Duel:Kanna v Quintessa, Match 13 of the 2021 Titans of Winter Tournament
Duelists: Kanna vs Quintessa Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 20 minute posting limit. Stakes: Standard, autohit delivered by winner with allowance for final reply. Judges: Mahri, Kasyr and Caltarok.
Hidden Mountaintop Colosseum
Branching out from the lovely scent of the night blossoms, a secondary exit to the mines is found. However, it is an exit, and just that. Cut off from the frozen slopes that everyone knew as Frostmaw, a grand- and recently built coliseum has been erected. Roughly a hundred meters in diameter, and several stories high, none from inside could mistake this grand colossus for the structure for what it really was. The entrance sloped up, and was one of twelve- each gated off from a tunnel that lead to an even deeper, more complex network of tunnels underground. Amidst the dead center in the ring of combat, an acutely-shaped slice of rock rose heavenwards. From the stair-shaped seats that rounded twenty foot walls, one could simply note that it was a massive sundial, the gates being the hand of time it represented at the current moment. At the twelve-o-clock gate, a small booth stood out above the seats, seven chairs of importance standing firm. Naturally, a light cover of snowfall masked the blood-spattered and weapon torn field of battle. In passing by, none would ever figured the steep rocks of the mountain to house such a feat of architecture.. Although the occasional cry of death, or clang of sword could suggest otherwise.
Kanna extends a hand outward, willing dormant wildflower seeds in the cracks of the colluseum entrance to emerge and bloom. Petals scatter across the arena (where the Peacekeepers immediately sweep them out of the way so she cannot use these later) as the self-proclaimed bardic necrobotanist makes her entrance, her knee-high heeled boots clicking on the stone for added effect. Contrasting her usual ankle-length and full-sleeved dresses to hide her chubby figure, the bardess opts to wear something a little more aerodynamic: A low-cut kimono to emphasize certain assets, embroidered with mushroom blooms in lieu of flowers. The kimono skirt of the ensemble barely reaches the middle of her thighs, but has copious layers of tulle to make the skirt poof outwards and conceal dignities. Adorning the outside of one of her thighs is a personal trophy from the last time she got to fight in a semi-final: claw marks from the mighty hunter Orikahn. Adorning the other thigh is a freshly finished tattoo, courtesy of the Rebel Room: a garter belt of music notes with a baby pink ribbon. Hanging from the cord of her obi are glass vials, each with different fungi and seeds. Hanging from her back is a three-stringed instrument resembling a guitar for playing simple riffs, the neck and outline of the body of appear to be solid iron. Should instruments rattle? No matter, she's about to say the thing. Twirling her Ya Te Veo staff with one hand, Kanna tilts her head back with an amused grin stretching across her freckled face. "Ara ara~? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" Interrupting her introduction, a half-feline's voice calls down from the stands, "Are those my goddamn earrings?!"
Quintessa stands ready on the opposite side of the mountaintop colosseum, icy wind blowing her cropped, raven hair as she rests both hands on the grip of her new weapon, a large, blue iron, spiked war-club more commonly known as a kanabō. Though the hexblade still carries her normal weapons, her mithral tools, concocted poisons, and her powerful katana, the Jubaku no Kijo, the changeling’s tactics for this fight had shifted to include a bludgeoning weapon to more easily help her defeat a Greater Ghoul like Kanna. From under the hood of her fur-lined cloak, Quintessa’s mismatched eyes flicker away from the ghoul to the stands, where she smirks and shakes her head at the familiar voice of the feline. “Yare yare daze…” Quintessa mutters, a slight roll of her eyes as she lifts the kanabō into the air to rest upon her left shoulder, slow footsteps carrying her ever closer to Kanna. "I can't beat the crap out of you without getting closer." She finally responds to Kanna’s quips about approaching instead of running away. With her free hand Quintessa feels for a vial on her belt, blue and hazel eyes not leaving her opponent for a moment. A second gust of cool wind blows heavily on the pair as the weather shifts, clearing the sky of clouds to allow the light from Vaalane and Arh’Nuk to spotlight the combatants. As the crimson glow of her patron moon spills over her, Quintessa’s mouth spreads into a sinister grin, her eyes flashing with a dangerous luster. “I guess it’s time to see what you are truly made of.”
Caltarok said, "Welcome everyone to the hidden colosseum here in the mountains of Frostmaw. This is the second and final battle of the semi-finals for the Titans of Winter. After this battle, we will know who will be facing Leo in the final round. So without further ado, let's meet our contestants. We have the beautiful "Poison Ivy", Kanna facing off against the lovely "Countess of the Dark Forest", Quintessa. This battle isn't just for determining who will be in the final, but word is that this duel itself will decide which of these gorgeous ladies will become the leader of the Living Dead Girls group. Contestants please mind the rubble from the previous battle. The poor sundial is already lost. Nevertheless, the battle will begin when both contestants state that they are ready. (ooc: Rounds will be held to twenty minutes per post)"
Round One:
Quintessa can feel her bloodlust rising in response to the moonlit glow of Arh'Nuk, her long, pale fingers twitching as she selects a potion from her alchemy belt. She had never fought a bard before, had no idea what tactic could counter bardic magic, so she wasn't about to take chances. The hexblade swiftly brings her vial up to her mouth to remove the cork with her shark-like teeth and spit it to the ground before quickly drinking the translucent orange liquid, her body reacting to it the moment it hits her stomach. The seams of Quintessa's cloth catsuit begin to stretch to their limits, splitting down her arms as a slight transformation takes place, her muscles contracting and bulging as the potion endows her with the strength of the bull. The dark fea's fingernails grow into claws that rip through her gloves, her teeth extend from her black-painted lips, and her mismatched eyes fill with a savage gleam. Quintessa was on the verge of going berserk, the last non-violent thought being to plead Kanna to "Forgive me for this," before the woman moved into a sprint, her gloved hand moving to grip the kanabo as she closed the distance between them. Carrying the momentum from the dash into an overhead swing, Quintessa stops with her left foot planted on the ground as she brings the heavy iron war-club down in an attempt to smash Kanna like a hammer driving a nail into wood, the slow, powerful attack crashing down with deadly force. As the spikes carry through, pummeling the ground under Kanna's feet and smashing the stone floor, Quintessa shifts her body forward with her shoulder down to ram into the necro-bard, trying to catch her off-guard with a quick followup before she can respond to the initial attack. If the shoulder ram strikes true, Quintessa hopes it will be enough put a couple feet between them, giving the hexblade all the space she needs to pivot and swing the kanabo again, this time in a wide, horizontal arc aimed right for Kanna's midsection, enough force behind the bludgeoning weapon to shatter all the ribs on her left side. Would that be enough to stop an undead bard from singing? Quintessa wants to find out.
Kanna gives a wicked smile as Quintessa launches straight into her frenzy. "What is love?" The end of her Ya Te Veo staff is stabbed into the ground as the hexblade downs the wretched looking concoction. The roots of the Ya Te Veo tree reaches out under the earth, whereit draws in energy from any and all plant life within the arena. With Kanna's necromantic energy, something else stirs as well. Once the transformation is complete and Kanna's staff has had just enough time to become acquanted with the field, the bard blows a kiss at the bullrushing dark fae. "Baby, don't hurt me." Rising from the ground with an upwards swing of her arm, a wall of plant matter and bone creates a barrier between the two, where it curls backwards and over Kanna like a protective dome. The frozen plant matter and bones are sturdy, but barely enough to withstand the rage of Quintessa's kanabo. "Baby, don't hurt me, no more." Kanna sings with a nervous twitch of a smile as the iron creates a nasty dent in the dome, and another with the force of Quintessa's shoulder. The entirety of her strategy relied very much on not being hit, and she had no plans to let herself be caught tonight. From the perspective of the spectators and the hexblade herself, the earth seems to rise on either side of the dome, as if a mole were burrowing away from the nest. At each notch of the sundial-styled arena, another dome of fallen warriors and frozen flora is created, until twelve domes line the field in a perfect cirlce. From the vague spaces from within each dome, Kanna begins to throw her voice in an attempt to confuse her opponent. Was she at 6'o clock? No, 11 o'clock! No-- "I don't know why you're not there, I give you my love, but you don't care!" Kanna's instrument can be heard resonating from within each of the domes as well. Each pluck of the three-stringed instrument resounds harshly across the arena, amplified with her bardic magic. Even from the safe distance that the specators were at, they would begin to cringe and cover their ears as if knives were stabbing into their eardrums. At close range, or at least the illusion of it, the effect could be much more intense if such things were able to reach Quintessa in her berserk state. "So what is right? And what is wrong? Gimme a sign." Kanna was skilled, but not skilled enough to play the shamisen and be constantly on the move. Curiouser and curiouser still, which of the twelve numbers would have the most significance?
Round Two:
Quintessa pounds into the bone and plant barrier over and over, trying to dispatch it quickly enough to hide the bard that hid behind as the horrible sound of her harsh music stabbed like daggers into her ears, blood beginning to trickle down each side of her neck as her reality became more and more clouded by the sonic attack. Quintessa screams in agony and frustration, the transfiguration potion surging through her system, turning her further from a seasoned spellcaster into a wild animal. A wild animal that wants to find her target quickly, turning to face each direction, the changeling hears Kanna’s voice reflected from. “Where are you…” Quintessa’s senses were much sharper than a human, and her haggish eyes aided in locating anyone trying to hide from her among the shadows- that was usually where she lurked instead, but Kanna throwing her voice left her confused. Which one was she hiding under? Quintessa’s befuddlement passes when she realizes that it wasn’t her voice she needed to follow, it was her music, her painful painful music that got more intense the closer the hexblade stalked until “There you are!” Like a slasher villain Quintessa picks the one she assumes Kanna is hiding and is on her yet again, teeth bared like a rabid wolf as a low growl rumbles up her vocal cords and out of her mouth in the bard's direction. "Stop hiding and die already!" Quintessa shrieks, lifting her kanabo up into the air to recklessly fling the metal club like a boomerang, the heavy object whistling through the air loudly as the changeling endeavors to crack her shell while she dashes after the weapon, a clawed hulking shadow in the wake of the metallic, spiked stick. "You can’t hide from me." Comes the changeling's voice, distorted, terrifying, and nearly unrecognizable as her claws grow a few more inches to slash down at Kanna like a fan full of stiletto daggers, ripping through the plant matter like paper. Having abandoned the slow, heavy, blue iron kanabo, Quintessa instead relies on her inhuman speed, bringing swipe after swipe down upon the necro-bardess, trying to rip the ghoul to shreds like a tiger hunting a fawn. "I won't lose to you!" Comes another outburst, her innate magic reacting to her rage and her bloodlust to create a crimson haze around her like an aura, fueling her strength and shifting her reservoir of mana into raw power, most of it wasted as it fizzles off of her arms and shoulders to evaporate into the chilly Frostmaw air. Her necrotic energy drips down her black talons, normally harmless to an undead creature like Kanna but what was not obvious about this dark magic was the intent behind Quintessa's curse; rapid entropy. Targeting the same magics that kept Kanna's form undead, the dark fea's passive necromancy tries to speed up the decaying process by means of a sticky, ebony, ichor that slowly coated Quintessa's fingernails like dark sap running down the truck of a slender tree. If Kanna couldn't avoid the raking of claws she would risk becoming a victim to the dark fea's venom.
Kanna flinches as she sees the berserker hone in on her location. Yes, 5' o clock was indeed the correct answer, the month of her birthday and the month in which she met Quinte-- oh, nevermind. Kanna adjusts her grip on the iron shamisen to hold it by the neck, and the moment she catches sight of Quintessa's face, she flings the instrument out of the hole, the icy metal aimed straight at her head or her arms that were routinely swinging in front of Quintessa's face, or whatever would connect. "Woahhh--" She improvises a bit of the song, "--Karrie didn't tell me if that's lethal or not--" Should the instrument connect with Quintessa or the ground, it would shatter on contact, sending iron shards outwards as Kanna slips out the opposite end of the dome. Each of the eleven remaining domes gives way, curling in and rotting until the plants and bones each form an amalgamation of a soldier. Bits of armor and weaponry peek out from each one as they lurch forward with a simple order in mind: Protect. "Oh, I don't know, what can I do? What else can I say, it's up to you!" Despite having been thoroughly splashed with the venom, the bard is too focused on getting behind the conga line of soldiers to provide cover. Without an active command, her Ya Te Veo staff also reacts, mimicking Quintessa's violent movements as the stationary staff opens up to reveal massively thick and spiked tendrils. It even gives off its own screech as the creature lurches forward towards the sole living thing in the arena. It would seem that the hexblade would have to deal with lashings with enough force to human bones, along with its venmous spikes, before reaching the amalgations that protected the bard as she continued her song. "I know we're done, just me and you, I can't go on!" The bard suddenly falls to one knee as the venom begins to take its toll on her skin. The simple cantrip used to give her a human appearance is broken, revealing skin the color of snow mixed with ash, and blackened lips with sharpened teeth. "You ruined my make-up!" She manages to sing in tune with the song, though her tone has gone from playful to very, very resentful.
Round Three:
Quintessa screeches like a wounded hellcat when Kanna’s metallic instrument bashes her right in the face, blood spilling from her pointed nose which took the brunt of that desperate attack. The changeling steps back a few steps toward the center of the ring, shaking her head to recover from her stunned condition, giving Kanna enough time to summon her lovely soldiers. When Quintessa looks around and realizes she is surrounded she begins to chuckle grimly. “I have pets too you know.” Despite all the pain Quintessa was experiencing she was still a gleeful monster, sharp teeth exposed in a wide grin as her haggish cackle echoes through the stadium. The magic buffing her strength and constitution was waning, but so too was its clouding effect over her mind, giving her the clarity she needed to fully utilize her spells. Ebony claws that had once been used as a weapon were turned into tools as she stoops low, meat hooks moving down to rip a connection between the material realm and the shadow realm with her bare hands. The connection resists at first but then it gives way suddenly, creating a pool of deep, black ichor that instantly springs to life a multitude of creatures from the world of shadows; Large spiders the size of dinner plates spill out in dozens, crawling in every direction to seek their ghoulish target and slow the advance of Kanna’s army as Quintessa reaches deeper into the void for something else. "There!" With her outburst comes the appearance of a mass of writhing tendrils, stretching up and caressing the warlock's arms as more portals opened up around the colosseum, giving the kraken-like creature Quintessa was in contact with access to this fight with its massive, spiked tentacles which protrude from the many portals to swipe and smash at the ground around them, searching for the bard to crush her or ensnare her in their powerful grip as they sweep away the plant and bone amalgamations. If they capture Kanna the dark mistress who commands them is certain that this fight will be over, knowing they would surely constrict her and pummel her into the ground mercilessly like they were doing to her loyal subjects
Kanna snarls, stopping her Song of Pain. "ENOUGH!" The floral skeletons begin to meld, covering Kanna completely until she seems to disappear. Two amalgamate arms reach out and smash at the ground, dislodging ice and earth, hopefully enough to give the beast some pause. She could not feel pain, but she could feel a wheeze when she attempted to speak again; it appeared that the venom had rendered her voice useless now, making her solely reliant on the necrobotany her very opponent had taught her. Kanna rises up with equally monstrous legs hiding her rotting figure. With the pressure of the makeshift armor, the glass vials on her robe holding all her mushrooms and seeds have shattered, causing them all to grow exponentially and bloom through any gaps in the armor. Kanna has become a titan in a sense, albeit one made of dead soldiers, plants, and fungus. Anyone else have zombie mecha on their Titans of Winter bingo card?This form could not last long, as the spiders had already descended and were attempting to eat away at the fungus. Each one could only take a single bite of their lethal meal before collapsing, but more spiders were rising up from the shadow realm to take their place. The Ya Te Veo reacts to Quintessa's summoning, lashing out to capture spiders and arms of the shadowy tendrils alike. Spiders are pulled into the maw of the pet, while the shadow-realm's tendrils are held at bay for mere seconds at a time, a lapse that would hopefully be in Kanna's favor.The creature steps forward, but Kanna's eyes begin to droop. She didn't understand! Quintessa had not touched her! Why was her strength failing her?! A tendril from the kraken-like creature smashes squarely into the titan's back, sending it towards the hexblade before the tendril can whip back to wrap around whatever it had connected with. The amalgamation lurches forward, spikes of bone shards, discarded weaponry, and acidic mushrooms all dripping from its outstreched 'arms' as it looks to connect with the hexblade, wherever it may fall.
Final Defense:
Quintessa surrenders herself to her kraken ally’s writhing appendages, allowing its innumerable tentacles that squirm around her arms to hold her fast, spreading to caress her legs and torso as well, lifting the changeling up a few feet so that the titan that approached her wouldn’t look so menacing to her. Quintessa was tired now, the potion leaving the young hexblade fatigued now that its effects had worn off. She should really work on improving their longevit but nothing could be done for it now. Luckily for the hag-girl, her new friend was handling things well, battering against Kanna’s giant suit of armor until- “No, not this way!” But it was too late. Tendrils try to swat away poisonous mushroom after poisonous mushroom in vain as the longer, more powerful arms of the shadow kraken hold the colossus up to protect their mistress from being crushed by its immense weight, but even the large beast could not hold it for long. With barely enough time to escape the wiggling mass pulls Quintessa feet first into her pool of shadows as mushroom-acid singed her flesh, the larger tentacles pinched and smashed between the portal, the ground, and the improvised golem Kanna had created. They pull and struggle, but some of the arms don’t make it, severed and twitching on the stone floor as the portals close one by one, the kraken in full retreat. When only one portal remains open Quintessa finally resurfaces, constricted by a single large squid-arm that slaps her unto the ground and slithers away, the portal closing with a loud ‘pop’. Choking on her hands and knees, acid burns on her hands and face, Quintessa vomits up the last of the orange liquid in her stomach before she forces herself to her feet, dazed and woozy as she turns to face Kanna with determination. The fight was almost over, but who would land the final blow?
Winner: Quintessa
Auto Hit & Reponse:
Quintessa has this one chance to capitalize on Kanna being prone inside of her plant-bone amalgamation and she wouldn’t waste it. Finding her second wind, Quintessa moves her right hand down to clench the grip of her katana, the Jubaku no Kijo, and begins to move closer in a swift jog. Even nearing exhaustion Quintessa was able to leap up onto the torso of the golem, katana swinging down to cut the vines that held the construct together. First the legs and then the arms, the swordsman rendered the colossus into a harmless torso, which she stood upon trying to locate where Kanna was inside the thing. “Aha!” Quintessa slashes down into the golem three times in a triangular shape before she reaches down with her left hand and tugs Kanna out of the viney mess. There is still a look of bloodlust in her eyes when she brings the Jubaku no Kijo up to point at Kanna’s neck, just a few inches from decapitating her… But then the changeling’s demeanor shifts into a friendly one, snickering as she grins. “I win.” She says to Kanna, stabbing the golem with her sword to pull the bardess into a tight hug. “You were amazing.” she whispers, pulling away from the hug to look her in the eyes, “But let’s not fight like this again, yeah?”
Kanna gives a wheezing laugh, still unable to speak from the venom Quintessa had dropped on her, returning the hug. From the stands comes an extremely jealous, "Get off my girlfriend!" Which prompts Kanna to blow a kiss to the stands as she obliges and releases Quintessa.