Birthday Cup: Beatrix/Sora vs. James/Mogrid

Strange new worlds

and the war within them.

This was not Traverse Town. And it most certainly was not Alexandria.

General Beatrix had heard about a tournament, a combat competition that offered a wide array of prizes and glory. While neither truly suited Beatrix’s interests, the possibility of finding what manner of warriors lay in the outward worlds did intrigue her. On Gaia, she was hailed as the best swordswoman in the land. She was proud of that title, only in that it was a testament to how hard she had worked to become affluent in the usage of a blade. But that was only in her home; these outer worlds surely had fighters of similar or possibly greater caliber. She wasn’t as arrogant as to consider herself everywhere – but she was more than happy to test anyone she could.

Disney Town was so glaringly different from both her home and Traverse Town, she had to pause upon arriving at the settlement. Everything was so… bright. The colors were rich and effervescent, a startling contrast to the rugged rustic demeanor of Alexandria and the deep hues of the world she had accidently been transported to. She had taken some time before heading to find the battleground to look around, taking in the vibrancy that seemed to occupy every niche of the world. The architecture of the structures was lopsided, like drawn by a child and colored in by one as well. Doors looked more like loopy ovals rather than form-fitted entryways. It was all so… pleasant. Truthfully, Beatrix was a bit astounded by the sights and couldn’t help the small smile that came to her face as some celebrating citizens passed her. Their enthusiasm was infectious, even if she was still searching for a way home again.

But her exploration came to an end shortly after that, the General bringing herself to the tournament grounds so that she could sign herself up. She was sure that Ramza and Tifa were here as well, though she wasn’t sure if they had signed up together. She understood that this was meant to be a team tournament; meant to commemorate the synergy that came from a tandem force. Her heart longed, more than anything else, for Steiner to be here and to take up the role of her partner. But alas, without a pathway home, she was left to sign herself up as a single and be shuffled together with an unknown ally against equally unknown competitors.

When her name was called, she approached the tiled arena to the utter vocal passion of the audience. She stepped onto the flat slates, her physique relaxed despite the vibrating shouts that surrounded her. She had never been one to offer the crowd boisterous or over-the-top presentations in greetings; her professionalism wouldn’t allow it. Her actions within the event itself would give them enough to cheer for. She fell in place besides Sora, her head twisting to look at him. He was on the younger side; probably somewhere in his teens. A more naïve fighter may have scoffed at the thought of fighting alongside a teenager but Beatrix knew better. She had grown up in a world where learning to fight came before one had even it double digits. It was surprising to see that he didn’t wield a weapon but perhaps he was a fist fighter, like Tifa was. “Beatrix of Alexandria. It’s an honor to fight beside you,” she greeted her with a gentle but respectful nod of her head.

Then she cast her gaze across at their opponents. And one of them utterly surprised her. It looked not unlike a Moogle – in fact, she was almost sure it was some off-shoot variation of a Moogle. A fighting Moogle was practically unheard of on Gaia and yet here was one and they were wielding… Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the strange looking weapon. It was some kind of blade, that much she was sure of, but it didn’t carry the same details of a sword one may know. She hummed quietly to herself, her interest piqued as she brought her right arm around her torso and laid a single hand on Save the Queen’s handle. Her body stiffened, though it would be hard to tell with one’s eyes. She was ready for whatever was to come.

Strange new worlds

and the war within them.

“Sora of Destiny Islands,” she repeated with a soft smile, committing his name to memory. He was an energetic teenager, full of life and excitement for the world around him. She only had to have known him for a short time to know that. He reminded her a little of Zidane and that only made him all that more appealing as a partner. Her brow furrowed in thought as he asked her if she had met someone – a guardian – named Auron. “I can’t say I recognize the name, unfortunately. I come from the world Gaia, so if he is from there, he must be from an island I haven’t been to.” Steiner had been the one to travel over Gaia while she had remained in Alexandria. If anyone would know about any kind of ‘Auron’, it may have been him.

Her attention followed Sora’s as he exclaimed at the sight of the Moogle’s weapon, seeming to familiarize it. And then, just like that, he brought forth his own weapon from thin air – a giant key, for lack of a better description. Beatrix blinked at the newly retrieved blade, her eyes flitting between it and the one the Moogle had. They were similar; with Sora’s being far less intricate in design than the one that Mogrid had. She made a note to ask one if not both of them about the weapons after the match. The Moogle seemed just as elated to see another one, dropping the classic ‘kupo’ at the end of his sentence. That confirmed that it was, indeed, a Moogle. So many different people from different walks of life; Beatrix could feel her head almost swimming.

But admiration for all the different spokes of the tournament wheel would have to wait; there was a battle to partake in. Sora greeted the other competitor, named James, as if he was an old friend. It seemed the strangers in this match were Mogrid and Beatrix. She drew Save the Queen out and held it vertically in front of her, returning the salute to the honor-bound Moogle, and then flicked it to the side in preparation. And when the call for them to start came, Sora was the first one to rush in, leaping at the competitor who had the similar blade as his. That left James to Beatrix and she didn’t wait a second after her ally had attacked to act.

She swung her blade in front of her horizontally, as if she was swiping vines from her gaze. “Silence,” she said softly as her weapon completed its move, the blade humming loudly and releasing a ringing noise not unlike a bell striking the hour. Then she charged at James, Save the Queen still poised to the side and starting to glow ever brighter with each step. Her left hand came up, originally aimed at James but then darting to face Mogrid. A puffy smoke emerged from her flesh and danced around her fingers like baby snakes before she closed her hand into a fist, squeezing the smoke out.

With the Blind spell hopefully taking Mogrid’s vision out of the way and giving Sora the advantage, Beatrix attached her left hand to the handle of her blade, completing the last part of her next attack. The blade jolted to life – a crack not unlike a whip erupted through the air as her weapon sparked with electric magic. And as she came upon James’ proximity, she swung the weapon diagonally, looking to knock him off balance with her strength and sap his strength and willpower with the magically induced lightning.

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Battle Situation:

Strange new worlds

and the war within them.

Credit to Melusine at Pixel Perfect | @dungeon @jamescabuelo Mogrid