#emblembcund

“This was quite an unexpected match-up, isn’t it? Lady Naga, blessed may she be, fighting with a Heron Prince from Tellius. I don’t think anyone in the audience saw this coming.”

"There's going to be some bias for Naga simply due to Ylisse being the hosts, but hopefully Reyson's family cheering him on will equalise the morale of our finalists."

“They are quite vocal. They have signs now, I can see them from the moderator box!”

Reyson Strike 1: 10 ATT / NAT 1 DEF      Critical Opening: 15 ATT / 8 DEF Naga Strike 1: 8 ATT / 12 DEF

The match begins, Reyson quickly takes off, seeming almost panicked as he lifts into the sky with a flutter of loose white feathers. One falls into Naga’s face, distracting the great dragon. She flicks it away but doesn’t realize that the heron prince has then landed on her back, pushing her shoulder with his legs to pin her down for a moment, getting a point. He then uses his long beak to score another hit on her leg with a swift strike. Naga rolls, swiping out with her claws to try and catch him, but Reyson flies again too fast and narrowly avoids being stricken by the holy drake.

Reyson Strike 2: 4 ATT (trick-or-treat ROWAN disadvantage) / 11 DEF Naga Strike 2: 18 ATT / 6 DEF

The heron prince tries to dive and take a swooping strike, but Naga ducks her head and avoids him easily. She then reached up her claws and catches the prince’s legs. Forceful, but not hurting the heron severely thanks to her own divinity, Naga quickly brings Reyson down and pins him to the arena ground to get a point.

Reyson Strike 3: 6 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 3 DEF Naga Strike 3: 4 ATT / 9 DEF

While Pinned, Reyson lets out a loud heron cry and struggles against Naga’s grip, determined to get free. He kicks up his legs and managed to get Naga right in her jaw, sending the dragon stumbling back a step and getting himself free. He flies again before Naga can catch him.

Reyson Strike 4: 19 ATT (trick-or-treat HAWTHORNE bonus) / 3 DEF Naga Strike 4: 19 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 18 DEF

This time, when Reyson flies in for a sweeping strike with his talons, he catches Naga’s shoulder successfully, scoring a point. He uses a more dramatic motion this time, imitating the way hawks and falcon dive to their catch their prey while hunting. It works, but his bird body isn’t quite suited for such aerodynamics and he is left vulnerable when Naga lashes out and pins him again. 

Reyson Strike 5: 2 ATT / 17 DEF Naga Strike 5: 18 ATT / 2 DEF

Winded from Naga’s rough, but somehow still very gentle, treatment, Reyson struggles to get himself righted. Naga keeps him pinned and get her final point in the match but bopping the heron’s head in a mock head-butt that wouldn’t actually cause him harm. There certainly was something fascinating about a divine dragon’s ability to be strong yet never deadly when she wanted to be.

REYSON: 4 NAGA: 3

“I think Prince Reyson is-- Oh no! I think he fainted! We need medics--”

"I know that I shouldn't be laughing, but there is something funny about our winner being the one to collapse."

REYSON WINS

Send 💋 to get a kiss from my muse.

He can’t understand it.

He can’t understand how she can seek him out as if he’s done nothing wrong; as if he isn’t an oathbreaker and a traitor who’d raised his bow to kill her and her friends where they stood. He can’t understand how she can look at him with those soft, sad eyes, how she can stand to be in the company of a man who’d knowingly broken his word to her, all without any influence of dark magic at all. And yet still she insists on finding him, speaking to him, smiling at him like she wouldn’t have been dead by his own hand if she’d had an ounce less luck.

It’s been driving him mad.

“How can you just–forgive me so easily?!” he finally demands, one hand clutching at the front of his own shirt. “I tried to kill you! I said I would do everything in my power to stop Sandima and my family, and I lied! I failed! And still you–you–”

And still she stands there, lips slightly parted, not backing down an inch as he lays all his shortcomings bare, demands answers to the questions that have plagued his mind all these days with her near. She’s so, so close to him, and with a wounded noise he grabs her by the shoulder, shuts his eyes, and presses his lips to her own.

Damn her. Damn him. And damn him especially for taking liberties where he has no right to do so.

"GO NAGA! I BELIEVE IN YOU NAGA--!!”

"We should be impartial, but Emm’s enthusiasm is understandable. All things considered, it would be practically illegal for us not to side with Naga, right? I just hope they don’t use their full forms...”

Grima Strike 1: 3 ATT / 3 DEF Naga Strike 1: 16 ATT / 7 DEF

The crowd is already near riotous when the match begins. Both dragons are massive and radiate power. They both lunge forward and slam into each other in equal strength. The audience gasps and shouts. There is a momentary stalemate of power, but then Naga lets out a roar and pushes forward, flipping Grima into his side and scoring her first point.

Grima Strike 2: NAT 20 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 10 DEF      Critical Opening: 3 ATT / 10 DEF Naga Strike 2: 3 ATT (ROWAN disadvantage) / 3 DEF

When Grima is sent down onto the ground, he finds an opening and screeches gleefully as he whips his tail around and hits Naga’s belly. She stumbles back, nearly falling, but stays upright and withstands, preventing Grima from getting in another hit. Again, the dragons lunge and lock claws at the same time--

Grima Strike 3: 16 ATT / 18 DEF Naga Strike 3: 18 ATT / NAT 1 DEF      Critical Opening: 13 ATT / 17 DEF

Grima nearly gained the upper hand, but falters and can’t quite tackle Naga. The crowd begins to cheer wildly, and there are even shouts from the moderator box as the Exalted siblings shout encouraging rally cries for Naga. With encouragement from the crowd, Naga lunges forward and tackles Grima to the ground. She tries to get a second hit in, but Grima recovers quickly.

Grima Strike 4: 6 ATT / 11 DEF Naga Strike 4: 15 ATT (OAK bonus) / 13 DEF

Grima lets out another screech, and many Plegians and Grimleal in the audience cheer for the fell dragon, even as he misses his next strike. Naga is successful, though, and she swings her tail quickly to score a hit against Grima’s side.

Grima Strike 5: 14 ATT / 9 DEF Naga Strike 5: 17 ATT / 6 DEF

With the audience jumping and shouting, Grima grabs Naga’s tail and pulls her to the ground, scoring another hit. Many in the audience begin to boo and jeer while others scream and chant for Naga to get up, to win. The holy dragon uses her tail to sweep Grima, sending him to the ground as well, scoring one last point, before she is back up and the audience is chanting: “NAGA! NAGA! NAGA!” 

GRIMA: 2 NAGA: 4

“YES! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT NAGA! Praise be to our most holy of dragons!”

“Ladies and gentleman, if you ever wondered about who the most devout in our family is, you have your answer. But really, I’m glad good triumphed over evil... Gods, I really didn’t want to crown Grima as our champion at the end. Wait, can I even say gods in this context?”

Welcome to the Harvest Tourney, Lady Naga--

NAGA?!

ITS NAGA!

“It is no surprise that Lady Naga has come so far into the tourney. I’m not sure how she will fare with the water, though...”

"She can fly, surely? I’ve seen Tiki and Nowi do it plenty of times, and they are of the same tribe. I think this match will be a matter of who can tempt the other out of their comfort zone. Speaking of which, I’m just glad that I don’t have to get down there again.”

Naga Strike 1: 12 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 6 DEF Unna Strike 1: 5 ATT / NAT 20 DEF      Critical Opening: 15 ATT / 14 DEF

Naga, being a larger dragon even in her restrained draconic form, has a long reach, and with one decisive swipe of her claw she is able to reach into the water and knock Unna’s side, scoring a point. Unna makes a move to fight back, but as she twists to bite Naga’s leg, the dragon’s tail swings around to bop Unna’s head and score an extra point.

Naga Strike 2: 9 ATT / 16 DEF Unna Strike 2: 11 ATT / 11 DEF

Naga’s second try at a swipe into the water fails, as Unna dives deeper into the pool to avoid the attack. But as the selkie speeds back up, trying to headbutt Naga, she is instead caught in Naga’s large claws, and gently placed back into the water.

Naga Strike 3: 15 ATT / NAT 20 DEF      Critical Opening: 16 ATT / 19 DEF Unna Strike 3: 14 ATT / 4 DEF

Naga flies up, getting some upward momentum, before she makes a move to dive into the water herself. She does, and nearly lands a hit, but hte risky move gives Unna an opening to bite-- Only the Selkie is off aim and doesn’t quite make it. But, Unna is able to swing her tail and score a point before Naga flies back out of the water.

Naga Strike 4: 13 ATT (trick-or-treat OAK bonus) / 2 DEF Unna Strike 4: 19 ATT (HAWTHORNE bonus) / 8 DEF

Naga lands on the shore once more, but leaves her long tail in the water. With good timing, she flips her tail up in a powerful motion, flipping Unna up along with it and knocking her onto the shore for a point. Unna manages to get a bite on Naga’s tail before she slides back into the water.

Naga Strike 5: 11 ATT / 19 DEF Unna Strike 5: 2 ATT / 2 DEF

Both Naga and Unna are a bit winded from the fight across land, water, and sky, so when they both make their final strikes, they miss. Naga’s tail splashes on the water’s surface, while Unna’s smacks against the shore, both of them off center when the bell tolls.

NAGA: 3 UNNA: 2

“Well done, Lady Naga! And the same to Lady Unna. It was a close match! But in the end, our Holy Dragon has won again.”

"Nothing’s guaranteed yet, but something feels right about the divine dragon taking the bracket... Not that I’m hoping Reyson will lose or anything. Which is mightier: the dragon or the heron?”

“Yesterday I think I got a bit too heated while rooting for Naga. I’m sorry... I’ll try not to get so heated today, though Her Holiness is not fighting Grima this time.”

"...Oh! I almost didn’t recognise her for a moment. She hardly looks like the same person, er, dragon with her hair in a braid like that.”

Naga Strike 1: 4 ATT / 7 DEF Quinn Strike 1: 13 ATT / 15 DEF

Both Naga and Quinn jump forward in attempted strikes, but they both fall a bit off course. Naga leaps too far, and Quinn leaps too short. The dragon and taguel take a moment to re-assess their opponents.

Naga Strike 2: 15 ATT / 4 DEF Quinn Strike 2: NAT 1 ATT (trick-or-treat ROWAN disadvantage) / 15 DEF      Critical Opening: 14 ATT / 17 DEF

Naga swings her front leg, catching Quinn and pinning her to the ground for a moment. Quinn brings her legs up, trying to kick at Naga in return, but she fumbles and nearly gets another strike from Naga before she wiggles her way out of the holy dragon’s grip and hopping away quickly.

Naga Strike 3: 18 ATT / 8 DEF Quinn Strike 3: 8 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 7 DEF

Naga is fast and she uses powerful wings to propel herself towards Quinn and catching the taguel by surprise. She pins Quinn to the ground once more, but Quinn gets her powerful legs beneath Naga and kicks the dragon off in one fell hit, knocking Naga over and scoring a point.

Naga Strike 4: NAT 20 ATT (FAVOR bonus) / 11 DEF      Critical Opening: 5 ATT / 4 DEF Quinn Strike 4: 6 ATT / 18 DEF

Naga charges forward again, the audience cheering her on. With perfect execution, she pins Queen again, and once she has Quinn down, she rolls, bringing the taguel with her into a second strike. It makes Queen a bit dizzy and as she gets up she is off balance and misses in her strike.

Naga Strike 5: 12 ATT / 18 DEF Quinn Strike 5: 7 ATT (trick-or-treat ELM bonus) / 6 DEF

Naga swings her tail to get in one last strike, but Quinn swiftly hops over it, landing then on Naga’s back and getting one last hit in before the final bell.

NAGA: 3 QUINN: 2

"Another close match! I admit, I am excited that Naga won... but Lady Quinn put up quite an exciting fight.”

"At least we’ve finally learned that she is, indeed, a taguel. Gods, how did we mess that up yesterday?”

“oh! hello, niles,” agnes greets the archer, smile on her face. she’s been assigned weapons maintenance, and she’s currently sharpening a small pile of swords worn down by battle, but...it’s terribly boring work, if she’s honest. 

tiki: >:3c