Match 16217 Maxi vs. Claudio Serafino

[JohnnyChany]

GAINING AN EDGE: A MASSIVE FIGHTING GAME CROSSOVER

PART CXIII

 

After the final defeat of Nightmare and Soul Edge, Maxi returned to the sea to spend the rest of his now extended life doing what he loved most. He spent most of his time sailing the ocean, and would return only on occasion to fight the Fygal Cestemus whenever rumors of a new Astaroth surfaced. 

Around 100 years after ingesting fragments of Soul Edge, Maxi found himself stranded on a small island in need of repairs for his boat. It was on this island that he met Darli Daggeer. Darli was often confused for a pirate. Even though she was a skilled fighter and carried a large jagged saw-sword, Darli was actually a shipwright. She was also exactly what Maxi needed. Darli was charmed by Maxi’s adventurous spirit, and after she helped fix his boat she left her home and traveled with the Dandy of the South Seas.

Out on the sea, the two warriors developed a strong bond of respect that evolved into friendship and eventually love. Darli became concerned when it appeared Maxi’s lust for vengeance against the Fygal Cestemus was consuming him. When confronted, Maxi told her all about how he had taken in fragments of Soul Edge  (REF: ROSE VS. VIOLA) and how it was affecting him more than his allies because he already had a shard of the cursed sword lodged in his body. Maxi thought with the training he had received from the Edge Master that he would be able to control it without a problem, now he was not so sure. Concerned, Darli agreed to take in some of Maxi’s fragments to ease his burden, even after Maxi explained that it would mean a long, extended life and a part of Darli’s soul would also be forever tainted.

For the next few centuries, Maxi and Darli Dagger alternated between sailing the seas and fighting the Fygal Cestemus cult whenever it would reappear. Recently, they received a tip that a new Astaroth had been created by the cult and traveled to Italy to meet with the man who was hunting them down.
Maxi entered an ornate building, the Duomo di Sirio,  and was immediately greeted by a man in a white frock coat with gold lining. 

“Ciao, I am Claudio Serafino, leader of the Archers of Sirius. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said the man.

Maxi marveled at his surroundings. “Quite a setup you guys have here.”

“This is our headquarters.”

“And you are the group that is going after the Fygal Cestemus?” Maxi inquired.

“Yes. Our organization is determined to wipe out evil wherever it crops up, whether it be demonic possession, demons themselves, and even vampires,” Claudio explained.  (REF: NYOTENGU VS. ELIZA)  “In our research into this cult, your name popped up several times. We figured it would be a smart idea to seek you out before we made our move on them.”

“I am glad you sought me out. I am always ready to take on the Fygal Cestemus,” stated Maxi.

“We were told you have a traveling companion, where is she?” asked Claudio.

“If you are referring to my first mate, Darli, she is doing some recruiting for our crew. Our crew lost some members recently so we are in need of new blood,” Maxi replied.

“I see. The Archers of Sirius would be more than happy to provide you some sailors during this joint venture,” Claudio declared.

“I appreciate that.”

“Shall we get started then?”

Claudio and Maxi hashed out a plan to storm a Fygal Cestemus cell that had popped up in Mexico where Astaroth had been sighted  (REF: LARS ALEXANDERSSON VS. ASTAROTH) before they returned to Maxi’s ship.  When they arrived, Darli was waiting for them with some new recruits. Maxi inspected his new subordinates and a particular one caught his eye. She wore a festive yellow outfit, a multicolored bandana, and had a toucan on her shoulder.

“Darli?” whispered Maxi.

“Her name is Zarina. She is a fighter looking for some adventure and some cash,” stated Darli.

“Well ok then. Welcome to the crew,” Maxi announced.

The group set sail and would practice fighting on the way to the Mexican port.

Before arriving at their destination, Claudio steeled himself for the fight ahead, but decided to change course on his true mission. His true target was Maxi himself. He initially, legitimately, wanted to team with the stylish pirate to destroy the wicked cult before confronting Maxi directly. But, the more time he spent around Maxi and the more time he felt the darkness lurking within, the more Claudio became convinced that Maxi needed to be dealt with before anything else could be done. The night before they docked in Mexico, Claudio put in motion a plan to get Maxi alone and exorcise his new ally.

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When his ship had arrived at its destined port, Maxi felt the presence of some of his old allies.  (REF: CHRISTIE VS. IVY) They were close. He wondered if they were already fighting against Astaroth. He also wondered if Darli would be able to feel it too since she also was infected by Soul Edge shards. Unfortunately, he was not able to find her. He was confused and dismayed by the sudden disappearance of Darli Dagger and Zarina. He was joined in the captain’s cabin by Claudio and vented to the leader of the Archers of Sirius as he gathered up his gear.

“Why would they run off at a time like this, surely whatever it is they’re up to can wait. Every minute we waste is another minute Astaroth could be hurting innocent people.”

“I am sure the explanation will make sense soon enough,” stated Claudio.

“Doubtful,” Maxi responded.

Claudio pulled out an arrow. “It does give us a chance to talk. Maxi, before we do this there is something we need to take care of first.”

“Oh yeah, what’s that?”

Claudio stared at Maxi purposefully. “Remove whatever evil spirit is currently corrupting your soul.”

The directness caught Maxi off guard. “Whatever is going on inside of me is none of your concern, Claudio. Just concentrate on the mission at hand and know that I have everything under control.”

Claudio shook his head. “That is not good enough. I have seen first hand the dire consequences  of trusting in men to control the demons inside them.” 

“I am not possessed by a demon,” Maxi corrected. “It’s much more complicated than that.”

“It is not complicated, it is simple. There is something inside you that needs to be taken out, and I am the man to do it. I assure you I am supremely qualified to execute this technique,” said Claudio.

“You can’t just take it out,” Maxi insisted. “And even if you could, I won’t let you. I made a vow. In fact, I believe some of the people I made the vow with may already be here. (REF: KULA DIAMOND VS. CASSANDRA ALEXANDRA)  I can feel it, and they can help us.”

“If that is true, then it is all the more motivation to do this now,” Claudio motivated. “I will not fight a monster alongside someone who himself could turn into a monster at any time. It is too dangerous.”

Maxi picked up his nunchucks. “Claudio, don’t do this, you are misguided and you are making a mistake.”

“You are the one that has impaired judgment,” Claudio retorted. “If you can’t see that and allow me to exorcise you willingly, then I will accomplish this necessity by force. My mind is made up.”

 

 

 

 

 

[Callisto]

Learn More About
Maxi
Read more about Maxi at Wikipedia
Official Site: Namco Links: Wikipedia Soul Calibur Wiki Giant Bomb

Claudio Serafino
Read more about Claudio Serafino at Wikipedia
Official Site: Bandai Namco Links: Wikipedia

[Pizzaguy2995]

Pretty simple fight for me: Maxi is one of my favorite and one of the toughest fighters of Soul Calibur. Claudio on the other hand did not wow me when he was introduced in Tekken 7 and he barely had a purpose in the overall plot. So I’m pulling hard for Maxi!

[patrickthekid]

Claudio seems more disciplined and has a projectile that would be difficult for Maxi do deal with.

[Pizzaguy2995]

11 hours ago, patrickthekid said:

Claudio seems more disciplined and has a projectile that would be difficult for Maxi do deal with.

Yeah but again he didn’t really do much during his intro in Tekken 7, he lost a fight to Heihachi, briefly served him, then disappeared halfway through the story mode. Maxi on the other hand has defeated some pretty tough customers during his time, like Mitsurugi, Astaroth, and Kilik.

[RakaiThwei]

Mmm.. Probably gonna go with Maxi.

[Callisto]

Match Final Results

Member Ratings:
5.00 - patrickthekid
4.20 - Pizzaguy2995

FPA Calculation:
2 Total Votes cast
9.20 Total Combined Score
9.20 / 2 = 4.60 Final Rating on the match

MATCH SCORE
Maxi: 2
Claudio Serafino: 2

[SSJRuss]

Sorry didn't get to this in time but I quite like this match. Very natural enemies imo. And the writing was well done.

I would have gone with Maxi, but I'm fine with the tie. We don't get enough of those in fighting games a lot of the time and it will be interesting to see where that goes.

[Pizzaguy2995]

I for one am upset. Not only was another Soul Calibur screwed over by the vote, but it was one of my personal favorites. Come on guys! Maxi was easily one of the top 10 fighters of Soul Calibur! Claudio was like, the bottom of the barrel of fighters for Tekken! This is just ridiculous.

[RakaiThwei]

Been noticing a lack of interest with user created matches. The draft matches are to blame, in my opinion.