Showbizz Generational Violence Event

The crowd cheered for Durandal, showing that he had earned their favor. Showbizz seemed similarly pleased, giving a grin and a silly wave. "Don't ham it up too much down there, Lancelot!" she called out jokingly, deciding to give her knight another nickname despite being already aware of his real one. "Just follow Swat to the waiting area for now, okay?"

Swat didn't give him much of a choice. The tall, black-armored woman ushered Durandal and his SP along quickly, just as she had before. "I liked your performance out there. I wish I'd gotten a shot at this event too, but Showbizz said 'the audience won't really relate to a swat team operative, and besides, they don't use swords.' A baton is plenty effective. I wouldn't have minded trying it out against you,"[b][/b] she bantered, giving a disarming smile at the end that contrasted with the militant look of her suit and helmet.

"Hey Swat, get off of our King Arthur's mystical Excalibur and go escort that Vandal guy out of his match, okay? I don't want him messing with the other competitors any more. Especially not with how buzzed he's looking after knocking that gladiator guy's block off... We're lucky the gladiator was a douchebag too, or that would have been a ratings nightmare," the host barked, calling Swat away from Durandal. The enforcer navi disappeared through another of the warp gates.

Just as she did, a small female ninja garbed in an eccentric outfit, featuring black and yellow with a thunderbolt pattern woven in. The navi's brown hair bobbed as she glanced up towards Durandal. "Static Elec-Energy Navi Ninja, Shocking Kunoichi Vee," she spoke suddenly, pulling down the cloth that covered her mouth to make her voice heard. "Looks like our fight is next."

Durandal noticed that the big monitor in the waiting room had been updated, giving a new readout of upcoming matches:

Quote (Brackets)

Round 1:
Left bracket Top: Fencer vs. Samurai
Left bracket Bottom: Vandal vs. Gladiator
Right bracket Top: Ninja vs. Martial Artist
Right bracket Bottom: Knight vs. Pirate

Round 2:
Left bracket: Samurai vs. Vandal
Right bracket: Ninja vs. Knight

Durandal and Hauteclere followed Swat toward the waiting room, the knight nodding along with the female officer's banter.

"Aye madam," he smiled as well. "It would be my utmost pleasure to try my skills against thy own. I shall stand ready and willing for when thou wishes to test the heft of my blade."

Swat left Durandal and his shield maiden in the waiting room, moving to deal with the foreign barbarian from earlier. The crude barbarian must have won his battle as well. Durandal felt sorry for the Navi who had to face that brute, despite Showbizz referring to the unnamed gladiator as a douche bag. Well, if this Vandal continued to rise in the ranks, Durandal would have the pleasure of laying him low.

"I wish him luck," Durandal muttered.

"Sire?" Hauteclere asked.

"Nothing of import," the knight answered. "I am to be pitted against the ninja next, correct?"

"Aye," Hauteclere nodded. "Does thou have experience against their kind?"

"Nay," he confessed. "Though I had never bested a pirate before Swabbie."

"Sire, I do not believe Swabbie to have been much of a pirate."

"I agree," Katherine cut in. "And ninjas can be tricky. Keep your guard up, Durandal. We need to at least win this match to have a chance at a sword."

"Aye," Durandal agreed. "It is as thy say, Milady."

Speaking of ninjas, one of the small female variety appeared just as Durandal finished talking. The kunoichi greeted him pleasantly enough.

"A pleasure," Durandal offered a slight bow. "Quite an impressive title, madam. Thou must wield no small amount of skill. I am called Durandal. Sir Durandal, if thy prefer, of Chanson. I look forward to our match. We shall ply our skills to the roar of the crowd. May both our swords strike true."

"Sir Durandal of Chanson, then. I suppose if I am privileged enough to use my own title, I ought to let my opponent do the same," the little ninja joked with dry sarcasm, clearly having no fondness for titles. "I should tell you beforehand, a ninja deals in trickery. I can't promise I'll abide my any rules of engagement or anything like a good knight ought to."

With that warning, she headed on to the pad leading into her own arena. At the same time, Swat remerged from the pad where she'd gone to fetch VandalMan out. The giant Choinaman was thrown from the portal, but caught himself before falling. He spoke again in his indecipherable old native tongue, then slid said tongue against his teeth in a lewd gesture. "You must behave outside of the ring or you will be escorted out of the tournament,"[b][/b] she threatened him, wielding her baton in one hand. Her disheveled hair and labored breathing indicated that she'd had some amount of difficulty getting him out of the ring.

Brushing himself off, the great beast of a man rose back up from where he'd fallen. Raising one eyebrow, he turned to Durandal again, then chuckled in a raspy voice. He made a show of pushing Swat out of the way, walking directly back on to his pad. "It looks like we're not going to get a chance to clean up that arena,"[b][/b] the attendant sighed, quickly corralling Durandal into the same gate Vee had entered.

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

Durandal and his SP joined Vee in a new ring, very similar in appearance to the one he'd inhabited moments ago, but with a different audience and referee. "You guys know the rules. If you want big pay, you gotta make big plays! Let's see those ratings go through the roof!" Showbizz encouraged her performers.

The little ninja smiled behind her facemask. She said nothing and held no poise, maintaining a stance like a silent statue at the other side of the miniature stadium. It was clear that she was waiting for Durandal to make the first move.

Durandal: 170 HP
Hauteclere: 40 HP

Vee: 140 HP (2 movements away)

Terrain: 100% Normal

--BATTLE START--

Durandal entered the arena, Hauteclere following closely behind. He glanced around him, noting that this new battleground was much the same as the last. The only differences were his opponent and the roaring crowd encircling the field. He nodded to Vee and turned to have a quick conversation with his squire.

"Hauteclere," he said. "Stay back once more. I know not what tricks she may have at her disposal. I do not want thee injured."

"But milord," the girl protested. "It is my sworn duty to shield thee in combat. I am a not, but a shield maiden. Without my duties, what am I?"

"Alive and unharmed," he said with a tone of finality.

"Aye milord," she muttered. "Then thou must need be doubly cautious. Without thy shield, her tricks may yet reach thee."

"Who said I wouldn't have a shield?" He switched channels to address his NetOp. "Milady, the shield if it please thee. And the claw once more."

"Alright yeah," Katherine responded as she slotted in the requested battlechips. "Be careful out there."

"As you say," Durandal nodded.

The knight could already feel the battlechip energy coursing through him. He turned to regard Vee once more and moved toward the center of the ring. Hauteclere remained behind, standing guard near the exit pad. Durandal looked toward where he thought Showbizz must be and bowed. Then he turned and bowed toward Vee. With that, he set his helmet on his head and activated the two battlechips.

The shield materialized first, a three foot length of blackened steel shaped like a rounded kite. The steel was a deep black, its surface holding a high gloss like an obsidian stone. The pure black was broken by a golden cross worked into the surface of the shield. The knight raised his left arm, hefting the shield up so that it covered his torso and neck. A quick movement up or down would be all he would need to protect his head or legs.

Next came the sword; Durandal reached across with his right hand to draw the silvery blade from its sheathe. The gold cruciform hilt of the weapon matched the golden cross on the shield. The knight advanced on Vee, grey eyes intent on spotting any trickery from the self-titled "Shocking Kunoichi". As he moved, he slammed the sword against his shield once, twice, thrice; the sound echoing throughout the arena.

As he advanced, Durandal took note of his opponent. The girl was obviously quick on her feet. She was most likely limber as well. He couldn't help but think of her as a more skilled version of Swabbie. After all, ninjas were surely just pirates without access to proper ships. He couldn't help but wonder who would win in a battle versus a pirate and a ninja of equal skill.

"Not helping," he muttered to himself.

Pushing all thoughts that had nothing to do with his current situation out of his head, Durandal advanced. He kept his shield raised, ready to defend if need be, and pointed his blade toward his foe. He was poised to thrust at the girl and did so, testing his swordsmanship against the ninja's speed. He cut through the air, aiming toward the girl's shoulder in the hopes of spearing her before she could move.

Summary:

1. Iron Shield (2-hit shield to self)
2. Move forward
3. Move forward
4. RageClaw (40 Slashing DMG) to Vee

Hauteclere: Dodge

"Remember, I did warn you," the ninja taunted her opponent, then sank into silence. Annoyingly, even as Durandal approached, his opponent moved to the back of the arena. With her back nearly against the wall, she threw a barrage of three kunai; one clanged off of Durandal's shield and the rest missed their targets.

"Our ninja is cornered! How's she going to get out of this one?" Showbizz exclaimed. The audience watched with similar tension.

In a burst of electricity, Vee seperated her body into two. Fortunately for Durandal, they were both still more or less trapped with their backs against the wall. "I think that I understand your strategy now," both ninjas affirmed simultaneously, smiling behind their black facemasks.

Durandal: 170 HP (1 hit shield) (rageclaw: 6 uses)
Hauteclere: 40 HP

VeeA: 140 HP (1 movement away) (back against wall)
VeeB: 140 HP (1 movement away) (back against wall)

Terrain: 100% Normal

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Katherine cried out as Vee created an exact copy of herself.

"Kage what now?" Durandal asked.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," Hauteclere responded helpfully.

"Aye, I heard her the first time," Durandal muttered, exasperated. "But what does it mean?"

"Shadow clones," Katherine clarified. "I recall it from a cartoon I watched as a child. The ninja was able to create clones of himself in order to fool his enemies."

"Perfect," Durandal cursed. "So one is real and the other is naught more than a shade. Only one way to know which is which."

Durandal advanced, holding his shield up to defend himself as he stalked toward the right hand ninja girl. He couldn't be certain that this Vee was the correct one, but he didn't have much to go on. From his point of view, the two ninja Navi were perfect copies of each other. He would just have to choose one and hope he chose correctly.

As he neared the ninja girl, he lashed out with his sword. Durandal opened with a diagonal slash aimed across the Navi's chest. If he hit, the attack would open the girl from shoulder to hip. If he missed or she dodged, oh well. The slash held more feint than force. He slowed his down stroke and brought his sword arm in close to his body. With lightning fast movements, he thrust the blade toward Vee's center of balance. He planned to spear the girl with his blade and use the enhanced strength provided by the RageClaw battlechip to fling the ninja into her clone. Or the clone into the ninja. Or whatever. His muscles bulged beneath his armor as he heaved the sword to his left. He twisted his body as he did so, hoping to hurl one Vee into the other.

Durandal fell back to observe the outcome of his work. He kept his shield raised in defense. He knew it wouldn't last much longer and wanted to get as much use from it as possible. He backpedaled, wanting to open enough space between him and Vee so that he would have the proper time to react and avoid any more of her attacks.

Summary:

1. Move toward VeeB
2. RageClaw (40 Slashing DMG) to VeeB
3. RageClaw (20 Impact DMG) to VeeB and VeeA
4. Dodge

Hauteclere: Dodge

"Knights are powerful, but perhaps a little predictable," Vee joked, dodging easily out of the way of Durandal's slash as he closed in. She countered with a strike of her own, slicing at him with a short, yellow-bladed ninjato, which she produced from thin air. He managed to block it with his shield, which was destroyed in the process. Her eyes widened as he went for a follow-up thrust, smashing his blade into her and then flinging her into her own decoy with sheer force. The decoy disappeared in a burst of electricity, leaving only the original, lying on the ground and rubbing her head.

She rolled a short distance to the side of Durandal, then sprung back upwards and flung two electrically charged kunai. One sailed past into the wall, while the other lodged itself betwixt the plates of his armor. Vee seemed momentarily childishly delighted that she'd managed to make the hit, then coughed and regained her composure. Closing her eyes briefly, her form blurred, then snapped apart into two seperate images yet again. "You won't manage to hit me again, I'm afraid!"

Durandal: 150 HP (stun x1) (rageclaw: 3 uses)
Hauteclere: 40 HP

VeeA: 120 HP (1 movement away) (back against wall)
VeeB: 120 HP (1 movement away) (back against wall)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Durandal growled in pain as the kunai lodged itself between two of the steel plates of his armor and pierced the mail beneath. He dropped the dented remains of his shield to the arena floor, the blackened steel vanishing into a short stream of data as it struck the ground. His hand now free, he reached down and removed the kunai sticking from his armor. The knife gave him a small shock that traveled through his arm and spread through his systems. It was enough to startle him, but he was still ready for battle.

"You alright?" Kat asked.

"I am fine, Milady." Durandal answered. "Momentarily disoriented, but fine. I am not accustomed to such trickery."

"Just do your best," Katherine encouraged him. "It is all anyone can ask."

"Aye Milady," Durandal answered, a grim expression on his face. "Though damn me, but I want to win."

"Then get out there and kick some ninja behind."

Hauteclere shouted some encouragement of her own. The young woman effectively told Durandal to duck and weave and the knight took her words to heart. It might be best to pause a moment and observe his opponent instead of charging in once more. He decided to hold back and study Vee before attacking again.

Durandal focused for a moment, forming a second shield to replace the first. This shield was black with scarlet embellishments. The heraldry of this shield was a flaming sword lined with ruby dust. The sword bore a cruciform hilt to retain the cross motif. The shield seemed to pulse for a moment, releasing an inner heat that washed over Durandal's wounds and relieved some of his pain.

With shield in place, Durandal strafed to his left. He held his shield and sword at the ready in case he needed to fend off one of Vee's attacks, but he made no move to advance. Instead he merely watched his opponent. He observed her movements, attempting to learn more of her and her subtle fighting style.

"Come then," he taunted Vee. "Let us make an end of this!"

Summary:

1. Stun'D!
2. Forte Con Fuoco: Flame Shield (Heal 30hp + 3-Hit Shield) to self
3. Dodge

Vee watched her opponent carefully, although her eyes looked bored. "That shield's impressive, but will it do you any good? Ninjas attack from all sides simultaneously, like an unpredictable bolt of lightning," she boasted. Despite her face, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Of course, it was important to remember that not just one, but two Vees were watching him. It was still impossible to distinguish which was which. Worse yet, neither seemed ready to make a move against him and open themselves up to attack. The two strafed in opposite directions, leaving Durandal caught between the two of them.

"AHEM!" Showbizz coughed indiscretely, her annoyance showing clearly on her face, which was displayed across the nearby monitor. "Little boring, guys. The audience paid for action! Strike like a bolt of lightning or whatever you were saying!"

"What sort of ninja would I be if I acted that rashly?" the Vees replied, obviously annoyed at being hurried.

Durandal: 170 HP (3 hit shield) (rageclaw: 3 uses)
Hauteclere: 40 HP

VeeA: 120 HP (1 movements away) (behind Durandal)
VeeB: 120 HP (1 movements away) (in front of Durandal) (back against wall)

Terrain: 100% Normal

Durandal found himself grinding his teeth in frustration. He had battled few opponents who were as cautious as this ninja was turning out to be. As a knight, he was generally the one playing the defensive game. He would sit behind his shield and his armor and let his enemies break themselves upon his walls. He was out of his element pressing the offensive in such a manner.

"Milady," Durandal called out. "I pray thee, does thou have any suggestions?"

"Sorry to say this," his NetOp answered. "But no. I understand a few of her moves, but I don't have any experience with countering them."

"Perchance," Hauteclere paused a moment. "If she will not come to thee, Milord, then thou shall have to find a way to come to her."

"I would rather not advance recklessly," Durandal muttered.

"Then thou might be able to force her hand."

"Mayhap..."

"Oh yeah," Katherine sounded excited as she slotted in a second battlechip. "Try using this with your sword!"

Durandal nodded, feeling the rush of battlechip energy surging through his system. He tightened his grip on both his sword and shield and adjusted his stance to put the two Vees one either side of him rather than in front and behind. He activated the battlechip, watching as faint blue lines of energy perceptible only to his eyes reached out all around him.

The knight directed the lines of energy toward the ninja who had been standing behind him. He figured that the real Vee would attempt to sneak up behind him while her was distracted by her shadow clone. The blue lines of energy sought out any form of metal on Vee's body, tying it and her to Durandal's shield. He focused on the lines, planning to draw them tight with one quick tug and send the ninja tumbling across the distance between them. With luck, he would be able to deliver a devastating shield bash straight to Vee's face and hopefully stun her long enough to deliver a few extra blows.

Once Vee was drawn to him, Durandal planned to lash out with his blade. He was certain that he would be able to deliver two quick chops with his blade before Vee could pull away again. At least, that was the plan. He wanted to disable her or at least slow her down and keep her within range of his strikes. He would aim one strike to her shoulder and the other to her thigh, planning to cripple the girl if he was unable to defeat her outright.

Durandal pivoted on his right leg, shifting his weight to bring himself around the ninja. He kept his shield raised high, but still didn't want to paint himself as a target for Vee's sneaky tactics. As he moved, he thrust his blade forward, aiming to impale the girl with his sword. As he had done before, Durandal planned to use his momentum to lift the girl off her feet on the end of his blade. Her clone was becoming a nuisance and he wanted to delete it if he could. Once more he planned to hurl one Vee into the other and attempt to figure out which ninja was which once and for all.

Summary:

1. MagBolt1 (90 Elec DMG + Stun) to VeeA (Magnetic Pull draws her toward me)
2. RageClaw (40 Slashing DMG) to VeeA
3. RageClaw (40 Slashing DMG) to VeeA
- Swordplay dodge -
4. RageClaw (20 Impact DMG) to VeeA and B

Hauteclere: Dodge

Durandal took the fight to his enemy, breaking out of his defensive stance to lure Vee out using his magnetically charged sword. Luckily, he'd guessed right; the ninja was immediately pulled towards him by all of the various metallic items she was wearing. The shapes of several kunai, chains, darts, and concealed blades bulged on her outfit as she slid towards him. Almost pitiably, the weapons began to tear free from their cloth and fly onto his blade, attaching one after another until they coated it. The ninja herself gasped as her body was driven into the knightly sword. "Using magnetic powers against me... that's bold!" she coughed, pulling back as far as she could.

"That's how you do it! Our knight's never one to disappoint," Showbizz cheered, clapping to rouse the audience.

Vee's yellow suit hung around her in tatters now (although she still worse her black navisuit beneath it). Aggressively, she dodged out of the way of one of Durandal's strikes, then slashed at him with her ninjoto, scraping his shield. When that failed, she threw away the blade and extended two hidden claws from her gloves. "We'll settle it now then!" she cried, slashing at him again and again with her blades. In the end, though, the shield predictably proved to be an effective defense against frontward blade attacks and Durandal was able to get in another slash.

The referee called the match as Vee stumbled backwards, overwhelmed by the strength of the knight's arms. "The match is over! Durandal progresses to the finals!" Showbizz proclaimed.

The ninja swore silently beneath her mask, then closed her eyes and composed herself. "I'm disappointed in myself for losing so easily... but the Neo-Shogun could use one of your talents. If you ever need work, please, contact us at this e-mail address."

((You can now apply to the Neo-Shogun's Army! From level 8 onward, you may use this address to apply.))

"Alright, guys, move to the porters so we can clean up!"

Durandal: 170 HP (1 hit shield) (rageclaw: 3 uses)
Hauteclere: 40 HP

VeeA: 1 HP
VeeB: 1 HP (1 movements away) (behind Durandal) (back against wall)

Terrain: 100% Normal

--BATTLE COMPLETE--

Durandal sighed with relief when the referee signaled the end of the match. Vee had given him more trouble than he had thought she would, her subtlety and skill proving more than a match for his straight forward approach. He had managed to win in the end, but he knew he would need to improve if he wanted to keep winning.

The knight took another piece of cloth and used it to wipe down his sword before sheathing it. Vee approached him to offer him a position in whatever group she was apart of.

"I shall think on this," Durandal answered Vee. "My duties to Milady Katherine take precedence, but if she is willing then I am as well. Thou fought well and thy style is an interesting one. It would be my pleasure to spar with thee in the future."

Durandal saluted Vee, fist pounding against his chest, before waving to the crowd. He bowed to Showbizz once again and headed back toward the teleporters.

"An excellent fight Milord," Hauteclere congratulated him. "I knew you would prevail."

"My thanks," Durandal answered. "Though the battle was hard fought and closer than I would have liked."

"But you did it," Katherine said. "You've reached the finals. Now we get a sword no matter what."

"Aye," Durandal answered before stepping onto the telepad. "But I do so wish to win."

The teleporter led Durandal back out, where Swat was already waiting for him. The champion was nowhere in sight, so he/she had either yet to complete his/her mission, or had already moved on. "There you are. I was just looking for you,"[b][/b] she greeted him, smiling slyly in a way that indicated she had some intentions beyond simply herding him into the next arena. Of course, dragging people around seemed to be a specialty (or at least common task) of hers, so she grabbed Durandal by the arm and started to lead him with no further discussion. She left the SP there as if she hadn't even noticed her (which, in reality, she hadn't).

However, instead of towards the teleporter, the woman in black alarmingly pulled him behind one of the nearby tents, then pressed him to the wall, pushing her large (but armored) chest against him while bracing her right hand on the wooden wall behind him. "I think that several parties would prefer to see you succeed in the next match... self included,"[b][/b] she whispered to him, keeping her face overly close to his own. Her glamorous, purely-white hair bobbed as she moved her head slightly, allowing him to see the board in the distance behind her.

Quote (Brackets)

Round 1:
Left bracket Top: Fencer vs. Samurai
Left bracket Bottom: Vandal vs. Gladiator
Right bracket Top: Ninja vs. Martial Artist
Right bracket Bottom: Knight vs. Pirate

Round 2:
Left bracket: Samurai vs. Vandal
Right bracket: Ninja vs. Knight

Final:
Knight vs. Vandal

Quote (Ratings)

Right bracket Top: Samurai vs. Vandal -- 33%
Right bracket Bottom: Ninja vs. Knight -- 76%

*Percentages reflect audience interest

"Our host is racking her brain trying to think of how to make up for the mishap in that brute's last match, where ratings plummeted significantly,"[b][/b] Swat explained, keeping Durandal's eyes. "I've come up with a solution to satisfy everyone. Just lure him into the center of the arena, and I'll be able to take him out with a practically invisible tranquilizer dart from an unseen vantage point. While he's in the drug-induced stupor, you can finish him off easily and claim the prize. Showbizz will have her ratings, we'll all be rid of that disgusting vandal, and you'll go home with a greater reward... as well as my gratitude,"[b][/b] she explained, backing off just a little to let him breathe.

"We're on in five, everyone! Man the arena!" Showbizz's voice cried out from the speakers, somewhere off in the distance.