SAWAD-Fest

"I should hope so, Ruby. I like your enthusiasm... but the next fact you learn about me might be your last," Carly spoke ominously, smiling wide as she approached. She watched Ruby pick up speed, then lifted her sword. "The same trick won't work twice!" she grunted, lifting her sword to a horizontal base and anticipating another feint. When that didn't come, her eyes widened; the blade wasn't in the right position to thrust or swing at Ruby now. Instead, she bashed down hard with the pommel, somehow just as threatening as if she'd used the edge. The pommel bashed into Ruby's sword with amazing force. A loud clang rang out, followed by the metallic hum of the weapon shaking. It didn't break, but Ruby's hands hurt just from holding it; she could feel the pommel shaking, clattering against her gauntlets... or what was left of them. The backs of them had been reduced to broken, metal chunks just from the force of the knuckle-guard hitting against them.

It was difficult to make a counter attack, but Ruby used the still vibrating weapon to plunge at Carly's chest. The attack wasn't as effective as it could have been, due to the shakiness of the weapon and the bone-rattling impact she'd just stopped; instead, it cut a groove into the chest-plate but failed to penetrate. Carly didn't let up any distance, raising her pommel into the air for another attack. Two straps came loose on her breastplate; she yanked the thing off with her free hand and tossed it aside, revealing a snug, brown bikini of a similar material to the bottom. Her breasts were obscenely large and moved more than a bit provocatively without the armor holding them in, also no longer held pushed-up. The crowd gave a big cheer about it all, both the competition and the new skin. It seemed Ruby's banner had even gotten the edge; it was possible people were misinterpreting some of Chan's handiwork as Ruby's.

Ruby was probably still caught in the split second decision of what to do about Chan's next attack, but another hitch revealed itself; something cold sloshed across her back in a wide streak, like a projectile slung from somewhere. Mostly, it just hit her hair, given that it formed a fairly thick shield. A giggle following revealed whose handiwork that had been. Ruby was caught between a rock and a nasty cheater, as the saying goes, and she might have a pretty good guess of what had just happened. On one hand, her armor had been mostly protected from the substance, but on the downside, her hair was now like a wet whip that was, at least at the moment, hard to stop from hitting her back.

"Ruby's sword bond is so high! We can all see that, from that amazing maneuver just now! Not many women would have the guts to attempt something like that! But now Chan's back with another sneaky maneuver and I hope she doesn't think she's getting points for any of the results of that action!" the announcer cried out. Chan's reaction would probably come in the next split second when Ruby made her decision, witnessing the wide-eyed giant that was Carly Cnut in front of her, bringing down her pommel for another smash, and Chan close behind her, wielding some unknown new implement.

Reference:
Ruby- Gloves broken except for rings around wrists, boots in tact, left pauldron broken in half, right pauldron in tact, breastplate in tact, bottom armor in tact, belt in tact
Carly- Gloves in tact, one knee missing on left boot, both pauldrons missing, bikini on top exposed, bikini on bottom exposed
Chan- Right glove damaged and left missing, boots in tact, bikini on top, bikini on bottom partially torn, pareo in tact
It wasn't easy; her gloves basically now ceased to exist, and her hands were STILL shaking from that blow, but Ruby had managed to land another hit on the not quite as invincible as first thought Carly. The strike, combined with the handiwork of certain cheating parties, forced the large woman to remove her breastplate, and she was kinda glad that she currently was watching her more than ample bosom bouncing around...because it meant her own more than ample bosom wasn't doing the same. But she couldn't block that incoming attack, not without risking losing her weapon. She needed a moment to get her hands under control. She'd have to try and dodge-

SPLOOSH!

While cold, the New Official head didn't freeze up upon being hit by the mysterious liquid.. Instead, almost without thinking, she turned around to face Chan, without giving any thought to the giantess now behind her. Almost fitting, she was now seeing red, as she gave the other woman a death glare. "Oh, you did NOT just mess with the hair!" There was no excuse, not after her chat with Carly. The only option now, was her complete and utter destruction. Not by death, mind you, that would be far too quick. No, she wanted the black bikini clad woman's blood to run cold every time her mind came back to this day...and there was one sure fire way to do that. She raced forward, her hand shakes mostly tempered by her sheer hair based fury. As she neared the other woman, she began launching thrusts and slashes at an incredible speed, with the sole purpose of annihilating her apparel. She'd particularly be aiming for spots where one good blow would cleanly cut through each piece, to ensure it happened as fast as possible. And everything was coming off; if there was an inch of skin covered by anything besides hair or nothingness, she would consider it a failure.

Unfortunately, in her single minded rage, she was not only completely ignoring Carly, but defense in general; she was leaving herself wide open for any counterstrikes...
The crowd all collectively gasped and were momentarily breathless as Ruby turned her back on Carly to focus on Chan, her newfound rage fueling her revenge. The announcer tried to keep up with what was essentially a blur of action. "I can't believe it! Carly's attacking and Ruby isn't even watching! It's like turning your back on a grizzly bear!" the voice of the unseen female stammered, as unable as the audience to comprehend what had led Ruby to that decision.

With the force that Carly had been driving down, one might imagine Ruby was either going to concuss when the pommel hit her or otherwise be turned into a smear on the stage. Instead, the pommel kept soaring downward to a thunderous collision with Ruby's top armor... which exploded around her, as all buckles gave way. Pieces of the mostly ornamental garment were thrown as far as the feet of the front row of the audience, including the pauldrons, which had been attached. In its place, a orange-colored band of silky fabric hung around with a gold, winding dragon print across it; the garment was strapless on the shoulders, but also not particularly tight so that it concealed the texture of her chest. It did not, however, conceal the underside or the overall size of her rather weighty breasts, which the audience immediately appreciated. By this point, Ruby was already drawing away from Carly to address the retreating Chan.

Carly wasn't done just yet; turning one's back to the SAWAD-Fest champ wouldn't go unpunished. She reached her sword out and gave it another mighty swing, cleaving the bottom armor in two so cleanly that Ruby felt it move between the cleft of her bottom. The sensation was more as though Carl Cnut's daughter had just cut some butter with a knife than shattered metal with a blunt instrument. On the lower body, what remained was a flapping loincloth, made of the same sort of material as the top part, but with no pattern. The garment was secured by a thin but sturdy width of side-straps, that all the same seemed tight on her hips.

At the same time, Chan was under assault. The crafty cheater grinned tauntingly as Ruby came at her. "You're attacking me? Brave, but stupid!" she giggled, evidently having anticipated a counterattack. She jumped backwards with a twirl, avoiding one shot aimed at her chest. By that point, she was smirking confidently.. until she turned and realized Ruby was still avoiding her tremendous adversary, instead opting for vengeance. "Y-You're crazy!" she gasped, beginning to spring back again before realizing that her position at the edge of the stage left her unable to do so. Ruby's next stab ripped the pareo right off of her, revealing Chan's bikini bottom more clearly. "Hrk!" she gasped, abandoning fancy maneuvers and attempting to block with her sword while dashing right.

That strategy didn't work well either, as Ruby was laser-focused on attacking her weak points. As soon as she turned her side, Ruby's sword shot out, grasping into her bikini bottom and tearing it off. "Aaah! You upstart!" she cried, her lower body now covered by what could be called a micro-bikini, covering only the bare essentials with black leather straps, one around the waist and another between the legs. The lack of coverage was noteworthy, but it got worse: as soon as she moved her sword down to block low, Ruby thrust the sword between her breasts and the top. "Wait-!" Chan insisted, before Ruby yanked up and tore it apart too. In its place remained a similar black band to the bottom, seeming only barely up to the task of covering her (it probably would have failed on the girls with more to hide).

The crowd had begun chanting loudly now, for Ruby louder than either of the others. Perhaps amusingly, Chan's fanbase only seemed to grow louder as their favorite was further disrobed. "Perhaps Chan's ready to retire?" the announcer asked. Her banner had grown so small that only a sliver was left.

"Never!" Chan protested, finally gaining a bit of distance and still trying to block with her sword, though so far that had been a futile effort. At this point, Ruby had three areas to focus on: first, the enemy in front, who had dared to expose her hair to unknown product, the vile scoundrel. Second, to focus on Carly behind her... who seemed to be closing in for another attack, based on the heavy thuds. The only saving grace was that she wasn't able to attack quite as quickly as Ruby was... a weakness of her larger weapon, which, even given her swing, couldn't get in to deal damage quite as quickly. Thirdly... Ruby had to focus on her hair, which was slapping against her shoulders and butt like a wet whip. It wasn't clear exactly what was happening just yet, but from this range, it was clear Chan's sword had been coated in whatever that liquid was... and that probably meant bad news for whatever parts of Ruby were coated in it.

One of the wrists of Carly's gloves had fallen off when she'd swung her sword, but the fighter didn't even seem to realize it... presumably a result of Chan's earlier sabotage.

Reference:
Ruby- Gloves broken except for rings around wrists, boots in tact, left pauldron broken in half, upper bikini exposed, lower loincloth exposed, belt in tact
Carly- Right glove missing wrist, one knee missing on left boot, bikini on top exposed, bikini on bottom exposed
Chan- Right glove damaged and left missing, boots in tact, micro-bikini on top, micro-bikini on bottom
Despite her progress on the further removal of Chan's outfit, Ruby's rage wasn't entirely subsided. After all, she wasn't huddling, trying to hide her nakedness from the audience. Still, she was almost certainly down to the last layer, so she was making good progress. Speaking of which, said last layer left almost too little to the imagination... "Guess we know a thing or two about your personal grooming down there..."

She needed to be careful, though. A very large, very skilled fighter was still behind her, after all. But by now, she was highly aware of Carly's major flaw: her speed. Yes, she was big, had all the raw power in the world, and the technique to use it with. But the sheer size of of both the wielder and wielded meant there was a relative delay that a normal sized person didn't have to worry about, especially when they were wielding a lighter weapon...such as a fencing saber. She could also hear her heading her way, and because she could hear it, she had a very good idea of exactly where she was, without even looking. She'd be in range of that giant blade in 3...2...1...

"Excuse me for a sec."

She quickly flipped her weapon, such that she was now holding it in a reverse grip, albeit just as tightly as before. Without looking, she then lunged backward, towards her enemy...if she was correct in her judgement, Carly's hip was right there, which meant that her blade was perfectly positioned to sever that bikini bottom from it. Hardly a traditional fencing move, but this was hardly a traditional contest...so in a way, it fit perfectly.

She wasn't finished with the woman that dared make her hair whip, though, not by a long shot. As soon as her feet hit the floor, she sprung forward, and...past Chan? Short of putting distance between her and the serious competitor, Ruby would have to settle for putting the third fighter between them. And not content to not take another shot, she moved her blade up Chan's back, trying to snag a strip or two with her upturned blade, and complete her revenge. And yet...now that she was thinking a bit more coherently, what was it she'd splashed on her? It had to be something she'd use for cheating, there was no other explanation. And it was on her sword...but there was nothing she could do, unless the other competitors were willing to let her go wash her hair mid-match. And while she was certainly okay with someone needing to take such a break, they probably weren't quite as generous...she'd just have to deal with whatever happened.
"H-Ha! You're trying to make me meek, trying to throw me off my game! It won't work, Ruby, no it won't! A real SAWAD-Fest participant knows it's her duty to stay groomed for situations such as this!" Chan retorted, though, reading into it, she'd nearly just stated that she had planned to lose. One had to wonder if Carly adopted a similar principle, since there'd probably been fewer chances for the audience to find out in the past. At any rate, Ruby had more important things on her mind: namely, completing her vengeance. To do that, though, Ruby would have to first of all make sure she wasn't disrobed, knocked out, or decapitated on the road to that revenge.

By this train of thought, she decided to sense out Chan's attack and prepare to dodge, using her superior speed and light size. She had one thing right: her weapon was indeed the faster of the two. However, as she prepared to thrust, Benton's words would flash into her head again...

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Carly will not have the recovery time you expect. Her speed is superhuman... If you're going to take advantage of a window to attack it, expect it to be only half what a human ought to be able to do in that span of time.


Sure enough, by the time Ruby had twisted to do a backthrust, Carly was over her, the same gleaming eyes flashing from behind her heavy bangs that Ruby had seen earlier. "... You lose momentum when you change direction," she spoke simply, but it was hard to catch all of it amidst the action. The attack glanced off Carly's giant blade, causing Ruby's arms to shoot upward. She'd keep hold of her sword, but just barely. Worse, the blade would continue upward. The pressure of the swing was like having a near collision with a train. When it was done, both Ruby and Carly's arms were held in the air, but Ruby would be sans bikini, leaving her protection only a little better than what Chan had: a set of gold dragons, curled tight to cover the breasts on either side and loop around the back, locking tails. Their mouths were open towards each other, with a narrow, orange ribbon connecting either side around... but it was really mostly held on, seemingly, by gravity and being placed slightly above the furthest out point of the boobs. There wasn't chafing, which implied she might have something on beneath to prevent that... but there was also so much under, over, and center boob that it was hard to imagine what it could be. The crowd began cheering after a brief pause to make sure that Ruby wasn't going to fall in half then and there.

As disoriented as Ruby likely now was, her legs felt fine, so she managed to make a spring forward towards Chan, as she'd intended. The brief flash of Chan's face that Ruby saw looked very pleased; perhaps she'd convinced herself now that she had a chance, since her enemies seemed to have finally fallen in on fighting themselves. The truth would be much less fun for her: Ruby exacted a measure of revenge by thrusting her sword upward. Truth be told, the strap was too tight on Chan to actually fit under, but just running the dull blade across it seemed to be enough to cleave it in two. "Gyah!" the competitor cried, scrambling away from Ruby in a fit. The crowd gave another peel of applause, showing their approval. It looked like Ruby's stock was trending ever upward, based on the position of the flags.

When Ruby turned, she'd see that a bizarre situation had occurred: Chan appeared to be stumbling, sans top, unless their was something covering her that Ruby couldn't see from the back, straight into Carly's upraised arms. The two ladies collided, though neither fell over: Chan's face was buried in her near life-long rival's bosom. There were doubtless some things the announcer wanted to say about the situation, but Ruby would probably want to capitalize on the situation somehow rather than listen to them... Or perhaps look down at how much of her rather impressive breasts were now on display and decide if she really wanted to continue. If that wasn't quite enough, the wet flat of her hair was still slapping against her bottom and the effect was now evident... she could feel that the back loincloth that had been covering her had already burned away. It appeared that letting the moisture hit her costume a couple of times would be enough to burn the bikini away just like Carly's was being due to the earlier coating. The belt, which held the front loincloth on, would probably go soon. Thankfully, the tight bottom bikini was still mostly covering her, sans just the back cloth. The fingers clattered off of Carly's gloves noisily onto the floor, as if to emphasize the point.

Reference:
Ruby- Gloves broken except for rings around wrists, boots in tact, left pauldron broken in half, upper...dragons... in tact, lower loincloth exposed and burned off back, belt in tact but burnt
Carly- Right glove missing wrist, both missing fingers, one knee missing on left boot, bikini on top exposed, bikini on bottom exposed
Chan- Right glove damaged and left missing, boots in tact, ??? (possibly nothing) on top, micro-bikini on bottom
"...Oh, da-" Before Ruby could even let out a mild expletive, she found herself on the receiving end of a doozy of an attack. When all was said and done, she found herself perilously close to being topless...causing her face to turn as red as her namesake. Yet, curiously, it wasn't entirely due to embarassment. "Disappointing, Carly. You'd attack someone from behind, as their attention is focused on someone else? Seems I'm the only true knight among us..."

The self-proclaimed true knight proceeded to rend even more fabric away from the body of Chan, possibly rendering her topless. But since she scampered away so quickly, she couldn't actually tell if there might be something there. Speaking of which, she took a quick look down, noting just how much of her bosom was on full display...but, those dragons looked like they should be chafing something fierce. Was there something below even that? It couldn't be much, whatever it was...pasties, perhaps? Better than them rubbing on her unprotected, at least.

Still, though a bit humiliated by that last strike, Ruby had no intention of throwing in the towel. A true knight never fled, after all. Though, that fluid really, really made her want to go wash her hair before something happened. "Chan, I swear to God himself, if I so much as get a split end from this crap you poured on me, you're going to wish stripping you bare with a sword is the worst I do to you!" With that...noble?...declaration, she ran over to the other pair of women, sword at the ready. "And...balestra!" She jumped up, and began to rear back for a lunge...and reared...and reared...and as she landed next to Chan, it became clear that she wasn't going to lunge at all; instead, she twirled, and used her momentum to turn her not-a-thrust into an actual slash, to strike at the right side of Carly's bikini; because she was so much larger than her opponent (and her, for that matter), there was still a window to strike her remaining attire.

Once she'd finished that, she'd hop back away to put a little space between her and the others. Whatever Chan's fluid was, she decided that the best way to deal with it was to try and end things before it could do too much damage. And as she alluded to, it had better not do any damage at all to her hair...
"And yet, how easily you turned your back on the reigning SAWAD-Fest champion, Ruby," Carly retorted, brandishing her giant sword. There was no softness in her voice; she was a very severe woman. "Consider that you tread upon my own honor by that act. I respect the skill you've shown so far, but I won't simply stand aside while you worry about your hair."

Chan hugged herself tighter to Carly, as if for protection, which didn't seem to be amusing her opponent at all. "Bwah! Chill out, newbie! You're freaking me out!" she complained loudly. If the crowd felt similarly upset, they weren't showing it; the crowd only became more uproarious as armor kept coming off. Of course, calling it armor at this point was even more generous than it had been to start with.

Carly began tugging on Chan hard to try to get her to stop squeezing, only to realize that Ruby was coming in for another attack. Despite her words earlier, it seemed she was a little more sensitive about the honor thing than she'd let on; she finally wedged Chan away using her sword at the last minute. "I'm not using a human shield!" It was hard to tell if she was informing the judges so she wouldn't get disqualified or explaining it to the other girls. "You have to move and fight to stay in this, Chan!" Either way, she'd misinterpreted Ruby's intention, which had actually been to attack her rather than finishing off Chan. She had her hands up at the ready to deflect the attack by the time it got high, but it did manage to sever the lower portion. What was left underneath was a terribly thin chain around the waist, holding on a very tight silver bikini that really only worked to cover the front; the back was all thong.

Her face reddened to match Ruby's, adopting similar frustration as well. "No one's ever pushed me this far, Ruby... This will be a SAWAD-Fest to remember," she spoke dramatically. Punctuating that point, the fur bikini gave way at the center, possibly to Chan's acid coating, possibly to the laws of gravity. Beneath it was a silver top to match the bottom, mostly a very thin chain with one long bar of silver covering the important parts. It looked very strained. The girl's face became a bit redder still; she took a few steps further from Ruby and adopted a defensive stance. "A-A SAWAD-Fest... to remember," she stammered, suddenly sounding more girlish.

"Hee hee hee! My poison's finally got your number, Carly! This SAWAD-Fest will be- bwah!" Chan taunted, before collapsing to the floor just in time to avoid a giant, dangerous swing from Carly's sword. On one hand, Carly's recent damage had put her in a defensive state, but on the other hand, she didn't seem to be pulling her punches on the swings any more. A hit from that might really knock a competitor out. From this position, it was pretty clear that Chan's only top covering were two blue pasties, a little larger than band-aids, with "SAWAD" written on one and "FEST" on the other, all text in light green. It wouldn't even be possible to read unless one was as close as Ruby was. "Waha!" Chan laughed, slinging more of the acid from her sword onto Ruby. This time it would only hit her front rather than her hair, but she could already see the dragons starting to sizzle a bit. "I tell you two what! I have another formula that stops my acid! How about I give anyone who forfeits a dose, so you can preserve what little armor you have left? Those little doilies aren't going to stand up to my acid much longer! And who's to say if your official SAWAD-Fest modesty tape is going to survive the acid either?!"

"So... nobody's forfeiting yet?" the announcer asked inquisitively. "Great! This is our most exciting SAWAD-Fest ever!" The crowd cheered, indicating they felt the same way. It looked like Ruby had a healthy lead, based on banners. At this point, she could really afford to sit back and wait for the others to be disqualified on account of no armor left to lose, then win by point count. She wasn't entirely in the clear either though; the whip of hair that had been slapping her back finally took its tole on the belt, dropping the front loincloth as it went. She still had an orange, silken bikini covering the lower half, but she could feel that the back of said bikini had been burnt rather severely already and it was tight enough at a glance to suggest she wasn't going to get the benefit of another layer once it came off. She'd need to win quickly and decisively... or be comfortable with ending up stark naked and then just coast it out on her nice point lead.

Ruby- Gloves broken except for rings around wrists, boots in tact, left pauldron broken in half, upper...dragons... in tact but burning, lower bikini exposed and back badly burnt
Carly- Right glove missing wrist, both missing fingers, one knee missing on left boot, chain bikini on top exposed, chain bikini on bottom exposed
Chan- Right glove damaged and left missing, boots in tact, official SAWAD-FEST modesty tape on top, micro-bikini on bottom
Carly not using a human shield suited Ruby just fine; it just gave her a clearer path to deliver her strike. And while she didn't strike entirely true, her attack was effective enough to reveal even more of her rival. Enough that she actually put her on the defensive, just in time for the acid to do its thing. "Yeah...I really don't think I'll be forgetting this any time soon..."

The subsequent taunting from Chan brought ill will from both other competitors, though only one went on to try and deliver a blow. That one...wow, if that connected, good night. She found it hard to find much sympathy for the would-be knocked out woman, though, especially as more acid was splashed onto her. "Seriously? Chan, I have to ask. What, exactly, is your goal here? It can't be winning the competition...by now, it'd be obvious to a child that underhanded tactics aren't going to give you an official victory. It's almost like..." ...Oh. ...OH. "...L-Like you'd rather see the other competitors naked than win." It...would explain a lot, actually.

At any rate, Ruby took a moment to scoreboard glance. She had a healthy lead...she could probably just wait things out and get the victory. Yet...that went against everything she stood for. "So, I could absolutely sit back and wait things out, and most likely win by points that way. Yet, in a way, I'm not unlike Chan, in that a simple victory won't satisfy me. But in my case, it's because a true knight always fights until the battle is over, no matter what. There's no honor in being a coward. EVER." She shot a look at the announcer, wordlessly informing them that no, she would not be forfeiting. That meant giving up, and that was not something in her vocabulary.

But first, it was time to bring Chan's sad participation to an end. Gripping her blade tight, the modern knight rushed forward, ignoring any further desperate acid flinging, but knowing enough to parry any direct attack onto her. She would then deliver a speedy downward slash, intended to sever both the modesty tape, and the micro-bikini below, followed by a nearly identical upward attack, that would serve the same purpose as the other side. She'd then get plenty of distance, since if she got much more acid on her, she risked being in a similar state.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten Carly. But this way, she could finally bring her full focus onto her, and bring the competition to a swift end.
Chan continued smiling obliviously for a bit, before opening her eyes in a rare expression of puzzlement. "Oh, you think I...? No no, you are quite mistaken," the girl giggled, grinning again. "My feelings for Carly are nothing but those of an arch-rival. That said... you were kind of supposed to forfeit so I'd give you the anti-acid. I was still trying to actually win! Everything I do... it's all to topple Chan, put myself above her, and force her to kiss my bottom, as I become the new SAWAD-Fest champion!"

"... That's a rather vivid mental image," Carly remarked quietly.

"I'm not a lesbian, alright?!" Chan complained. "Not that there's anything wrong if you are, Ruby, or you, Carly!"

Carly's eyes widened for a moment, then she looked aside bashfully. The crowd gave a little whistle.

"Focus, dammit! All of you focus on SAWAD-Fest!" Chan ranted, shaking her fists in the air. The announcer wasn't on hand to glare at, but everyone seemed to share the sentiment that they'd prefer no forfeits. "Dammit! You know it's normal to forfeit at this point, right?! I'm being very courageous by continuing!" Ironically, she'd been very set off her game by all of the taunts at this point and was thus unprepared when Ruby slid in and attacked her. The micro-bikini fell away too, but bizarrely, the modesty tape held; it didn't even move. Her boobs just got a good whack instead. "You dummy! You're trying to take away my modesty tape too?! What kind of contest do you think this is?" she asked, covering the area between her legs to do at least a little bit of a better job than the strip of take there was. Ruby only had a moment to see that it was essentially another sticker with "SAWAD-FEST" printed down it.

"Er, yes... I suppose someone should have explained to you, Ruby, that the weapons aren't designed to cut the modesty tape and modesty tape isn't designed to be cut. You peel it off after the contest, privately. I assure you, it's stuck on quite securely," Carly commented. "That said, Chan is now officially disqualified. She can't continue with just her modesty tape."

"B-Bah! I lost!" Chan griped, still stuck in an awkward limbo pose from when she was slashed. The cameras were busily trying to get angles of her before she got to her feet, covered herself with her hands, and shuffled awkwardly towards the curtain. "Another SAWAD-Fest, gone! And you ruined it for me, Ruby! This was my big scheme, it was going to work this time! Consider yourself my new rivalry! Me, you, and Carly will have a glorious threesome in the future!" Another big peel of applause.

Carly's face reddened, but she looked back to Ruby. Just then, two big things happened: namely, the chain on her top gave way, leaving her just the modesty tape, which actually had to be double-applied in two strips on each side, probably because she had a larger surface to cover than Chan. The reddening continued until one could practically see the steam coming up from beneath the bushy mop of her hair. "R-Ruby... You're a good competitor... And I may have to resign myself to failure... But if I do, I'll go out fighting!" she cried, running forward and hoisting her giant sword into the air above her head. It was an inspiring sight, but also a horrifying one, up close. If Ruby got smashed by that, she was probably going to be feeling it for the next couple of days, and she'd already seen that all reason had been driven out of Carly's head, given her last swipe. She might need to be a bit unconventional to get out of this bulldozing.

Of course, Ruby's top was in much the same case as Carly's, so it popped off during the middle of Carly's address, revealing a similar application of tape on Ruby's sizeable bosom. If Ruby's hair flipped up, it would be revealed that her bikini bottom wasn't doing much better: the front was hanging off like a loincloth now, only it was just the tape underneath, and the bottom was bare with only one string of silk fabric across the hips and one struggling to stay harnessed around the right cheek. Her right pauldron also gave way from its attachment point, but nobody was really looking like that.

The announcer was saying something now about the end of the contest, but it was hard to pay any attention to it given the circumstances.

Ruby- Gloves broken except for rings around wrists, boots in tact, left pauldron broken in half, right pauldron off, official SAWAD-FEST modesty tape on top, lower bikini exposed and back burnt off
Carly- Right glove missing wrist, both missing fingers, one knee missing on left boot, official SAWAD-FEST modesty tape on top, chain bikini on bottom exposed
Chan- Right glove damaged and left missing, boots in tact, official SAWAD-FEST modesty tape on top, official SAWAD-FEST modesty tape on bottom, out of the contest
Huh, so she was wrong. Apparently. Ruby shrugged; it didn't really matter if Chan was or wasn't, but that just brought her back to square one. Why would one go so far to cheat like that in a contest that clearly valued honor? She definitely agreed with Carly on one thing, though..."Yeah, I don't think that really helped your case any...but anyway, I'm not here because of the other scantily clad women. I came here to champion my cause, nothing more!" The suddenly whistling made her take a quick look around, not entirely sure why it happened. "...What? Did I say something odd just then?"

That said, the nearly disqualified woman brought the focus back to the event, snapping the knight back to laser focus once again. Upon noting her 'courage', however, she shook her head, with a sad smile. "Yes, but that's the problem...it's the only way you've shown courage. Your lack of confidence in your blade work leads you to pull off scheme after scheme, and it's never worked once. As long as you lack that faith in your sword arm..." She started her rush, and began her attack. "...You'll never defeat Carly!" Slash! "Or me!" Slash! ...Huh? That tape held? Against that sort of attack? "That...is some tape..."

She got an explanation about the tape, which actually made Ruby take a moment to look at her sword. She was hardly upset, though. "Heh, to make a sword that specifically can't cut one thing...Benton, you're an even better swordsmith than I realized!" More importantly, it was now one on one. Her versus the current champion. Still, she spent a moment to watch Chan scuttle off. "Remember what I said, Chan. Take that time you'd spend on your next scheme, and do more training. Only then can we have that glorious three way!" She immediately facepalmed, not very happy about her wording.

Or about the subsequent loss of attire on both sides. She quickly joined Carly in adopting a tomato-like color scheme, until she was practically the same color as her hair. It took a good deal of effort to not cover herself up, despite the fact that her chest was on full display in front of who knew how many people (aside from the tape, which did...less than a stellar job). Still, she had a battle to focus on. "You know, Carly...I wonder how this would've turned out if it wasn't for the acid? Would things have turned out-" She cut herself short as the large woman took a last stand, and prepared to deliver a blow that'd probably put her in the hospital if it hit directly. But it was all strength, with what appeared to be little skill and tact put into it, and Ruby knew how to handle those from her days on the force. But because of what she knew about her opponent, she knew to make it quicker. Wait half the time she normally would...sidestep, and use her momentum to get behind...and while she'd normally smack them unconscious, she needed to alter that tactic, and so she thrust slightly to the side, to undo Carly's bikini bottom, and put any doubt to rest as to who the SAWAD-Fest champion would be.

Of course, that was only if she managed to pull it off. Knowing what to do was one thing, but executing was another entirely.
Ruby had a sound idea, moving early to get behind Carly's full speed charge. On the other hand, Carly's body didn't stop moving at 2x her apparent speed just with her legs; her arms began to bring the sword down to about half height. There wasn't time to move out of the way and, instead of getting around to the other side, Ruby felt the blunt sword connect with her stomach, a sensation as though a charging football player had just jumped, speared his shoulder directly into her gut, then somehow kept that momentum and flown through the air, carrying her backwards. Pretty painful, though surprisingly not the floor-splitting force it looked like it would be earlier. Perhaps the stage was made out of prop material too?

At any rate, it still hurt a lot, but it wouldn't hurt Ruby's points or gain Carly any, presumably. Regardless, Carly dropped her sword pretty quick once she realized what she'd done, but also, because both of their bikinis gave out well before they actually connected, leaving the two of them wearing only bits of various armor and modesty tape. The giant woman took a moment to move her giant hands between her legs, but as Ruby fell to the floor, she'd see that Carly had probably not worried about her grooming habits too much, given that she'd never actually lost before. Ruby's ears would be ringing as the announcer shouted and the crowd roared loudly; looking upward, though, she would see her own golden dragon banner displaying prominently, showing that she must have won the contest.

After a bit, Carly resolved to use just one hand to cover and leave her breasts and butt relying only on the tape, so that she could help Ruby back to her feet. An excellent show of sportsmanship, to be sure. the announcer's voice was now possible to make out. "The runaway victor of her very first SAWAD-Fest, Ruby Knighton! For first place, we've prepared a netbattler's bounty of chips and zenny. Also, of course, a moment to promote the organization of her choice with the victor's seal of approval!"

With a smile and a very red face, Carly gave Ruby a gentle pack on the back, then quickly scurried off the stage. From the back, without the modesty tape, she looked completely naked. Ruby would have to remember that; she did indeed have all the time she wanted now to speak, but she was doing it all covered mostly by a few pieces of tape, as the last of her extraneous, acid-washed armor continued to rattle off. Benton came out too, both presenting her the package she'd been promised and raising her arm, which was probably more annoying than anything, as she might have needed that to cover up a bit. He raised a microphone so that she could speak with some volume. Once she was done, he lowered her arm and retracted the microphone, as the audience continued cheering (presumably, unless she'd just heel-turned or something). "Very well done, Ruby. I've finally found the ultimate champion to wield my arms and armor. It's only a shame you weren't wearing the armor to the last," he commended her, although his eyes were still focused mostly downward, sort of disproving the idea that the armor was the part of Swords and Armor Women he Appreciated. "I'd like you to keep that sword as well, if you're interested. Of course, it's mostly a prop. The armor I made, as I mentioned before, were props designed to be destroyed; it won't have much of an effect in most cases. And be sure to hide it if you leave the Electown otaku district, ordinary policemen wouldn't let it slide, I'd imagine. Oh, and Ruby... You are an exquisite swordswoman." Kind words, but again, his eyes were on her boobs. "I hope you'll grace us with another SAWAD-Fest appearance in the future. With the success of today's event, we may even be able to increase demand and find a new venue. The next SAWAD-Fest could be a grand event indeed."

Ruby might have more to say, or she might be ready to go ahead and get back into some clothes, finally. If she wanted to do the latter, she could head backstage the way she'd came, and would find her original clothes in the spot where she left them.

*Ruby gets 2750z, FireSword x1, and Benton's fancy prop sword*
...Somehow, Ruby seemed to undersell the mighty blow, with a simple "Oof!" as she was hit, and bounced back up rather quickly. But it didn't last, as she dropped to one knee, wincing in pain. "Okay, that hurt...pretty sure nothing's broken, but oww..." On the plus side, her position mostly blocked off the fact that, much like Carly, she hadn't banked on being stripped to such a point today.

She looked up as the crowd started to roar, and noting that solely her own banner was being displayed. The announcer helpfully flat out said as much, too. It was over, with her as the victor. She let out a sigh of relief, then noted the other fighter, ready to help her up...she eagerly took up that chance, still reeling a bit from that last blow. Keeping up the sportsmanship theme, she held on to her hand and shook it, before letting go. "Let's do this again sometime, Carly! Hopefully we can do it without any...outside interference!" By which she meant acid. That was just awful.

As the other swordswoman turned around, Ruby instantly flinched, as it made her realize her own armor condition, or lack thereof. Thankfully, one advantage she had over Carly was her hair, as it comfortably covered her butt from any viewing. Though, speaking of hair, that tape wouldn't cover her down there, would i-NOPE. At this exact moment, she received a package from Benton, who raised one her arms up. This was indeed less than great for her, but she made do by crossing her legs and hugging the package against her chest, which was about as much coverage as she was going to be able to get. Wait, a microphone? She couldn't get dressed first? Crap. Well, she couldn't say nothing, it'd ruin the point of her doing it to begin with. She'd have to grin and bear it. At least she was free to have her face be as red as her hair. "Thank you all! I'm truly honored to be your champion...and it'll be my honor to defend the title next time! And...please, support the New Officials! Even if you aren't up for joining, or have the money to help us out in that way...let us know if you ever have a problem! It's why we exist, it only takes a couple of minutes, and we'd be honored to aid such big fans of the sword!" She went on to give out the address to their homepage, and she was done. Admittedly, between her state of undress and the joy of winning, it was sorta difficult to say a whole lot at the moment.

She got slightly annoyed at Benton as his eyes were very clearly focused on a certain aspect of her that wasn't anywhere on her face (and a part of her she was trying to cover, but their size was making it a little hard to completely cover with only one arm of support...but did perk up when he mentioned she could keep the sword. "Really? I'd love that! It's too bad I can't replace my plastic sword with it, though!" He was right, though, getting it home could be a hassle. Still worth it, though. "Heh, thanks...honestly, I was kinda worried I'd be a little rusty, since I haven't had a ton of practice time lately. But swordsmanship is like riding a bike, it seems!"

As much as she now wanted to rush back and put some clothes on, though, she had an even more pressing concern at the moment. "Hey, Benton? Surely there's a shower in here that I can use before I get dressed, right? I've GOT to get this stuff out of my hair!"
"You heard it here, folks: support the New Officials, and you'll be supporting our new SAWAD-Fest champ, Ruby Knighton!" the announcer concluded, to which the crowd applauded in response.

On stage, Benton shrugged, then gave Ruby a warm smile, finally getting his eyes off of her boobs for a moment. "Ha ha, rust is detestable. But you have no rust to speak of at all, Ruby. Your training still serves you well and we were all quite privileged to see it." He stood still for a moment when Ruby asked for a shower, then closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and returned to smiling. "A shower, of course. Ordinarily it's not such a concern, but this was both physical and... wet, given Chan's interference." He placed his hands into the pocket of his apron and turned, leading her backstage. "We do have a shower back at our headquarters, of course, but there's no need to go all the way back there. Having rented out the avenue, we also have access to the showers. Simply head backstage, all the way back, and you'll find some showers. VIP ones, too... they should be quite nice. Oh, and I'll collect your things and bring them here. It's the least I can do, to thank you for your fine performance."

Once she was on her way, Benton would take to stage left. The backstage area was pretty empty; not even the announcer could be seen, which really begged the question of where they'd been during the whole show. Once she got back to the shower room, she'd find that it was just as nice as advertised... All the amenities as far as sinks and stalls, but also closets stocked with white and pink towels, which seemed freshly laundered, as well as soap and shampoo. The tile was white and pristine. Notably, however, the room was also occupied. One of the showers was running. Fortunately, Ruby didn't have to guess who it was using it: Carly Cnut was slightly stooped, washing her hair inside one of the stalls. She was so tall that she was having to slouch in order to get the water over her hair, and the wall was so low that Ruby could see her shoulders up. She'd also see that the modesty tape had been left inside one of the wastebaskets, if she cared to look. Some fresh clothes, which included black jeans and a button-up shirt, were waiting on the sink, though who had provided them to her was anyone's guess.

Her face still looked pretty red, either from the heat of the shower or possibly because she was still dealing with her frustrations with the event. Ruby could take the shower to either Carly's right or her left. There were curtains, so she wouldn't end up looking in on Carly either way. The large girl didn't seem to have seen Ruby enter, regardless, so she'd probably not know Ruby's identity unless she spoke up.
"Thanks, but honestly? I'm still not sure The Red Fang of Death is back just yet...but maybe I'm just holding myself to impossibly high standards." Wouldn't be the first time. At any rate, the fact that there were showers brought Ruby a big sigh of relief, since it dawned on her that if she didn't take a shower, that acid would wreak havoc on her regular attire. And that armor was custom made, and kind of expensive. There was no replacing that, especially on her current budget.

Fortunately, the shower area was as nice as Benton had claimed, complete with amenities. She snagged a bottle of shampoo and some soap, as well as two towels, only to notice that a shower was already being used. She had a guess on who was using it, and a simple look confirmed that, yep, it was Carly. She kinda wanted to say something, but in her experiences, people you just defeated in combat didn't usually like it when you tried to make small talk with them afterward. She'd let her be, at least for now.

With that, Ruby headed left, set her chosen methods of obtaining cleanliness in the shower, and before heading in, started pulling off the modesty tape. It...came off easier than she expected, especially the lower one. And...into the trash they went. Now she just needed to walk sideways into the stall...and there. The tape was off and already disposed of, and thanks to her hair, no one would've seen that she was naked.

Once inside, she turned the water on, making it nice and hot. Mmm, that always felt good after a bout. But she couldn't enjoy it just yet, thanks to Chan...it took a good chunk of the bottle, but she managed to get her hair into a nice lather, and subsequently rinsed. And...repeat! ...And, so much for that shampoo bottle. Silky smoothness came at a cost.

Now she could take a bit to enjoy the hot water...wait, there was still that acid on her body, which could touch her hair. Nope, not yet. She grabbed the soap, and started lathering her body. Start with her neck, her arms...whoops! It slipped from her grip, but fortunately, managed to land in her cleavage and get stuck. She took a moment to just...look at it stuck there, somewhat amused at the sort of luck that made that happen. Oh well, that needed washing, too...now, for the rest of her chest...her stomach...her back...her legs...also, the butt. That probably got as much acid on her from her hair as anywhere else.

Okay, NOW she could just let the water flow down her body, removing the suds, and just generally feeling good. She wondered...was it possible that DragonMan had found a broadcast of SAWAD-Fest as he was working? He probably would've enjoyed an exhibition like that, on every level. Too bad she couldn't have brought him. On that note, he was probably done by now, and had nothing to do. She could count on him to not destroy the homepage that represented the fruits of their hard work, but...she should probably go back as soon as she was able. The New Officials didn't need the area around the link to be a fiery wasteland.

With that thought, once it was clear that every external inch of her was squeaky clean, Ruby shut off the water, and made use of the towels; one for her body, and one just for her hair. She wrapped both around the areas they were used for (though the latter wasn't quite covering things 100%), and took a peek outside. She hadn't heard Benton at all...did he leave her things without a sound? Or was he just not there yet?
Ruby was able to make her way into the shower without Carly noticing, but once Ruby turned the shower on, her presence was revealed. The woman in the other shower opened her eyes under the water, though Ruby wouldn't see unless she looked. Carly was so tall that a simple look to her right would reveal Ruby's red hair; at that point, it was doubtless who was in the other shower. The red across Carly's face spread, while she tried to finish up quickly and towel herself off. Either due to reasons Ruby had speculated earlier or perhaps because sensing it was appropriate since Ruby hadn't addressed her, Carly kept her thoughts to herself while she dried.

When Ruby peeked outside, Carly was back inside her shower room, though she appeared to have grabbed her clothes during the interim. Ruby, however, would find none waiting for her. It would be easy enough to assume that Benton hadn't made it back yet; she'd taken a pretty quick shower and he'd have at least a little trek back to the office to get her clothes.

The other girl emerged from her shower, now fully dressed. In jeans and a t-shirt, she looked like an entirely different person, but a body like hers couldn't be hidden; the shape of her muscles and curves showed through the tight clothing. In contrast to that imposing body, her face reddened and turned into a girlish smile as she waved sheepishly at Ruby's face, peeking from the shower. "Hello Ruby. Good work at SAWAD-Fest today... So... Goodbye," she finished, giving another very awkward wave before heading out.

Carly spoke to someone just outside the door as she left. A short moment after she was gone, another person entered. Alarmingly, it appeared to be Benton; he'd entered despite proper decorum... although, technically, this wasn't a VIP "women's" shower room, but rather, unisex. Or was it? The pink towels had implied otherwise. At any rate, he came in, carrying her clothes in his arms, very neatly folded. If he was the one carrying them, he'd probably seen all of them... which begged the additional content if he'd washed and folded them. The armor pieces were placed atop the pile.

Benton would see her face peeking out of the shower curtain, though she might choose to withdraw it for modesty's sake. His face had his usual smile, pleasant but aloof, and he walked further in to stand in front of the mirror. "My SAWAD-Fest champion! I've brought you your things, just out the dryer. I apologize for the wait," he spoke softly. "I wanted to give your armor a polishing as well, but I know how one gets a sort of fatherly- or motherly- feeling towards armor one shares a high Armor Bond with. I wouldn't want anyone but me polishing my equipment. Still, if you were so inclined, I'd relish the chance to put hands upon your breastplate."

With that ominous sentence, he appeared to actually be walking towards the shower, with that same bold confidence he'd patted down her bikini armor earlier. She might want to object and insist he leave those things outside instead; his hand was already reaching out about chest-height to pull the curtain aside.
...Bummer. None of her clothes in sight. Seemed like Benton hadn't brought them over yet. Maybe she took a quicker shower than she thought? Well, whatever. It wasn't like she was in a huge hurry, though DragonMan would probably like her back sooner rather than later. And in that moment, Carly popped out, thankfully fully dressed. She seemed kinda nervous still, though...she really should say something about that. "Hey, Carly? There's no need to be embarrassed. If anything, after an intense fight like that, we should be friends! Sound good?" She left, but Ruby sent her off with a far less awkward wave.

After a moment of what seemed to be talking, someone else came in...Benton? Wait, wasn't this a women's shower room? ...Oh well, no one else was in there at the moment, so it didn't really hurt anything. "Hey there! ...No need to apologize, but you really didn't have to do that. They got washed just a couple of days ago." She nodded at his comments about her armor; he was right about her not wanting anyone else to polish it, but not for the reasons he was thinking. "I appreciate that...I actually use a special kind of polish on it, that gives it a nice shine, but also doesn't make it reflect too much light. Don't wanna blind people when I walk down the street, you know?" ...That said, he really had a gift for saying things in the most awkward way imaginable. He meant that for when she wasn't wearing said breastplate, right? ...Right?

Either way, before he could open the curtain, Ruby herself did so; the towel covered more than those strips ever did, so she didn't really need to be embarrassed about that. She extended her arms to take her attire, then wait for him to leave...assuming he left. "Thanks, Benton. I'll be out to say goodbye after I put this all on, so...wait outside, okay? I don't need any help putting on this armor, it's made so one person can easily put it on themselves." And she had enough practice to do it in her sleep. Heck, there was that one time she may well have. Either way, she'd wait to make sure he actually left before starting to redress.
"Y-Yes, it was very intense and very good... I mean, it would be good. To be friends, I mean..." Carly babbled in response, before smiling and very quickly taking off. She seemed to be pretty shy when she wasn't on the stage.

Someone who was far less shy entered next; he raised one hand and shook his head. "No, it's fine... A champion deserves no less than freshly laundered clothing," Benton assured her as he handed over the pile of clothes and armor. He showed his usual level of tact when it came to encounters with Ruby's impressive bust, which was to say, none at all, his eyes clearly south of her face as she peeked out in her towel. "I must say... It's been a while since we've had such an impressive fighter grace SAWAD-Fest. Carly has always been the champion and her talents and physique have always been a head above the rest. You, however, are a worthy adversary for her, and quite to my liking as well. I feel like my passion for the 'W' of 'SAWDS' is newly rekindled."

He chuckled, then stepped back. "I was thinking you might say that, though I hoped you wouldn't. It would be a true honor to help a SAWAD-Fest champion into her armor. The Cnuts have been champion and champion's manager for so long, you see. At any rate... I shall see you outside." He dragged himself away from Ruby's towel-clad form, finally, and waited just outside the room. At that point, Ruby could get dressed and, at long last, again feel what it was like to wear clothing over the majority of her body.

When she was finished and stepped back outside, presumably carrying the new model sword, Benton would give her a quick nod. "SAWAD-Fest will be eager to host you again in the future, Ruby. I expect our next campaign will be better funded, and, as a result, a better opportunity for advertisement and prizes. I'm sure there's more glory to be had," he explained to her. "I'm also interested to see what will become of Carly. She's never had to react to a loss before... I wonder if it will dampen her spirit, or if she'll work harder than ever to develop her proficiency and showmanship. Of course, I'm hoping for the latter, even if it makes things a bit more challenging for my own champion... Competition is the heart of SAWAD-Fest, and the conduit that grants it its beauty." It seemed like he could go on forever talking about SAWAD-Fest without actually coming out and saying he was excited about the boobs.

There was little more to do than for Ruby to finish up and head out, now. Even the crowds around the stage were mostly dissipating now. It seemed Chan wasn't going to show her face again for today.
Hmm. Nervousness talking to someone you lost to was one thing, but Carly was acting...slightly odd. Maybe she was shy? Granted, most would be shy after enduring what they had...ah well. She wasn't about to pry, so Ruby let her leave without further remark.

Unfortunately for Benton, as she accepted her clothes and armor, she held them such that it was mostly covering her chest from view. Oddly, his remarks seemed to make her frown, instead of puffing her up like was probably expected. "Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if that's why I won. She had the strength and skill in spades...but she wasn't able to counter my tactics, probably because she wasn't used to someone able to pull that off, and especially not someone with my speed. I might've won, but it shows that I still have much to work on to master the sword."

"Well, anyway..." She returned to smiling, and looked down at her attire. "I'd like to put this on. See you in a few!" Once Benton was out, she closed the shower curtain (just in case), and...

...A few minutes later, Ruby walked out of the room, armor and all. While her plastic sword was the one by her hip, she was carrying her present with great care. "Don't worry, like I said, I don't plan on leaving my title undefended! As for Carly...I really hope it's the latter. A loss is always tough to swallow, but it's also a great way to find out your strengths and shortcomings. But after crossing swords with her, I know she's far from peaking as a swordswoman, and I'd like to take her on as she comes closer to scaling that peak! Of course, I don't plan on standing pat, myself..." ...Well, it was that time. "Speaking of, I should probably stop standing around and go placate my undoubtedly extremely bored Navi with the great chip I got for winning. Seriously, DragonMan's gonna love it. Ciao!" And off she went, and probably much to Benton's disappointment, that meant walking away, her proud, upthrust bosom being blocked by the rest of her body.

(LEAVING)
((Ruby gets the following FXP, to take or leave as she pleases:

Carl's navi: 3 FXP
Benton's navi: 23 FXP
Carly's navi: 17 FXP
Chan's navi: 2 FXP))