White Rabbit Bowl: Jabberwock

Sporting Event / Competition

Without hesitation, the newly-minted Queen Alice raced forward and engaged The Jabberwock. Using Alice of Clubs’ martial skills and bastard sword, she struck several times at the beast, but it dodged each attack and countered in turn. Its biting jaws were unable to significantly damage its opponent, so it let forth another roar of frustration that could be heard throughout the maze. Seizing the initiative, the Jabberwock took to the air, rising up for all to see and letting loose a great gout of flame down at Queen Alice. While impossibly powerful, the attack was not quite enough to kill the new Queen, and she hung on with only superficial injuries. These were healed quickly and easily by magic.

Just then, after some short preparations and the magical regenerative healing of Alice of Hearts’ arm, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri and passengers took to the air. They engaged the Jabberwock where it hovered 30 feet above the ground. First Kagami pelted it with light, then Hearts conjured a Card Soldier to throw it off balance. Finally, Alice of Diamonds swung the Vorpal Sword once, twice and.. Snicker-snack! The Jabberwock fell to the ground and lay unmoving with a twisted talon and a tear in its wing.   Meanwhile, Maxim and Alice of Spades were collaborating on a Spy of Light spell, which they placed over the central tree to get a view of everything happening in the maze. In this way they saw the battle with the Jabberwock, the position of their other rival, Ryūzaki Sanosuke, and were somewhat nonplussed by the walrus glued to the ground on the other side of the maze. Moving carefully from their position, they met the King of Hearts once again, who hadn’t gotten far. Maxim discussed the Jabberwock situation with him, and then offered his shoulder. Hopping on, the King directed him to the center, where they might meet up with the Queen.   Back in the outer courtyard, the Jabberwock, feigning unconsciousness, sensed its opportunity. Letting loose a bright gout of flame upward, it engulfed the fox and everyone on it in fire. Aotsuki was able to shield himself, his sheele, and his Alice. Meanwhile, Ooawagaeri was singed, but largely unharmed, and his other passengers managed miraculously to avoid damage altogether.   Suddenly, a new pair of Jabberwocks whiffled out of the tulgey wood and engaged the group. Unbeknownst to them, this was merely a psychic illusion conjured by Alice of Fools, who had been watching the combat from afar. Thinking quickly, Aotsuki looked into Kagami’s mirror and saw the reality of the Jabberwock on the ground. Likewise, the two in the air didn’t show at all, confirming them as illusions. He relayed this information to the rest of his group, and with the aid of Amaterasu each was able to throw off the mental influence. The illusory Jabberwocks remained, but became translucent and hazy, no longer a threat.   Diving downward, Ooawagaeri delivered Alice of Diamonds to the beast for the final blow. Driving the Vorpal Sword through its chest, the Jabberwock shuddered its last breath. The firelight died from its eyes and mouth and it was still. Now on the ground, there only remained to deal with this strange girl, who they could all guess was related to Yoshitakatomo in some way, but none of them fathomed how.   Back in the maze, carrying Alice of Fools on his shoulders, Sanosuke had her direct him to the center of the maze, where he knew the Queen of Hearts to be. Feeling as though he was missing the action, his thought was to enlist the help of the Queen with any powers she might possess and thereby gain an advantage over the others. Finding the right wall, he hoisted Alice of Fools up and, with her assistance, climbed over himself.   Initially angered at the appearance of an intruder in her garden, the Queen of Hearts was somewhat mollified when both Sanosuke and his Alice heeded her command to kneel as they spoke. Each carefully framed their words to show the utmost respect, and thus barely managed to gain her favor. Sansouke learned that a thief had stolen the Vorpal Sword from this garden, and the Queen had sent her card soldiers out to retrieve it. Thinking that there could only be one individual unpredictable enough to invisibly steal a sword for no apparent reason, Sanosuke agreed to help her to find the thief and anyone he was working with. She agreed, and bade him to bring her their heads, attached or unattached from their bodies.   At this point Sanosuke attempted to receive some form of boon from the Queen, but she claimed that her powers were not ones she could bestow. Instead, she assigned two card soldiers, Gabrien and Williame, to accompany him.   Without warning, Alice of Spades and Maxim climbed over the opposite wall and into the central garden, the King of Hearts sitting primly on the latter’s shoulder. Having been warned by the King previously, Maxim and his Alice had the sense to kneel and show respect. However, Sanosuke took advantage of the opportunity, claiming the knight to be among the thieves who stole the sword and poisoning the Queen against him. Alice of Fools chimed in with an exhortation that if Maxim should hesitate to answer any questions, it must mean he was lying. The Queen seemed satisfied with this, and demanded to know where the thief, this “wizard” who had stolen the Vorpal Sword was. When Maxim answered her question with a question, she was enraged. “Off with his head!” she shouted and, with a sound like a melon being split in half, Maxim’s head rolled off his shoulders and to the ground. It slid to a halt with a surprised expression as his body fell, dead, and Alice of Spades looked on in horror.   Realizing that the situation was definitely against her, Spades agreed to work together with Sanosuke and Fools against the other contestants for now, while she pondered her next action. Just then, Gabrien and Williame arrived, and were put into Sanosuke’s service by the Queen.   Back outside, both Queen Alice and the fox’s crew showed hesitation in what to do next. Sensing the inevitability of conflict, and with all agreed, the Aotsuki-wagaeri alliance took the initiative for an initial strike. Mikazuki Munechika first made her presence known, taking Queen Alice from invisibility and locking her in shackles of darkness. Then, she grabbed Susuki Masamune from among the blades encircling the fox and struck twice with it. However, even bound, the Queen’s shield easily deflected the attacks. The Sable Fox, Ooawagaeri himself struck next, claiming the Vorpal Sword from Alice of Diamonds and swinging it with magic. This, too, was deflected, as was a strike from a card soldier summoned by Hearts. At this point, the Queen’s shield was starting to show cracks, but it would not be long before she had an opportunity to counter.   < Previous: White Rabbit Bowl: Exploration