[Heartsteal & Alad V] The War of Fallen Skies

[Riddle78]

Jarvia opened her eyes to see an official standing in front of her. "Jarvia,we need you out of the arena. We have more fights." Three other officials were moving Asher out; Two carrying the big man himself,while another hauled out his weapon. "Right,sorry." Jarvia stood up,and left the arena,as more combatants stepped past her; One had a lance,which Jarvia suspected was Dust-propelled. The lancer's opponent was none other than Roald. As she passed,she felt the need to say something, "Don't thrash her too hard; She still needs to fight for the Team Tourney."





Stepping back into the hall,she looked up at the bracket board; Her opponent wasn't decided yet. They were still fighting. Well,they might be tired. Jarvia took the time to rest. She kept her ears open,regardless. Eventually,however,the announcement went out that her next round was due to begin. Standing up,she looked at the bracket board; Melanie Brinks. Huh. She'll be a fun fight. Stepping outside to her assigned arena,Jarvia saw Melanie waiting. As Jarvia approached,she saw her opponent's enormous ears swivel to face her before the rest of her head followed suit; She was a Faunus. Fox,with ears that huge. Explained why she was shorter than average,though.


Not as short as Jarvia,though.


"De Vries." Chilly. "Hey,Mel. How was your last fight?" The Faunus shrugged. "He lost. Does anything else matter?" Jarvia rolled her eyes. Mel was always a direct person,but this was cold,even for her. "A few things. But,I guess we're about to see. May the best fighter win." Mel nodded,and approached her starting point in the arena,and as Jarvia craned her head around to find Tio's arena,she frowned as she couldn't find it. "Can't find your girlfriend?" Jarvia slowly turned her head to look at Mel. "She's my friend,yes. But,she's more like a sister." Jarvia spun the Magistrate in her hand expertly. Another reach disadvantage. This is a pain in the ass.





Jarvia stood in her starting point,and said to her opponent; "Hope you're ready."

 

[Heartsteal]

Moving into the same arena as Jarvia had just finished with, Roald made no indication that he heard her comment, though he made eye contact as he passed for the briefest of moments. Both opponents for the new round made a glance toward one another, Amelia, the girl with the lance, had a slight shudder at her left shoulder as they drew up on their starts. Roald had a bit of a reputation, and Jarvia's comment certainly didn't have her feeling any more comfortable about the match-up.


Regardless, both stood in their starting circles, waiting for the gong signalling their bout.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Stepping past the border of their arena, Tio and Robin were met by one of the tourney workers, who didn't really need to do much, though he was leading a pair of other students, Cadence, and another face that Tio remembered, Colin. Trying to avoid looking at the pair, the faunus girl nearly tripped over her former opponent, and were it not for Yolmak, she may have tumbled over when she tried to right herself. That certainly would have made an excellent show for the audience...


Thankfully the pair were chatting with friendly smiles about their faces, though it was obvious enough that they knew Tio was there, both glancing over her way to say something, though she didn't catch what it was as she hurried along to get to her next match, still too guilty to look at her former friend. The last time that they'd been matched off against one another, Yolmak had punched a basketball sized hole in Colin's shield, Pride, even with the dust imbuement, and his aura. It nearly tore his arm off, leaving it hanging by just a scrap of flesh. Even still, he'd managed to recover, and stuck with Pharos. Luckily he'd kept the arm, but his example was exactly why Tio was so nervous about this event; she couldn't let something like that happen to another student again.


Apparently several rounds had ended already, though most were still in progress. It hadn't been very long after all, most were probably just starting to get a feel for their opponents. To be entirely honest, Tio was a little bit surprised she'd made it through the first round; she was expecting Robin to dance around her for the entire match.


That was easy. Now let's go get the next one.


He really could have gotten hurt; I'm not sure-


Oi! Just shut up, you've still got to graduate, so fight hard as you can, and you'll do it. Not like anyone here can get through your armour anyways.





After a couple of moments, the brackets shifted noisily, several matches beginning to come to an end. Next to Tio's name arose another name, and their arena was designated. Liize was her opponent, a member of team Maclura (MCLR), and with only a brief glance across the board, Tio could see that Jarvia would be facing the leader of the same team. Melanie; another faunus, though not exactly the friendliest of them.


The last time Matilija and Maclura worked together must have been back in first year, at least so far as Tio could remember. The teams hadn't worked very closely together, so Tio had no idea what she'd be facing off against in the ring.


Drawing up to her next arena, Liize passed Tio by, laughing quietly as she spoke:


"So you're my next eh?"


Liize was more or less what everyone expected a huntress to look like, catlike eyes, golden blond hair, and sharp features in her face. With a majestic face, and memorable voice, she had quite a following of fans, as did several of the other students. Even Jarvia had one, though they seemed to be a bit quieter than most, trying to keep from getting themselves blown up no doubt.


Tio didn't voice a reply, instead nodding awkwardly, trying to keep her opponent within view inside the heavy steel helm that she wore. Liize wasn't carrying any visible weapon, though she wouldn't be the only one; hunters were often fond of concealing their weapons after all.


As both arrived at their starting zones, Liize called over to Tio,


"Best of luck!"


The titanic faunus' only response was an extended fist with her thumb pointed straight upward. Sure the helmet she wore made for excellent protection, but it was almost impossible to speak out of it without a radio.

 

[Riddle78]

The Faunus smirked as she drew a pair of knives from the small of her back; A tiny one with a ring in it,which her little finger was occupying,and a much longer knife,that curved forward,then backward,ending in a reinforced point. Blinking wildly,Jarvia quickly scanned the perimeter of the arena,and spied a heap of metal near Mel's side of the ring. "I'm not playing your game,de Vries." She spun the karambit around her little finger,while expertly reversing and righting her grip on the pesh kabz without even looking at it. She can use knives,too? Crap. The gong sounded,and Melanie was off like a stone from a sling.


Jarvia knew that the Faunus was at a reach disadvantage,and a longmace was far more agile than many people would assume. But Mel knew all of this. Her weapons were light,agile,and kept her in a range where it would be awkward to use a polearm,like the Magistrate. However,she had a plan for such an eventuality. In the moment before they met,Jarvia took a diagonal step backwards,and slipped a hand into her bandoleer,and withdrew her hand,holding a pair of phials,one containing crackling amber Dust,the other containing misting white-blue Dust,and hurled them at her opponent.


The phials smashed at the Faunus' feet,and the unstable ground crystal reacted immediately,without prompting; The blue Dust exploded into ice crystals,encasing Mel's legs up to just below the knees,and the amber Dust exploded in a great blast of lightning,invariably arcing to Melanie,causing her to writhe as her muscles spasmed uncontrollably. Thanks to her dead sprint,however,the ice broke as it formed,causing her to stumble and lose balance. The electricity,however,caused her to fall flat on her face.


Jarvia used the tumble to her advantage,taking a handful of sprinting steps forward,then lunging,bringing the Magistrate in a great overhead crescent,intending to bring it down on her opponent's back. However,Melanie was too quick,and rolled to the side,and lunged forward,back to her feet,leading with her pesh kabz. Quickly choking up on the Magistrate,Jarvia threw her inside arm out to the side in an attempt to fend off the knife-wielding Faunus,lighting the arm on fire as she did so.


The Faunus ducked under the burning limb,her face twisted into a sick smile,as if she felt she was about to win. Oh,Hell no! Jarvia swung across with the Magistrate while loosening her grip,allowing it to slide up in her grip,effectively undoing her earlier efforts. However,she swept low,and snapped back, "Bad dog!" Mel had no other option,and threw herself backwards to avoid the sudden sweep,and stumbled away from the long weapon.


Firing a bolt of lightning from her right hand as she used the Magistrate's momentum to bring it overhead again,Jarvia prepared to end the bout.


Mel had other plans,however.


She ducked and lunged forward,narrowly avoiding the debilitating lightning blast,and was swinging her knives against Jarvia's Aura. Jarvia instantly felt herself slow down,as her opponent's Semblance started to kick in,a slow paralysis,like a spider's venom. Quite likely the reason why Mel's fight lasted as long as it did,really. "I'm no dog,de Vries." Jarvia snapped her body forward at the waist,and slammed her forehead against the Faunus girl's face. She felt something dig into her forehead,so it must've been Mel's mouth. Bringing the Magistrate down behind the fox-girl,Jarvia finished her opponent's thought, "Yeah,I know. You're a fox. Still a kind of dog!" Jarvia slid her hands closer together behind her opponent's back,and smirked.


After a brief moment of confusion,Mel's eyes widened in realization,then her pupils shrank in shock. "She gets it! C'mere,foxy!" All at once,Jarvia fired off her tattoos as a finisher,just like Asher before Mel. The ice began to encase Mel,but as fire exploded around her,it was instantly vaporized,which the lightning conducted through,bodily electrocuting the Faunus girl. It effectively looked like a spectacular death hug. And,if it weren't for the fighter's Aura,it would have been.


Jarvia wasn't unscathed either,but she fared far better,due to her directing the Dust at Melanie,who was collapsed in a mildly burnt heap at Jarvia's feet. Jarvia stepped away from her obviously defeated opponent,allowing the officials to examine her. After a moment,the referee gave a thumbs up,and declared Jarvia the winner,prompting the orange flag to be raised over the arena. Raising her fist in triumph,Jarvia threw a wink at the camera as she turned to leave the arena to await her next bout,as the medics carried Melanie out.

 

[Heartsteal]

When the gong sounded, both huntresses readied their weapons, and yet only Tio had moved. From behind Liize, dozens of metal fractals levitated from a satchel on her belt, each reflecting the midday sun with promised lethality. Each fractal was a half-dozen razor-sharpened links of steel, like cuboid chains.


"Go easy on me, okay?" she asked, charming smile plastered onto her face, though it was pointed to the green-side camera, not her opponent.


As with all of her other fights, against students and Grimm alike, Tio raised Yolmak, and hauled back on the string, rapidly growing more taut as the bow itself flexed to compensate, wheels turning to lessen the strain; and slowing to a stop at the last moment, she allowed her fingers to slacken at the very same moment as the string connected with her helmet. Once again, the thunderous clap resounded, snow along the arrow's path swirling skyward before one of Liize's many chains snapped into the way, and with the sound of shrieking metal, both shattered, and sprayed in fragments where the human had just been standing.


Liize sprang backward, end over end, waving both arms before her grandiosely as she landed, sending a veritable swarm of blades toward Tio, arcing in every direction; hundreds of chain segments spiralling through the air. Without the time to draw another arrow, or do much of anything else, Tio tossed Yolmak behind her, hoping that the string wouldn't be broken if it was far enough from her; and the briefest moment thereafter, the fractals wrapped around her entire body, various lengths whirling around her arms and legs, trying to constrict her, or saw through the armour plate was impossible to tell. Every sharpened edge that drew within an inch of Tio's armour elicited a spark of orange light, wreathing the faunus' entire body in it like a towering inferno.


Then the dust was sparked. Suddenly every blade was ablaze, and the glowing silhouette of Tio was coated in flames as every chain began to raise, lifting her bodily from the ground. Struggling against the flaming bonds, Tio could feel herself sweating already, heating up rapidly inside her armour. From the corner of her eye, she saw the referee make to step forward, but then he stopped, put a hand to his ear, and said something that she couldn't have made out if she had the time to. The fight would go on, and she didn't know how yet, but she could still win it.


That's the spirit, finally thinking you've got a shot? Kind of ironic given the circumstances~


I can't lose yet. I can't!


Well are you going to do something about it or not?





"What's the matter Tio? Get your head out of the clouds already, I'm just warming up!" Liize called, striking a pose with hands on her hips as she laughed at her own joke. The flames grew stronger still as more dust was thrown into the mix, making the humanoid form amid it all impossible to identify. As the heat rose, the dust in Tio's cuffs was activated, bursting into ice across her forearms and into her hands, which immediately melted, and turned to steam, though the flames went out there for a moment.


Still squirming amid the inferno, Tio balled her hands into ironclad fists, and screwed her eyes shut; blindly swinging her arms as hard and fast as she could. From the outside, the floating blaze began to writhe and flicker, and bits of sharpened steel began to fall away, searing their way into the soil below instantly. The referee stepped forward, and was about to raise the orange flag before Tio broke free. Enough of the chains had fallen away, no longer holding any control, and Tio, the armoured giant, clad in dully glowing armour of deep cherry red marched forward unsteadily through the snow, leaving enormous seared bootprints in the snow. Dozens of chains still streamed across her armour, and occasionally slipped through the protective orange glow to mar the surface of her armour, trying desperately to drag the molten colossus backward, but only managed to slow her to a walk.


When the faunus began to near arm's reach of her opponent, Liize started to back away slowly, putting both hands up as she put on a shaky smile.


"H-hey, no hard feelings right?" she asked, stumbling slightly as she tried to get some more distance from the glowing beast in front of her, and her own blades whirling across its surface. At that, Tio stopped, hunched to keep from being dragged backward by those fractals, yet still she loomed far over Liize, and extending an arm forward, hand still in a fist, she extended the thumb straight upward.


At that, Liize's chains fell away, returning to their satchel at her back, and she bowed her head, withdrawing from the match.


Tio brought both hands to her helmet, and pulled it away, tossing it aside with a gasp. After the blazing heat during the match, the bite of Pharosian winds stole her breath away for a moment, feeling as though the sheen of sweat across her face and neck had frozen to ice in that very moment. The medics came forward then, dragging a hose between them, which they probably hadn't expected to see use of considering the arena, and began to spray Tio down, whose armour quickly faded back to the dull grey of its original colour, if more scratched and heat-spotted.