Independent Final: Maxim vs. Fubuki

Sporting Event / Competition

"Try not to hit me too hard this time. That 'shadow' of yours packs a punch."   Such was Fubuki's opening statement as the mysterious swordswoman faced off against Maxim in the ravaged Mōri arena. This was to be the final round of the independent bracket, and therefore the tournament as a whole. Both fighters had powers not yet plumbed, and the audience held its collective breath, shuffled to the edge of their collective seat, and awaited the foreign barbarian's reply.   He gave none.

Scraping his sword across the ground, throwing up an arc of sparks, he began accumulating power. At the same time, a muttered prayer fell from Maxim's lips, offered to the wolf god dwelling within his blade.   Fubuki, however, did not approach. Instead, the swordswoman stepped to the side and cut through one of the nearby pillars. Hakujitsumu sheared the material with little resistance and, shortly, a sizeable chunk of stone slid off its base and thudded to the ground. This now served as a foothold for Fubuki as the ground around her turned thick and swampy, now a field of cloying mud.   Across the arena, Maxim had not yet moved. To those with the means to see such things, he was no longer alone. A monstrous wolf, fur raised and crackling like thunder, flickered in and out of existence as it paced hungrily by the knight's side. Lord Maxim raised his head and...brought his shield to bear just in time! A wet splat echoed across the hushed crowd as a chunk of fetid mud slapped harmlessly against Maxim's guard. Only the most perceptive of witnesses would have seen the knight's feet slide backward, ever so slightly, across the dusty ground from the force of the impact.   As though furious to have been the subject of such an uncouth attack, Maxim's shield roared. A blast of air shot across the distance between them and whipped around Fubuki, plastering her clothing to her body as she stood firm. Then, a mere second after the wind had passed, the swordswoman teetered theatrically and swooned into the mud. Maxim was not convinced.   Rather than approach his supposedly helpless opponent, the knight instead took cover behind a nearby pillar of his own. This thing was ancient. Maxim took the opportunity to study the long cracks and indentations centuries of wear had engraved into the thing. Then, as if finally yielding to its age (or perhaps nudged by a force beyond sight) the pillar creaked slowly to the side and collapsed, leaving Maxim exposed in a cloud of settling dust.   As soon as he was visible, Fubuki lashed out with her leg and kicked the nearby chunk of pillar at Maxim. Prone as she was, the kick still had considerable strength behind it and nearly caught her opponent off guard. Once again, however, Maxim raised his lion-crested greatshield and slammed the chunk of rock aside. Flying into the air, the thing arced and careened back down at Fubuki, who lazily raised a forearm to shatter the projectile before it could land on her.   Thus far, both warriors had merely been testing each others defenses or, in the case of Fubuki, perhaps having some fun at the other's expense. Now, however, she took her first serious move. Quickly weaving a spell of binding, the swordswoman cast its net across the field. Her target was not Maxim, however, but the half-glimpsed wolf prowling at his side. The magic zipped past his raised shield and earthed itself in the ground, but seemingly had no effect.   Now aware that his opponent was fighting in earnest, Maxim cleared the ground between them in a few leaping bounds. Hokkuken clashed with Hakujitsumu as both swordmasters tested their craft against each other. In the fray of ringing sparks, Hokkuken darted back and forth, jaws snapping like forked lightning as he sought an opening in Fubuki's defenses. Skilled though she was, the erstwhile Black Blade was effectively contending with two attackers. She sliced through Maxim's armor with the void crystals on her blade, only to have it stymied by his protective ki barrier. His response was not so hindered. Hokkuken howled with a sound like thunder as it broke Fubuki's guard and knocked her off her feet. With ringing in her ears, she could see that Maxim's blade had cut a shallow wound through her side. It was first blood.   Though the knight towered over her, blue eyes flashing in the sun above his imposing full plate, Fubuki made no attempt to rise. Rather, she reached her hand out toward the nearby canal as though beckoning for a friend. Water surged up, out, and crashed down in a wave that swamped their section of the arena. Maxim stumbled, hardly able to keep his feet in the rushing stream that even then carried Fubuki away to safety.   One she was a few feet away, the swordswoman rose magically out of the stream and floated just a few feet above. She pointed down with one hand that sparked and cracked. A bolt of lightning arced below, diving into the water and sending electricity flooding throughout the new river. Maxim gritted his teeth. From his metal boots to the chain beneath, he could feel painful currents running up and down as they slowly cooked him from within. What's worse, this attack had not come from Fubuki herself. Should he attempt to reflect it using his shield, Maxim would be doing little more than electrifying the water a second time.   Even so, the knight waded through the rushing water. Ignoring the painful lances still shooting through his legs, he trudged to where Fubuki floated just above and began a second exchange of blows. The swordswoman blocked with another weapon from her flying armory. This was Susuki Masamune, crafted by a legendary swordsmith and the same sword whose void-raked edge had bitten through Maxim's armor before. This time, however, Maxim also wielded a different weapon. His Kotetsu-forged greatsword, fully three times the size of Hokkuken, crashed with the strength of an earthquake down upon Fubuki. It was all the swordswoman could do to deflect the blow. Even so, the zweihander carried away a dented chunk of her armor in the process. It seemed this weapon's purpose was not to cut, but to batter, wear down, and destroy.   The two continued to trade blows. Fubuki suffered a dire hit through her weakened armor, but at the same time bit into Maxim's flesh with her blade that nullified his armor as surely as a void devours light. Left open by the assault, Fubuki was able to only just bring another weapon to bear as Hokkuken lunged from the side. A thunderous sound rang out as she held ghostly teeth at bay, flashing in the midday sun.   Finally, the two broke. Maxim fished at his belt and, watching his opponent all the while, gulped down a reddish liquid from a flask. His bleeding appeared to lessen and the knight stood taller, revivified in an instant! Fubuki merely smiled. Her wounds were closing too, albeit at a slower rate, but she required no such contrivances to heal. Instead, the swordswoman used the opportunity to cast another spell, flinging it across the short distance to Maxim. Her opponent brought his weapon to bear, but the spell did not deflect off his zweihander. Rather, it buried itself within the weapon. This development was naturally of some concern to Maxim.   Sensing her opponent's confusion, Fubuki pressed the assault. Her blades whirled around her, but it was not one of these which lunged at Maxim. Instead, Tonbōgiri shot from where she had left it in the stands and drove through the air at Maxim's arm. He'd seen it coming quickly enough to turn his guard, but the attack was still ferocious. Honda Tadakatsu's legendary weapon speared through Maxim's parry and buried itself in his arm. A lesser man might have had his appendage sliced cleanly off by such a blow. Maxim was made of sterner stuff than that, but he was still clearly injured.   "It wouldn't be too much trouble to attack him, would it?" Fubuki spoke for the first time since the match started. Her eyes were locked not on Maxim, nor the ethereal companion at his side, but rather at the weapon in his hand. Nagasone Kotetsu's blade made no response except to slash out through the intervening air at Fubuki. She dodged, but a crunch sounded as the blade took away another chunk of her armor. The swordswoman's fine stygian plate was little more than scraps of metal now.   As his opponent found her footing, Maxim traded his zweihander for a heavy, wicked battleaxe. At the same time, Fubuki danced away, water rising from the canal and blooming around her in the shape of an enormous, rippling flower. Then, it froze. Maxim peered at the spectacle, as did the rest of the crowd. Fubuki must surely be at its center, but he could not see her through the many layers of ice in the way.   With a sigh and a heft of his axe, Maxim went to work. The first wall fell easily. So did the second, and the third. This was, after all, only ice. It took some time, but the knight finally hacked his way to the center of the flower. There, Fubuki was lounging within, looking as fresh and rosy as her grayish skin would allow.   "Oh. Hello," she greeted.   "I think that's enough of a warm up for the both of us," Maxim said. No sense of amusement lay behind his eyes now, just steely determination.   "Very well." As she spoke these words, Fubuki reached out her hand. All at once, the frozen flower around them collapsed into a deluge of rushing water. Water which, with Fubuki's electrified hand plunged into it, began to crackle dangerously. Maxim realized the trap too late. A shock stronger than any before ran up his soles, across his armor, and seemed to earth itself painfully in his very bones. He roared. Or perhaps it was Hokkuken which roared, as it slammed into Fubuki and knocked her careening into the water.   The stream bunched up like a rescuing hand, attempting to sweep Fubuki away to safety; however, Maxim was wise to this trick now. He struck with Hokkuken not where Fubuki was, but where the water was about to carry her. The wolf howled once more, but could not shift Fubuki again. Even so, she was trapped with Maxim standing over her.   "Hey. Stop that," she admonished the sword. None of Maxim's weapons opted to reply. Then, suddenly and without fanfare, Fubuki was gone. Maxim let out an exhausted sigh as a wall of water rushed up around him in her place. With a swipe of Hokkuken and a sonic clap, the knight cut a hole in the reverse waterfall large enough for him to step out of. Then, he surveyed the battlefield. Fubuki must not have left the arena, lest that be counted as a forfeiture, but she could be invisible or...or right over there. He spied a lock of silver hair vanishing behind one of the remaining pillars.   "You're a slippery one, aren't you?" he asked as he rounded the pillar.   "You just noticed?"   Maxim screwed his eyes up as though attempting to convince himself this was the real Fubuki. Then, his aura exploded, painting the air around him a brilliant orange. As though called by the strength of his next swing, Hostimentum ripped itself from the air and clad Maxim from head to toe in burnished black metal. It roared, groaned, and lit from within as the weapon gathered more and more force behind it. Hakujitsumu leaped up to defend, a flash of silver within an inferno. Then, Fubuki was knocked a step back, a gash running down her shoulder. It was not a mortal wound, but...   "I yield."   Hokkuken roared in the air as Maxim held it high to deliver the next blow. Hostimentum creaked in anticipation, screeching as it built furious energy within itself. Then the cacophony was was broken by Fubuki's surrender. Maxim hesitated. The swordswoman seemed genuine, but Hostimentum was not satisfied. With an obvious effort of will, he managed to lower his sword arm, the infernal armor groaning in defiance all the while.   Maxim turned to Mōri Motonari who had watched the full exchange from her box. As the Daimyō opened her mouth to declare the winner, Maxim pointed his blade at her in challenge. "This isn't enough! I request a duel with you, Daimyō of the Mōri Clan."   Motonari twisted her mouth into a small smile, but did not answer the victor's challenge immediately. Instead, she announced to the crowd at large that Lord Maxim of Albion had won the battle. Lady Fubuki had made the wise decision to stand down, rather than stain the arena with further death.   "As do I," she continued as she looked straight at Maxim, "Your request to duel is rejected."   But, out of curiosity, she asked what grievance the knight had that might prompt such a request to begin with. Maxim could not tell her the truth, of course, but a lie came to his lips easily enough. He'd wanted to duel her for a while as part of the festivities, he claimed. However, those same festivities had weakened Motonari. Indeed, she was still pale from the fumes she'd ingested when facing those awful Yomi born creatures earlier in the tournament.   "I had thought to offer you an oni-bred warhorse as a reward, as I shall to the victorious Ryūzōji. Do you so wish for a duel that you would take the opportunity for one instead?"   At this moment, Hashinara Kiyowara cut in. Perhaps it was her honor which caused Yoshitakatomo to speak through her Sheele in request that these quibbles be ended. But Motonari cut her a look.   "Silence, sheele. This does not concern you."   Maxim was stalwart. Although a horse was no doubt a tempting offer, he wanted nothing more than the honor of facing Motonari in a duel. Or so he claimed. So, with some resignation, the Mōri Daimyō acceded to his request. However...   "I am still weakened, therefore you would not deny me the ancient right to choose a champion to fight in my place."   And that champion was...none other than Fubuki herself. Motonari granted Maxim the right to fight her at his leisure, although suggested that it may be honorable to wait for at least a day for both parties to recover.   Naturally, Maxim was incensed. The challenge had been turned against him, and he was now challenging the very same opponent that he'd just defeated? This was an insult, and not a very subtle one.   "I had heard the Oni face such challenges, and you would have me pitted against the person I already fought and bested? Do not insult me. My request was to face you, so forget it."   The bad blood between the two, newly tainted, hung in the air so thickly that it was almost visible to all the audience. With a wave of her hand, Motonari dropped the matter. Masuda Kita would prepare two oni-bred warhorses as prizes after all.   Maxim's armor fell off of him with a thud before dissolving into ether once again.   "I said forget it. I don't need your reward. I'm just disappointed."   And with that, he left as the victor but with a seed of anger still gnawing through his stomach.