282 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
21 Years
Female
"Aurum Arachne"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
Spider Head
Pro Hero
Played by: khaozz
|
Post by Kumoko Joro on Feb 21, 2020 11:50:16 GMT -4
It was finally here. The day of the tournament. No words could adequately enough describe just how nervous Kumoko was feeling at the moment. Despite the nervousness, however, there was also some excitement here. Regardless of how well or poorly the spider-headed girl did in this fight, she could at least be sure that she would go into this with everything she had. She had her friends and foster dad cheering her on. So there was no way she could let them down! Anything less than her absolute best was nothing less than disrespectful to her opponent as well. Speaking of her opponent, Kumoko did not know much about Graham Ashwood. The only time she had even got a glimpse of the guy was back in Mt. Fuji, which was quite a while ago. Needless to say that she was already at a disadvantage there. Meanwhile, it would not be too difficult for Graham to guess Kumoko's capabilities. After all, her rather obvious mutation was not exactly easy to hide. Still, battles were not always decided based on who knew the opponent's quirk. Anything could happen. For the tournament, Kumoko brought several things with her. First was the hero suit that Kumoko had sewn herself and was designed by Angel's aunt. The spider-headed girl had already decided that if there was an opportunity to wear this, then she would not hesitate to do so. However, there were some modifications made to the suit. Some were minor, like the enhanced durability thanks to a mix of harder plastics and Kumoko's own silk, as well as the utility belt with several pouches to store small objects. The most notable modification to the suit, however, was the clear pipe that connected to the spinneret on the back of Kumoko's spider body. This pipe would run down under her spider body, neck, and upper back, and then split into two pipes that would each continue on under her arms and connect to special plastic gauntlets on each hand. The reason for this was simple. Besides her mouth, the only other place Kumoko could shoot out her webs were from the spinneret on the back of her head. And considering her body structure, it was located in a blind spot, which was most inconvenient. So by using the pipes, she could get her webs to her hands, then fire them from a place she could actually see. Additionally, if she needed to cover her mouth for some reason, the girl would not be screwed over. And plus, she was now a bit reminiscent of a certain web-slinging comic book hero. The second thing Kumoko brought with her was what would be her weapon of choice for the tournament: Her newly-crafted slingshot. That and a pouch on her utility belt containing pellets to use as ammo. She could not completely rely on her webs, as that used up energy that she did not have in limitless amounts. And her venom was going to be a last resort only. Kumoko really did not like the thought of having to use her venom. It did not feel very heroic to bite someone. But anyway, that was what her slingshot was for. To fight from a distance without having to rely on her webs too much. The third thing Kumoko brought with her were a pair of futuristic-looking goggles. In truth, these were just specially crafted lenses that helped with Kumoko's eyesight. Since each of her six eyes were only about a third as effective as a regular human eye, the goggles were there to help compensate. With this enhanced vision, Kumoko's eyesight was sharp enough to hopefully catch any small details that the average person would probably miss. Plus, they also served to protect her eyes. Three times the eyes meant three times the chances of something potentially poking them. Best to have protection! And finally, Kumoko brought some first-aid stuff stored on several of the pouches on her utility belt. Mostly minor things like bandages and things to disinfect wounds. But there was also a tiny bottle of antidote to counteract Kumoko's own venom. Because despite the venom being super weak and the nausea caused by the venom not taking too long to clear up, she would feel terrible if she were forced to bite someone and then just leave her opponent all nauseated. Sure, Nakahara-sensei would be there to treat any serious injuries, but Kumoko figured that the school nurse could use a break by not having to worry about the minor stuff. Overall, her suit and gear would not be too heavy. Not completely light, but it would be enough to not encumber the girl's movements by too much of a noticeable amount. And with that, there was just one bit of preparation left to make. Time to find whoever had the remote to the speakers. ... Once it was time for both participants to make their way to the arena, music would start playing. And to go along with that, Kumoko would literally start dancing with a smile on her face as she made her way to the stage. It was a miracle that Kumoko neither burst into tears from sheer embarrassment nor burst into laughter. The crowd would easily be able to notice an old meme that Kumoko was referencing. Naturally, the spider-headed girl could not resist making a callback to a certain infamous scene from the third movie of an old trilogy of a certain spider hero. Kumoko did not care if she was being ridiculously silly. She did not care if she was embarrassing herself in front of so many people. And she did not care if the crowd decided to boo or laugh at her. She was only doing this to help calm her nerves. The more she danced and messed around, the more fun she had, and the more she could forget about being worried or nervous. But naturally, the poor girl would slip and fall, faceplanting on the floor of the arena. And fittingly, the music would abruptly cut off the moment she did so. Oof! Owwwww. Still, that would not do much to stop her. Kumoko would immediately get back up and assure everyone that the injury was not serious. "I'm okay!" And with that done, she would walk over to Graham and bow politely. "Regardless of who ends up victorious, I hope we have a fun and honorable match. Now let's show the crowd something to remember!" And with a cheery smile, Kumoko got ready for the moment that the start of the match was declared. Alright, this is it! Let's do this!WC 1000+
|
|
113 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
Student-Rank Quirk:
|
Post by Graham Ashwood on Feb 21, 2020 20:24:17 GMT -4
Oh, how Graham had looked forward to today. Whether his efforts at this academy had paid off or not was about to be decided- or rather, the extent to which they had would be. However, it was undeniable that leading up to the most definitively decisive event of his entire first year, he'd done little to improve his actual physicality. Such things would certainly weigh upon a lesser competitor's mind, but Graham's had been too busy for such things. As soon as he knew his opponent, he'd started putting together a set of tools.
After all, if there'd been anything these past few months had prepared him for it was preparing. Just how recently the degree of creativity his abilities allowed for had been realized was strange to think of, but he'd put it to good use either way. The suit he was wearing was a prime example; one of the better things to come out of his experimentation, essentially a racing suit with the texture of a wetsuit, the carbon fibre's standard grey dominating the colour palette with the sides painted white. The texture made it appear a bit too spandex-like, unfortunately, but that wasn't too important. A zipper along the entire back made the suit surprisingly simple to get in and out of, particularly as its entirety was under Graham's control. To top it off, a relatively simple motorcycle helmet coated in graphite and some boots and gloves with a similar finish to complete the full-body set. If anything, it was a shame the helmet was a bit plain, but the young man had the time nor the originality to make anything better of it. He'd keep it off until the fight started, if only to give the audience and his opponent a proper greeting.
On that note, Kumoko Joro would be an odd foe. Not only visually and physically, as her grey skin and noticeably spider-shaped head were, well, noticeable. And perhaps a little offputting, but those weren't the sorts of things to be thinking about. Those spider legs were something taken out of a horror story, though. Whatever the case, spider head meant spider abilities; shooting webs, skittering along the ground, possibly some sort of venom? That last part wasn't certain, but he'd seen her dispense spider silk or something similar the last time they were involved, an incident Graham didn't remember too fondly. Along with her quirk, he should keep in mind she was a support student, so she might have a mechanical ace or two up her sleeves. Granted, so did the heroics student himself, but that should only serve to make him warier.
Yes, that suit on its own was a wonderful addition to his toolset, previously little more than a glorified knife collection. But more was necessary, to serve both his mid-battle bouts of inspiration and more standard functions. To start, he'd rolled a length of about 15 metres of rather slim carbon fibre cable around his right forearm, attached to the suit's wrist. What to do with it exactly was the question- it could be used to restrict Kumoko's movement as getting tangled in it with her plurality of limbs would likely mean he could toss her right out the ring. Graham liked the sound of that, not to mention it'd be useful as a restraining tool in more close-quarters fighting.
For the sake of brevity, however, on to the next item: an array of little graphite blocks, about the size of a deck of cards, attached to the waist of his suit to emulate a belt. His skills as a craftsman were lacking and he hadn't the time to figure out the process to make proper pouches, so this would have to do. The bond was light enough for him to tear them right off telekinetically, making it no issue for him to pull them into his hand to pulverize into a cloud of dust, or perhaps to simply chuck at the spider's face from a distance. He had options, which was the prime objective.
The last large piece of equipment he had was a shield, taken straight from his performance in a Sentai show. There wasn't much to the lightweight, four-pointed-star design, aside from it looking slightly like an oversized shuriken attached to his left arm. After the realization that he'd be facing projectiles, it seemed only logical to carry one, especially since he didn't like the pitch of webs stuck to him or his suit.
Besides those, there were minor topics such as the shirt and shorts under his suit, of a slightly more suitable carbon-fabric blend, along with a pair of his older throwing knives in ankle holsters on each leg. If he did manage to be separated from his suit, he'd be just as prepared- that was the idea, at least.
Despite the quantity of tools strapped to his body, Graham didn't feel too constricted. After all, none of it was too large and its base material wasn't particularly dense, not to mention practically the entire collection moved to his every whim. He could quite easily lift himself off the ground and have a fly about the arena if the need were to arise. Speaking of which, it was about time to hit the stage!
Graham hadn't expected any particular nerves to get in the way, though walking out the gate, any that might have been hiding were obliterated with certainty. A funky tune blasted through the air to introduce them, one which Kumoko seemed to be quite into, given how she starting to dance up to the stage. Hold on, was this what Graham thought it was? Good lord, it absolutely was. He felt a compulsion that shouldn't ever be followed, and yet upon realizing what it was Kumoko was referencing, he dropped his shield and helmet from his hands. In an act he might regret for the remainder of his life, he went and joined her in a dance a century past its due date up the steps, unable to stop his smile from turning into a grin out of sheer silliness. It was only ended by the spider-woman happening to trip, though she got right back up before Graham had time to worry. Well, after that happened and the frivolity was out of their systems, he supposed they could get to business.
Graham pulled his dropped items back from the floor as he walked to meet Kumoko in the middle, copying her bow. He was more fond of handshakes personally, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do, he supposed. "I doubt they'll be quick to forget that entry!" he joked in response to her comment, before continuing: "We'll need a fight even more spectacular, then. I'll certainly give it my all!" Whether they'd live up to that standard was a bigger question than who'd win, really. With a smile matching his opponent's, Graham slipped the helmet over his head, about as ready as he ever could be.
|
|
282 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
21 Years
Female
"Aurum Arachne"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
Spider Head
Pro Hero
Played by: khaozz
|
Post by Kumoko Joro on Feb 23, 2020 23:53:38 GMT -4
Perhaps sometime after the tournament, or even just after this one fight, Kumoko's embarrassment of what she had done would fully sink in and leave her mortified from her actions. But right now, she was having way too much fun! And it seemed like Graham decided to join in. Yay, awesome! Kumoko appreciated the fact that he joined in on the fun rather than make fun of her for being silly.
But the time for silliness would very quickly come to an end. It was now time to get serious. The start of the match was here! Kumoko nodded at Graham's words. "Right, same here!" Because giving anything less than her absolute best would be completely unfair and dishonorable. She wanted to hit Graham with everything she had, to show the audience just what the resident spider-headed seamstress of class 1-S could do.
Alright, no holding back. No running away. Let's do this!
As soon as the start of the match was declared, Kumoko wasted no time. The spider-headed girl wished to be the one to take the initiative. She quickly ran to the left, trying to keep her distance from Graham while also trying to circle around him. In case Graham wanted to start things off by attacking, Kumoko wanted to make sure that she was not just standing there. After all, a stationary target was far easier to hit than a moving one.
Of course, Kumoko was not going to start things off simply by running. No, her plan was not that simple. Almost immediately after she began to run, Kumoko started to produce and secrete her golden silk from the spinneret on the back of her head. The silk would travel down the pipe that connected to her spinneret, moving down her back, splitting off at the part where the one pipe became two, and then continuing down to her gauntlets. Now that the silk was ready to be fired, Kumoko did just that. From a hole in the palm of each gauntlet, two sticky strings of golden silk shot out of her palms, aiming at Graham's legs and feet. Kumoko's goal was not necessarily to bind him, but rather to slow him down in case he tried to pursue her on foot. Regardless of whether the strings landed on their intended target, Kumoko would fire once again. Her gauntlets had a nifty feature. Inside the holes where the silk was fired from were special string cutters that were triggered by the movement of the girl's pinky fingers. With this, she could choose to either fire a continuous string of web, or repeatedly fire small bits of web in bursts.
However, things would not be so easy, nor would they be straightforward. Graham had a shield, so it was likely that he could just cover himself and not worry about the spider girl's silk. Or he could rush in and attack with his quirk. Kumoko needed to watch out for that. In addition to that, Kumoko did not possess a limitless supply of silk. She needed to conserve her energy, only shooting webs when necessary and not overdoing it. Finally, the girl's stamina was only about average. There was no way she could hope to spend the entire match running. She would definitely tire out in no time if she were to try.
While slowing Graham down with strings and webs would be nice, that alone was not Kumoko's real plan either. As she kept running around in what she hoped was an unpredictable pattern, Kumoko took out her slingshot and opened the pouch on her belt that contained the pellets. She needed to test something. And to do that, she needed Graham to either remain still, or to move slowly enough that hitting him with a pellet would not be too difficult. Hence the firing of her web strings at his legs and feet. Hopefully, Kumoko would get a clean shot in and not just have the pellet miss or get blocked by the shield.
The reason she wanted to hit Graham with her slingshot pellets was not just to inflict some damage. She wanted to know just how tough his suit was. Since the elastic part of the girl's slingshot was made by her own webs, that meant that any pellet fired from the slingshot would be able to cause enough damage to put a dent on materials around as durable as wood. So by aiming to hit Graham's suit, she hoped to see just what kind of impact her attack would leave. If there was not much of a dent, then offense would not be a viable tactic for Kumoko. After all, her only offensive attack besides the slingshot was her venom. And that would be useless if Graham's suit proved to be too tough, since her teeth needed to sink in his skin to inject the venom for it to actually work. Not that she wanted to bite Graham, but having the option was more preferable than not.
This was certainly not going to be easy. Kumoko was unsure if she could even win. Still, she had to try. She was determined to show everyone what she could do, from the gear and gadgets she had built, to her various strategies and quick thinking. She did not want to let down those that were cheering her on. And no matter what happened, victory would not be something gained effortlessly.
WC 906
|
|
113 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
Student-Rank Quirk:
|
Post by Graham Ashwood on Feb 24, 2020 10:48:00 GMT -4
The first question on Graham's mind was whether the support student could keep up in the first place. Their training and classes didn't focus all too much on combat, he imagined, so had she been working on this by herself? It would be worth his while to clear these issues up right away, to gauge how offensive he could get without too much risk.
As such, when the match started, his attacks would have to wait a moment, as he started off light on his feet, keeping his shield a bit forward in case of an immediate assault. He wouldn't have to deal with that, though, as the spider dashed away immediately, trying to create distance. She wasn't all too quick, but neither was he, so too much distance would be a bother. He could simply use his range to force her to come to him, though he did promise a spectacular show, and a time-consuming, action-light plan like that wouldn't do.
He went after her, assisting his steps by lifting some of his weight through his suit. Almost a stranger sensation than flying, as though he were running on the moon, long strides. He could only hope it didn't look too strange, but that was less than important. What was more important was Kumoko's decisionmaking, whether she'd try to get him off her back. And there it was, she turned to face him, palms out. Graham's recent shift in focus from simply blocking blows to evading them would prove to have been a good choice. The sticky blasts of webbing sailed just below his shins as he jumped, helping himself off the ground, hanging in the air for a moment as he enjoyed the moment. It was a shame his helmet covered his smile, perhaps he should rethink that later.
Taking his time with that dodge would prove an error, however, as his relatively straightforward trajectory during his landing would give Kumoko a clear shot on his right shoulder, something Graham realized one moment too late. His clarity had slipped away for the slightest of a moment, and an appropriate punishment would be served- flick. Yes, there'd been an impact, and he could feel it in his shoulder a tiny bit, but it couldn't have left more than a scratch on the suit's surface. She wasn't intentionally dialling back the power of her shots, was she? That didn't quite sound like putting her all into it. This meant that Graham could be as unrelenting as he'd like, then? It started to sound more like he was hunting a humanoid house spider than a tarantula, but whichever way, he'd do his best to deposit her outside the ring. He didn't have a cup at hand to catch her, unfortunately.
The promised offensive would start, then. Graham could guess the range of his control to cover right about the entire concrete battlefield if he were right in the centre, though after running about for a while they were a decent distance from it. Positionally speaking, however, the spider-girl might have gotten herself into a bind already. She was in between the young viscount and the edge of the arena, granting him proper stage control, though it wouldn't matter if she could run around everything he tossed at her. The proper solution, then, would be to block her in and finish the matter quickly.
Graham had ten of these little graphite blocks on him, all of which flew right off him, and after brushing past his hands, burst into a tremendous cloud of smoke. It wouldn't obscure their sight for too long, as it thinned out, quickly encircling Kumoko in an attempt to trap her, the smoke forming a hollowed-out half-dome against the outer edge. As he said, he didn't have a glass, so a bowl would suffice to catch the little spider. If she did get caught inside, pushing through the smoke wouldn't be much of an option given the young man's carbon-controlling quirk would push back just as hard.
Even if she did escape, it would frankly be delaying the inevitable. If Graham were asked, at least. With how little damage she could deal to him, her only option would be to continually run away, tiring herself out before long, while Graham himself could stay back and hold the middle of the field, attacking with projectiles. She was automatically in an inescapable state of disadvantage, and there wasn't much spectacle in that. Though to be fair, boxing themselves in wouldn't make things much better, but it kept him active.
So, if the smoke trap was evaded, Graham would call it back to trail behind him in a larger cloud, potentially to be used again, while moving back to the centre. He had a solid few tricks left but showing his hand this early on, in the match or in the tournament, would be ridiculously wasteful. Once again he'd react to whatever Kumoko might decide to do. Would she be able to come up with a plan to take him out? Did such a plan exist? Graham would wait and see.
However, if the spider did manage to get trapped, the result would only be marginally different. He'd take a pace through the smokescreen, and as soon as he'd enter the bowl, behind him the smoke would crystallize into a mesh of thin yet solid fibres, letting the sun through properly again like a wire fence. It'd be a lot less bothersome to keep control of, and perhaps allow the crowd to see what was going on a bit better. Taking off his helmet revealed his smile again, as he faced his adversary. "Now, if you've got anything more than that slingshot going for you, this would be the time to prove it," he'd boast, taking another step forward as he resumed an approximation of a fighting stance, his helmet dropped to the ground and his shield forward. There weren't many projectiles left in his arsenal, but it should suffice to take Kumoko out of the winners' bracket.
|
|
282 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
21 Years
Female
"Aurum Arachne"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
Spider Head
Pro Hero
Played by: khaozz
|
Post by Kumoko Joro on Feb 28, 2020 10:06:35 GMT -4
Okay, so Graham chose to chase after her. Kumoko was unsure if she was faster than him or if he chose to not run at his full speed. Either way, she was having no problem trying to keep a good distance away from him. At least for now. Again, Kumoko could not run away forever. She may have eight spider legs in addition to her two human ones, but that did not mean she could run away indefinitely. That was sadly not how it worked. Still, at least she had a plan. A solid one that she could stick to.
The thing about plans however, was that no matter how well they were carefully constructed and thought out, it was only truly ever effective on paper. Thinking of a plan and actually carrying it out were two very distinct and separate beasts. For instance, all it took for even the best of strategies to come falling apart was one unknown factor that was impossible to foresee and take into account. Just one unknown factor that would cause everything to come tumbling down.
For Kumoko, that unknown factor was the fact that Graham was able to fly.
Oh, crud!
Yeah, that pretty much complicated matters a lot more. As if trying to slow down a grounded target wasn't already tricky enough, trying to ensnare one that could fly was much more difficult. Not necessarily impossible, but the spider-headed girl would be lucky to be able to somehow pull it off.
There was a small bit of good news. A silver lining of sorts. She was able to successfully land the pellet launched from her slingshot onto Graham. There was a solid impact! But that was where the good news unfortunately ended. There was no way for Kumoko to hide her facial expression upon seeing the extent of the damage done to Graham's suit. Or more accurately, the lack of notable damage outside of a small scratch.
...Oh.
Well crud. It seems that the best offense the poor spider girl could provide would not even be enough to do anything significant to Graham. There was simply nothing she currently had on her that could do enough damage to turn things around. Meanwhile, Graham most likely did not share that same limitation. It was clear that this could very well be a one-sided match.
Still, Kumoko was not one to give up. Even if the odds seemed stacked against her right off the bat, she was no quitter. Plus, surrendering was boring, lame, and unfair to Graham, the audience, her friends that were cheering her on, and pretty much everyone else. There was no way anyone deserved to watch a match so dull. No, Kumoko was determined to continue this match, to not give up, and to give it everything that she had. If she was going to go out, it would not be with a whimper, but a bang. Well, not the literal kind, as Kumoko did not pack anything explosive on her.
Graham began his attack. It was some kind of smokescreen. Eep! Fortunately, Kumoko would not have to worry too much about the smoke obscuring her vision. Thanks to her goggles, her eyes were safe from any possible irritation. That, and her vision was sharp enough to see through the smoke enough to be able to make out any shapes that could possibly hope to hide anything from the spider girl's sight.
Unfortunately, blinding Kumoko was not Graham's true objective. Despite not knowing the exact specifics behind Graham's quirk, Kumoko could infer that he would be able to manipulate this smoke with his quirk. It took a bit to realize just what it was that Graham was aiming to do. Oh shoot! Kumoko began to run as quickly as she could. If her guess was right, then Graham was aiming to trap her, force her out of the ring, and score a simple victory. No way could she let that happen!
Kumoko broke into a sprint, hoping to outrun the smoke before it could close in on her and trap her. But the poor girl was struck with misfortune. Just as she tried to run past the smoke before it could cover her exit, she felt her legs slip. She gasped as she realized this all too familiar feeling. Oh no, oh no, oh no! Please, not now! But fate just seemed to be too cruel to the poor spider girl. She slipped, tripped, and fell down, head hitting the floor. Owwww... Kumoko quickly got up, and in her usual fashion, spoke out of habit. "I'm okay!"
But what wasn't okay was the fact that her tripping had cost her the time she needed to outrun the smoke. And now she was trapped, with no way to escape thanks to Graham's smokescreen. And as Graham approached her, Kumoko noticed the smoke harden and become a solid cage. So this is your quirk, eh? Seeing Graham's smile, Kumoko could not help but smile too. Despite the situation she found herself in, Kumoko refused to back down. Somehow, someway, she would find a way out of this. She just needed to think.
And then an idea popped into her head. Crazy? Perhaps. Effective? Well, there was only one way to find out.
Graham spoke, telling the spider girl that now was the time to pull more tricks out of her sleeve if she had any, or something along those lines. Kumoko's smile grew only wider. This girl was far from running out of tricks. "Yeah, I got one. Think fast!" As soon as she finished speaking, Kumoko raised her palm and shot out some more web, aiming at Graham's face. While she was inspired by the smokescreen tactic of his, blinding Graham was not her objective. If she was right, then Graham's instinct would be to try to cover his face with something. Perhaps his shield, maybe.
And that was exactly what Kumoko was counting on.
If Graham did try to cover himself with his shield, then as soon as the web stuck to it, Kumoko would pull on it as hard as she could, trying to yank it out of Graham's grasp. Or if he chose to try to cover himself with something else, such as a carbon construct or something, Kumoko would attempt to pull on that instead. Either way, if the girl could grab something of Graham's, then she would take it and immediately toss it back towards him to try to hit him. Unless it was the shield, in which case she preferred to hold on to it for now. "Hope you don't mind me borrowing your stuff, thanks!"
Though if Graham chose to try to step out of the way of her web rather than block it, Kumoko had a plan for that as well. Taking advantage of the opening she now had, Kumoko would try to fire more webs at Graham, hoping to hit his face or feet to bind and restrain him. And if by some miracle Graham was too slow to block and got the webs on his face, then Kumoko would take the opportunity to restrain his feet and body with her legs, all while apologizing for hitting his face, explaining that she thought he would be able to avoid it in time.
Regardless, the spider girl's primary objective was to test something. Was Graham's control over his quirk autonomous, or did he have to consciously control his manipulation? To see which one was the case, Kumoko began to run away from the edge of the ring and towards the carbon cage, seeing if it would continue to hold up. Of course, Kumoko was still wary of it, not wanting to get too close in case Graham decided to make it spew some carbon constructs to try to attack or bind her with.
Okay, I gotta admit. This is actually pretty fun!
WC 1000+
|
|
113 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
Student-Rank Quirk:
|
Post by Graham Ashwood on Mar 1, 2020 11:13:24 GMT -4
Despite Graham's idea for trapping Kumoko being perhaps a bit strange, it would seem to have been a success! Splendid, now he certainly wouldn't have to struggle with the spider's scuttling slowing the showdown's speed to a stagnant, shambling shuffle. Their newly enclosed arena should keep up the pace, though the logistics of it all were a bit shaky. Despite its size and structural integrity, the cage weighed barely anything at all and wasn't attached to the ground in any meaningful sense, meaning it could be lifted up quite easily if Graham wasn't holding it down. Nothing to be too worried over, however; Kumoko's attacks shouldn't be enough to distract him to that extent.
For more pressing matters, the spider girl did seem intent on mounting an offence, as she replied to his comment and quickly shot out a string of web. Graham's reflexive response was to raise his already forward shield arm, the titular shield taking the hit, preferential to his face. Though, what was next should frankly have been expected, as a noticeable pull was put onto Graham's defence. Well, the shield was attached to his suit's forearm relatively sturdily, but there was an opportunity here, wasn't there?
The shield was released from its bind, shooting it forward in accordance with the web's elasticity, but it didn't stop there. The carbon cover only accelerated further, its trajectory directly towards Kumoko's chest area. Graham wasn't entirely sure what sort of damage it might inflict, but so long as he kept his attacks away from her head, he had to imagine the injuries couldn't be too serious. Yes, she'd signed up for this, but it only seemed simple decency not to aim for maximum impact when the opponent was a bit outmatched. He'd put a solid amount of force into the attack either way, so if it hit she'd feel it, to quite an extent. "A decent idea, though you might've wanted to think it through a tad more thoroughly," Graham would comment, his smile unwavering. The prime remaining challenge in this fight would be working with the spider girl's movement, so an opening such as this one wouldn't go unused or underappreciated.
If the element of surprise didn't prove enough to hit Kumoko, however, the young aristocrat had a different idea. If she happened to dodge the shield, Graham would try to circle it around her, to wrap her own webs around the spindly set of legs protruding from her secondary spider-body-head and pull them together to her chest. It'd be a slightly more roundabout way of getting to his objective, but even if this didn't work perhaps it would keep her busy for the moment he needed her to be busy.
Whatever happened, Graham had his mind set on restraining the spider, so even if her upper body was already being tangled up, he'd continue. He'd whip his right arm forward, letting the wire around it unspool and directing it forward, aiming to wrap up her arms along with the one regular pair of legs, or only the legs if her torso was already taken care of.
Should he have managed that, the only remaining question was how to end the match. Graham could understand Kumoko having much more fun with this than he might, trying to devise plans to take down an enemy far out of her class in power, but from his perspective, it got old rather soon. What she came up with wasn't going to hold up, if Graham was right. However much she prodded around, trying to find weaknesses in the tapestry of his quirk, all she could hope to find was disappointment. That message must have come across by now, so at this point he'd try to knock Kumoko out of the arena earnestly, before the fun could wear off.
To that extent, the young man would flick his right arm again, whipping up the remainder of the carbon fibre wire. "It's been a pleasure, but I'm sure you understand there's a bit of a gap here," Graham would tell the girl. "Now then, off you go!" He'd push the coil forward, extending to its full length, which should send Kumoko right out of the ring. Any attempt to fasten herself with strings of web would only delay the inevitable, as the force he could output to push her off the side should outweigh their tensile strength, or so he expected at the very least. if successful he'd unwrap the rope, launching her off the platform as the extension reached its end. Not the most exciting finish, but the issue was that he didn't feel too comfortable hurting her any more than he had to.
This plan would do, unless the spider actually managed to escape the trap. That'd be impressive, Graham would admit, but that would wait to be seen. It'd make his boast before trying to blast her off sound a bit overconfident, wouldn't it? He'd rather not have that, frankly, but if his expectations were that far off he might deserve a little ridicule. He could only wait and see if the support student had it in her to keep him engaged a bit longer.
Admittedly, the fact she'd continued to fight at all after determining she could barely harm her opponent was admirable. Whether there was anything to back up that sort of bravery, however, was what was truly important. Courage without ability wasn't worth a bloody thing, after all.
|
|
282 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
21 Years
Female
"Aurum Arachne"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
Spider Head
Pro Hero
Played by: khaozz
|
Post by Kumoko Joro on Mar 7, 2020 0:40:30 GMT -4
For a fraction of a second, a smile appeared on Kumoko's face. Yes! I did it! I grabbed the shield! Now all she would need to do is pull it hard enough, and Graham would be disarmed! But then a horrifying thought occurred to the spider girl. What is that shield made of? Oh gosh, what if Graham can control it?! As she felt the shield come towards her, Kumoko could tell that something was not right. Was she just overthinking things, or did Graham want her to take his shield? Immediately, a single thought screeched in Kumoko's mind.
RUN! NOW!
So she did. As quickly as she could, Kumoko ran to her right, doing her best to avoid the oncoming shield, hoping she could outpace it. But would her speed be fast enough?
Gah!
Sadly, it was not. While Kumoko was quick enough to avoid having the shield slam onto her chest, one of her spider legs was grazed. And with her suit not covering her spider legs, as well as how hard that shield was, it definitely hurt. Kumoko grit her teeth in pain, tears welling up in her eyes as she felt the edge of the shield slam her spider leg. For a moment, she glanced over at the injury to see how bad it was. And then she saw it. Blood. Blue blood because of her spider physiology.
Owwww...
Of course Graham had a point. Kumoko's strategy, while not bad, was flawed. She had overlooked one major thing. The fact that the shield was made from the same material that he himself could control. The spider girl already wanted to facepalm hard for overlooking such a simple thing. Nice going, dummy! How could I miss something like that?
But things were not over quite yet. The shield that her webs were clinging to was still moving! And with how it was moving, it would become clear what Graham was trying to do. Trying to restrain me with my own webs, huh? Not bad, Graham!
Fortunately for Kumoko, she had one simple thing to help put a stop to that particular plan. While she could not stop the shield, she could at the very least stop her own web string from tying herself up. And the solution to that was simple. All she had to do was let the webs go. Moving her pinky finger, the gauntlet's string-cutting mechanism was triggered, severing the web from the hole in the palm that the string was coming out from. Then all Kumoko needed to do was get away before the string could be used against her.
As she ran, however, Kumoko winced slightly in pain. Her injured spider leg was still bleeding, so running with it would hurt quite a bit. Not to mention that the girl was naturally running a bit slower due to the leg injury. Still, it could be a lot worse. If Kumoko had been too slow to get out of the way... Well there was no time to think about what-ifs. The spider-headed girl just needed to move, regardless of how bad her leg injury could be. It could always be patched up later.
But of course, the troubles were far from over. Even if he could no longer use that specific golden string of web to tie up Kumoko, that did not mean that Graham had lost the ability to bind her at all. Kumoko sighed as she noticed him pull out a whip. Jorō Family Secret Technique, don't fail me now. At the moment, all she could do was run. Run and hope that she could outpace Graham's whip and shield.
Unfortunately, Kumoko could not run forever. Her stamina was nowhere near good enough to make such a strategy a viable one. And with how focused she was at trying to run away, she could not aim or fire her slingshot properly. Best to just put it back for now. In the meantime, Kumoko took what very few free seconds she had to look at the carbon cage. It did not seem to be weakening at all from what she could tell. Uh oh, this isn't good! Though seeing the cage, it gave her an idea, one that she would maybe try to go for later. Though with Graham being able to control the cage and possibly get rid of it, counting on it was perhaps not the best strategy. She had already assumed once that she could use the boy's things against him, and look what that got her. She did not want to make the same mistake again.
For a short while, it looked like Kumoko could outrun the shield. For a while, it looked like her natural agility would be enough to be safe from the whip. But sadly, she could not avoid Graham's attacks forever. She was too slow to fully avoid the whip. While it did not wrap around her torso or legs, it did manage to wrap around one of her spider legs. And it just so happened to wrap around the injured one. "Owww!" Even if Graham did not pull on her leg right then and there, it would at least be enough to make the girl trip.
I can't give up! I can't let myself get taken out this quickly! I can't!
Kumoko did her best to quickly get up, did her best to ignore the bleeding, and most importantly, did her best to scurry off before that wire could grab her or that shield came back for more. Ouch... gotta ignore the pain... got to... move!
If Kumoko was not fast enough to avoid the wire, then she would struggle for a bit to free herself. But quickly seeing that it was in vain, she would then attempt to repeatedly shoot small bursts of web at Graham's face in an attempt to make it harder for him to focus. If this worked, then Kumoko would try to do her best to free herself once again. Otherwise, Kumoko would sigh, seeing as it was likely that the battle would be wrapped up soon. Still, she was too determined to go out without putting up a fight.
However, if she was fast enough to avoid the wire tying up her leg and restraining her, then Kumoko would try her best to keep her distance from Graham, keep an eye (or six) on his whip and shield, and shoot a small bit of web at Graham's face. It would not be anywhere near enough to hurt him, but it was an attempt to blind Graham (either by the web hitting him directly, or by forcing him to cover his face with something). If that didn't work, then Kumoko would do her best to keep running as she tried again to shoot Graham's face with a small bit of web. And if that did work, then Kumoko would try something very unexpected. And it would either be very brave of her, very stupid, or both.
She would try to literally rush at Graham to tackle him to the ground.
Regardless, it was clear that despite knowing that she was outmatched, despite gradually becoming a bit tired, and despite her injury, Kumoko refused to give up so easily. I... I refuse to accept a quick and boring defeat!
WC 1000+
|
|
113 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
Student-Rank Quirk:
|
Post by Graham Ashwood on Mar 13, 2020 20:58:52 GMT -4
Graham wasn't quite sure what motive was driving his spider-headed opponent to continue the fight. The same could be said about her decision to enter a combat tournament such as this one to start with, though in all fairness it wasn't any of his business.
His actions had been mitigated, to some extent; the shield he'd launched at her had only dealt a glancing blow, though it was one that limited her movement. Could certainly have been worse, but... was she bleeding blue? Augh, that didn't look appealing, to say the least. Even so, this wasn't the time to be distracted. After all, Kumoko did manage to avoid his first restraining attempt, a piece of golden string now tailing his shield as it detached from the spider's palm.
Running was her forté, it would appear, even inside the wireframe cage blocking any method of escape she was still only trying to keep her distance. Considering it further, there wasn't a chance that blast of web to his shield had been an actual attempt to hit him. Even when given the opportunity to strike first, she hadn't the slightest intent to actually fight, only looking for further ways out to delay the inevitable. That, along with the disabled spider leg making her appear a bit dishevelled, did little to keep Graham's view from drifting to the sympathetic side.
At least his next idea did pan out somewhat, the wire attached to his forearm snapping around exactly one of the girl's armada of appendages. Oh, but why did it have to be the one he'd attacked earlier? He didn't want to accidentally tear half a leg off of his opponent, that seemed just an inch past any sane boundaries. So no, he supposed it wouldn't be wise to pull on it. He'd just have to approach himself then, keeping the spider anchored by her injured leg. The shield flew in between the two contestants, Graham trying to guard against potential web attacks as he walked up to Kumoko. He might not be able to see her entirely past that barrier, but the layer of legs surrounding her should be wide enough for him to keep her position in check.
If he could get close enough without incident, the shield would float back onto his arm, allowing Graham to make eye contact. "You're not making much progress, are you?" The words were quite a bit more downtrodden than should be expected from him, as Graham couldn't help but feel a bit let down. In all likelihood the only reason she was still trying to run was rebelling for rebellion's sake, perhaps intentionally delaying the conclusion she knew couldn't be changed. It was sad, plain and simple, for the young man to watch. If she had any inkling of a chance of defeating him she'd be fully justified, but there was none. However, inflicting any more harm than he had would only make Graham feel significantly worse about the situation, more than he already did. "I am offering to you now, the chance to surrender honourably. I'm sure you've done the best you could, but there's nothing more to gain past this point. If you build up more strength in the future we can possibly have another go, but I'm sure you can see just as well." He tried the hardest he could to keep any tone of supremacy out of his voice, causing an uncommonly serious tone as he offered the spider a way out. He extended his hand for a handshake, some semblance of a smile recovering on his features.
If she took the offer, well, that'd be it. Graham wasn't sure if she would, however, hence why he had an insurance method in mind. Any sort of answer shy of an enthusiastic yes and the carbon half-dome around the two would begin to shift, trying to move its entirety over the battle arena's border to force Kumoko into a ring-out. "In that case, I'll put a stop to this myself." Graham would practically phase through the mesh, the fibres in his way evaporating on touch and rematerializing as he'd leave the spider to her presumed inevitable defeat. It wouldn't be a satisfying ending, certainly, but the aristocrat excommunicado couldn't have thought of anything particularly much better.
|
|
282 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
21 Years
Female
"Aurum Arachne"
Hero-Rank Quirk:
Spider Head
Pro Hero
Played by: khaozz
|
Post by Kumoko Joro on Mar 14, 2020 1:08:27 GMT -4
Kumoko kept on trying, harder and harder, to free herself, to shoot webs at Graham, to do something! It was not as though the girl was delusional. In her heart, she already knew that the match was pretty much over. She stood no chance against Graham. He was just too good of an opponent. Still, she could not just accept her fate and do nothing! There has to be a way to get out of this! I'm just not trying hard enough! Come on! Come on, dummy! Do something! Anything!But it was just an undeniable, unavoidable, and unmistakable truth. This was checkmate. As much as Kumoko did not want to disappoint those who were cheering her on, there was just nothing she could do. As web after web bounced harmlessly off of Graham's shield, Kumoko just stood there, all six eyes opened, her spirit slowly sinking as the inevitable was soon approaching. Graham's words had pretty much put the nail in the coffin. It was like he said. She was not making much progress. No matter how much Kumoko wanted to break past his carbon, to somehow mount an offensive, to somehow free herself from his tight hold on her, to make a comeback in some way, to pull off the impossible and pull out a last-ditch plan that would lead to her victory, the sad fact was that Kumoko was done now. She could not defeat Graham. Not here, and not now. "D-dang it."Kumoko looked down, her eyes avoiding Graham's. She had tried her best to do what she could, to make her friends proud. It was not like she was expecting to win anything. That was just absurd, even by the most optimistic of optimists. But still, Kumoko failed to make any real impact during the fight. Sure, she left an impression at the start of the match with her dancing and memeing around. But in the fight itself? Nothing. She could not show off her gear the way she wanted to. She could not do anything impressive to keep Graham on his toes, or to make him think that she would be a worthy opponent. She could not even damage Graham. He had managed to make her leg bleed, but she could not leave a similar impact on him. It was like trying to hold back a tidal wave with a single cotton ball. Even now, a cowardly last-ditch attack would not work, even if Kumoko was fine with such dirty tactics (which naturally the girl was not). Even if she did try to take a quick bite at Graham, what would that do? It was pointless.... "E-eh?"Her thoughts were interrupted by Graham speaking. Even while avoiding Graham's gaze, she still listened to his words. "Surrender?" She understood. Her performance here was absolutely pitiful. It was better for the sake of the audience to just accept Graham's proposal. To quit now, save herself from any further humility and pain, and leave with what little dignity she had left. "I understand Graham. I see your point. You're right." Kumoko felt her eyes begin to water, and not just from her injured leg continuing to hurt. However, the girl just blinked them away. No, no crying. Not now. No looking any more pathetic than I already do. Slowly looking up to meet Graham's gaze, Kumoko spoke. "So in that case... I... I..."... ... ... All she needed to do was say it. Two short words. Two words, and it would all be over. So with a sigh, Kumoko mentally prepared herself. "I..."... ... ... And then she said it. Two short, simple words to Graham. ... ... ... "DAGA KOTOWARU"With such a serious expression on her face, Kumoko had looked straight at Graham, and with a fiery resolve, told him in his face that no, she would not surrender, that she refused to surrender, that no matter how hopeless it was, that she would never give up. Kumoko did not know where this newfound seriousness and resolve came from, but she didn't question it. Right now, she had something she needed to say to him. And with how different her tone was, it was clear that Kumoko was serious. There was none of that usual shyness, that timid squeak in her voice. With how cool and serious her tone was, it was almost like it was a different person speaking through Kumoko. "I understand where you're coming from, but I simply can't do that. I can't take the easy way out. Throughout this entire fight, I've failed to do much to frighten you, to intimidate you, to show you the full extent of what I could do. And for that, I apologize. You deserved far better of a fight than what you got here today. Not just you, but everyone here watching us right now. This poor excuse of a fight, it's simply unforgivable on my part. And while it's too late for me to do much about it, what I can do is learn from today's battle, to harden my resolve and make it unbreakable, to better myself, my abilities, and my gear. That way, the next time we meet, I can give you the battle that you deserve, the battle this crowd deserves. Next time, I won't come at you with such a weak will. No, I'll come at you with everything I've got! And you had better do the same, Graham, because I swear that I'm going to do everything I can to win the next time we fight! And I do look forward to when that day comes."And then Kumoko smiled cheerfully. And with her next words, her voice returned to its usual tone. "Besides, I'm far too stubborn to ever willingly give up. I just don't really know the meaning of quitting, you know? It's just the way I am. Sorry! Plus, a simple surrender seems kinda boring, don't you think? We started this match with a bang, so why not end it with one as well? It would be far better if the crowd sees this match end with an awesome finisher rather than some plain mundane surrender, don't you think?"She then stretched her arms as wide as she could manage, all while continuing to ignore the pain on her injured spider leg. "Come on, Graham. Show me what you've got! Hit me with everything you have! Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. I can take it!" She had finally stopped fighting the truth. Instead, Kumoko embraced it. Sure, she lost. But that did not mean that this had to end on a bad note. there was always next time. Plus, it was fun getting to break out of her shell for a bit. Despite her loss, Kumoko decided that she had no regrets. She did everything she could, and in the end, that was all that mattered. "Oh, and Graham? Best of luck to you with the rest of the tournament. I'll be cheering you on!"If Graham decided to just end things by a simple ring-out, then Kumoko would accept that. But in the event that he decided to let the girl have one final full-powered attack, then she would take it with a radiant smile. And that smile would carry all the way to the outside of the ring, where the spider-headed girl would land. But either way, Kumoko was ready to end things off. And also ready to go find Nimue, because her leg pain was beginning to get too much to ignore. And jeez, that was a lot of blood!WC 1000+ |
|
113 Posts
EP
EXP
Total
Student-Rank Quirk:
|
Post by Graham Ashwood on Mar 28, 2020 11:46:39 GMT -4
So, what would it be? Would Kumoko accept her fate or struggle in denial? Her confusion at Graham's offer was understandable, but it seemed as though she was coming to terms with the idea. Couldn't be a simple task, given how she was getting quite emotional, not sparing Graham of a bit more guilt. She spoke up eventually, though how hesitant she was to give an answer somewhat gave away what the answer was. She'd get the words out eventually though, even if it took a while...
The silence, while still understandable, was lasting the slightest bit too long. And yet, Graham couldn't think of anything outside the bounds of this battlefield. More than anything, what was going on inside that engorged spider-head? Not the many disgusting biological processes creating that golden string, the thought of which was quickly wiped from Graham's mind the best he could, but what she was thinking. Was this really purely a show of hesitation, or was there something bubbling up, rising to the surface to reveal itself? It sounded a bit too silly to be true, almost. There wasn't anything Graham could do aside from waiting for an answer. While he was certainly expecting the outcome he'd suggested, tension only kept on building in the silence.
Then, she spoke. The sort of speech one wouldn't have attributed to the snivelling excuse before them a moment earlier. A proper speech, perfectly describing Kumoko's reasoning to the point Graham understood it. It brought a smile to his face and a glimmer to his eye in a way the rest of this match had failed to live up to. And with all that off her chest, she turned back to normal. It was as though she'd just channelled a completely different being, but no, that had all come from her: a glimpse of who she could be, and by all hope would become.
"You had another trick up your sleeve all along, eh? Well, I suppose I can't turn down a request like that!" So then, how would he go about this? A finisher worthy of her hope? Oh, he had an idea. As well as a bit more to say to Kumoko, so he'd do both at once.
He removed the wire from his wrist as he walked back to the edge of the cage, speaking up: "Goodness, you've got me fired right up! I'll have to see if I can carry that on through the next match!" With a glance back from Graham, the now free wire wrapped itself around the spider's torso a few times, the loose ends extending to her sides. As soon as he reached the cage, he'd yank on its mesh of fibres, pulling it in like a curtain ripped off the wall, though it folding in on itself neatly didn't have so nice an allegory. "And as far as your resolve is concerned, I'll have to see if I can match that too." After a moment the mesh had been folded into a long, solid rod, which Graham broke in two over his knee. The two parts flew off to the edge of the arena, something a little under ten metres apart.
"Why, even the fact that you're on this stage at all is admirable. But as we've both noticed, you might not have been entirely ready to rise up to its call. Your spirit is outstanding, and it seems this battle's only strengthened it. All you need now is to match your physical fortitude to your mentality!" The ends of the wire binding the girl fastened themselves to the poles driving into the arena's floor, completing the mechanism to execute Kumoko's defeat: a sizeable catapult, aimed off the side of the raised platform.
Graham pulled Kumoko to him by the fibres constraining her, the structure tensing as elastic energy built up. "And when you've accomplished that, I'll be fortunate to have a rematch! Though for now, I'll be seeing you off!" With that, he let go of the thread, sending the spider-girl flying into the distance as she was released from the wire, soaring through the air before crashing back to earth just in front of the stadium wall. With that, Graham was the winner, though that wasn't much of a revelation by this point. Waving to the crowd as his carbon paraphernalia floated back to him, he made his way off the stage and into the tunnel he'd entered through.
If what he'd witnessed earlier hadn't been a miraculous fluke of a spike in confidence, that spider had a solid future ahead of her, be it one of dedication and hard work. The same went for him; he'd like to think this wasn't his peak, or rather, he was only getting started himself. As far as today went, however, things were far from done. Fortunately, among other things, this had certainly been a solid warm-up match, and despite the rocky portions it had ended on a high note. He'd gotten to stretch his creativity a bit, some finer carbon control, and he was feeling about as ready for his next battle as he could be.
|
|
1,835 Posts
0 EP
EXP
Total
26 Years
Female
"Miss-Many-Thread"
|
Post by Rosey on Mar 29, 2020 12:31:48 GMT -4
Kumoko has 272 exp and gained 49(x2) is 98 exp
Graham has 206 exp and gained 44(x2) is 88 exp
|
|
