Jazzhands!: Madison Freebird vs. Felicity Ada

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

It could just be one of those days, you know the kind. You wake up in the morning and try to go about your business, but you just don't have the motivation. Life as you know it is just a chore; unrewarding and devoid of any happiness and satisfaction.

Story of my life ever since joining the Dajas Pagoda.

The more I fought, the more I realized how much I disliked it. Each "student" that I "taught" left me increasingly bored with my surroundings. My heart just wasn't as much into combat as it was back when I was younger. Back then I wouldn't hesitate to kill, but as I grew older I realized that being an assassin was not something I wanted to be tied down to for the rest of my life. To make matters worse, I was elected into joining Imperial's army, thanks to Joshua assface Cronen. Part of me believes that he did it out of spite, to get a bit of subtle revenge for biting him in his meat and potatoes by being in charge of the upcoming boot camp.

I received the notice several days ago that I was to fight a woman named Felicity Ada. I stepped through the modest blue portal that lead to my own personal space in the Pagoda, my dear monochrome carnival. But tonight, something was different. Near the end of the midway sat a makeshift stage, where a live band was performing. There were six ghosts on stage, playing their non-existent hearts out. The tune was a very fast one; the trumpeter's fingers moving in a lightning-fast blur as he pressed the three valves up and down, pounding out the stream of arpeggiating notes way to fast for me to discern any sort of rhythm and structure. Two of his buddies were backing him up on saxophone, while the guitarist was trying to keep up with the matching chords. The bassist's hands barely moved up and down the neck of his instrument, while the drummer was off doing his own thing. But despite the sheer chaos of their performance, it still managed to be entertaining to listen to. This must be the "jazz" that the spiritual patrons of my little carnival were talking about as they flocked over to the stage.

I myself sat on top of the wooden roof of one of the game stalls as the concert went on below. It was nighttime in my carnival, yet the lights shone brightly in their many shades of gray. I could clearly see all of the rides; the roller coaster that wrapped itself around the perimeter of the arena, the ferris wheel, and the tilt-a-whirl. The vantage point gave me the perfect spot to brood about my path in life, as I was above all the noise and the commotion.

A certain thought crossed my mind. Whoever Felicity is, I kind of hoped that she would be strong and cunning enough to take my Warrior title from me, that way I could get on with my life. In particular, I've been having this wild dream lately about opening a rare book store in Radasanth, splitting my time between actually running the shop and venturing out to find various things to stock the shelves with. Already, I've begun some research on various mages and chemists who have recorded their discoveries while volunteering at the library in Scara Brae.

I rapped my fingers on the wooden roof of the game stall as my thoughts began to wander. Yes, a loss would be good for me right now. I'm sick of fighting, I'm sick of who I've become. Soon, a new Madison Freebird would be born.

The band below wrapped up their song, immediately moving into a softer, slower number. "Don't disappoint me, Felicity," I thought out loud as a sad smile crossed my lips.

[Rogue Virus]

The swirling, blue portal hadn't moved. Felicity hadn't expected it to, but she arrived early for a battle she knew nothing about. All she could do was stand there and wait. The Dajas Pagoda was new to her, the world of Althanas was new to her; she had become more interested in the place she was sent to by the man that 'hired' her. He was probably pretty mad that she never returned. Felicity began learning more about her surroundings, mainly those details about battling, fighting. For whatever reason, it was one of the only things that kept her attention. The rush of staying on her toes, keeping a keen eye on her opponent, or opponents. She didn't know why, but there was no use in questioning it, either. Felicity just did. When she first started learning about the Scara Brae, it gave her the chance to learn more about what she was going to shortly get herself into. Admittedly, however, she was skipping details along the way to get to the key points: Dajas Pagoda, battle, one-on-one fight, unlimited arena.

You really should step into... this. It's time. Still, her legs wouldn't move. What was she getting herself into? She didn't even know. Felicity had ignored many of the details people could share with her because she was too involved with thoughts of a battle. Stupid. Before she could decide giving it more thought, Felicity threw herself into the portal. She felt a sharp whip in her chest and her eyes were forced shut. Within moments, the sharpness was gone and there was a soft sound of music coming from somewhere. Opening her eyes, Felicity was met with... a carnival. A grey carnival. That seemed obscure. She shut her eyes again, wondering if it was actually just her. Though, upon reopening her eyes, there was still shades of grey covering everything. It was rather depressing, and very strange. The music seemed to add to the melancholy atmosphere around her, and as if it were a voice were calling to her, she followed the haunting melody.

The rides that loomed over her were fascinating. She had never seen things like them, that she remembered, in any case. The only reason Felicity recognized it as a carnival were the stands for food and games. She heard people refer to such places as one, but the rides were new to her. She wondered what they might look like in color, what anything might look like in color. The music began to get louder, and the thoughts of color left her, looking down the end of her path to see a group of ghostly-looking individuals. Was this a cemetery of sorts? A place for the non-living who weren't ready to move on? ... Was she fighting someone dead? Was that even possible?! Cautiously, Felicity got closer to the stage and crowd, her eyes on the figures creating the music.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

The trumpeter bobbed and weaved in time to his slow, sad tune. There was something about his song that pulled at my heart, it was as if I could picture in my mind what kind of heartbreak he went through that inspired his melancholy song. It was quite mesmerizing, a complete contrast to the organized musical chaos that the band last played. I laid on my back, glancing upwards at the small white stars that dotted the crystal clear sky, half wishing that I could stay in my little arena forever.

I heard the unmistakable whoosh that signaled that my opponent had finally arrived. Felicity Ada, the next name on my list of "students", as the management of the Dajas Pagoda puts it. As usual, I knew nothing about tonight's opponent. She could be an expert swordswoman, a cunning strategist, a powerful magic-wielder, or even a complete dunce. But no matter the case, and in spite of my own feelings, I still had to stay at the top of my game and show her what it means to be a Warrior of the Pagoda.

Sitting up again, I used my spot on top of one of the booths to scout around for the challenger. Everywhere I looked I could only see the spirits of the carnival dwellers as the flashing lights of the rides and booths gave them a more ethereal look. Little kids asking their mothers for just a few more gold pieces so they can play one more game, young couples aimlessly walking hand in hand around the carnival, the occasional grumpy old man seated on a bench, spitting dark tobacco juice onto the dirt next to him. That's the trouble with this place, I thought to myself as I brushed a small bit of dirt off my vlince dress. It's damn near impossible to find anyone here.

I inched myself towards the edge of the stall and jumped to the ground. The shock of landing caused me to wince as it sent a minute wave of pain up my legs. Perhaps I should exercise a bit more, I used to be so much more acrobatic back when I running missions with my brothers. I slowly stood up, turning around to see if I could find Felicity from down here. My eyes fell upon the stage once again; they were still playing the same sad song. I also noticed something strange off to the side, something opaque. There was no mistaking it, the figure I was looking at was my opponent. She was a little bit shorter than me, and her dark hair freely fell down her back. Due to her strict nothing-but-black dress code, I wouldn't have seen her at all had the lights not been on and flashing manically. I also noticed that she had two nice sized broadswords strapped to her back. Note to self: Avoid those things at all costs.

Dozens of thoughts entered my mind. She seemed entranced by the music, which made a stealthy approach that much easier. I could've strolled right up and planted a dagger right in an artery, or maybe wrap my wire around her neck and pull hard. But, that wouldn't be sporting of me, now would it? She paid some hard earned gold for a chance to face off against me, so I might as well give her a fight to remember.

I pursed my black lips and gave a whistle that cut through the noise of the carnival. "Hello, Felicity. My name is Madison Freebird, Warrior of the Dajas Pagoda. Unless you have something to say first, let's get this fight over with."

[Rogue Virus]

The whistle cut through every sound, and the gray figures looked at the one who caused their sudden stop in enjoyment. Felicity assumed they didn't have much of it, though what did she know of this place? She wondered if there was somewhere they had to go to fight, or if this was it... or if the battle was next on the list of these ghosts enjoyment. Could she actually have just wounded, or even killed, Felicity already? She had been so enthralled with the music, that for a split second, she forgot why she was here. This... Madison Freebird... her name didn't reflect that of a person who might be a Warrior. Though, Felicity was proof enough to never judge a book by its cover. The broadswords on her back spoke that very loudly. Felicity tried to read the young woman's features, making mental notes of her muscles, of what she could see. Even her eyes may give away a few hints to the type of fighter she was. She was obviously in a rush, or perhaps annoyed. Madison got right to the point, so Felicity did not disappoint her.

The two broadswords were released from their sheathes as she moved to face Madison in a straight line. The figures moved out of their way, though them standing in the line of fire would not have made much difference. She twirled the swords with ease, watching her carefully. Felicity had no idea what to expect: spells? swords? The idea slightly worried her, but she would not show it. The woman seemed strong, and Felicity did not want her to think that she was weak against her. Or at least, she could put up a fight. The area was quiet, and Felicity watched her opponent so intently.

"Ready when you are, Madison Freebird," Felicity said softly, almost to herself.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Slightly amused, I watched as my opponent began swinging her broadswords around. My previous self-doubts melted away as the carnival lights flashed many shades of gray against the moving steel. I may not like it, but I exist to fight, to kill. I just have to learn to accept that. A rush of energy burst through my veins, giving me the will to fight with all that I have. I wondered how strong she must be in order to dual wield weapons that big. It looks like the Pagoda finally sent me a worthy adversary. Felicity's dark eyes were locked onto my own, studying me, trying to predict what I would do in our little battle. But, I had a feeling that the swords made this woman a one trick pony.

My slight smile disappeared; it seems that the monks still think I'm a little green after all. Well, we'll change that outlook tonight.

I just have to get past those giant things first.

Near my feet sat a stone about half the size of my fist. A plan instantly formed in my mind: If I could just use the momentum of the swords against her, I could easily get in there and pummel the girl into oblivion. Weapons that big don't mean shit if you don't have the space to use them in. I knelt over, quickly snatching the rock up. I lightly tossed it in the air a couple times, then threw it with as much power as I could muster at Felicity. The stone whizzed through the air as it left my palm. The way I saw it, she had two options: Knock the rock out of the air or sidestep it, and if I was right, both tactics would distract her and leave her open for a fist to the face.

I broke out into a full run after the airborne stone, balling up my right fist and pulling it back, ready to drive it in Felicity's face like a piston.

[Rogue Virus]

The woman across from her wore a dress. A rather form-fitting dress. There wasn't much room to hide anything larger than shurukins , or daggers; nasty little things that got straight to the point. Literally - they got the job done in distracting their target. Is that what she was picking up? Or was that something else? A rock? A piece of glass? Whatever it was, Felicity was sure she would see the foreign object coming at her. She was hoping that Madison wouldn't call out the aid of her ghostly mates and they would suddenly attack, or perhaps throw her weapons. One thing Felicity had learned about the Dajas Pagoda was that anything went. One could never have the same fight, twice. It would have been impossible with so many different fighters, so many different styles, so many different ideas and techniques. So far, Madison seemed like a fighter that Felicity could take on, but one could never judge a book by their cover.

There was a confidence in Madison that veiled her. Hopefully it didn't mean that she knew something Felicity didn't. Though, before she could think over the issue anymore, she saw the mystery object flying at her. Being a bit far away, she had time to figure out what was coming. However, the gray made it very difficult. Whatever it was, it didn't seem large enough, or deadly enough, to cause too much harm. In quick response, used to things flying at her, Felicity put up one broadsword to stop the flying object. She didn't even notice, right away, that Madison was following closely behind. She didn't know what her opponent in mind, but to be on the safe side, she extended her other broadsword straight out in front of her to keep Madison from coming much closer until Felicity was ready for her to do so.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

As I expected, the woman blocked the flying rock with one of her swords. The stone politely panged off the side of the steel blade, falling harmlessly back towards the ground. I was swiftly closing the gap between us, something that Felicity also noticed. In an attempt to keep me away, she merely lowered the tip of her sword and was probably hoping that I would impale myself on it.

How... amateurish. I really wanted to just shout something at her, something biting and witty about how to fight, but I was too busy guessing how many teeth of hers I could knock out with a single punch.

Reading her movement like a book, I effortlessly sprung off to her left side and targeted her jaw with my eyes. The band finished up their slow song, taking a split second breather before busting out into something fast and chaotic, much like their first song. A fitting change, I mused to myself as I finally drew within pounding range of my opponent's attractive face. I fired off my right fist, but also commanded my wire to come out of its hiding place underneath my left sleeve. I focused my thoughts, sending the wire towards the swordswoman's left forearm.

If she didn't do anything about it first, the wire would wrap around her arm and she'd be bound to me. Victory would surely be mine--Felicity would have no space to swing her swords around, and I would have everything I need to dismantle her.

Something one of the monks said to me during my initiation popped into my mind at this most inconvenient moment. "Remember, you're here to teach your opponents how to fight. Give them a little bit of a chance, a tiny bit of instruction here and there to help them improve. That is the purpose of a Dajas Pagoda Warrior."

Another monk smugly chimed in, "And make sure you don't bite anyone else's nuts, okay?" Everyone else present had a light chuckle at that little tidbit. Is anyone ever going to let me live that down? I bet whenever I walk into my shimmering blue portal, one monk goes to another, "There goes Madison Freebird. Make sure her opponent wears a steel cup before they enter."

Fuck "teaching". I'll wreck this bitch and hope that she learns from her mistakes. That's how I had to learn.

[Rogue Virus]

The rock, as Felicity could now notice, bounced effortlessly from the broadsword. One down, another to deal out, which obviously would be as simple. Though time was not on her side. Madison had quickly moved herself to Felicity's left. It was rather annoying, though something she expected. Felicity wasn't daft - a warrior at Madison's level wouldn't run themselves into the broadsword, unless, perhaps, she tripped and fell into it. But since that were not the case, it was better to be attacked by the side than head on. Having a broadsword protecting her front could at least ease up any pain she was about to get, because at the speed Madison flew at her, Felicity knew it was coming. All of a sudden, the music in the background seemed so fitting. And added irritability to the list of emotions Felicity was feeling.

As Felicity's sword spun to meet the opponent, a long, thin... something caught her eye, shining just barely off the carnival lights that shown down on them. First reaction, Felicity thought it was a snake, and moved her left arm out of the way, now bringing her right broadsword down where the long 'snake' was about to strike. However, taking another glance, she noticed it was wire. Wire?! She can control wire?! How adorable of the little brat, she thought.

Direct hit. Madison's punch landed squarely on her left jaw. The impact was hard, and it made Felicity stumble backwards. She wasn't sure if she had come into contact with the wire, or what would have happened if she did; she felt her sword connect to something, though, as she stumbled back, it could have been anything. The distance between them increased again, though very slightly, just a few feet, and Felicity grimaced at her opponent, staring daggers. Felicity's fists were tight, barely wanting to move from the impact, but the anger was subduing the pain slightly. In response, Felicity used her boots to kick up a large amount of gray dirt and rock; they were the same height, and Felicity knew well that the dirt and rock would fly up in the direction of her face, as it did when she kicked. In addition, in one swift movement, she stabbed her broadsword into the ground, removed her steel dagger and threw it in the direction of Madison's left arm, wishing to inflect more pain and handicap her as much as possible. Felicity then picked up her broadsword, swinging the blunt side at her.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

The sickening crunch of my fist colliding with Felicity's jaw seemingly echoed throughout the ghostly carnival. One of her swords batted my wire out of the way, and she reeled back a few steps before I could correct its flight path and wrap it around anything that would've given me an advantage. I immediately commanded the thin metallic string to come back underneath my sleeve.

My opponent took this brief opportunity to make a stand of her own. She dug the toe of her boot into the ground and kicked hard, sending a cloud of dirt and debris into the air. The dirty trick caught me off guard--I guess I didn't really expect the woman to try anything cheap. Well, that'll learn me. Tears welled up in my eyes as they tried to flush out the debris. I coughed and gagged as I accidentally inhaled a cloud of dust. A few small pebbles bounced harmlessly off my face as I spun around, trying to get a few breaths of fresh air. I heard the sound of a dagger being slid out of its sheathe, but before I could get out of the way, I could feel the sharp metal blade drive itself into the back of my left arm, near my shoulder. My vlince dress worked wonders; the tough cloth prevented the dagger from going very far into my flesh.

I briefly thought about using that moment to wheel around and do a myriad of things that would've inflicted massive amounts of pain, but she beat me to it. I could feel something hit me on my right side, something very flat and very hard. My corset absorbed a decent amount of the blow, but as I fell to the ground I couldn't help but to curse myself for not going with the wooden corset like that shop girl suggested.

My left hand reflexively clutched my rib cage, as if that would stop the pain. I rubbed my face furiously against a sleeve, trying to get all the excess dirt out of my eyes. As I sat on my side trying to catch my breath, I wondered what I was going to do next. Felicity clearly intended to keep me at a distance, and she knew about the wire. I could throw another rock at her, but that probably wouldn't distract her like it did last time. My fingers dug into the soft ground in irritation. ...Or would it?

I grabbed a handful of soft, crumbly earth and slowly rose to my feet. My left hand moved across my this waist to the hilt of one of my daggers. I spun around in a flash, throwing the dirt at Felicity's face. I lunged off to one side, ripping my two daggers out of their sheathes and made two slashes: One to her stomach, another to her throat.

[Rogue Virus]

Though Madison had left a nice imprint of her fist on her jaw, Felicity was pretty proud of herself for the sudden flip of the game. The look on her face said she hadn't expected Felicity to kick dirt at her, but Felicity was a vagabond. She was not trained to fight, that she remembered, she fought to survive, and in the game of survival, there were no rules, there were no professional rules to live by. Felicity knew that Madison was not like her, Madison didn't follow the lines that Felicity did through life. However, in one way, they shared the same goal in life: to defeat whomever they were faced against.

Felicity had to keep in mind about that wire. She had a feeling she would see it again, but she would be completely damned if she let it touch her. That, along with the fact that something was hiding under her dress, was something to consider. When the broadsword struck Madison, it didn't have the impact it normally would. Even the dagger Felicity whipped didn't hit Madison as she wanted it to. The dress must have had something to it. Well, the dagger did go through, so the broadsword would have no problem.

Her cheek was tingling, and Felicity pushed through the pain, bringing up the other broadsword. Hitting them while they were down was something she didn't have an issue with, even if, admittedly, she would have rather faced her. However, Madison had something else in mind. She started feeling dirt and rocks hit her face, though some of it was blocked by the broadsword. The dust floated, and through the few tears in her eyes, she saw daggers coming at her. Felicity was more focused on the one coming at her throat, and unfortunately, as she leaned away from that one, she could feel the cold metal slice through her skin. Felicity yelled in pain and jumped back. The look of pain plagued her face because the dagger had gone a little deeper than even Madison probably expected them to go, since she leaned into it to get away from the other dagger. The tears stinging her eyes removed any dirt from her face, and she looked down to see gray ooze dripping. The tears did not fall, and Felicity's face contorted into anger. Watch that wire, she said to herself, and just give her the pain.

Felicity spit out some blood she could feel filling against her cheek from the punch, and she checked the ground for her dagger. It was shining behind Madison, the blood glistening slightly in the dirt. Felicity hoped that Madison was in slight pain, even if it only meant a wince. Pain was only something to work through, and anger made the pain go away. Quickly. Very angrily, Felicity clashed her broadswords together and decided to disarm her as much as possible, instead of immediately slashing. Felicity took her few strides to Madison and made an outward scissor movement, and in the last second, Felicity kicked her leg to Madison's right arm to send her dagger flying. Hopefully, not only would Madison be one dagger less, but get the impact of her broadsword.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

My normally subdued lust for violence intensified as one of my daggers passed through Felicity's pale gray skin. Several of the ghostly crowd that had gathered around us gasped in horror as a dark liquid oozed out of the laceration: A small trickle at first, one that soon gave way to a decent stream of blood that soaked her black clothing. I noted with grim satisfaction that my steel beauty had done more damage than I had intended.

Before I could swing my daggers around and spill more of my opponent's blood, she tried to do the same to me. I could see her swords moving in a scissors-motion with the intent of opening a new hole in my throat to breathe out of. My eyes widened as I quickly ducked out of the way. The two swords sailed harmlessly over my head. As soon as they were out of the way, I quickly sprung up, my right fist balled up in preparation for another uppercut, when I felt a sharp pain.

My right hand opened up; the force of Felicity's kick sent the dagger skywards. I yelped in pain as I took a few steps back. My left hand immediately clutched my wrist--slamming the hilt of my other dagger against the tender muscle and bone only served to amplify the pain. It felt as if my entire hand had been lit on fire.

"Fuck!" I shouted with equal parts pain and rage at my own stupidity. I stumbled backwards, my eyes locked onto Felicity's own. My anger was quickly building, I wanted nothing more than to tear her throat open with my bare hands and feast on her blood like a starved vampire.

My back collided with something hard; the game stall I was perched on earlier in the night. I looked over my left shoulder, seeing the frightened look of the withering, transparent man who ran the game and several fresh paper targets. Wait, targets? My eyes traveled further south, spotting two polished rifles perfectly placed on the dirty wooden counter. That's right, this is the shooting game. I remember playing this last time while I was waiting for my last opponent. Wasn't really good at it, though...

Now wasn't the time for idle reflection. I wasted no time picking up the nearest gun, grabbing a couple of four and a half millimeter pellets and loading the weapon. It made a satisfying clicking noise as I cocked it. I quickly pointed the rifle at Felicity and hastily pulled the trigger. I could hear the spring mechanism go off inside as it fired off the small lead pellet towards the black-clad woman in front of me. The recoil sent a sharp pain through my wrist again; I winced as I broke the barrel of the gun open to cram another tiny pellet inside.

[Karuka]

BlackandBlueEyes is the winner by forfiet!