[b]Solarel[/b]

The blizzard howls. The autocannons don’t cut off entirely, Angela prefers to fire blindly, trying to track which way you might have gone. She’s never willing to give ground, not now, not after her humiliation. But she guesses wrong, her shots fly wide, the idea that you’d simply not move at all doesn’t occur to her.

Your shot makes no noise. It hits her like a vampire’s kiss, quietly draining the life from her mecha. You hear the shudder run through the whole frame before you withdraw into the storm. The guns fall silent then, the only noise is the snow and the wind that rushes to fill the vortex of emptiness you created. 

The comms crackle then, buzzing with static in the sudden storm. “You fiend. You you you! Nothing but trickery. Nothing but deception. You cannot fight an opponent face to face!” Her teeth chatter with the cold over the comms for a second. “D-do you care nothing for the shame you bring your species?”

You can hear the fear in her voice though, it’s not just the chattering of the cold. But she rallies her best efforts. “Fine then. Fine. Do [i]not[/i] think me done. I will show you that such tricks are worthless. Come at me again if you dare!”

You hear, faintly within the storm, a specific whine, the sound of an ion cannon powering on. Such weapons only have a very short range, but the blast could take out a mecha as small as the Kathresis in a single shot. She must have made quite the customization to the Barn Owl for this, it requires a lot of power. Pirates sometimes pack single shot ion cannons with their own slow-recharging power source for surprise attacks, but you shouldn’t count on this being one and done. This is an offer, and it is a demand. If you want to be the unstoppable villain, you need to be perfect. To dance with her without a single mistake. Can you do it?

[Angela will take the Frightened condition, responding by revealing and charging her ion cannon. She will also take a string on Solarel with her part of the fight. She’ll spend it immediately to subtract 1 on your next roll if it’s relevant to do so.]

***

[b]Isabelle[/b]

Of course she’ll stay. Anger loves being directed. The intensity of the fight, that turns her anger into sustaining energy. Each missile, each bullet, each energy blast is her fury pulsing outwards and your intensity pressing right back. She doesn’t have to speak a word to make the thrill pulsing through her obvious to everyone watching.
And then, you pull away when she doesn’t expect it. It’s like learning the tango and forgetting a step in the routine. She gasps, she stiffens and her stance stiffens visibly in the mecha. She knows the blow is coming, but not from where. And so it’s a blow into her heart, the blade passing through the center of the mecha, passing dangerously close to the pilot herself. A mess of wires sparks and sizzles where they’re cut and loose electricity and heat leak out enough that you can sense them through novasurge. 

You can see the hopelessness in her movements, the sudden realization that she’s not going to win this fight. What you don’t see immediately is the way she slips the cartridge out of her main gun and clasps it in one hand, ready to burst it with her metallic fingers. 

How could you notice? Not when you’re so caught up in the moment, in the rush of the push and pull, of having your blade sunk deep into her.

[Quar will take a string on you and spend it immediately. If you let yourself get lost in the moment and fall into her trap, there’s an XP in it for you. The trap will end the fight in your favor, but with a big hit on you in the process.]

***

[b]Mirror[/b]

When you finish with the shield, your console lights up. Bar’s full, and it flashes that you can access tail 2 or tail 5, your pick. For his part, Heim’s defenses flicker and fail, your last laser blast creates crackling sparks in the air and the brush of the laser ever so gently heats the metal skin of the Blast Wall.

Heim laughs again. He is reveling in this fight. “Use me as you wish, warrior! Use me however you like! But tell them after that true Zaldarians fight with honor! With pride! Being a raider, an outcast, an exile doesn’t mean that you have no honor!” 

He maintains his balance through your blows, rounds on you with his shield first, slamming it full body into the Nine Tails as you finish with the shield, making your ears ring with the clang of metal. The spear follows with surprising fluidity, shearing a line off the side of the nine-tails leg with the low thrust under the raised shield. 

[Take Insecure in response to your fight, Heim will take Guilty]

“And Hybrasilian, don’t think that just because someone follows the code of Zaldar that they’re worth something. I’m old, child, I’ve seen our knights rise and fall under three empresses. The meaning of the code changes like the winds. Your girl’s worth something because she’s got steel in her heart and she stood up and took the mantle of traitor for what she believed was right. Doesn’t mean she wasn’t still a traitor. Would you do the same in her place?” 

He pulls the spear back, rebalances his shield. He knows you’re positioned for another attack and that if you get around him now, you could make it much more decisive, so he didn’t try to follow up his successful strike with another that might leave him open. Instead it’s restoration of the defense he has and careful probing for another opening. His balance is by far his most impressive trait, he’s hard to throw off his movements and his mecha is so heavy that he can carry through even during a very powerful attack. He must have nerves of steel (or entirely deadened nerves) not to flinch in such a moment given the strong neural link most Zaldarians have. Maybe the thick armor acts sort of like a thick skin for him as well, dulling the blows?

***

[b]Jade[/b]

Were you ready for this? You flush out the [Grip of Dishai], you take Erys Bander by surprise. You pull that powerful fist out of position, you slam upon her head and tumble into the rubble, and you can imagine all the watching Red Banders laughing in delight at the show. Stories will be told of this fight, stories of the goddess who embarrasses her opponents.

But were you ready for this? Her cloak drops and you finally see what you’re up against. Far from the previous matches with its camo patterns, you find yourself facing a great mecha version of Dolly! It’s wearing her ceremonial skirt, fashioned in giant size. Her priestess wrap circles the shoulders, gods know how they got that much cloth worked together that quickly and integrated with the mecha’s cloaking system. And festooned upon the neck and about the arms are charms and wards invoking the protection of the goddesses of Hybrasil. There on her wrist is the symbol of Irtana the binder of goddesses. And there about the neck is the blessing of Dishai herself, a great stone ward upon a chain that will not let you seize her soul. 

And Erys Bander, she’s loving this. She’s loving a rival, a challenge. She stands from the crash, her arm free, her chest out. She’s baring herself, her cloak, her charms. [i]You want this?[/i] It asks. [i]It’s all yours, just come and take it![/i] She flexes, she poses for you. This giant effigy of your Dolly, chest out and strong like Dolly herself never quite seems to manage without a great deal of “coaxing” on your part.

[Take your string as well]

[b]Dolly[/b]

What’s Jade showing you of all this? Are you getting the unadulterated view, or is there a fantasy she’s offering you right now?