Heroes of Light, Battle! The Ultimate Golsaucian Tournament Begins!

[tiredcharmer]

Who: The Heroes of Light!
When: June 16th-19th
Where: Sparks Golsaucia
What: After weeks of getting hounded by the press, corporations, and prospective fiances, Octavaux Dairesault offers the Heroes of Light a way out: by participating in this year's Golsaucian Gauntlet, taking the form of a fighting tournament.
Warnings/Notes: Tournament arc, congoers.


An Offer You Can't Refuse (Prelude)
It starts not long after June begins. Maybe somebody proposes to you in the middle of the street. Or you're bumrushed by a horde of solicitors who want to use your image for whatever product they're peddling. Or maybe a reporter literally busts down your door to get an interview. Whatever the case, the Heroes soon find it's impossible to find a semblance of peace and quiet in early June. Around every corner and in every building is somebody who is just dying to talk to you, or more commonly, several somebodies, each at cross purposes. Even your homes aren't safe, as a few particularly nutty fans are willing to break and enter to get your autograph.

You have to deal with all of this for a week, until you're contacted by Octavaux Dairesault, organizer of the previous year's smash hit Golsaucian Gauntlet. He's noticed (and perhaps orchestrated) your plight, and offers you a way out: simply participate in his tournament and/or the events around it, and the attention will lessen. Considering how things get worse every day, you don't have a lot of options...

Sparks Golsaucia HeroCon 20XX
As it turns out, the events around the tournament that Octavaux casually mentioned are really a huge, city-spanning con. Cosplayers are everywhere. Artist alley takes up two entire districts. You can't take two steps without bumping into a merchandise stall. Thankfully, the limos Octavaux has provided means that you don't have to fight your way through a horde of ravening fans to reach the centerpiece of the whole debacle: the arena. A massive Colosseum with bleeding-edge technology to allow for the creation of stages drawn from... something. Octavaux refuses to elaborate on that. Whatever the case, you finally have the respite that you need. There's delicious food, cushy bedrooms, exercise rooms... pretty much whatever you want. And best of all, nobody prying into your business. How will you spend your precious, precious free time?

Of course, the tournament isn't all some of you are here for. Maybe you've decided to host a panel, in which case you're contractually obligated to appear among thousands upon thousands of fans and give a spiel. And give autographs. Lots of autographs. With really weird requests too.

Whatever the case... the tournament is about to begin!

Comments

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias strides in alongside Richard. Given a choice, she'd really rather not be here. But she's getting a massive bonus for showing up and repping the precinct, and, well, after the cost of getting treatment and a prosthetic for her eye... Tyzias scratches at the eyepatch, scowling. Look, she can't live on ramen forever. She needs the money.

Sliding into a fighting stance and unsheathing her Bahamut-crafted blades from her cane, she gives Finn a respectful nod. "Sir." Time to see what her [Legislacerator] job could really do after she's recovered.

[last_son_of_dathomir]

Maul is doing his absolute best to keep his rage in check as he steps into the arena besides Finn, letting his young partner do the trash-talking. These two...he knows these two. And his arm won't stop itching.

The false skin the techs put on it was a very good job. You wouldn't be able to tell it was actually a cybernetic replacement after his real arm was lopped off in battle against that slurring bespectacled troll. The skin is synthetic. It shouldn't itch.

But his arm won't stop itching.

He has to be careful; for the time being his identity as the Knave of Blades is a secret and he cannot be afford to let his anger for his encounter with these two fools show too much. This is just another battle, like any other. For fun.

But his arm won't stop itching.

He ignites the Darksaber, and assumes his combat stance, different from the one he adopted as the Knave. "And now it begins."

[defenestraighttomyheart]

After a moment of posturing, Richard speaks up.

"Just so you know, you're all terrible at the banter. Throw out a joke or insult or something. This man looks like he has taken it upon himself to apply every single prison tattoo on top of each other. Seriously, he looks like I told Asriel to imagine what the most evil possible man would look like. I'm unironically wearing a fedora. There's material to be had. C'mon, we're here to help our nonprofits here."

[hatejakku]

Finn was already smiling when Richard called boss man and had even nodded back to Tyzias. Now he just snorted. "But you're doing such a good job. I'd hate to step in."

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. That said... he glanced over to Maul, worried about the practically tangible anger.

He could keep an eye on that. For now, Finn unholstered his gun. "Big talk for a fist versus a bullet, though."

[mech_and_mutt]

"AAAAAAAAALLRIGHT, VAIKUNTHA, WHO WANTS TO SEE SOME ACTION?"

It may not have been as glamorous as wearing the Blitzball buckles, but Red finally got his shot at working the microphone-- and, apparently, he was putting his all into this performance no less so.

"Direct your eyes to the arena, because we've got a heck of a lineup down there for this NEXT one! Just look at our brave heroes and take your pick of tall, dark, handsome, or 'other'-- just don't ask ME to tell ya which is which, 'cause I've got NO idea.

In the East corner! One has stared oblivion in the eyes and lived to tell the tale; the other one's got a beam saber and a pawful of secrets under his hood! So whether you prefer hokey mysteries and ancient weapons or a good gun at your side, give it up for Finn and Maul, the SONS OF THE FORCE!

Aaaand in the West corner! We've got prying eyes, sharp tongues, and the single-minded fury that only a coupl'a public servants could manage! It's Richard and Tyzias, and it looks like they're prepared to lay down the law on their competition! So come out with your hands up for team BUDDY COPS!

And me? I'm Red Savarin, here in the booth with the Wind Hero Klonoa!"

[wind_in_my_ears]

"Wahoo! Hey, everyone! It's me, Klo~oa! We're going to be providing color commentary for everything these brave heroes do in the course of this contest! All of them look really strong, and I know I've seen them cut loose before and it's a sight worth seeing!"

Klonoa's got into the spirit of things too, belting out with enthusiasm.

"And nobody worry--I checked really hard; this competition isn't an evil plan to weaken everybody and enslave us to power a tyrannical empire! We can enjoy ourselves as much as we want!!"

[mech_and_mutt]

"...evil plan... enslave--wha...??" Oh-- the baton was passed back his way. Time for the show to begin.

"But that's enough about us-- time to give these stars their chance to shine!

LET'S GET THINGS STARTED!

TOURNAMENT FIGHT, ALL SET! READY?

GO!!"

DUEL, STANDBY! THE SEVEN-FLOOR GOODBYE!

[tiredcharmer]

The ground floor of the arena begins shaking at Red's cue, like something is trying to break free from the earth. One by one, the projectors around the arena begin flashing a blinding, prismatic display. Tyzias takes the opportunity to size up her opponents, [Careful Study]ing them—and if any of the other contenders want to buff themselves before the match begins in earnest, now is the time!

All is white for a moment, then music begins playing as the arena is slowly revealed. It's... actually pretty mundane. A seven-story office building with walls transparent to the audience, but not to the contestants. The inside is cramped and claustrophobic, and each contender is on a different floor!

Maul begins on the roof, with a clear view of the audience going absolutely apeshit. There's an access stairwell that leads to the floor below.

Tyzias is on the floor directly below Maul, in the executive office, and is already on the move out of the fancy-shmancy corporate throne room and towards the access stairwell towards the roof! Tracking sure comes in handy, doesn't it?

Finn is on the fifth floor, which is nothing but row after row of boring cubicles... and a map of where the other contestants have ended up. Lucky lucky!

Conway is in the blandest kitchen known to Vaikuntha on the second floor, and has a diagram of all the secret food delivery hallways that lead to each floor. What an advantage!

MATCH, BEGIN!

Richard Plays Gunpoint

[defenestraighttomyheart]

At first it was a shock to see the world around Richard morph and turn, shooting up into blinding pillars. He covered his eyes and grit his teeth. He didn't remove his arm until he heard the music.

The music took him back.

He looked around, finding himself in a kitchen with a secret tunnel map. He had a phone with Crosslink on it. They had no idea he did.

This is going to be a good day.

He situates himself next to a light switch, gets a coffee pot going with some vaccuum sealed robusta garbage in the coffee urn, and plays around on his phone.

And the moment either Finn or Maul get to a door, they are going to find it swinging open hard at their face. This was unlikely to hurt them too bad. But Richard really, really misses doing it, and this might be the only time he can indulge his old door-ing habits on a professional basis.

[hatejakku]

Red and Klonoa's commentary had successfully distracted Finn before the, uh, stage began to be set. When he blinked his eyes open again, he found himself in a cubicle with no one else in sight... He quickly ducked into the first one at his side, getting into cover with the assumption that the others had done the same.

Once he spotted the map, though, that changed things.

So not only was he in a seven-floor office building but he could see the dots of everyone else, too, their little names blinking at him. While probably not a trick, he had to at least assume that the others had something similar. A quick pat of his person didn't reveal a tracker (maybe his slate?) so that was offputting.

Anyway, Maul was on the roof with Tyzias on the seventh floor. Meanwhile, Conway was below him. He could let Maul handle Tyzias on his own, but if he lost, then Finn was going to be pinned. Better to take out Tyzias first while keeping an eye out for Richard, he figured.

Finn pocketed the map and headed for the door- "AH!" Yep. That nailed him. His nose wasn't bleeding but it sure did whop him good on the forehead. He rubbed at the sore spot and stepped forward slowly, only for the door to slam closed again.

Well, screw that.

Finn runs for the window, figuring he shouldn't bother trying to open it if this place is rigged.

> Trigger Happy
Multiple quick shots resulting in a powerful single-target attack.

He tries to burst through and climb up to the sixth floor, below Tyzias.

[last_son_of_dathomir]

The incessant itching, combined with Richard's jabs about Maul's appearance do little to calm the Dathomirian's frayed nerves. He was not expecting such a strong reaction to the presence of his two unknowing adversaries, but he must do all he can to keep it in check. To let loose now in such a public manner would only serve to make his own plans much more complicated, however personally enjoyable he might find doing so.

Surveying the roof he finds himself on, as the insipid music begins to play, Maul decides to take a moment to try and center himself. He shuts his eyes and tries to block out the music and force his rage under control, readying an [Enhanced Counter] as he does so; he'll need it soon enough. His breathing is slow, but strained.

His arm won't stop itching.

Then Tyzias bursts through the door to the rest of the building, and Maul's eyes snap open. She found him much more quickly than he'd been expecting. Some kind of tracking ability?

With his free hand-his itching hand-he beckons her forward, Darksaber-and Counter-at the ready. He says nothing else.

[tiredcharmer]

STATUS
Tyzias: 100%
Richard: 100%
Maul: 100%
Finn: 99%

While Richard makes himself comfy in the kitchen, Finn successfully destroys the window. Tyzias, meanwhile, bursts through the stairwell and onto the roof, in a manner that's eerily reminiscent of her duel with the "Knave." She, likewise, offers no banter to the disappointment of the audience. Just gets right down to business. Her opener this time is similar as well—[Sunslammer and Moonsetter], an attack that isn't dangerous by itself, but makes her next skill very, very painful.

> Sunslammer and Moonsetter (Maul | Single Target)
Single-target medium physical combo that drastically increases the potency of the next damaging skill used. Can only be used on studied targets and removes the studied status.

[mech_and_mutt]

"And we've got some opening plays in! Richard looks right at home in a place like this... in fact, he, uh, actually looks like he's halfway to moving in! But remember-- looks can deceive, and I've got a feeling he's settin' himself up for the long game! And there's a few shots fired from Finn, who looks like he'll be making his OWN way through--

--hang on a sec, take a look up on the rooftop; Tyzias and Maul are squarin' off and starin' down, and I think a fight's about break out! And believe me, they look like they mean BUSINESS!

Tyzias gets the first blow in on Maul, and she's gonna need to make every one of those hits count; these two are both heavy hitters, and dukin' it out solo like this means one slip-up could be all it takes to lose!"

[hatejakku]

Great, so the fight's already started.

Instead of risking climbing another story, Finn slips through the first window he finds on the sixth floor. He makes a break for the stairwell and-

"AH! DAMMIT!" Got him again. Threw his head back and everything. Finn groans into his hands for a beat.

> Switch Job | Gunslinger > Puppet Master
Can instantly swap to a different job without iMog slate and without time constraints.

BB-8 appears at his feet, and Finn's rarely been more grateful to see the little guy. He almost asks him to try a Seal Evil, but without knowing it was really a monster and not a trap- "BB, can you blow this thing up?"

The droid laughs, beeps something about Finn not knowing how to use doors, but obeys.

> Mog Bomb
Makes the puppet deliver an explosive package to the enemies for medium fire damage.

He jumps through the remains of the door and finally makes it to the stairwell, BB-8 in tow behind him. Should have done that sooner.

[last_son_of_dathomir]

As the Sunsetter and Moonsetter go off, Tyzias is struck in kind by the Enhanced Counter Maul set up earlier. He pushes Red's commentary and the roar of the crowd to one side, focusing entirely on Tyzias, while struggling to keep his emotions in check; the last thing he needs is to let slip the same killing intent that came through so readily during their first encounter with him as the Knave. She's attuned enough to such things to recognize it.

With the counter being performed, Maul follows it up with another attack, this time a [Shooting Star] combo. He knows what's coming next and he'll do what he can to dull Tyzias' edge.

He can only hope Finn has located Richard and is dealing with him.

[Enhanced Counter | Tyzias (Single Target)]
Passive skill. Buffs potency of the next skill by 10% and automatically respond with a weak sword combo when hit by an attack.

[Shooting Star | Tyzias (Single Target)]
Medium sword combo on a single-target, reduces their attack power by 10%. Cannot be stacked with another Swordmaster's Shooting Star. Buffed 10% by Enhanced Counter.

[wind_in_my_ears]

Klonoa throws his arms up, not that anyone except very much Red is around to be disadvantaged by this. "Wahoo, BB-8 is joining in on the fun to take revenge against the doors! So, Red, how come the doors keep hitting people? That's one of the arena traps, right?"

Klonoa blinks, looking closer at the fight taking place on the roof. "Uh oh, that standoff didn't last long at all! Good luck everyone, beat 'em! Yeah! Yeah!!"

Red is further inconvenienced by the pantomime punches Klonoa is making next to him.

[1/3]

[defenestraighttomyheart]

Shit.

Richard recognized that his exuberance to smack people in the face with doors may have endangered Tyzias. It's not 100% clear who each of the figures are, since in Crosslink you only really get a silhouette, but he's pretty certain Tyzias is on the roof since she's the only one here with visible hair.

The detective lets off a sigh. Herein lies his motto. You got yourself into a bad situation by being dumb. Now get yourself out by being clever.

He takes the coffee cup, the coffee machine still oozing hot coffee into the plastic grate after the half-empty cup was removed, and started taking big steps to the hidden passageway into the service elevator.

2. 3.

He checks his phone. He feels the shadowy figure getting closer to Tyzias. A 2-on-1 is his idea of a good fight, but only if he was on the side with two. As it was, he recognized his role was to even things up. Which was not his preferred method of combat.

4. 5.

He leaned against the side of the elevator. A little instinct - nobody ever checks the sides of the elevator when one opens near them for some reason.

6.

Ding.

The lights go out on the floor. A little trick, Richard rigged the elevator buttons to respond to the floor 6 lights.

Richard slinks out of the side, hoping someone, anyone is still there. He hears footsteps heading up the stairs. At first, his heart stopped dead in his chest. He's too late...

[2/3]

[defenestraighttomyheart]

Wait.


There is one plan that could work. I mean, he's going to the rooftop. It's not friendly at all to whoever it was heading up, but...

[3/3]

[defenestraighttomyheart]

The freelance spy shadowed the sound. Waited for it to be relatively high up before he started to make moves. He didn't even prime the door to open on him, thinking that worst comes, he's trained him to be super suspicious of doors in general and given what he did to the last one, he's probably going to blow the hinges off this one, too.

Richard didn't mind.

Richard just waited for him to reach the top, and then when the probable racket happened, he got ready to head up via cover of explosion. He waited for him to get up there.

And then he planned on chucking some seriously hot coffee at whoever that was, and then illustrating in visceral detail, as he heard in his head that tell-tale click click click thrumming in his mind as though it were actually in his legs, what a seven-story goodbye was.

He hoped that's how it went.

> Tackle (Finn | Single Target)
Deals low damage to a single target but closes the gap. Unlocks the first and second Chakras.

ROOFTOP SHOWDOWN!

[tiredcharmer]

Maul's [Enhanced Counter] is devastatingly effective. Despite Tyzias's attempt to slip past the sword strikes, the acrobatic blows hit to great effect, dealing two critical hits!

Tyzias's Health: 94.4%

But Tyzias's attack is equally fearsome. She hammers Maul with vast, sweeping cuts, and while his guard holds up for the first, the rest of her strikes blow it away and hit home. But it's apparent to anyone watching closely that dealing damage is Tyzias's secondary goal here. She seems to be building up momentum more than anything else, gathering data for her next attack...

Maul's Health: 91.2%

Maul's reply sends Tyzias reeling. While she bats away one attack and sidesteps another, his [Shooting Star] knocks Tyzias off balance, reducing her attack!

Tyzias's Health: 90.8%

As Finn emerges from the stairwell to support his teammate, Richard slams into him out of nowhere, driving him to the edge of the roof... but not off it. Both combatants are in a precarious spot, if one of them gets the edge over the other, he could push his opponent off the roof!

Finn's Health: 94.4%

Of course, Tyzias immediately follows up with a brutal, devastating combo. Swords flashing silver in the sun, she relentlessly hounds Maul with her wiry strength and gritty determination. There's no style, no flair—it's like watching a butcher chop up meat. And with Maul knocked off balance from her previous assault and what she deduced about his fighting style, the results are sure to be devastating!

> Legislaceration (Maul | Single Target)
Single-target powerful physical combo.

The commentators can see these numbers on their displays. After all, none of the combatants are being hurt for real, and instead their "Hit Points" are being subtracted from their combat data.

[mech_and_mutt]

"Hey, quit it--OW! Watch the eye!!"

"-ah-hem. Not so sure about the doors, Klonoa; I think we've got a clever fighter or two usin' a modern building like this to their advantage! Meanwhile, up on the roof, we've got an old-fashioned duel already in the works; they're close so far, but it looks like Maul's got some compan--

--OH MY DOG!! Richard comin' in out of NOWHERE and nearly knockin' Finn clear off the rooftop in a sneaky surprise attack! Now it's two-and-two on the rooftop, and--OW!!!"

"Seriously, cut it out!! Your ears are like little wrecking balls!!"

[hatejakku]

"WHAT TH- OOF!!"

That coffee/tackle combo was pretty surprising for ol' Finn. So much so, that he didn't realize the edge of the roof was there until it was there. Before he even saw his attacker, he was trying to figure out how Richard got up the building so fa-

... Elevators. Dammit.

Either way, he needed Conway off of him and to gain some ground. "Bee! [Heel]!"

The droid, after shrieking in surprise from the sudden attack, did what he did best: became an absolute nuisance.

> Heel (Conway | Single Target)
Makes the puppet entangle themselves around a target's feet, stopping their movement for a turn. (Does not work on bosses or aerial or aquatic enemies.)

[last_son_of_dathomir]

Finn needs assistance, Maul can see, but Tyzias is giving him no room to maneuever. If he had some space he could switch to his custom asterisk and perhaps use a well timed Force blast to knock Conway off the building instead of Finn, though it would be risky. For Finn, at least.

But he has to finish with Tyzias first. Fighting her again on a rooftop...this is an infuriatingly similar set-up to their first encounter, not that Tyzias recognizes that. Everything about her enrages him, and attempting to lock down his own rage while fighting her is a grueling battle.

But he's blunted her edge just a little, and he needs that after the pain of that attack. For a moment he was afraid he was about to lose another arm-possibly even his cybernetic replacement-but thankfully the tournament set-up prevents that kind of damage.

Now he needs to crack her armour. He has to finish this fight quickly; the longer it goes on, the greater Tyzias' chances of winning it become. As the Legislaceration attack ends, Maul responds in kind, with a storm of slashes of his own from the Darksaber, unleashing a [Flurry] of attacks.

[Flurry | Tyzias (Single Target)]
Medium sword combo on a single-target, reduces their defense by 10%. Cannot be stacked with another Swordmaster's Flurry.

[defenestraighttomyheart]

Richard was good at tackling people to the ground. He's made a career off of it. And this one went off pretty well, short of, you know. Actually pushing Finn off. When he was on top of him, he lifted up his fist. He saw blue on the tinges of his periphery. He felt his arm twitch with activity, but froze up when it came time to actually throw down fist.

Long enough for the little robot to tug at his leg and send Richard scrambling down in an undignified heap between Finn's thighs, and then between his shins. He reached up and tried to grab at Finn's leg to salvage the situation somewhat. His trousers, his boots, began to whirr and hum and glow bright blue along the seams.

> Whirlwind (Self)
Sacrifice a turn to reduce damage received by 50% and allow the use of two skills back to back next turn. Unlocks fifth and sixth Chakras.

[tiredcharmer]

Tyzias parries the first strike from Maul, but two of his blows sneak past her guard. One scrapes her, and the other rakes down her side for a nasty-looking critical hit! She recovers just in time to lock one of her blades with Maul's, the two swords sending sparks flying.

Tyzias Status: 87.6% HP, -10% ATK, -10% DEF

The troll grits her teeth and shoulder-checks Maul, breaking the lock, and returns his blows with interest. Five steel lines shred through the air, but when Maul blocks two of them, Tyzias decides it's time to switch tactics.

So she steps back and shoots him three times, even scoring a critical hit.

Maul Health: 73.6%

Tyzias fires again twice as she once more dissects Maul's stance and technique, [Careful Study]ing him.

> Careful Study (Maul | Single Target)
Applies the studied status to a target and may follow up with a weak physical combo. The legislacerator track studied targets with uncanny accuracy. This skill can be used to attack and study two targets when the job is mastered.