'm still the cream of the crop." 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Talise widens her eyes as the familiar sound of rippling water hits her ears. She's felt that before.

She's a little more in her element here, even if it's slippery. Wetting her lips, Lady Chloe pivots away from Leo, but the rumbling stone surprises her, throwing up a spray of water and rubble. Swiftly she jumps away from it, but the stony projection catches beneath her boot and throws her left leg off, tilting her as she attempts to escape. With a hiss of breath, she tucks and rolls; she hits the edge of the stream back-first, wincing but managing to roll the rest of the way forward and twist to one knee.

There was enough of an impact there that Chloe's lower back wails at her in protest. The tall half-Beastwoman puts it under her mind - and buries it behind a fierce grin. "I always did like the water," she calls out as she takes a few steps to the side, then leaps up the vegetated slope -

But she's not charging at Leo. Instead, she lands in a crouch and pulls something from beneath her coat with a flourish. It's her shotgun, signed with the sponsorship logo of the Everstead-Rey Company. Quickly giving it a pump, she fires off a round of buckshot towards the White Knight, then darts to the side and pumps it again before squeezing off another shot.

Until recently, ARMs were strange to Talise. Now, Lady Chloe's hoping Leo hasn't been taught how to use one. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Bounce Squeak Boomstick!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Bounce Squeak Boomstick for 60 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

"Long story," Maya waves casually at Lemina's shock regarding her gaudy outfit, plonking into a seat next to her with one leg over the other. It's nice to be back in trousers and be able to do things like that. "About, uh... twenty-eight volumes? Anyway."

The blonde sorceress(?) blows a bubble, apparently chewing bright pink bubblegum while she watches. She also points at Chloe charging around with a shotgun. "What about guns? Does it favor guns more than swords? Looks kind of a mess, to me." 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

That strange hand-cannon again. Leo's blade flashes as Talise fires, and through blind luck, a few dozen pellets of shot hit the ground at his feet, swatted out of the air. The rest of the blast is a clean hit, peppering Leo's chest with tiny little round things that sting like biting flies. His lips twist, and as Talise fires again, the stone in front of him suddenly juts upwards, responding to Leo's magic as though it were not a Symbological construct of some sort.

How odd.

The makeshift shield soaks the buckshot, but shatters from the impact, washing away in the current. Leo takes a step forwards, raises his blade in what looks like a characteristic Demon Fang--

And something rumbles up above. Power flares around Leo's feet as part of the cliff face takes a sudden and intense dislike to Talise. By which we mean it breaks loose and flies at her. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Rock Viper!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Rock Viper for 76 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

"... Iiiii'm just gonna let that sit for now," Lemina says, though she thinks she's beginning to get the picture.

She isn't. Not quite.

"It's complicated," Lemina notes. "An ARM like that is about right for here but I think it's worse than a crossbow unless your opponent doesn't know how to deal with it, basically. See how the arena is only, you know, maybe thirty feet in diameter, tops?" It might be a little bigger but Lemina's at a weird angle right now. "By the time you've sighted in an arrow your opponent's already halfway to you, and that's if they're at the far wall, right?"

Lemina has become keenly familiar with the plight of a zoner on a small stage. "It's fine for an ARM like that... until you need to reload. Like, forget even trying unless you have some other means of getting separation back." A beat. "That's probably why even that cheating jerk Janus and his cheating pals didn't make it very far." 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

A waft of expensive perfume crosses over Maya Schrodinger.

Someone is leaning over her. Someone in the expensive box seat - just above her! "You," Linvidia says, pointing an unarmed cigarette holder down at Maya as if it were a Wand of Fireballs. "What's that you're chewing? Where did you get it?" 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Note to self, Talise reflects: Leo doesn't have much experience with ARMs. She crosses her heart and thanks her friend with the many lives for that much.

One of the shots hits home; Talise bites her lower lip and climbs further up the slope. But the cliff face and Leo have other ideas. As she brings her heel down, the rock face begins to crumble away; the woman grimaces and attempts to roll away from it, but the hurtling rocks slam into her nevertheless and pound against her side. She ends up hunkering down on one knee and throwing her arm up to guard herself against the heavy magical blow, counting on her natural toughness to see her through for the moment the assault lasts.

It doesn't quite. Leo hurls a chunk of rubble hard enough that it leaves her dominant arm numb for a moment. Wincing, she shakes it out gingerly, but blood flow is slow to come back to it.

Exhaling heavily, Talise moistens her lips with a quick pass of her tongue, then takes stock of things for a half-second. Then she keeps her head low for now. She needs a breather after that hit.

Ducking behind a shrub, Talise darts towards the next bush, then the next one. She rolls out from behind the foliage -

She's gone back the way she was just running. Tumbling in a sidelong roll, she comes out on her knee, laying down a few shots as covering fire in the hopes of keeping Leo at bay for another minute.

Just a few more seconds. Enough to get the blood flowing back to her arm again. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Shotgun Blast!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo takes a solid hit from Talise Gianfair's Shotgun Blast for 87 hit points!
GS: Talise Gianfair takes Cover! She gains 50 temporary hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

"Hmm!" Maya's eyebrows zip upwards at the sight of this strange dude taking a spray of shot to the chest without much more than a flinch. "Maybe she's shooting with wet powder, that oughta do way more." and then more dutifully examines Lemina's response to Leo's swift use of Earth Magic. Versatile--she kinda likes that.

"Oh, Janus was in this? Hah! I'll get him some consolation chocolates. 'To Mr. Cascade, my sincerest condol--" Maya's unladylike snickering is soon interrupted by a cigarette holder being thrust into her face. She pauses, and turns her head to look at Linvidia slowly. Crea~ak. Another bubble follows. "Uh--it's gum. From my pocket. Want some?"

Another fight, another bunch of missed action because Maya got distracted. Great work. 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

"Yes," Linvidia answers. She leans further forwards, threatening to swat Maya or possibly Lemina with fur coat. "I didn't know it was pink. Somebody around here make it?"

'miss, you're making a scene,' says a gormless money-carrier in the rear of the box. Linvidia raises a hand to give him a brushing off of a rude gesture and comes close to overbalancing 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

That was a solid hit. Leo doesn't have the chance to capitalize on it, though, because that damnable weapon is back. Leo springs to the side, hoping he can get out of the way, but he's still really not used to what these things can do. Buckshot catches him in the small of the back, and he staggers--he grips the slick rock face, and for a split second, it looks like he's going to stumble.

This does not happen. What looks like an inelegant trip is a feint. Leo turns to Talise's hiding spot, seemingly oblivious to the shot that Talise just put in his back, or the fact that he's going to have to endure the medics picking it back out of him. His blade flashes. Suddenly, he's holding it in a very different position, but the actual motion is too fast for most to track. It looks like Leo just sort of conjured a storm of vacuum blades out of nothing--vacuum blades that race at Talise, shredding at her cover. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Buzz Blade!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Buzz Blade for 96 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Lemina looks up toward Linvidia, her nose crinkling a bit at that powerful perfume. She doesn't have any answers for Linvidia's questions, though, so she elects not to address her too much.

"It might also just be that Leo's really tough," Lemina notes for Maya. "He's... intense. I think maybe getting put into losers' bracket so early got him to take this really seriously, you know?" She nods along with her own point. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya chews thoughtfully on her plasticy, grape-flavoured bounty and blinks only once as the puffy hem of a fur coat swats through her fringe. She pulls a small wrapper from her pants pocket and extends it to this weirdo newcomer, "Nah, it's from way far west. They have a lot of weird stuff there. Here, it's good for your teeth."

With her other hand, Maya points at the action again. "Hey, doesn't Hiro do a lot of weird sword-magic like that? Do you think he could teach me?" she asks Lemina excitedly, as Leo makes it look easy to do things like 'cut the air hard enough to strike your opponent with the resulting differential in air pressure'. "And--oh, yeah, that's Leo, isn't it? Of course! Think I should wait until after the tournament to ask him about books?" 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Part of Talise is a little shocked that she's getting mileage out of this crazy freaking boomstick Ida gave her.

The rest of her is watching Leo for his next move, her eyes darting from behind her mask. As Leo seems to stumble, Lady Chloe starts forward again, slinging her ARM and taking her sword in both hands. With a huff, she begins to move into an attacking position -

Leo surprises her. Chloe sucks in her breath as the knight rips through the air with a fusillade of thunderous vacuum blades. Riotous blasts slam into Lady Chloe, who barely manages to bat away the first couple of slashes before the next one slams into her and tears away part of her coat; another one rips into her flank, her armour giving way with a steely screech. Pain shoots through her side, blood flashing free. She clicks her teeth together with a choking sound in the back of her throat.

She squares her jaw and pushes through the last blade, shouldering through and steeling herself against the damage. A spark of anger burns behind her eyes.

She pushes it aside. (Calm. Calm. Calm.)

At first it looks like Chloe's not going to be able to get into range - until she plants a foot against one of the rocks that's a little less damp. She springs off with a sudden surge of strength and speed, lunging across the stream and landing not far to Leo's side. Coming back around with a lightning quickness, the woman in the green coat unloads with a hard, arcing slash, then one more, then a third one, a heavy combination of blows intended to make this a melee again. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Infinitely Rippling Stream!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo takes a solid hit from Talise Gianfair's Infinitely Rippling Stream for 146 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Now that his opponent is visible and active again, Leo allows himself to show pain. His eyes narrow, and he bares his teeth--it feels like there are a hundred tiny nails hammered into his flesh, and he can feel blood running down his body. Distractions. Lady Chloe has been flushed, and she comes out swinging. Leo meets her, and the air screams as steel meets steel, over and over again. He stops the overhead inches from his shoulder. The second gets a little closer, and the third finally manages to hammer through, knocking his sword away. Talise's blade cuts into the White Knight's shoulder, and he bites back a cry of pain. The look in his eyes when he meets her gaze is one of defiance. At least he doesn't think she's not a threat?

Leo catches Talise's blade and shoves back, hopefully knocking her away--he catches his balance, and springs into the air, arcing gracefully as he reaches the apex of his jump. He lands on the next 'step' up the stair-stepped waterfall, and takes a moment to catch his breath. The flow of blood slows. The strength of stone infuses him. As soon as he's ready, he leaps back into the fray--literally. This time it's not so much a jump as a lunging dive, though the angle makes it look like a spear technique Leo co-opted for the occasion. Was it from Lady Maltran originally? 

GS: White Knight Leo used Mystic on White Knight Leo! 100 Temporary HP gained! All statuses cleared!
GS: White Knight Leo has activated a Force Action!
GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Rising Falcon!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Rising Falcon for 68 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

"You should probably wait untl after the tournament to ask about any books," Lemina says. "Or at least after he's out of it, right? He's... really... intense." Lemina elects not to elaborate.

"Hiro, though... I think he could teach you! He managed to learn a lot of neat tricks on his own, all without my help!" There's a pause, before she adds, "Though I dunno if he could teach you that well. Magic on Lunar is different from magic here -- most of his tricks rely on being born with the Blessing of Althena, so..." 

<Pose Tracker> Linvidia Diargento has posed.

Linvidia retracts herself without incident, having gotten the gum. She is no doubt giving it a try.

And watching the bloodsports! YAYYYY 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

This is more like what Talise had in mind when she visualized what a good fight looks like.

Blades crash against each other as the two Lunarian swordmasters go head to head, and Chloe's manages to get through - and behind her mask, her eyes fix on the White Knight's. There's a head of steam building there, but though she's not smiling, neither is there a hate behind her gaze. Just a hot drive that seems to burn through her like a volcanic plume.

Leo swings for the fences and goes vertical, then lunges back down at her in a move Talise would expect from a spear-wielder, not a great swordsman. It's effective, though; Talise throws her guard up, dropping back to one knee, weapon cocked to try and swat Leo's weapon to the side. Again steel rings out against steel - but Talise doesn't get all of it, the sword ripping down dangerously close and shearing a shallow rent in her armour just along the side of her chest. Another red cut is sliced into the tan skin below before Lady Chloe lets out a soft, pained hiss and whirls backwards with a ripple of her coat.

"The stories of your skill were no lie, White Knight," Chloe calls out as she gains a bit of distance. Rolling her shoulders, she takes a slow, steadying breath - and she focuses her strength through her limbs. The power of her gauntlets streams through her. Hard muscles tighten; a vein in her neck pulses, not too far from the visible hint of a scar racing up to below her left ear. Clicking her teeth together, Chloe holds her weapon out at her side. Light glints from the blade.

She grins wolfishly. "Seeing that look in your eyes could have given me all I need... but there's still a match to decide. Only one of us can be the champion!" 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked Talise Gianfair with Gathering Tide Stance!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: Hyper! Statuses applied to Talise Gianfair!
GS: Talise Gianfair heals Talise Gianfair! She gains 100 temporary hit points!

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

"Indeed," Leo says. He can't hear Lemina's description of him, but it's certainly apt at the moment.

He sinks into a defensive stance, watching the way she recovers from that last hit. So far, he's had difficulty landing a decisive hit, a fact that annoys him to no end. He can practically hear General Heldalf telling him to look harder, to move faster, to strike with more power. It's time for him to do just that. Leo steps back, planting his feet shoulder-width apart, and strikes. His blade sweeps through the air, rending it; a wave of force pours into the ground, racing at Talise. The water in the stream bubbles and boils with its passage, and it leaps out at Talise once it reaches her. It's like suddenly walking into a wall made of knives. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Demon Fang!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Demon Fang for 29 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

In Talise's mind, landing hits hasn't been her problem - it's been the fact that Leo is a man of steel, his mastery of defensive swordsmanship and his sheer physical toughness preventing her from putting him down for the count.

Chloe runs her tongue over her bottom lip and watches Leo's body language. (If it were me, I'd try and put me away fast, before I could do anything. I'd push harder than I've ever pushed.)

Leo pushes. Talise clenches her teeth and braces herself, dropping into a stance Leo might recognize. It's one of the standard defensive postures the Waning Crescent school uses.

Leo does something Talise isn't expecting, though. He slices the water. A steaming arc rips towards her. Sucking her breath in through her teeth, Chloe bunches her shoulders, letting that ogre strength flow through her. She swings once, letting out a sharp cry -

And with a shock of sheer force, she powers Rastaban's blade through that steaming force wave. It shatters beneath the weapon's amplified force. Bubbles erupt from the point of impact. A few of them pelt Chloe in the shoulders and cheeks, hard enough that a trickle of blood flows down the right side of her chin. She winces - but her coat soaks up much of the rest, and the strike gives her a burst of momentum that carries her forward, across the stream and into reach of Althena's Champion.

"Hooooaaaah!" Chloe shouts as she swings a hard, rising blow. Her boot hits the water and droplets fly up into the air around her even as Rastaban swings in a hard, ascending cleave, aimed to slash at Leo from below!

She does not yell Tidal Blow because Lady Chloe does not yell Tidal Blow. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Tidal Blow!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo critically Guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Tidal Blow for 23 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

"Oh, right. I think little Kourin mentioned something about a blessing." Maya quips, suddenly leafing through a spiral-bound notepad with a pencil in her headband. "I don't really know any magic that makes sense by our standards, either, but it doesn't stop me!"

G--great...?

The blonde jerks a thumb back at the action, looking at Lemina over her notepad. "I don't suppose blessings come after-the-fact, huh? I have to do most of my stuff with empty hands, or I fumble it and wind up exploding something else." she muses with her chin landing in one hand. "Guh, look at them go. I think slogging it out in all that water would tire me out too quickly. No thanks." 

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Lemina seems pretty content to talk shop with Maya. "I really don't know -- though I've never heard of anyone being born with a weak or nonexistent blessing who suddenly got really good." A thoughtful pause. "Welllllllll... aaaactually..." She cants her head to one side, thinking really hard.

With a wince, she says, "There's one guy who got magic late. His name is Borgan and he's a giant festering turd blossom and no one likes him. He smells like a rendering room and looks like an Impressionist painting of a cow."

YIKES. 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Leo's shoulders sag a little from the exertion. He can hear the crowds screaming, chanting--people are yelling for him to stay in this, to keep fighting. People he doesn't even know, some of whom are probably more interested in the bets they made on him than in the ideals he stands for. Why, exactly, is he even here? To show off? To prove to the Vile Fiends that he will follow them to the ends of the earth?

Well, yes. Both of those are undeniably true. But there's also something oddly refreshing about a fight where both combatants can fight with all their strength, yet remain assured that no one will die.

Leo focuses in on Talise as she charges, watching the way she's holding the weapon. She's going to strike from below--there! Leo's blade practically leaps into the way of her strike, slamming into Rastaban and deflecting the weapon before it can reach him proper. The tip bites into his right calf, but that's as good a hit as Talise gets. Leo whirls, jumps up onto a rock face, and whirls again, golden energy gathering along the edge of his blade. The crowd starts to roar. Leo swings, and the world seems to go still around him. The energy splits off, growing once again into a colossal ball of death. The ball of death becomes the roaring, bestial visage of a lion. As far as this technique goes, Talise is at point-blank range. 

GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Lion's Howl!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair has activated a Force Action!
GS: You have activated the Force Action Guard!
GS: Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Lion's Howl for 36 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

This time, Talise is tuning the crowd out. She can't afford to care who's cheering for whom anymore. All that matters is confronting the White Knight. All that matters is proving that she can hold her own this battle without giving in to anger.

It's all that matters now. Ending the battle the right away. In control. Even if it costs her the victory.

Blade and blade sweep through the air - but Lady Chloe can't land the hit solidly. The crowd gasps as Leo lunges up onto the rocks and pivots away. That golden light shines as the vast, roaring lion's head erupts from Leo's blade, threatening to swallow Lady Chloe Alexandre up into a world of pain.

Lady Chloe squares her jaw. She braces her shoulders. She pushes forward.

And she holds Rastaban out at a protective angle - and the energetic lion's upper jaw slams into the sword first - and somehow, the sheer force Chloe is channeling into the sword through her gloves manages. The radiant lion blazes and strains, losing cohesion as parts of it burn past Chloe's guard. It scorches across her cheeks and shoulders like wildfire. Shreds of her coat rip away; fanglike light rakes across her sides and arms, drawing blood. A loud, strained growl roils in her throat. It takes everything she has - even the strength of Ogre Power is barely sufficient.

And then, with a rising, defiant roar, Lady Chloe slams Rastaban to the side in a single, rampant swing - and the guttering remnants of the lion blaze away and eddy into nothingness. The woman in green is at point-blank range, badly battered by the attack - and yet, she held. She held, for now. Somehow.

"RASTABAAAAAN," Lady Chloe roars as she hurtles into the White Knight's teeth. The two-handed sword's blade gleams as she swings it - not with brute strength, but with a fluid, rippling control. Not with rage, but with skill and conscious control. There is no magic light; only the flick of a blade, air singing to either side of the blade as she lashes it like a whip towards Leo's shoulder, his left hip, his elbow - then, twisting, she sweeps the blade to one side and attempts to finish with a hard, disarming strike. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has activated a Force Action!
GS: You have activated the Force Action Full Clip!
GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with Savior's Storm!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo has activated a Force Action!
GS: White Knight Leo guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's Savior's Storm for 108 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

Maya cringes comically, "Wugh, I'm gonna pass if that's what it takes." she appears to have been dissuaded from pursuing the issue too much further, owing to Lemina's colourful description of Borgan. Her cringe mutates further into a squint as she feels the floor begin to rumble from the intensity of Leo's unleashed Fighting Spirit meeting a suitable challenger.

"Okay, I have -never- heard of the tournament getting this wild before. Are these seats really safe?" 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Leo's eyes widen. Golden light plays off them as Chloe summons up her reserves, soaking his masterstroke with her body and blade. She does not yield. Perhaps shockingly, Leo doesn't yield either, even as Chloe tries to turn the match in a series of decisive strikes. Leo is suddenly shoved back on the defensive, his sword racing to guard the strike against his shoulder. Metal screams as the blades meet. Leo can't move fast enough to block the strike against his hip, or his elbow. The White Knight stumbles, sags. Chloe comes at him, aiming to end the fight decisively by disarming him. Leo is not going to let that happen twice.

Leo roars. He draws himself upright, grabbing Talise's forearm and shoving the blade aside with his free hand. Something tears in his shoulder as he does so. It is screaming agony. Leo does not care. The Beastman focuses every last drop of will left in him, feeling his awareness pass into the earth beneath and around the both of them. Jagged stones erupt from the ground behind Talise, then to her right, then the ground beneath her feet. The earth around her tears itself asunder, violently, and she is caught in the middle. 

GS: White Knight Leo has activated a Force Action!
GS: White Knight Leo has attacked Talise Gianfair with Rock Viper!
GS: White Knight Leo has completed his action.
GS: Talise Gianfair critically Guards a hit from White Knight Leo's Rock Viper for 24 hit points!

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

Lemia shrugs emphatically at the question of if the seats are safe, her attention turning back to the action. Her lips purse a little.

"... Thhiiiiiis isn't hype," she admits, with a frown. "They're having a real hard time breaking each other's guar, so it's just -- well, you know."

She frowns, looking at Lady Chloe. Is this her next opponent after Xantia? 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

Part of Lady Chloe had hoped that her combination attack would be enough - that it would put the White Knight down one more time, that it would pave the way to the next round of the tournament. She can feel her sword landing the first two times. She swings again.

Leo's grip meets hers with a force borne of superhuman desperation and incredible will. As the White Knight screams out in pain and defiance, she breathes in and fills the air streaming through her lungs and expanding like wings of light. And then the earth itself begins to tear itself apart all around her.

She sets one heel apart from the other. The roaring rubble slams to either side of her. Jagged earth rakes along her side, tearing away her coat. It rends her armour and batters her hips. And then that huge central spar looms beneath her feet. It carves a long slash up her leg before she's able to wheel to one side.

Lady Chloe reacts on complete instinct. Clenching her fist into a tight knot, she lets the ogre's strength flow once more - and with all her might, she slams it into that rising spire of stone.

The magically-driven earth shatters beneath the force of her magically-powered fist, breaking apart in an explosion of flung shards and razor-like rubble. A hail of it showers back from Chloe's fist; much of it bounces off her shoulders and chest. It slashes her face and pelts her breastplate.

But most of the rubble is propelled forward. White Knight Leo is left to face a rain of shattered debris, propelled towards him with explosive force by a punch powerful enough to shatter boulders with a single blow. 

GS: Talise Gianfair has attacked White Knight Leo with One Punch Dame!
GS: Talise Gianfair has completed her action.
GS: White Knight Leo guards a hit from Talise Gianfair's One Punch Dame for 61 hit points!
GS: White Knight Leo has Fallen! He is no longer able to fight!

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Leo's eyes widen. At the last second, he releases the spell, cutting it free from his life force, but it's too late. The wave of stone and force slams into him, knocking him back; he skips off the water's surface like a stone, and crashes through greenery. The shrubbery rustles, Leo trying to haul himself to his feet, but it's no use. All he can manage is to pull himself vaguely upright. He can't fight. His vision swims. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

The rubble churns around Lady Chloe. It nearly knocks her mask off. As the power of the Gauntlets finally streams out of her, she staggers through the debris hail. It was a desperate, last-ditch move, and it's left her with one hand on her sword, the weapon off to her side and in no position to follow up. The punch was a desperation move of her own - all or nothing.

Slumping forward, Lady Chloe drops to one knee. Leo's down for the moment. She takes a second to catch her breath, wearily bringing Rastaban into a defensive position and watching as Leo lands in the greenery. Behind her mask, she keeps her gaze on him, waiting for him to rise and renew the attack. He must. He's White Knight Leo. She defeated him the first time because of dumb luck and he's punished her for her temerity so much already -

But he doesn't get far. Lady Chloe blinks a couple of times.

Somewhere in the distance, a bell rings. The announcer roars and calls out the winner. Screaming audience members leap to their feet, waving their arms and cheering madly.

Lady Chloe - Talise - closes her eyes and breathes out. Her expression is unreadable as she climbs to her feet, weary but able to move. She's too tired to run, but she does manage to step over to the foliage, slide a gauntlet off, and offer Leo a hand to help him up.

Her eyes seek his, and there's a gravity there. Hard-edged, certainly - but carrying a profound respect. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Schrodinger has posed.

"Oof, is that a knockout?" asks Maya, leaning forward onto the empty seat in front of her with arms folded as poor Leo skims across the surface and crashes into a leafy cloud of green. "Looks like the two of them were holding their breath the whole time, you know? I feel dizzy just thinking about it."

A lonely bubble is blown. Pop. "Yeah, I'd definitely get my clock cleaned if I was in this. I need to ..." Maya trails off, and frowns. Her comical jovialness wanes. 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

Leo barely registers the announcer's ruling. He's too focused on the hand in front of him, trying to resolve it from three potential hands. Eventually, things straighten out enough for Leo to accept the hand up. He rises, slowly and carefully, and brushes himself off. He's just fine. Ignore all the bleeding.

"A fine match, Lady Chloe," Leo says. There is wounded pride in his eyes, but respect as well. This mysterious masked hero has earned it. 

<Pose Tracker> Talise Gianfair has posed.

"I can say the same for you, White Knight." Lady Chloe - no, Talise - can see the wounded pride in Leo's eyes.

So he can feel shame too, she realizes. It hits her like an epiphany. For a moment she lowers her head, keeping ahold of the man's hand for a moment. She knows how hollow words can seem in these situations.

She takes a step to the side - and, her hand still holding Leo's, she raises it to the crowd, bringing the White Knight's with it, so long as he'll allow it. The crowd's roaring rises in another thunderous wave that seems to break across the stadium grounds like a physical force.

Behind Chloe's mask, Talise's mind is working. (He was giving it his all... and yet...)

(...Leo... you're a hell of a man, do you know that?) 

<Pose Tracker> Lemina Ausa has posed.

"Pssh, yeah right!" Lemina says to Maya, with a smile. "You'd have totally one hundred percent cleaned up. I bet you could take this Lady Chloe chick easy." She stretches out a little, looking down at the fight. "I dunno if that's a knockout, but if it --"

The bell rings. "Oh, yep. There it goes. Looks like Leo's coming in seventh." She winces a little. "... You think I've got a shot? I mean, even if he's not a classical mage, Leo's one of the Four Heroes of Althena... those aren't cantrips for goofs that she's punching through..."

Her eyes hood a little. 

<Pose Tracker> White Knight Leo has posed.

For a moment, Leo almost looks confused. Realization hits him a moment later, and he holds his hand high--as high as the screaming pain in his shoulder will let him. If nothing else, Leo is good at keeping up appearances.

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