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Setting: Having reconvened with the other competitors and flew on a jet, Vequora steps off the jet with Korie within a massive line of various swordsmen as they all approach another massive arena in London. The arena has several venders outside of it, each with merchandise and food. The arena itself has a modern look, with walls that look like rose petals from a bird’s eye view. This arena seems to tower over the one used for the qualifying round.
Vequora: “So this is it I guess…”
Korie: “Yeah… I feel simultaneously pumped and extremely scared.”
Vequora: “I couldn’t agree more.”
They walk a bit further. The lines in front of the venders get longer the closer they get to the arena.
Korie: “How’s your foot?”
Vequora: “It’s better. I can probably fight with it, I just need to take extra caution.”
Korie: “you should probably take a seat when you get a chance.”
When they enter the arena’s check in lobby, there is already a line of competitors waiting to register their attendance for the first round. Some of them are conversing with others, mostly visiting families.
Vequora: “Is our dad here?”
Korie: “Maybe, but I’m not 100 percent sure. He doesn’t like crowds, so don’t be surprised if it’s not until later that we see him.”
Vequora feels something tugging on her hakama pant leg.
Regina: “Excuse me ma’am, could I get your autograph?”
Regina looks up at Vequora with a card with her picture on it. She takes it and looks at it with a confused manner.
Vequora: “Are these like baseball cards or something?”
She shrugs and takes a pen from a nearby table and signs the card. “ ヴェクオラ?ロサリン ”
Regina takes the card back and has a bright smile on her face, excited that she got a signature regardless of the fact she couldn’t read it.
Regina: “Thank you, ma’am!”
Vequora: “If you play your cards right, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.”
Regina skips off into the crowd. Vequora chuckles
Vequora: “I guess I have some sort of a fan following now.”
Korie: “Don’t let it get to your head.”
The two reach the registration stand, the person at the desk sleepily pushes forward a document for each of them and takes it back once it was signed, then hands over the dorm keys. Vequora looks at the room number on the key.
Vequora: “I guess we have different rooms now…”
Korie: “I’m sure we’ll cross paths again”
The two exchange a high-five before going separate ways. Vequora sighs and walks towards the elevator, and steps inside. She hits the button for the second floor, and the elevator begins to rise after the door closes. The elevator stops for a few moments.
Vequora: “Odd… You would think the staff would run maintenance checks on all of these before a bunch of people come in.”
The elevator begins to plummet downwards at an alarming rate. Vequora clings onto the side of it, hanging onto the railing for dear life.
Vequora: “What the hell!?”
The elevator hits the bottom of the shaft and slams to a halt. The force causes the elevator to crumple like an empty soda can. Vequora pries the doors open with a loud grunt. She crawls out into a near pitch black room.
Vequora: “Now the question is… how am I going to get out of here?”
She paces around, trying to find any sort of light. She sighs before returning to the elevator wreckage, and rummages around a bit before finding a severed cord. She uses her blade to cut off a piece from her hakama, and tie the wires together. The elevator light turns on, illuminating the room with a very dim glow. It is still far too difficult to make out what was in the room, but at least there was some light. Vequora calls up the elevator shaft to no avail.
Vequora: “Damnit!”
She continues to pace around, but is startled when a blade whizzes past her head. She turns around to see a well-built man approaching her with a dagger. The low light causes him to appear just as a silhouette, but still had a distinguishable figure.
???: “Well well, this was rather easy”
He takes out a revolver with his off hand and pulls back the striker.
Vequora: “Have you no honor? You clearly have a proper weapon. Use it.”
???: “Gladly”
He tosses the gun aside and points his dagger at Vequora, the shine from the metal slightly illuminates the brass knuckles on his off hand. Vequora draws her wakizashi and takes her stance.
???: “Your move, miss.”
The two pace around in a wide circle, maintaining sharp eye contact. Vequora opens her parasol and uses it to obstruct ???’s view of her while she slowly begins to discreetly inch forwards.
???: “I hope you know, brute strength alone will not win any battle. You must appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. You must lead your opponent to false observations and take advantage of them.”
Vequora: “That’s pretty ballsy of you to give me advice if you’re trying to beat me.”
???: “If fighting is sure to result in victory, then one must fight… and that is why I am challenging you to begin with.”
Vequora: “By that logic… I will gladly accept.”
Vequora has become noticeably closer to ???
???: “Who wishes to fight must first count the cost, and from what I’ve been told, you can’t afford it.”
Vequora: “How do you know me?”
???: “In order to know your enemy, you must become them. Besides, what does that matter now?”
Vequora: “A lot, actually. How about we make this quick so I can go back up there and win this tournament… It’s my key to the new life I desire, and I won’t let anyone stop me!”
???: “You are but a hatchling in this world. You are only now able to spread your wings, but you are already soaring too close to the sun.”
Vequora closes her parasol and dashes forward while swinging her sword wildly. ??? parries the strike effortlessly, and throws a hook with his off hand. Vequora takes the hit and turns dramatically from the blow. She brings her hand up to her cheek and wipes off the blood before reassuming her stance.
Vequora’s thoughts: “Crud! that hurt.”
Vequora slides forward and holds her parasol forward as if a shield. She charges forward with her parasol in front of her. ??? chuckles and uses his dagger to cut the parasol to shreds before punching Vequora again. She gets knocked to the ground this time, a bit dazed.
???: “The key is to evade what is strong, and strike what is weak.”
Vequora rises to her feet, holding her chokuto loosely in her hand.
Vequora: “I… won’t… die…”
Vequora pants as she speaks.
???: “You naive little lady… I’m not here to kill you. I’m here to take you home.”
Vequora: “Hell no!”
Vequora charges in a blind rage towards ??? and jumps forward with her leg extended to kick. ??? steps aside and Vequora flies past. She quickly hooks her leg and spins to try to catch ??? off guard. ??? punches her shin with his brass knuckle. Vequora yells and recoils as she tumbles on the ground.
???: “Just give up… You can’t do anything I haven’t seen before.”
Vequora: “You’re asking me to give up what I don’t yet have.”
???: “And you will never get the freedom you seek.”
??? and Vequora exchange multiple strikes with their blades before pushing into a bind.
Vequora: “This won’t be easy for either of us”
???: “Excellent observation! Though you mustn’t state the obvious.”
Vequora pushes forward, causing ??? to stumble backwards slightly.
???: “I’m impressed with how you’ve managed to hide your strength for so long.”
Vequora: “You’re clearly not doing this because of your own personal motive. I know I’m not that important.”
??? throws a right cross with his left hand, hitting Vequora once more.
???: “You’re correct on that, but you are delusional If you seriously plan on defeating me”
Vequora: “I had no intention on defeating you now… I’ve given up on that pretty early on, however… you should really know that even the most thought out words have another side of them. If fighting is sure to result in victory, then one must fight… so if victory isn’t sure… why fight?”
Vequora bolts towards the crushed elevator cabin, and opposed to stopping at it, she Jumps over it.
???: “What do you plan to accomplish?”
??? then chases after Vequora, picking up his gun as he passes where it was dropped. Vequora pulls down on a fire alarm.
Vequora: “It’s a bit rash, but it will get attention…”
???: “You idiot! I’ll have you out cold before the evacuation team can find you!”
Vequora: “Well i’m not just going to sit here and let you win.”
Vequora throws up her parasol, shielding her actions.
???: “That won’t protect you from a firearm!”
Vequora drops the parasol down as ??? fires, the shot echoes throughout the room
Vequora: “Looks like the fish took the bait!”
Vequora attempts to thrust her blade through ???. He parries it, but still takes a small cut.
???: “How?”
Vequora: “Clearly you can’t see the greatest in this lighting either. That was simply my clothing placed on a rolled up mat that you shot.”
???: “You little-“
??? charges at Vequora and attempts to hit her with a clothesline attack. She successfully avoids the attack by ducking.
???: “Got you.”
??? spins around quickly and cuts Vequora with his dagger. Vequora recoils due to this, and ultimately stumbles onto her knees.
Vequora: “I won’t… let… you…”
??? lines up a shot with his gun. Vequora raises her blade up and ??? fires. The blade shatters, sending pieces of metal flying, and deflecting what turned out to be a tranquilizer dart, rather than a bullet.
Vequora’s thoughts: “I thought his use of a gun was odd. He actually wasn’t trying to kill me.”
A rope falls from the top of the elevator shaft in the center of the room.
???: “I will be back for you…”
??? backs off into the darkness, and makes light cluttering as he leaves the room through some alternate exit. Cyrus descends using the rope, and surveys the room. He glances at Vequora, then notices the clothing on the mat. he runs over to get the clothing and then quickly runs over to Vequora and crouches by her.
Cyrus: “What the hell happened?”
Vequora: “Sorry about the commotion… that was me… I needed… help…”
Cyrus: “Well, at least you’re fine…”
Cyrus helps Vequora onto her feet, then takes out a walkie talkie.
Cyrus: “We found the problem, there’s no fire, just an S.O.S. call.”
Cyrus walks with Vequora over to the rope and tugs on it. the rope begins rising while Cyrus hangs onto it with Vequora.
Cyrus: “In all seriousness, what happened down here?”
Vequora: “Someone is hunting me… Trying to take me home”
Cyrus: “Clearly your folks aren’t too happy about you running off”
Vequora: “Really just my mother.”
Cyrus: “I’m going to assume it’s touchy, so I won’t ask.”
The two of them reach the top of the shaft, and step out into the lobby, where everyone had already moved back inside.
Cyrus: “I’ll help you to your room, come on…”
