[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/MPa0Yte.png[/img] [quote=Trixy][color=CCBFFF]"No Items, Fox Only, Final Destination"[/color][/quote] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWvBggjU6m0[/youtube] [@ERode] [/center] Tonight was the night, and everyone was thrumming with excitement. Masses of monsters and patrons, magical girls and monstrous girls alike crowded around the hexagon-shaped arena, as blindingly white spotlights seared the concrete stage. It was an encounter that only happened once every year, practically a holiday for the blood-thirsty supernatural mob. It had been two decades since the Contender’s escape from Hell became commercialized, and afterwards, everyone began to look forward to, rather than dread, the event. After all, that flaming pugilist may be the sort of pervert that gets off beating magical middle schoolers to death, but he was also one hell of an entertainer too. Upon the four-sided television screen elevated above the arena, the countdown began, a punkish goblin hanging from it as the commentator of the year. [b]“THREE!”[/b] The crowd roared. [b]“TWO!”[/b] The crowd screamed. [b]“ONE!”[/b] The crowd exploded, as the music hit with the force of ten thousand fireworks and pyrotechnic displays...which really did go off, showering everything in sparks and glitter. From a heavily-chained gate on the western side of the Hexagon, jets of hellfire surged from the gaps, as the chains creaked against a violent force. WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! [b]“AND THERE WE HAVE IT! THE MINISTER OF RESURRECTION! THE MANIAC WHO BEATS DEMONS FOR DINNER AND CERBERUS FOR DESSERT! THE BURNING MAN HIMSELF, RETURNED YET AGAIN FROM THE LAKE OF FIRE!!!! GIVE IT UP FOR...THE CONTENDER!!!!”[/b] And with a great roar, the doors were torn off from the hinges, chain links scattering into the hands of excited patrons who groped for a souvenir of this year’s DEATHMATCH. Dozens of revenants and banshees screamed out from the gate to hell as a hot wind burst into the arena. From the afterglow of the infernal conflagration, a flaming, naked man, muscular but with a scorched complexion, rushed out, his hands raised out on both sides to deliver high-fives to his most ardent fans. They swooned as their flesh melted against him, and he gave them dogged grins, the blue torch that burned from his left eye fed to a frenzy by the adulation of the crowd. Reaching the ring, he slammed his hands against the steel fence that barricaded him from the arena, before the heat of his palms warped, distorted the frame and he [i]pulled[/i] the fence apart, stepping in with the finality of a juggernaut, a champion. Raising his hands outwards with a laugh, he strode around the arena, leaving scorched footprints on the concrete as he soaked in the cheers of the crowd. But suddenly, the lights went black, and on the eastern wing, spotlights shone, highlighting… A maid and her phone. The crowd was still cheering, but it was hard to say if it was for the new contender or the hype generated from witnessing [i]the[/i] Contender. She turned her back to the crowd, arena, and even the Contender himself and walked backwards. She made a peace sign with one hand and snapped a picture. Afterwards, she typed up a short message. [quote] [color=CCBFFF]Who’s gunna win?[/color] [/quote] She slid the phone inside her outfit before turning around to face everyone. They was yelling so loud, it was hard to tell if it was genuine excitement, anger, or painful confusion. [b]“AND A NEWCOMER! IN THIS CORNER WE HAVE A BRAND NEW VICTIM WHO’LL TRY TO SEIZE HIS CROWN BEFORE GETTING TENDERIZED, CHARBROILED, AND DEVOURED BY OUR CONTENDER. MAKE SOME NOISE FOR TRIXYYYYYY!”[/b] In truth, Trixy was a little nervous. This place was noisy. She could feel the body heat radiating off the crowd as she approached the ring. Even her opponent was essentially a man made out of burning firecrackers. When she opted to enter this fight, she hadn’t expected such a buzz. Things didn’t look this crazy on Glimmr when she read about it. Hopefully she could end this fight and get her Glimmr a bit more exposure. [i][color=CCBFFF]”Focus Trixy. You need to do this for Cradle. For everyone. You’ve gotta be cool about this in case Sam’s watching.”[/color][/i] She slapped her cheeks to psych herself up, but her hands were still trembling. When she got to the metal gate, she simply jumped over it. There was probably a cooler way to make an entrance, but that didn’t matter. The one advantage she had in this fight was that she was entirely unknown. Flaunting her prowess would have to wait until the fight itself. As she walked towards the center of the ring, Trixy made a small apple and ate it to calm her nerves. But no such luck. [b]“Alright fellas, keep it clean, yeah? I know it’s a deathmatch and all, but no one wants to see a boring fight or a beatdown. Sportsmanship, fellas, sportsmanship. Trixy, this is only a deathmatch for the Contender, so if at any time you want to tap out, do it. No guarantees that we’ll be able to break you two up before then though.”[/b] The referee, a spider-ogre with limbs long enough to span the entire ring, looked down upon the two fighters below. He had to be half the size of godzilla, if not taller. [b]“Now...RINGA DING DING LETS SEE SOME FUCKING BLOOOOOOOOD!”[/b] A skeletal babe with amazing hip bones booty-checked a brass bell, and the fight was on! Concrete still hissing with each step, the Contender tucked his chin in, hunched his back, raised his fists. Letting out a steaming breath, he then extended one of his hands, opening it up for a shake. With a surprisingly dulcet voice, the man said, [b]“Have fun, miss.”[/b] Trixy was still recovering from her sensory overload when the burning undead man extended his hand. She blinked and almost took a step back, but the moment was sobering for Trixy. With her opponent so close, the cheers of the crowd and all the other excess noises were drowned out by the presence of her opponent. Normally she would never be this close to someone she was supposed to take out. But it had been stated in the rules that Trixy couldn’t use her weapon or her specialization magic for this fight. And of course, it was strictly a one on one match. She had come into the fight expecting her martial training to lead her through the battle, but she hadn’t anticipated her opponent would be [i]covered in freakin’ fire.[/i] She might have been comically perverted, but she wasn’t a masochist. Trixy raised her hand, and her magical wardrobe opened up beside her. She pulled out an oven mitt and slipped it on her hand. Once she was set up, her wardrobe vanished from sight. [color=CCBFFF]”You too sir!”[/color] She forced a smile before shaking the man’s hand. It didn’t take long for the fire to burn away the mit, at which point she hopped backwards and raised her hands. It was time to fight. If Trixy had thought about this before jumping in the ring with an undead champion, she probably would have watched some videos of him. But she hadn’t done that. In that respect, her opponent was just as unmeasured as she was, aside from the clear tell that he was strong enough to rip apart a chain link fence. This was not an opponent she was going to beat with raw physical force. But his speed and intelligence had yet to be tested. Trixy moved towards her opponent, swiftly, but in stance. She raised her arm as if to drive her fist through the Contender’s head, but this was a feint. She hopped to the left, Ready to pounce on his back if he left himself open. The Contender reverted to his own compact stance as well, burning eyes locked onto Trixy as she hopped to the left. It may have been experience or it may have been just a willingness to take any strike she lashed out, but the eyepatched judoka’s feint didn’t draw any particular reaction out of him; with chin tucked in, fists up, and elbows guarding his sides, the Contender’s defense was already complete. [color=CCBFFF]”Wow, he’s goo-”[/color] Rhythmic hissing coincided with the light shifting of his feet, and just as the pattern became consistent, he popped forward, a fiery jab to Trixy’s face to disorientate, followed by a piercing straight and then a hook below her ribcage. A simple opening combination, but it had a lot of minute implications only seasoned audience members could appreciate. Trixy was prepared to lunge at the Contender, so most of her weight was on her front foot. This allowed her to use her back leg to step forward or throw a powerful kick, as it had a longer distance to travel to its target. Her training had prepared her for things like whiffed jabs, but it wasn’t every day they were [i]on fire[/i] and headed for her face. Trixy pulled back her head a bit, and some of her weight shifted onto her back leg. The straight came from the opposite side. This was going for a full extension and would have maximum power. Trixy had already accepted the fact that she was going to get burned during this match. There was no hesitation when she opened her palm and brushed the Contender’s fist to the side, putting her inside of his arms. After brushing his fist away, her arm looped around his bicep to control it. What surprised her was that the flames didn’t half hurt. He felt mildly warm, not even unpleasant. A child-like smile crept across her face as she finished stepping forward. A movement that might have come too soon. A hook punch was not always part of a combination like this, and Trixy was far too eager to land a blow to be aware of it. The hook punch was aimed between her rib cage and hips where it could plow directly into her organs. She had advanced fast enough that it was just a glancing blow. But it was still a punch that would have turned a normal teenager’s intestines into jello. Trixy coughed and stumbled into the Contender. Her guts were throbbing, but she had a match to finish. Her left arm was still trapping his bicep, and now her right hand was on his chest. This was where she wanted to be. Trixy attempted to use her right leg to sweep the Contender and throw him onto his back. But that wasn’t all. Since she had a hold of his arm, she might as well have a taste of the Contender. Her cheeks split open, and her jaws latched onto his arm just as she attempted to sweep. As Trixy’s arm latched around the Contender’s extended arm, he retracted, arm folding back. The eyepatched girl may have had an arm around his bicep, but now her arm too was viced between his steel-like forearm and his bulging bicep. A grappler, was it? Bending his knees, he lowered his center of gravity and absorbed the sweeping kick with nary a grunt, the whites of his teeth almost incandescent as he grit his teeth. She wanted a taste of him? Go ahead! Trixy’s teeth latched onto his forearm, hot blood coating her tongue. There was a metallic taste, mixed with ash perhaps, and a smoky, barbeque flavor. Almost tasty, really. No time to dwell though. With one fist still free and his stance stable for the time being, the Contender continued to whale at Trixy’s side with his free hand, powering through with the rotation of his hips and the compression and extension of his legs. [b]“C’MON C’MON C’MON!!!”[/b] Trixy’s right arm wasn’t doing very much holding onto his chest, so she crooked her arm and did her best to protect her head from incoming blows. There was only so much she could do with her mouth latched around the Contender’s bicep, as she clearly couldn’t see where the attacks were coming from. Fortunately, she wouldn’t be in this possition for very long. Presently, her right leg was locked behind the Contender, and her left leg was behind herself. With a quick hop, she shuffled her feet. Her left leg landed in front of herself, and she was able to pivot and step back with her right leg. This pulled her torso out of the way of incoming blows, and also helped Trixy tear the flesh off his arm. The result was that Trixy was now standing beside the contender. If it weren’t for the Contender screaming the most badass lines possible, or his burning flesh hanging out of Trixy’s mouth, they might have looked like a couple. A shame the Contender was more interested in beating up girls than dating them. He seemed like he had quite the following. Trixy was primarily a grappler, but she was capable of striking things too. With the flesh torn away, She sucked it into her mouth before repeatedly driving her right fist into his arm. The quick meal would help heal up her bruised arm, maximizing her strength. [color=CCBFFF]”What! Are! You! Made! Of?!”[/color] Feeling the shifting of Trixy’s foot, the Contender responded swiftly as well, extending his bound arm and forcefully pushing against the biter’s shoulder. Simultaneously, he hopped backwards, the two disengaged for the moment. She had gotten off a couple of good hits though; purple welts bloomed beneath the corona of hellfire upon his arm. He shook out his arm a bit, the blood instantly drying and flaking off, and he paced around the arena. [b]“Sugar n spice n everything nice,”[/b] the Contender replied, lifting his arms up again and ready to continue. [b]“Got a nice set of teeth on ya, Trixy.”[/b] Trixy also paced around the ring, perfectly adjacent to the Contender. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. It rolled up just enough to show a bruise before she pulled her sleeve back over it. [color=CCBFFF]”Thanks!”[/color] She smiled. [color=CCBFFF]”Not as nice as your voice, I’ll admit. I should have gotten your autograph before the match.”[/color] She brought her arms back up into a defensive stance and moved towards the Contender. She wasn’t going to go for a feint this time. She led with a right jab aimed at the Contender’s face, following it with an elbow strike. If everything lined up right, she’d be able to grab his shoulder with both hands and pull him into a knee strike. It wasn’t Judo, but by this point the Contender was likely expecting Trixy to turn this into a grapple game. [b]“Well, if ya ever swing by Hell, I’ll sign somethin’ for ya then. Till that, you’ll have to settle for broken bones.”[/b] And they were at it again. Trixy’s jab flickered out, bouncing off the Contender’s forearm as he bent his legs, shifting his weight from his front foot to his back. Her elbow swept over the torchbrand of his flames, and as Trixy went for her knee blow, both hands grabbing onto his shoulder, the burning man kicked off with his back foot, driving his shoulder into her gut. Her knee struck something hard as the two of them smacked onto the concrete; his pecs may have been on fire, but they definitely felt like granite. Trixy coughed up a bit of blood from that one. She sharply inhaled, but wasn’t about to let the Contender crawl on top of her. Trixy curled her legs around either side of his torso to halt his advance. She then proceeded to give him alternating hooks to the head. [b]“Oh, nice response!”[/b] With his torso locked down, a mount was no longer feasible. The Contender’s arms shifted up to the sides of his head, absorbing the impact of Trixy’s hooks as he gathered up his own strength. Though her slim arms told another story, a magical girl’s might had no correlation between aesthetic and actuality, and more welts bloomed with each frenzied strike. Wasn’t like this was his first time on the mat though. With a grunt, the Contender hopped into a squat, lifting up Trixy’s body as he raised himself back up on a standing position. Hooking his own arms around her legs now, he began to spin in place, building up more and more centrifugal force. [b]“Take THIS!”[/b] At terminal rotational speed, he released Trixy, throwing her head first towards the steel fence around the Hexagon, before immediately pursuing and leaping into a divekick. Trixy had occasionally wondered what bullets felt like when they were fired out of her gun. Disposable projectiles who’s only fate was to die with their target. That was about how she felt right now. The chain link fence looked like it was going to hurt. Not as much as the ensuing kick from the Contender, but all the same, it was something she wanted to avoid. Fortunately, she was flying head first towards her destination. She opened her mouth again, her face peeling away to reveal the bottomless cavity inside of her. She ripped straight through the fence, but it would scrape against her body as she flew through it at high speeds.. Given that Trixy had run out of options, she didn’t even care. Using her heightened reflexes, she grabbed one of the rails and swung upwards, legs first. She tried to hold her skirt down, but gravity and wind resistance was fighting against her. Trixy bent her knees as she landed on the face of the giant spider-ogre. The god of the tiny space where she was fighting, and she whispered. [color=CCBFFF]”This is legal, right?”[/color] [b]“No, but thank you very much!”[/b] the spider-referee squealed, absolutely enjoying the sensation. [color=CCBFFF]”Ahah, right!”[/color] She kicked off his massive face and descended towards the Contender like a meteor. Her ribs might have been cracked, and her sleeves had been torn to tatters, but she still bore a smile. Trixy spread her arms wide. She didn’t care if she got an arm, torso, his head, she was going to take the Contender for a wild ride. With Trixy having bitten a hole right through the fence, the Contender too flew out through it, sliding against the floor. He rolled, almost by instinct, and as the gluttonous maid kicked off the spider-emcee, he pushed himself off the ground as well, two searing handprints left in the ground as he launched himself feet first at his opponent’s skull. It was evident that when the two combatants collided it was going to be a strong impact. Even if they weren’t both moving at terminal velocity, that was a long way down to a concrete floor. A decisive blow was about to be made. It was unlikely she was going to survive a direct shot from the Contender. His body was dense, so dense that she couldn’t even bite all the way through it. Her opponent might as well have been a boulder flying up towards her. Trixy understood she didn’t have the power to destroy it, but maybe the earth did. Trixy continued to dive, arms outstretched towards the Contender. When her hands were near the Contender’s feet, Trixy snatched him by both ankles and tucked in her chin. She didn’t let go and guided herself into a somersault down the back of his legs. This got the two of them spinning like a twirling bolas, before Trixy heaved The contender towards the earth. She was thrown higher into the air, but in an arc that would soon return her to the arena. It was bad form to land on the spectators. [b]“Nice fight!”[/b] A great impact rocked the stadium, plumes of concrete dust bursting from the epicenter of the Contender’s crash into the cold, hard ground. Immediately, vespers of hellfire raced through the spiderweb fractures within the ground, before it all gave away. Hell had opened up from the crater Trixy had created with the Contender’s body, a fiery maelstrom lined with black, skeletal hands. Some magical girls paled at the horrible sight, but most of the audience were made of sterner stock, cheering instead, as the flaming man, the top half of his face squashed flat, tumbled through the abyss, flashing one last thumbs up at Trixy. She could only look on while her body soared towards the earth. [b]“Don’t forget this! If I’m not breaking out, I’ll be at the Seventh Circle, First Ring! Come on over some time and I’ll treat ya, Trixy! I l-”[/b] Whatever else the Contender had to say was cut off, as the Hellhole sealed itself back up moments later, leaving a smooth, untouched floor. Only upon the arena were the last signs of the Contender, his scorched footprints left on the ground. Trixy once again would find salvation from the iron fence’s rails. She was able to grab hold and swing herself back into the arena. The chain link fence burst on impact, but only did minor damage to her as she tumbled across the floor. She came to a stop on her hands and knees, staring straight at the floor where he had been seconds prior. [color=CCBFFF]”Hell can’t be that bad if it’s got guys like you in it.”[/color] Trixy attempted to step up, but stumbled. [color=CCBFFF]”Though you come on a little too strong, bleh!”[/color] The giant spider-ogre reached for Trixy’s hand and hoisted it into the air. [b]“And our winner is… TRIXY! SHE CHEWED UP THE CONTENDER AND SPAT HIM BACK INTO THE UNDERWORLD! THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING NIGHT FOLKS, I’LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR!”[/b] As the crowd erupted into cheers, Trixy reached into her pocket for her phone. This was going to be the best post on Glimmr she ever made. A picture of herself after beating the Contender? With all those fans cheering in the background? It didn’t get any better than that! She pulled her phone out of her uniform, grinned like she had been practicing, and then promptly noticed a crack going all the way through the screen. [color=CCBFFF]”N-no!”[/color] Her smile faded when she realized she couldn’t get her phone to turn back on. Trixy’s gaze angled towards the floor as all hope drained out of her body. She couldn’t say when it happened. If it was when he punched her in the side, or that other time he punched her in the side, or that time he slammed her into the ground, or- [color=CCBFFF]”Yea, hell is a good place for that guy.”[/color] Trixy nodded to herself, deaf to everything around her.