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RE: =EC 2015= Grand Finals

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9/11/2015 13:16:55   
Rayen
Constructively Discussional!


 As Shud knelt on the sand just beyond the shadow of Rider’s horse, he silently hoped that Paladin would move on. The quarryman respected her obvious strength and difficult past and thought it a shame that she had decided to compete, for whatever reason, rather than continuing her fight against evil. However, her reply to his attempts at showing respect was highly unexpected. Rather than walk off or leap into battle, her lips twitched slightly as she snickered humourlessly. In addition, any opportunity for an explanation was cut short as the strangely dressed and mannered Paragon of Ice came to a halt by her side.

From what Shud had seen, he seemed to be highly proficient using a pair of small, strange dart sticks that unleashed a noisy bang along with some form of projectile. Or magic, Shud thought, remembering Shadow Toy’s ball of darkness. Whatever the case, there was no way he was going to be taken down by such a cowardly form of weapon. The man who wielded them looked the very definition of his element and subsequent name. His face was expressionless, though his eyes seemed to spit anger. Whether or not Paladin was going to attack, this man quite obviously was determined to kill.

In an instant, Icy’s hands flicked to the magic sticks while Paladin simultaneously lunged at Shud, still unarmed. Shud prepared to direct his gemstone belt to form a thin, circular shield in front of his head and torso, then reach around and crush the collarbone and shoulder of Lucia with his left hand. However, just before she was within an arms length, the air shone in front of her, forming an axe of pure light which sped towards Shud’s left shoulder. Acting instantly, Shud angled the staff, currently contacting the ground on his right side, across his body, supporting the left-side with his left hand. Then reacting to his thoughts, the gemstones at his waist flowed to life, splitting into two groups, the first encasing the smooth oak staff, the second melding with the centre of the staff to form a thin, circular shield to protect his head and neck from projectiles.

At the same moment, the Light Axe and darts collided and the air seemed to crackle with energy. While the projectile proved no problem, the force and purity of the axe shattered through the protective gemstone coat of the staff, small shards dropping to the bloodied sands below. In anger, Shud shoved at Paladin and her axe, sending her spinning to the left.

Turning his head, Shud witnessed his newfound ally and her horse encased in a sphere of lightning! The sphere quickly dissipated, though, and Rider pointed her glaive towards Icy, causing the last tendrils of electricity to race towards him. Lucia made a attempt at swiping at Rider’s horse, but Rider, seeming greatly drained, quickly directed the horse behind the Pillar of Energy.

Shud then turned to Icy, who had somehow managed to avoid getting electrocuted and seemed to be reading his weapon for another attack. Shud considered lunging for him, but Rider reappeared on the other side of the pillar. The large man hoped that she'd be able to manage the angry-eyed man, as he himself was not well suited to ranged combat. Instead, he turned to Paladin.

In honesty, Shud guessed that he was outmatched in this fight, too. Magic weapons that can take on any shape and even crack his gemstones? He’d have to use something less shatterable, then.

Reaching for the tiny glimmering shards of Earth scattered in the sand, Shud rejoined them with those still attached to the staff, to form his favoured weapon: the sledgehammer. He'd have to keep himself on his toes in this fight, though. Shud only hoped he’d be able to either prevent the fearsome woman from creating another weapon or be able to defend himself with her likely superior skill.

There was only one way to find out. Running towards her, Shud aimed to kill her in a single blow, aimed at her left collarbone. Perhaps things will go his way for once.
AQ DF  Post #: 26
9/11/2015 15:25:35   
Dragonnightwolf
How We Roll Winner
Apr/Jun/Aug15


 Dell had spied Micha heading towards the North, but had other matters on his hands. The moon shaped sphere that blocked the scatter shot was one of energy. Dang. Energy again. That element was really starting to get on his nerves. Dell had spent the entirety of his battle within Spike arena against an energy combatant. Now here he was, doing it all over again while Lucia engaged with the stone-walking muscleman.

Both eyes saw the charge go back up into the body and dawning recognition took place. He knew that kind of ploy courtesy of Raiu. The shotgun moved and flew up onto his back the left hand sliding the ring from his pocket onto his finger. He waited, feeling the tension in the air. Feeling the pulse of blood pounding in a brain running at full speed. The blast came, shooting off the arm, arching, spiraling, sizzling. Dell grasped the badge, unhitched it and tossed it forward. Metal met lightning in the air only a foot from Dell’s current position. Wolf toppled backward from the blast and his left hand stung with the feeling of energy dancing along it. Slamming the fist into the sand ceased the sensation as Dell rose to both feet.

Somewhere over to the North the sheriff could see the contraptions dilemma. Sharp eyes took in the bound feet, the pillar of winds angry wails. The sky seemed to darken and the torment of the wind became an engulfing cacophony of wailing, screeching, howling fury. The sight could very well scare a combatant in their boots. Dell couldn’t watch the entire spectacle. Both eyes narrowed as the man focused on Elysia and her horse.

The horse had to go. Dell pulled the left handed peacemaker free, the wind blew his hat right off his head and it went scampering across the sandy floor. Those eyes held cold fury. Micha was responsible for the constructs demise. The little girl up in the stands. He could hear the wailing of her voice as she watched the creation torn to pieces. He knew why the construct was here. Protecting a little girl. And Micha had just eliminated the protection. That made his fury much more potent and dangerous. That poor little girl sobbing up in the stands, remaining seated to watch the rest of the combat.

That made the man’s torment much more close to home. To be here at the final battle. To watch something you worked on destroyed. To be alone and defenseless. That made the cold, freezing grip on his heart much more ice ridden and star-stained with pain. Icy hell had awoken. A crazy feeling of absolute desolation marred the soul. How dare they. How dare these combatants rip away a guardian. A lonely child’s only savior.

The mouth turned into a slight sneer. Eyes already pained now told of a different agony. Dell moved to his left to get Elysia and Blossom back into range. Lucia and Shud had gotten into the prior area Wolf was standing in and could easily have messed up the oncoming shots. Stopping again within eyesight range of the horse and rider, both weapons aimed at Elysia, but suddenly swerved down and aimed for the horse again. Two shots rang out from each gun. Leaving 3 in the right, and 4 in the left. These shots were aimed for the horse’s neck and stomach regions.
Two more shots rang out, these were aimed at the rider’s waist and right arm. one shot from each gun. 2 in the right, 3 in the left. Dell’s mood already icy and cold, had become a frozen chain of anguish and torment the likes of which this arena had never seen before.
The wolf’s teeth had bared and the ears had listened to the horrible sounds of death. A poor little girl in the stands left without a friend. Both eyes tightened their focus. There was going to be a price to pay.
AQW Epic  Post #: 27
9/12/2015 0:00:21   
Kellehendros
Eternal Wanderer


 Micha pulled another bola from its place at her waist, whipping the weapon into a spin. Zane and John were locked together in close combat with one another. The Kissa considered their fight for a moment, and then decided against introducing herself into that particular fray. An opening shot from her bola might bind up one of the men, but in such close proximity it would be a difficult shot. She might end up turning both of the men against her with a poor throw, and the Enkeli had no intention of going up against two opponents just yet. Necessity might force that matter later on, but for now there was another battle to consider, a battle developing in two parts.

Earth and Light... The Paragons clashed together in a flash and clatter of arms. Lucia and Shud were trading blows at close range. Involving herself in that duel would be just as hazardous to her outlook as inserting herself into the fight between Water and Darkness. Micha was fairly certain that she could not keep up with either of the two in melee combat. Her talents were more suited to mid-range engagements, holding an opponent back with the chain and waiting for the best opportunity to strike and capitalize on.

That left Ice and Energy.

Micha had spent the entirety of her time in Twilight doing battle against the Paragon of Energy; she knew first-hand the might of the skyfire at the rider’s beck and call. A small part of her admired Elysia. Another part of the Enkeli was jealous of the woman. The lightning caller reminded the Kissa Mar of Kahana in her strength, her confidence. It had been years since Micha had seen the Kissa Ty, and for a moment she wondered what had become of the woman who had once been her closest friend.

There was no time for those thoughts now though. Fire and Ice had done battle, and the Enkeli had learned something of Dell, the Paragon of Ice. He was an odd man, with weapons such as Micha had never seen before. There was something almost... Koira about the man, a caninity both of feature and mood. Ice’s Chosen was certainly volatile enough in temperament to be a Koira.

In the end the choice was not so difficult, though it was certainly influenced by the relatively isolated position occupied by the Paragon of Ice. Dell’s hands were filled with his strange metal weapons. He was putting both to use and rending the air with their cacophonous blasts; he aimed to take down Elysia’s mount. There was no small amount of irony in what the Kissa was about to do, given she had put considerable effort into seeking the same outcome that the popinjay was attempting to reach.

“Your motivations are hardly of interest to me, Enkeli. I am here to help you, and in return, I hope that you will... help me.” Micha shivered and suppressed a gasp. Polemaetus’ voice reached back to her over years and distance with paralyzing clarity. For an instant she could feel a line of fire tracing a path parallel to her spine, where a scar was hidden beneath her fur. The Enkeli’s vision hazed red. Tongues of flame seemed to rise up about the edges of her vision; a waiting inferno growled.

It was the second pair of shots that brought her out of the fugue, and Micha cried out in remembrance. Grief, pain, and denial mingled in that scream, ruining whatever surprise she might have hoped for due to her positioning on the fringe of the battle. Whipping through a tight circle and casting out her arm, the Kissa hurled the bola. Her aim was not the legs this time, but the arms. Snaring Dell’s arms with the bola might just be enough to take him out of the fight. Without the freedom of movement to draw and aim his odd weapons, the Paragon of Ice would be in dire straits indeed.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 28
9/12/2015 11:40:41   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Blossom completed his loop around the Energy pillar, Elysia’s war cry echoing across the sands as she took a hurried glance to survey the arena. She had barely taken in Micha, standing close to the center and poised in the follow-through of some toss, when another sound, deeper than thunder and almost as loud, shook the air. S.O.N.A.R., the Wind champion, had fallen into its own pillar. Air sliced through its upper torso like knives, curling the metallic edges as easily as if they were paper, while its lower legs remained intact, bound together by one of the feline’s rope and stone contraptions. Then the Wind settled, coating the once-gleaming scrap metal scattered about the pillar and giving its legs the appearance of years of rust. Elysia tore herself away from the sight of the fallen construct. Her gaze skimmed across the feline as she turned away from her fallen prey, now hunting a new target. With luck, Micha would go for her former opponent of that arena, the Wolf. If she again tried to hobble Blossom, Elysia wasn’t certain she could defend him from both sides.

John and Zane continued to keep each other preoccupied. Elysia skimmed them with her glance, noting the increasing clouds of smoke and streams of water, then glanced opposite them. Shud had survived the Wolf’s icy bullets as well, and seemed content to keep his promise to pound the “Lady o’ Light” into the soft sand that rumbled beneath his feet. That meant it was up to her to take care of the Ice champion.

A metallic glint caught Elysia’s attention as she half-rose in the stirrups to look over Shud. Dell Wolf had somehow deflected her lightning by throwing his metal badge at it, then burying it in the sand with a punch. An odd solution, and one that left him rubbing his hand slightly, but perhaps his badge had a shield spell attached. It was certainly effective. Once. She saw the man drop his hands to the grips of his firearms, eyes smoldering with frost as he sidestepped around the brawl between Light and Earth. Judging by his earlier attacks, his plan was to get a clear shot at herself and Blossom, bringing down either horse or rider. While she still did have the strength to form another shield, Elysia wanted to wait and let her body settle a bit before drawing upon that much energy again. And Blossom’s hooves would skid on the sand if they tried any fancy dodging… Skid and change both of their positions from where the Ice champion would be aiming his bullets…

Without enough time to formulate a better plan, Elysia kicked both feet free of the stirrups and hurriedly slammed her glaive into its holster on the right side of the saddle. Her free hand grabbed at Blossom’s reigns and yanked his head to the left, hard, as she drove her left knee into his flank. True to his training, the war horse attempted to do a hard pivot to the left. Sand flew out in a crimson spray as his hooves fought against the slippery surface before sliding out from under him. His rider released the reins and crouched in the saddle, taking a deep breath as she heard a pair of shots go off.

Blossom fell heavily on his left side, snorting wildly, but Elysia sprang forward. As two more shots rang through the air, one of the first ice-cold bullets glanced off the top of her thick leather shoulder pad, leaving a frost-covered furrow in the material before burying itself deeply in the sand. Twisting mid-air, she hit the sand with a roll, coming to her feet as the second set of bullets whistled over her head. Her muscles groaned slightly as she pulled out of the maneuver and stood tall to face the Wolf. She could hear Blossom grunting behind her as he struggled upright much less gracefully than his mistress, but her main focus was on the man before her.

Elysia stood still for a breath, the momentum of her landing causing the sand to dance and flurry at her boots.The air around her seemed to shimmer with energy as she held out her hands to either side. With a crackling roar, lightning sprung into being along either palm. Hard, white edges left spots along others’ vision as they grew, forming twin javelins that constantly danced with chaotic magic, impatient to be unleashed. Moving smoothly, her soreness vanished momentarily at the rush of pleasure in using her own power, unassisted by some unearthly force. She grinned, unable to keep her pride in her strength and magic from bursting force, and drew back both arms. With a snarl of combined ferocity and concentration, she hurled the bolts towards Dell Wolf, the one in her right hand parting from her fingers slightly swifter than the bolt from her left. At this close a range, Elysia no longer needed metal to have solid aim at her target. The Wolf’s firearms would still partially draw the lightning should he move, increasing the difficulty to dodge or escape.

As the twin bolts of lightning hurtled towards its intended victim, Elysia spotted the fast approaching shadow of one of Micha’s projectiles. She breathed a sigh of relief; the entangling ropes had been thrown, not at Blossom, but at the champion of Ice. With luck, either Micha’s twirling contraption would distract the Wolf from one or both of Elysia’s energy attacks, or else the combined fury of the blinding bolts would hide the coming entrapment from his attention. Running a quick glance over the now-standing horse, Elysia suppressed a soft laugh at the sight of the noble creature’s midnight black coat now speckled with galaxies of scarlet sand. Blossom seemed slightly winded, and obviously grumpy as he spat a wad of horsey slobber on the front of her shirt, but he was unharmed. With a gentle pat, she remounted him swiftly, and after a wave to Micha to acknowledge the help, turned to face the Wolf. There was still enough distance between them that she had the time to react to another volley of ice before sending Blossom into his thundering charge.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 29
9/12/2015 15:07:01   
Apocalypse
Member

Strands of hair fell through the air as Lucia withdrew her poleaxe. The gelding had leapt from its position and was now circling the Pillar of Energy to give his rider time to recuperate. The lightning barrier summoned had been an impressive sight, but the toll on its caster had been high. Lucia would have pressed the advantage had the gelding not brought Elysia out of the paladin’s reach. To get in range, she would had to pass between the mountain of a man and the raw energy of an Elemental Lord. Sticking one’s self in-between a rock and a hard place was no way to approach a foe. It would be best to shatter the rock and continue unabated.

Sheriff had fallen, but he seemed no worse for wear. The piercing javelin had not met its mark but burst mid-throw. Lucia was unsure as to what had caused the premature ignition, but perhaps it was a consequence of the volatile and unruly nature of lightning. It had taken years of practice for Lucia to form her Light Incarnations without them dissolving or rupturing. Forming weapons out of raw electrical energy must have been more onerous by a hundred-fold.

A wailing filled the arena, and her attention was captured by the tournament’s other giant. After being spurned by Sheriff, Micha had challenged Sonar. In a simple matter of outmaneuvering the opponent, Micha had knocked the golem into its own Lord’s Pillar. Shrieking from either wind or metal came forth as the gale tore the combatant apart. In the pit of Malice, Lucia had thrown her all against Goliath and was rewarded with only a few superficial scratches. The paladin wagered she was stronger than Micha in physical terms, but could it be that the feline warrior was entire tiers above her in regards to skill? She clenched her teeth to ward off the thought. There was no time to dwell on the fate of one giant when another stood before her.

With Shud separating her from the other combatants and Micha closing in on the fray, the clearest course of action was to go through the Paragon of Earth. Taking him down before Fire’s champion joined the brawl would prevent a possible two-on-one scenario. A task easier said than done. With a flick of his massive hand specks of beautiful gemstones erupted from the crimson sand and conglomerated on his staff. The fragments fused together to form a hammer not unlike the one carried by the fallen Sonar. He rushed towards the paladin, rearing his weapon back to strike her dead. He was faster than the golem had been.

But he still was not as fast as Lucia.

The hammer came crashing down, but the paladin sidestepped to the right of the impending blow. She thrust the pole end of the Light Incarnation not at Shud but into the hammer’s path. The previous encounter between gemstone and solidified light had ended in the latter’s favor, but this time it was the reverse. The staff Light Incarnation gave way, bursting in a radiant flare while the axe endured in her hand. To others the flash would be blinding, but the paladin was immune to her own ploy. With her weapon back to its original length, she took advantage of the situation and struck. Rending Shud’s right arm from shoulder to wrist should rob him of his might.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 30
9/12/2015 20:40:02   
Dragonnightwolf
How We Roll Winner
Apr/Jun/Aug15


 His ma had always told him luck was a two sided coin waiting to be tossed. Dell reflected upon those words as the battle in the arena raged on. Life could easily be explained by bouts of luck, although most times that wasn’t good enough. The wind continued to howl momentarily blowing Wolf’s hair every which way. Sweat beaded on the face trickling down the nose to land and mix with the salty, sandy earth. The roar of the crowd above was like some kind of wild dream.

As Elysia fell off her horse both trigger fingers itched. But it wasn’t until Micha let out that agony filled scream that Dell realized there was another problem entirely to worry about. The stone filled whistling of the bola twirling in the air, the charge of energy bolts coming at Dell from Elysia. This was a very, very serious problem. The wolf had to think fast or risk being dead. But a sudden realization came to the man’s eyes.

Sure he could have escaped the bound bola’s with his dagger. It was like what an Indian chief had taught back in the ol days. But there wasn’t enough time. He shoved both peacemakers into the holsters and moved both arms back enough that the bola instead wrapped around the wrists. A miscalculation with the right pinky caused it to strike one of the stones and end up with a dislocated finger as opposed to a broken finger. The agony tore through the man and he let out a yell of pain.

The lancing bolts of energy came next. Raising his wrist at just the right angle caused the bola stone to take the brunt of the first hit, still intertwined Dell was caught by the explosion of flying stone. Shutting both eyes as the explosion sent him flying backwards. Pieces of stone danced into the man’s hair and bounced off his shirt. The secondary bolt danced across his vision causing his right arm to lock up and sent his body into a muscle spasm as he landed on the ground. Smoldering holes appeared in his shirt. There were rope burns from the bola on Dell’s wrists as the ol sheriff coughed and groaned. That hurt. There was agony in his right pinkie as well.

Rising up the man quickly remembered what the doctor had shown about dislocating of bones. Dell had experienced the excruciating agony in his day of a dislocated shoulder. Setting a bone back in place required physical effort. There was an audible snap as Dell relocated the pinky back in with accuracy. “YEHAWWWWW AHHHHHH!” he yelled out crying in pain. There was a shudder and tremble in the body. The wolf’s eyes stared at Elysia. “So. The champion of energy can’t get the fight done by herself eh?” He spit onto the ground, shaking his wrists to loosen them up again. “Ya’ll gotta get help from the champion o fire?”

His eyes glanced over at Micha. “Ya’ll know what they say bout fire don’t cha?” The man grabbed the vest and threw it off. He shifted the ammo carefully and growled low in a throat of a wild creature set loose. “Play with fire and yer gonna get burned.”
There was agony written on that face. “Lemme tell ya’ll something the Ice Lord told me long ago. Yer play with ice. Yer heart will stop cold.”

Dell spit onto the ground again pulling the peacemakers back out. A grimace of pain from the soaring agony in the pinky. It needed time to heal. His wrists ached. His arms felt sore. His hair was standing on end. This whole two on one battle was a problem. Wolf had reacted right out of instinct using an enemy weapon to cancel out another. There was stone powder and sand and burn marks on the shirt. The badge was already somewhere in the sands. The ol sheriff was having a mighty tough go now.

Dell aimed the left gun for Micha’s stomach this time. His right gun aimed for Blossom’s nose. Bang. Bang. Both shots rang out. Just one shot a piece. 1 right, 2 left, 1 shotgun blast.
AQW Epic  Post #: 31
9/13/2015 0:08:15   
Tdub
Member

As fast as Zane was flying, he evidently was not fast enough. The Paragon of Water leapt gracefully out of the way, splashing water onto the sands of the Arena. Zane was too far off the ground to right himself: his only option was to continue his momentum and land, or perhaps splash, on the ground. The water had caused the sands where he was lying to turn into a grainy mud, and the assassin could feel the deep red muck soaking into his garment. Fortunately, none of it had gotten into his eyes, and he looked up at the strange man.

No sooner had he done so than he was forced to roll in the mud, dodging a strange weapon that descended from the hands of John. He came closer to his opponent, narrowly avoiding being entangled in the object's tendrils. As he continued his roll, Zane realized that his opponent had him outmatched at a distance. The assassin's one long-ranged attack could only be so useful against a long-distance fighter such as John. Zane had to overpower him while he was close, which meant he had little time.

Twisting his body, Zane swung his leg around in a powerful kick, aiming for John's knee. His speed and power combined into one movement was too much for his opponent to dodge, and his foot made contact, landing jarringly on his foe's leg. The impact was enough to bring the strange man down, and he landed in the mud, inches from Zane. The man was quicker that Zane had thought, however, and he grabbed the object that Zane had thought looked strikingly like a mop out of the dirt, swinging the metal pole in a long arc at the assassin's head. Zane had no choice but to drop his daggers, reaching out with his hands to intercept the impromptu weapon. Once his hands closed around it, he began to push back, keeping John at bay.

The two grappled in the mud for several seconds, with John attempting to push the weapon's handle against Zane's throat. However, the assassin's compact muscles were too much for the long ranged fighter, and John began to lose the brief battle, getting pushed further and further from his opponent. Zane grunted, and with one final push, threw his assailant from him. The man rolled away, and Zane desperately searched for his dropped weapons. Just as he had spotted one, he saw white smoke rising in the air.

Not this again!

Water's Chosen had created another cloud of strange fog by throwing an object onto the ground, and was already rising from the muddy sands. Zane scrambled for his dagger, grabbing it just as the smoke engulfed him. Diving at the disappearing figure of John, Zane swung his weapon, and felt it connect, slicing through something. He had scored a hit somewhere on his opponent's leg.

He didn't have time to see what effects the attack had on the Paragon of Water. He knew the wound was shallow: he hadn't felt enough resistance when his blade broke the skin for the cut to be anything more than minor at best. But the smoke engulfed his body and robbed him of his eyesight, and he was once again blind, with no idea where his opponent was located.

Obviously, the Lord of Water had chosen his representative for a reason. If Zane hadn't seen that reason at the beginning, he could certainly see it now. The Paragon was far more clever and powerful than the assassin had anticipated, and every second that Zane wasted kneeling in the muck was another second his opponent had to prepare. Rising, Zane attempted to locate John through the fog, but the strange substance was once again stinging in his eyes, making it impossible for him to focus long enough to see.

He did not have to wait too long, however, for his opponent to find him. Or, rather, his opponent's magical water deluge found him. Zane was caught by surprise, a sitting duck just waiting to be taken out. The force of the water sent him back several feet, out of the smoke and onto dry sand. Gasping for air, the assassin quickly evaluated his situation. He was lying on his back, holding only one of his daggers. The shock of the movement combined with with force of the moving water had knocked the breath out of his lungs, but he was quickly recovering. He had been thrown further away from the Pillar of Water, and had no way of knowing what John would do next.

Fortunately, the one good thing that had come out of the situation was that much of the mud had been removed from the front of his garment. Switching his dagger to his left hand, Zane grabbed one of his small knives from inside his shirt and drew it out. If he could only get close to the Paragon of Water, he could end the fight once and for all. The problem was, he couldn't. At least, he couldn't at the moment. John's control over water was enough to keep the assassin at bay. The strange man was playing smart. Zane would just have to play smarter.

Sitting up, Zane realized that he still couldn't see his opponent. The cloud of smoke that had been the biggest obstacle in fighting the man was being used to John's advantage, concealing his movements and any preparations that were being made. Zane began to rise from the sands, knowing that Water's Chosen had the advantage, and an attack could come from the smoke at any moment.
Post #: 32
9/13/2015 21:49:44   
Kellehendros
Eternal Wanderer


 Micha’s shot was perfect. There simply were no other words to describe the throw. The Kissa’s smile was more a baring of fangs than an expression of mirth; her blood was up after the swift, decisive engagement with SONAR. She had been given little choice except to go back into battle against the Paragon of Ice, but at this point, Micha hardly cared. The fight was what she wanted, what she needed. Polemaetus’ wings, the specter of the past, beat in her ears. The discipline and focus demanded by combat were her salvation, binding her to the here and now.

Distractions were something she could ill afford just now, and she was distracted. Either she had missed something, or Dell was faster than she gave him credit for. He had managed to holster both of his weapons before her bola struck. That was hardly important though. Stone and leather whirled about the popinjay’s wrists, binding them together; no hands meant no weapons, and that was the important thing. Micha’s grin grew as she let out a quiet growl of satisfaction. Between herself and Elysia, the Paragon of Ice was in a…. rather poor tactical position.

That was promptly demonstrated as the lightning caller’s own strike snapped in. Dell flinched reflexively, raising his arms in a token and useless defense. Lightning sizzled, thunder roared, and there was a sharp, shattering crack as one of the weight stones of the Kissa’s bola was struck by Elysia’s skyfire and sundered into dust and shrapnel. Micha’s eyes narrowed reflexively against the burst of scintillant light; the scent of charred ozone perfumed the air as she ducked. Fragments of stone whistled over her head with malign intent, one missing her left ear by a hairsbreadth. Apparently the Paragon of Ice’s movements had been desperate, but not without purpose.

Further action was forestalled by a second burst of light. The Enkeli flinched, ducking her head and turning to her right reflexively as the more dazzling emanation flared across the left side of her vision. Micha shuffled away from the glare, one hand grabbing her chain as she moved back towards the center of the Arena, angling towards Ice’s Chosen. The Kissa threw a quick glance towards Shud and Lucia, from whence the flare of light had originated. Still well occupied. Her golden gaze shifted back to the popinjay. Finish up with Dell.

Constellations of patchy shadow danced over the left side of her vision, reminiscent of the stately pavane of Twilight. Ice’s Chosen had cried out while she was checking on the Paragons of Light and Earth. There was a slight trembling from the man’s hands, somehow freed from the bola when Micha’s attention was elsewhere, that bespoke either pain or the lingering effects of Elysia’s lightning. Micha could almost sympathize with Dell for that. Having taken her own hit from Energy’s Chosen, the Enkeli had an inkling of what the Paragon of Ice was feeling.

Dell was an odd one, that much was certain. He had, to the Kissa’s way of thinking, a rather annoying habit of wanting to talk in the middle of battle. There was a place for gibes and mockery in combat, but the popinjay took the matter rather farther than necessary. Still, that was actually working out in Micha’s favor at this point. With her eyesight partially obscured by the afterimage of what she could only assume was Lucia’s blast of light, the Enkeli needed a moment for her vision to clear.

Ice’s Chosen was stripping off his vest, casting a barb in Elysia’s direction before he made a crack at Micha as well. This salvo was as ineffective as the previous. The Kissa was committed to her duel, but that did not mean she would let herself be goaded to recklessness. Keep him talking, just a little longer. The Enkeli hardly needed an effort to put a growl into her reply. “I have no need for your wisdom of Fire or Ice, Dell Wolf. I have experienced enough of both.”

So she had, metaphorical or elsewise, but the concerns of the present outweighed the matters of the past. The popinjay’s hands went back to his weapons, the motion galvanizing Micha into a whirling dodge. Dell was fast, perhaps as swift to react as the Kissa herself, but he was also hurt. His wrists and forearms had been strained by the bola and he had, Micha thought, taken at least one indirect hit from Elysia’s power. Those wounds slowed the Paragon of Ice, just enough. The Enkeli heard the baleful buzz of cleft air as Dell’s missile hissed by and kicked up a puff of crimson sand.

The chain was sliding through her fingers as she spun, the dart end loose this time and flashing with momentum. Micha came out of the spin and bounded forward, her left hand gripping the links just ahead of the meteor hammer while her right whirled the weapon. With a snarling cry the Kissa’s powerful legs flexed, launching her into the air as she sent the chain dart flashing out on a downward line pointed at Dell’s chest.

She would miss. The Enkeli had known that before her assault was launched. Her chain simply did not have the length to hit the Paragon of Ice, and the dart would come to the end of its reach at least a foot from her opponent. The Kissa was counting on the fact that Dell had no idea how long the chain was; her attack was a feint, intended to distract the Paragon of Ice so that Elysia could follow up and hopefully finish this fight for good.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 33
9/13/2015 22:13:39   
Ultrapowerpie

Mail Moogle of AdventureQuest


 Damn, that was a close one. This one at least has the close range skills to back up the bite... though still, he has to actually get NEAR me to do it. Better keep the distance between us, as previously analyzed... bah what a nuisance this guy is. I really wanted to join in a big brawl... John thought, as he reflected on the actions that led up to this current moment.

The Mud Gambit had worked exceptionally, his opponent’s momentum ground to a halt in the mud and preventing him from quickly recovering to his feet. Unfortunately for John, the sponge-bola gambit missed completely, apparently the bugger was used to rolling around in the mud (curious for an assassin to be used to such work, but then again since he apparently lacked long range fighting, perhaps he frequented mud based ambushes? One never knows with assassins).

What happened next was a bit of a shameful mark for John, as he let his own overconfidence get the better of him and let the opponent get too close and tripped him into the mud. The confrontation was a blur to John, he remembered about grappling with the MOP, trying to bean his opponent with it, and then trying to crush his opponent with it... he got overwhelmed towards the end and had to use another smoke pellet in order to get some distance away from him.

Unfortunately as he was trying to get away, he got nicked with a knife on his left leg, below the knee, on the right hand side. Dang, now I'm muddy AND the suit got cut, sloppy work, sloppy work. It's really just a scratch... for now. John had backed up from the fog, and had put a bit more distance then that between him and his opponent as it was quite clear that letting his opponent get near him was a rather stupid move.

Quickly reassessing the situation, John figured his next best move was a tried and true method: launching a water surge at his opopnent. Since he knew his foe was too busy try to deal get up, he knew exactly where to land it. He couldn't see if he had hit his opponent, but he had the sense that he had landed his mark. Just being connected with the water magically sort of gave him that sense... though he had no idea where he wass exactly....

Then he heard a strange rumbling from the arena stands: "We stand witness as the graces of Ice is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, it is clear that it is not the stranger's time. So to, do we here assembled, stand in witness for his choice and honor his last moments upon the sands."

Damn, the sherrif is out, that means that there was really his only "ally" he had... well again he had his own issues to deal with at the moment with the darkness paragon, so he'd worry about that bridge if and when it occured.

John decided to use the smoke to his advantage for a dual attack: One that would occur while it was still thick and the other when it had somewhat disipated to see his opponent. His first attack would be another water blast, thoug this time it would be a wide spread. The goal of it wasn't to knock his opponent further away, he figured he had done it already. His goal was to drench the opponent this time, completely weighing down his opponenet's clothes with the full weight of the water it would observe Besides, as long as he stayed near the water pillar, he could use slivers of the pillars water for his own magic to help enhance thing, or even in lieu of a bucket. It was therefore quite advantageous to stay near it.

The second attack would be slightly unorthadox, as John figured it was time for the Rag-a-rang. This time he threw it directly at the opponent that he could now see. He hoped the oponent was too busy dealing with sopping wet clothes to notice the Rag-a-rang.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 34
9/13/2015 22:58:58   
Dragonnightwolf
How We Roll Winner
Apr/Jun/Aug15


 Oh my. Well readers. It looks we’re headed fer the last roundup. A mighty shame too. But don’t you fret none. Dell Wolf shall be back again someday. In the meantime ah reckon the ol sheriff there may have made a friend or two. Now, I’ll save the final ballad till after the show. So come on back after ya’ll er done watchin Dell Wolf, y’hear?

The roar of the crowd. The battle. The feelings of cold numbing the heart. As Micha’s next attack with her chain flew towards him. Something suddenly changed. The drive was gone. The pain was real, but the drive was gone. The urge to battle. It felt unlike anything else. He could hear the Ice Lord’s voice in his head. “Time to go Sheriff. You’ve proven much. But Ice is not going to be the prime this year.”

The Ice Lord hadn’t persay abandoned his paragon. If anything the champion of ice had much to be proud for. But his battle was done. His time was over. “You have a choice to make Dell Wolf.” Once again that immortal voice sheltered in his mind. The eyes, the torment gone. Turned off like a light. “You can choose to surrender honorably, and exit the final arena, You can choose an act of spite and make one final attack, but risk your own life in doing so. Or you may choose to throw your life to the arena sands if you so choose. But choose now.”


Amidst the stands, the chanters turned as one to place their backs to the arena floor. Facing the audience, the began to intone in somber harmony. "We stand witness as the graces of Ice is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, it is clear that it is not the stranger's time. So to, do we here assembled, stand in witness for his choice and honor his last moments upon the sands."

“Nope.” He said with a fateful smile. The end of Micha’s chain missing him entirely. He looked briefly at Lucia and Elysia. “Mah time here, is done. I’ll wait for ya’ll outside o them gates Lucia. And you too ma’am!” The anguish was gone. Extinguished when the Ice Lord withdrew of his drive. “Ah reckon, ah need a horse like that thar beaut.”

He took the moment to bow to them both in respect and turned his eyes on Micha. “Thank ya’ll for the battle ma’am. It was quite the honor.” Dell felt the fight leaving him. He walked over and grasped his hat back up on his head. He gave the little girl in the stands a sheriff’s salute, turned to look at John and spotted his sheriff’s badge. He grasped it up, affixed it to his shirt. Winced at the aches in his arms and went back to get his vest.

“So long John. May ya’ll have better luck than I.” Dell called out with a smile.

Picking his vest backup and sliding it on. Dell walked to the arena gates entranceway. He stared at the crowd and did them and the Ice Lord one last service. He took his hat off, and he bowed to the entire congregation of people with respect one final time.

Then he turned as the gate opened. The man started whistling a tune as he walked out of the gate. The tune of “Oh Susanna.” Dell gave one last somber look as the gate closed. He could hear everything from where he was. He sat down as a healer walked up. But not just any man. The same priest that he had seen when first arriving here.

“You’ve done extremely well for yourself.” The priest was dressed in icy blue robes.

Dell turned when the man talked. His eyebrows went up. “Say. It’s you.” Dell stared in disbelief.

“Yes it is I, Hello again Dell Wolf.”

“Though you are not the prime champion, you are a champion none the less.” the man said smiling softly.

“How do ya’ll reckon that un?” the sheriff asked gazing sadly at the man.

“You were chosen Dell. Chosen. Very few people get to say that and choose to live.” the priest replied with a hearty smile.

The priest placed both hands on Dell’s chest. An icy glow flowing over the champion’s chest and arms, down his legs. Healing the battle wounds.

“But ah lost. Ah lost an ah won’t get ta make a wish.” Dell said looking down at the ground.

“The wish will always be there Dell Wolf.” The priest laughed heartily.
“Besides. You made friends. In a tournament made for killing no less.”

“Why you’ve come off not just alive, but with friends sheriff. And to boot you’ve made the Ice lord proud of you in doing so. You never once betrayed your allies. Not once. The opportunity was always there, but you stuck by your friends.”

Sheriff Dell Wolf gazed up at that comment. The Ice Lord was proud. Dell could almost feel it. He was a Paragon. of Ice. That did mean something after all. He looked up towards the priest to ask a question, but as mysteriously as the man had come, so too had he gone.
“Well if that just don’t beat all.” Dell said. It felt good. The anguish was gone. The pain still haunted him but it was locked away currently. Dell waited diligently outside those gates for the arrival of either Elysia and her steed or John or Lucia.

Well as promised ah got my ol six string here. Time for the last ballad folks.

“Now the sun has gone, and the day is done. The paragon of ice was finished.

Said his lord on high, you can say good bye. or lose your life to the whims of the sands.

Now for a time, for just a moment ago. Suicide was a thought, but that bird had flown.
Here in the stands, the golem was gone. A little girl still had to move on.

And in the flash of a lightning bolt, a scream that tore through the sands. A pain that right many don’t know. Was a housed by a burning land.

So listen well to all that i shall tell. The words are hard to describe when you’re shedding tears.

Black and blue, I once met you. Dell had gone in there a champion, and left that way too.

The winds they roared for more. The scream, the cry, it tore. But the words can’t describe, all that they witnessed by those eyes.

There were eight in all, paragons of grace. Chosen to represent their positive fates. A shining light, Lucia ascended the stairs she was everything that the lords of light had dared.

In wind we roll, when the golem came. The construct ruled across the windy plain.

Ice we beheld, as Dell entered the stage. The paragon of Ice, a master of his device. Came and he saw, and he fought and he lived.

By Lightning’s found form, in a horse and rider, Elysia was born, a paragon of power. The coat it did shine on Blossom this night. The shine of electric honesty.

By water’s plight, John entered the site. His thoughts his own, as he entered that cleaner zone.

Dark it had come, to claim another one. Zane had entered the stage. Honed by his blade, fast did he stay, the champion of darkness gathered.

And Earth did ring as Shud entered the scene, by the might of his muscles bared. A man of brave skill, a brawn and a thrill. Soon he would engage.

The sand it did spurn, the fires they burned. The passions were higher than expected.
The sun it did show, as this arena did glow, by champion upon champion it drove home.

But the winds roared, the battle it did soar and everyone who came. The pain it was high, the words and the sky, as all shimmered that day.

Then something happened and Dell just lost his drive. The Ice Lord stated it was time to say goodbye. The words and the feelings they hold not a lot of hope. But he’d made some friends, and he honored them home.

Now the final verse as the tear it did fall. For one and for every single onlooker all. The skies were painted hues of blues and fadings of gray. Upon a cloudless day.
Were it me, my friends. I’d have gone down in the end. But Dell chose to stay alive and wait for his friends to arrive.

To arrive and spend some time with him. To talk and laugh and who knows what else.”
AQW Epic  Post #: 35
9/14/2015 13:49:09   
Rayen
Constructively Discussional!


 As the unfamiliar sounds of Icy’s explosive dart sticks, alongside the cries and whinnies of the other competitors, Shud brought his gem-headed sledgehammer down towards the Light Paragon’s shoulder. His eyes on his target, Shud realised two things: The first, that his attack would miss; he had yet to land a blow with his hammer, and against this formidable veteran, the prospect was very thin. The second, was that, due to the immense force he put into the hammer blows, he would be open to an attack for a few moments after its momentum halted.

As the hammer came arcing toward Paladin, she sidestepped, as expected, but thrust her light-spear-thing into the path of the hammer’s head. The thin construct of light collided with the dense, crushing mass of of Earth, shattering the end of the poleaxe which exploded in a wave of blinding light. After that, Shud was disoriented and confused, both unsure what had happened and where he was in relation to Paladin. In order to bide some time for thought, Shud attempted to distance himself from the wielder of the blinding weapon, using the momentum of his hammer strike to attempt to roll out of her immediate vicinity.

But as his body lowered to the ground, Shud felt a piercing pain in his right shoulder. Shud felt his arm weaken, his staff falling out of his grasp. Instinctively, the gemstones darted towards the pain and attempted to hold the gashed skin together by locking into the flesh on either side of the wound and bridging the gap.

Shud cursed the weakness of his muscle and skin, and hit the ground, hard, on his injured shoulder, mixing the cloying sand beneath with his angry blood. Shud rolled immediately to the left, closer to the Pillar of Energy and away from his fearsome competitor. His vision began to clear, and he experienced true fear as he saw Paladin charging at him, the previous light-axe aimed raised to strike. So, full of adrenalin, fear and determination, Shud changed tactics to purely defensive for the second time of his life. Gathering his meagre magical stores, Shud drew sand across his torso, legs and right arm, magically compacting it to form a strong barrier that would hopefully hold for time enough for the injured man to make a counterstrike or further evade the warrior of Light. Hoping that the sand would hold his eviscerated shoulder together, Shud encased his left hand and forearm in the gemstones, hoping that allowing his his left arm and head to remain free would enable some form of retaliation, then readied himself for the impact and any openings created to allow him to flee or strike back.
AQ DF  Post #: 36
9/14/2015 20:51:16   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Elysia grinned as she settled herself lightly in the saddle and reclaimed her glaive. Micha’s twirl of rope had reached the Ice Champion first, binding his wrists tightly together and leaving him vulnerable to the two piercing javelins of energy.The first bolt collided with one of the still-spinning stones, shattering it explosively and sending shards of rock and debris everywhere, causing the Wolf to stumble backward in an attempt to shield his eyes. As he lost his balance, the second bolt caught the edge of his right arm, completing his fall and leaving him rolling on the ground in agony, the smell of burning skin and cloth lingering in the air. It would have been a perfect time to charge, with his shirt now full of holes and skin open to easy piercing with her glaive, but the horse under her was still breathing heavily. She would let the man stand up and deal with Micha’s likely-coming next attack.

Barely after gaining his feet, Dell Wolf was nattering again. Seemingly he had learned nothing from the last time he had wasted breath chatting up the arena, which had resulted in him very nearly being tied up and slain by Micha. Elysia could tell he was addressing her, but she brushed the words aside and instead devoted her attention to ensuring Blossom had escaped his fall uninjured. He was fidgeting, lifting first one hoof and then the other, and flicking his ears back and forth rapidly, as if spooked. Before she could decide if he was actually hurt or merely upset with her, gunshots again ripped through the air.

Blossom, still skittish by fall, saved them both. He reared with a panicked whinny and danced backwards on his hind legs, causing Elysia to latch on to the saddle horn and slam her feet into the stirrups. With a slight cracking sound, the bullet skidded off of one of Blossom’s flailing front hooves, sending chips of ice and hoof spiraling into the sand. The rider held her breath as he landed heavily on his fore legs, but the horse regained his balance steadily enough. Only the outer shell had been cracked, not the delicate frog that lay beneath.

With a glare at the Wolf, Elysia prepared to give Blossom the signal to charge. Hopefully they could cover the distance before the man got off another round. If not, she planned to form an energy sphere while racing towards him, turning the shield into an almost impossible to dodge wall of lightning. She could see Micha moving too, her chain extending in a flash of metal as the feline launched one end, sharp and pointed like a dagger, at Paragon of Ice. Before Elysia could kick Blossom into a gallop and support the Fire Champion, Dell Wolf froze, head tilted oddly as if listening to a voice. A moment later came a deep booming; the gate behind the Ice pillar had swung open, followed by the echos of the chanters who had introduced the fighters. Speaking as one, they withdrew the Elemental support from the Wolf.

Dell seemed to shrug, mentally admitting defeated, before flashing a smile at the two fighters before him, and the brawling figures of the paladin and mountain man beyond them. “Mah time here, is done. I’ll wait for y’all outside o them gates Lucia.” Then, with the flourish of a bow towards Elysia, “And you too, Ma’am! Ah reckon, ah need a horse like that thar beaut.” Blossom arched his neck and let out a low nicker at that, recognizing the complementary gesture and prancing slightly in place. His rider rolled her eyes at the horse’s vanity, but saluted the Wolf as he turned away, honoring his worth as an opponent. With a glimmer of spurs at his heels, the Champion of Ice reclaimed his hat and badge from the desert sands, the scarlet color seeming to fade from the ground beneath him as the man walked away, alive and relatively unharmed, strolling through his gate with the same swagger of confidence that had accompanied his entrance.

One less competitor to worry about killing, but the removal of Ice meant Elysia’s own path was no longer clearly set. Her obvious answer would be to go and assist Shud, currently exchanging blow after blow with Lucia. In fact, the Champion of Earth appeared to be at a slight disadvantage. He had taken a defensive position, shattered gemstones joining with the red sand below to form a sort of amour across most of his body. She turned Blossom towards him swiftly, but had scarcely taken a pace forward when the mountain man shot her a glare, brilliant white teeth now bared in a scowl. His meaning was clear: Stay away from my fight.

Reluctantly, Elysia turned Blossom away from the combatants near her own pillar and gazed out across the rest of the arena. The closest fighter was Micha, but Elysia had been hoping to avoid fighting the feline again, at least until the end of the match. She supposed that if Micha attacked her right away, she could respond as needed, but neither of them stood much to gain from resuming their earlier duel without their prior allies. That left one last possibility: investigating the copious amounts of spiraling smoke and sloshing water on the other end of the arena. John’s and Zane’s battle.

Another grin crossed Elysia’s face. What better target for the Paragon of Energy than two completely soaked fighters? She turned Blossom northwards and raised her left hand, palm out, towards Micha. “At some point we’ll continue our duel from Twilight. For now, those two have fought long enough to have exhausted each other. Join me if you wish.” She nodded to the Fire Paragon, knowing that she deserved respect, though not trust, and urged Blossom onward. Keeping half an eye on Micha in case the feline decided to charge the nearer target instead, Elysia rode around the edge of the arena. Her plan was to circle close to the pillars of Ice and Wind before turning on a more direct route towards the Champions of Water and Darkness. From there, she would maintain her distance for a few moments until she could make sense of the half-hidden fight, before launching into a volley of electric attacks.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 37
9/15/2015 13:41:26   
Tdub
Member

Similar to nature's habit of calming the winds just before a storm, it could be reasoned that the present moments were the calm before the true battle erupted. As Zane rose from the sands, he took the brief interlude to reassess the battlefield.

The golem was gone, lying in pieces by its Pillar. Zane didn't have time to examine the remains thoroughly, but whichever of the Paragons had taken down the mass of metal must have been very powerful. He would have to watch out for anything demonstrating that level of power. Other than that, no deaths seemed to have occurred. None of the Paragons had fallen, and their various fights were taking place on the other end of the Arena. They wouldn't be bothering his fight.

"We stand witness as the graces of Ice is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, it is clear that it is not the stranger's time. So to, do we here assembled, stand in witness for his choice and honor his last moments upon the sands."

The same voices that had announced the arrival of the Paragons were now announcing the departure of one, "Dell Wolf," of Ice. So, not defeated in combat, but lost the favor of his Lord just the same. Lord Xaznohr, allow me to serve you the way that he could not.

The brief prayer was all that he had time for, as the "calm before the storm" expired. From the dissipating cloud of smoke came an airborne wave of water, arcing toward the assassin, who was now standing, crouched in a defensive position. Without time to plan, Zane dashed forward, facing the deluge head-on. He continued his course, increasing his speed while bringing his head down, closer to his center. The wave approached rapidly, threatening to overtake the oncoming assassin and throw him further toward the center of the Arena. Closer... Closer... Now!

Moments before the water claimed its prize, Zane dived toward the red sands, landing under the torrent and escaping its clutches. Water dripped down on the assassin as he landed on his left shoulder, rolling his feet over his body and continuing his forward motion to rise. Making sure that he was still holding the small, poisoned knife in his right hand, he sheathed his dagger moments after his feet had continued to run, preparing his mind to launch another Darkness spell. Just as John was in sight, he began to raise his hand to attack. The Paragon of Water was standing still, a perfect target, and was preparing to throw a...

Boomerang?

Whoever this man was, he was just full of surprises, throwing the weapon, which appeared to be covered in some sort of fabric, with perfect form. Even more so than the cloud of smoke, this projectile was quite untrustworthy. It was closing in on Zane's head, but it wasn't going extraordinarily fast. Zane could catch it if he really wanted. No, Water's Chosen was too clever to give his opponent a new weapon to work with, even if the assassin had never had any proper training with the ancient hunting device. John must have had something else in mind.

As the boomerang approached, Zane landed with his right foot, pivoting his weight. He spun away, catching a brief glimpse of the weapon as it flew harmlessly by. The sight of the soaked rags that covered it alone was enough to eliminate any thoughts of him using the device himself. He had been an assassin for long enough to know a poisoned cloth when he saw one, and though he had no proof that the boomerang's rags had anything other than water in them, there had to be a purpose for their existence. Of course, the device would come back. But he would be ready.

"You fool."

The world seemed to stop. Of course, it was still moving, but Zane's mind was racing faster than an eye could blink. The image of a dark-skinned man, high in age yet strong of mind and body, looking down on a young boy who had just fallen. Zane realized that the boy was him. Master Hollow?

"Where is he getting the water?

The voice was gone. Barely a moment had passed, yet Zane felt as though he had just had a conversation, in which he was scolded quite severely in few words. He knew the sensation well.

But... The water?

He was still running, albeit at a slower pace. He still had several feet to go before he was in striking distance. The smoke was still fading, but he saw his opponent clearly, standing proudly in front of the Pillar that he was Chosen to represent.

The Pillar!

There was no way that the amount of water that had been sloshed about in the Arena had all come from the bucket that the Paragon carried with him. Even if it had, there was no guarantee that John was not drawing power from the enormous source of Lord-blessed liquid behind him. He had to draw the man from his Lord's Pillar, or he could be harassed indefinitely by offensive and defensive torrents.

He was just feet from John now, and he stopped running, planting his left foot. He changed direction, turning his body toward the Pillar of Darkness as he launched a disorienting bolt of magic at his opponent's head. If it connected, he would be able to close the distance and finish the job. If not, he would taunt the Paragon to follow, away from his Pillar. At the very least, he would be further away from John's water. And he was certainly out of the returning boomerang's path.

Master Hollow couldn't have been in his head, especially not here. But somehow, the memory of the old man, whom he despised with every fiber of his being, had been enough to spark a realization.

You're saving my life, old man, even after I took yours.
Post #: 38
9/15/2015 16:47:22   
Apocalypse
Member

Blood ripped free as Lucia pulled her battle axe back in. Her blade had made contact, though Shud’s movement had lessened the severity of the injury. The staff slipped from his hands as sparkling stones crawled over and around the wound to seal it. Lightning cracked and thunder boomed from the fulgarmancer as the paladin gave the Light Incarnation a flick to the side, spraying scarlet droplets onto the sand below. After facing Goliath in Malice, it was invigorating to have solid proof of this giant’s mortality.

While exhilarating for Lucia, the blood served as a grim reminder for Shud, forcing him to roll towards the living construct of Energy and away from his assailant. The paladin knew she should press on to hold the advantage, but the stormy discord had been a foreboding omen for the Paragon of Ice. It was when the voices spoke of Ice having retracted his favor that all thought of pushing forward fled. Lucia imagined Sheriff lying charred and broken, dead because she had abandoned his side in a reckless pursuit of a foe. She whipped her head to the last known location of her comrade and spotted his figure laid out against the crimson sand. Her heart plummeted then rose again as the ice combatant made it back to his feet. He bid farewell in his usual garrulous manner but received naught but a slight nod from the paladin. The words for a proper valediction would have to wait.

Without her talkative partner, there were now three other combatants in this section of the arena, none of which could be considered allies. The paladin had declared war against two of them, and the third had been consequential in the defeat of her comrade-in-arms. The best case scenario was if the feline one turned against the rider, leaving Lucia to deal with the Paragon of Earth. The second worst was if all three turned their might against her.

By far the most dreaded one was if she lost control.

The flow of the battle had shifted, ready to be shaped by the next chosen actions. Lucia considered her opponents.

By the Pillar of Energy stood Shud, Earth’s Chosen. Sand drifted upwards from the arena floor and raced about his form, coating his body in layers of bloodstained dust. The exceptions were his exposed head and his left arm which glistened with gemstones from the elbow down. He had switched from pure offense to sheer defense after his bout with the paladin. Either Shud was unaccustomed to being challenged in a straight fight or the sight of his own blood had awoken some deep fear inside of him. It was feasible that he could be left alone for now, but it would only be a matter of time before the giant arose from his shell.

Closer to the heart of the arena was Elysia, the wielder of lightning. Both rider and mount were covered in sand, but they appeared fine save for a smattering of ice crystals on the leather of Elysia’s shoulder. Her mobility would be a stark contrast to the slower movements of Shud and Sonar, and her manipulation of energy had already verified her claim to being Energy’s Chosen. The true danger lay in her alliance with the Paragon of Earth as attacking either one could incur the wrath of the other. To overcome her would require breaking the bonds she held with both Shud and her mount.

Last was Micha, the prowling jungle cat. Of all the combatants she was the one Lucia did not want be pit against the most. Not because her true capabilities were unknown. Not because she had a hand in the vanquishing of both eliminated competitors thus far. It was because everything about her - the very sight of her, her scent, the way she moved - twisted the paladin’s stomach in horrid knots. Her heart raced and hairs stood on end as they anticipated the fight and demanded bloodshed. Lucia’s thoughts of fighting the others were based on necessity; those of fighting Micha were born of want and dark desire. Giving in to such ill inclinations would not, could not culminate in any favorable outcomes.

For the first time in a long time, fortune smiled upon her. The Paragon of Earth gave a glare to his partner, and Elysia turned away to partake in the clash on the far end of the arena. Three became two, and if the rider’s encouragement to Micha proved to be persuasive than that two may very well become one. Lucia turned her full attention back to the mass of muscle and earth before her. He was her first challenge in this arena. He would be far from the last.

“Sciens voluntatem redimita loca deae,” she whispered to herself. Those were the words that had been etched on the shield of the Lady of Light in her vision. Knowing the Will of the Goddess. It was reminiscent of the words of St. Augustine’s Order. The paladin bit her lip as two links vanished from their chain and an arming sword, gold but far from glittering, sprung into existence in her free hand. Nescientes dea. Knowing the Goddess…so similar yet so distinct. She pointed both Light Incarnations at her adversary before bounding forward to strike. Lucia was missing some piece to the puzzle, but solving it would need to wait until afterward. First came the arming sword, singing through the air to pierce through the tender area between Shud’s neck and right shoulder. Second, following half a heartbeat behind, was the axe. It screamed to slash the exposed portion of the opposite arm.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 39
9/16/2015 0:31:35   
Kellehendros
Eternal Wanderer


 The dart hissed to the end of its reach, jangling slightly. Micha descended from her leap, hands already in motion, drawing back the chain. Dell watched the proceedings with an entirely blasé countenance the Kissa had not seen before, as though he was distracted by some inward trouble that absorbed the entirety of his attention. That was explained a moment later by the chorus of voices lifted in subtle, heart-rending harmony. The song, for all its soft melody, nonetheless cut through the clamor of crowd and Arena alike with piercing clarity.

So this was Culling; this was one step closer to Crown, to Boon. The Enkeli pushed the thought aside, watching the Paragon of Ice warily. Micha had taken time upon the road to Bren to listen to the stories told of the tournament, and no small number of those had been about either the Grand Arena or the Cullings. Some bowed to the Will of the Arena, others stood defiant. The Kissa had no intention of relaxing her guard until she knew if Dell would accept the Arena’s will.

It seemed that he would, for the man, in his illimitable style, started talking again. Dell called out to Elysia, to Lucia, to John, and then to Micha herself. The Enkeli blinked slowly and said no words in reply, though she inclined her head respectfully, as one duelist to another. She watched a moment as the odd man turned and made his way to the gate that had been his entrance into the Arena, then directed her attention elsewhere.

A fraction of a smile slipped across Micha’s face as Elysia’s mount curvetted and pranced, and the Kissa’s golden orbs shifted from steed to rider. Energy’s Chosen met the Enkeli’s eyes after a moment, and then looked west. Micha shifted slightly, following the lightning caller’s gaze to the Paragons of Water and Darkness. The two women looked at each other again after several seconds of contemplation, and Elysia spoke.

In answer to the rider’s words, Micha simply inclined her head again, in the same respectful manner to which she had met Dell’s farewell. “I wish you well upon your way, Elysia. Be there no enmity between us, but I shall tread another path for now.” The Kissa accorded the lightning caller enough respect and trust to look away from her as she rode away, but not quite enough not to keep one ear swiveled in her direction until she was a safe distance away. The Enkeli wanted no part of any battle with Elysia just yet, even in the capacity of allies. Micha’s chain and the bolts wielded by Energy’s Chosen were not a good combination; mixing in a great deal of dousing water from John would not make things any better in the Enkeli’s estimation.

The Kissa’s attention was instead directed toward the remaining Paragons on her side of the Arena: Lucia and Shud. Earth’s Chosen was partially submerged in the incarnadine granules that composed the floor of the Arena. The Paragon of Light was advancing on Shud, two weapons composed of flashing magical radiance in her hands. Micha had seen very little of the Paragon of Earth during their mutual term in Twilight, and Lucia, having come from one of the other Arenas, was a literal stranger. It was rarely a good idea to get involved in a fight with so little information, but Micha edged slowly closer anyway, the chain in her hands beginning to whirl.

Her impression of both was less than favorable. Shud was large and loud and belligerent. He was almost Vastaa in that fashion, though lacking any sort of ursine manner that would truly fit that label. As for Lucia… Micha was not certain exactly what it was about the Paragon of Light that discomfited her, but there was a vague, indefinable air of menace about the woman. It was a sort of prickling just at the edge of the Enkeli’s senses, a danger without perceptible form that only seemed to grow the longer Lucia was around. Whatever it might be, it set Micha’s fur on end and her tail to twitching.

It would have been wiser to stay out of the duel. The Kissa was aware of that as she continued forward, sand and her wide paws rendering her passage smooth and quiet. Links played out between her fingers as the chain rose over her head. She knew without having to be told that Shud would not appreciate her aid. He would take it as an insult to his honor and pride; the big ones always did, thinking their strength sufficient for any battle. As for Lucia, well, she was hardly likely to look kindly on what was coming next.

The Paragon of Light lunged and Micha went into a tight, swift spin; the meteor hammer whistled out and around as she tweaked the weapon’s flight path and momentum with a sweeping down-and-right motion of her arms. Metal cleaved the air in a wide arc around the Kissa as she turned her circle, the orb as big as her doubled fists sailing low along the crimson sand at Lucia’s ankles from left to right. With any luck, the blow would foul the charge of Light’s Chosen, and Micha had no doubt that Shud, loath as he might be to accept help, would be swift to capitalize on such an opportunity.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 40
9/16/2015 18:12:59   
Ultrapowerpie

Mail Moogle of AdventureQuest


 "Looks like things are going... mixed in there? I'm not really sure how to describe it..." Joe asked Jane, having returned from a vendor with a white fluffy crunchy substance that apparantly came from corn when it was exposed to heat (but not too much heat as it would burn the little munchies), sharing them with his fellow Janitor.

"Well he wasn't one of the first ones to get axed or killed, so that at least is something" Janet replied, grabbing a handful and nomming it. "Hmmmm, poppy.... they should call it something like CornyPoppers...."

"What's going on in the fight?"

"Well, the giant golem got killed by the feline-warrior by smacking him into the wind pillar.... somewhat nasty.... then it looks like the first Cut went through..."

"Cut, what cut?"

"You really didn't pay attention during the briefing, did you?" Jane asked, annoyed.

"Just tell me what's going on, please. You ARE in charge of exposition here..."

"At predesignated times, the Lords will... well it's not arbitrary but to us it looks like it.... anyways the Ice Lord withdrew support of his chosen and now he's walking out..."

"HOLD IT, you're telling me these lords, who make the paragons go through all this rigamaroll to get into the thing and get choosen, only for then to seemingly arbitrarily WITHDRAW the support of their OWN choosen???!" Joe exclaimed, flabberghasted by the concept.

"well, yeah...."

"See, THIS is why we dont' have allegience to any of Lore's Dieties. Sure, they spout nonsense about "free will" and whatnot, but when they actually bother to do things, they act like all the other jerk dieties you hear about on other planets with more intervening dieties. I swear th..." Joe began ranting, before Jane covered his mouth.

"Will you shut up? They're actually focusing what pitiful attention they have for Lore here, and insulting them may just provoke some ire. Look, this is all voluntary anyways, now quit ranting and just enjoy the arena. I think the next culling is coming up anyways, so let's just sit down and watch," Jane instructed.



John was perfectly content staying where he was, watching the unfolding fight, seeing that the assassian was, again, preparing another charge. Clearly the man was incapable of throwing the daggers he held, which was sort of sad for an assassian. However, from the previous close combat encounter, this man was at least capable of stabbing, which was an important quality for a close ranged fighter. As the smoke disipated he watched as his opponent's charge suddenly started to slow down, as if he was seeing visions of something crazy or informative (possibly both) as his mind was internally conflicted.... or something. Whatever was going on, John reflexively ducked as another.... blast of something was sent at him. He wasn't quite sure what it was but he knew that it had to be bad....

Returning to a normal stance, he observed his opponent... running away? Apparantly whatever cognative dissonance that had occured in the odd assassian had made him reconsider fighting, or at least charging, him. He was running back to the darkness pillar, but John had absolutely no desire to persue the opponent. Instead, he shrugged, dropped another soap bar into the bucket, and sent another torrent at the fleeing foe. Since he was running away he coudl probably easily dodge it, but hey, more energy expended by his foe was better off inthe long run. It also gave John some time to keep an eye ont he rest of the arena. With the Ice and Wind paragons already gone, the large brouhaha was slowly starting to fade out, and it wouldn't be long before an oppritunistic person to come into this duel to try to get an easy kill.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 41
9/16/2015 23:38:36   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 A soft sigh escaped Elysia as she surveyed the Western side of the arena. In truth, she would have appreciated Micha’s calm, unyielding attacks in making sense of the chaos before her. Still, a glance back proved that the feline had instead chosen to charge Lucia. With both Champions of Fire and Earth against her, the Paladin would quickly become outmatched. And knowing Shud’s sense of personal honor, it was equally likely that he would attack Micha immediately afterwards, for daring to assist him on the field of battle.

Touching her heels lightly to Blossom’s sides, the pair began to lope slowly down the center of the arena, veering ever so slightly towards the West. Elysia narrowed her eyes, examining the mess near the water pillar as the smog finally began to clear. John, straightening from his dodge of a bolt of black magic, had a long slash in the pant leg of his strange blue uniform. The edges of the rip had specks of blood, but the man stood steadily enough. Zane appeared to be the one in trouble, his black clothes sopping wet as the assassin scrambled away from John and back towards the relative safety of his own pillar. Another enormous wave of water erupted from a bucket sitting near John’s foot and gave chase, obviously some type of elemental manipulation from the Water Paragon. She frowned slightly, noting that the amount of water now pursuing the Champion of Darkness had much greater volume that what would fit into that bucket naturally. Some type of enchantment must keep the bucket full of water. What would happen to the man’s magic if that water suddenly became charged with electricity?

With a shake of her head, Elysia put that thought aside for now. Blossom sped into a fast paced canter as she used her knees to angle him closer to a spot between the two competitors. Raising her glaive to the sky, she prepared to call down a bolt of lightning. While forming a web of energy worked best if she was the focal point, it was an easy enough adjustment to twist the blade of her weapon as the bolt struck it. This would throw the lighting closer to its intended victims before it naturally split into multiple arcs of paralyzing magic, piercing through the mess of water and smoke.

Before Elysia could summon forth the attack, a familiar, cracking boom echoed through the arena. Another gate had burst open. The arena had dismissed its second fighter. Sitting back to slow Blossom’s approach as she passed parallel to the maw of Shadow, voices once more rang through the arena.

Amidst the stands, the chanters raised their arms as one towards the heavens, knowledge filling them with certainty. Facing the audience, they began to intone in somber harmony. “We stand witness as the graces of Darkness is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, Zane is cast back into the shadows, from whence he may strike unseen across the world once more.”

Elysia’s eyes widened, and she drove her right heel into Blossom’s side, hard. Her mount sprang into a full gallop, turning away from the fighting and charging across the center of the arena towards the pillar of Earth. Those dismissed by the arena weren’t necessarily required to accept the decision, and she wanted to distance herself from Zane should he choose to react poorly to the news. She kept her head turned, one eye watching the fight behind her as she guided the war horse around the pillar, slowing him to a lope and then a trot as he started to slide on the sands. As she passed behind the Earth pillar, the ground shook slightly beneath Blossom’s hooves, as if it was unhappy she had approached it. Though it could also be worried about the plight of its current champion, caught wounded with the full force of Light charging at him. If the mountain man was lucky, Micha would get there in time. If not, then the sands still discolored from missing their share of Dell Wolf’s blood would be redyed scarlet by Shud’s.

Rounding about to the East side of the pillar, Elysia’s gaze fell on the Water Champion, some object leaving his hands to sploosh gently into his bucket. While she had no way of knowing Zane’s course of action, she would have to fight John fairly soon. Perhaps the Paragon of Darkness would abandon his reason and give one last charge at his opponent, providing her with a distraction. A single globe of energy formed around her empty palm, slowly stretching into a long, slim spear of lightning. She took a breath of time to aim, marveling at the fact she could target the man without having to dodge an attack herself, and hurled the bolt towards John.

From this distance, and from what appeared to be a lack of metal on his person, the bolt was likely to miss its intended victim. Still, if John summoned forth another wall of water, a target that immense would be impossible to miss and would send its current through the liquid to its manipulator. A complete miss would leave a black, scorching scar in the quickly drying red sand, turning grains of it here and there into chips of smooth, polished glass. Elysia grinned. Either a successful strike or a misplaced failure would do a well enough job of testing the waters of how her next opponent would fair in the coming fight.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 42
9/17/2015 11:53:37   
Rayen
Constructively Discussional!


 Being in pain, rather than being a detriment to Shud, usually succeeded solely in making him angry. Perhaps it was the way it filled his head and made him want to cry out in a display of weakness or perhaps it was simply that, despite his obvious might, he was capable of being injured at all. He could well relate to stories of men who, nearing death in battle, would become berserk with rage, completely disregarding their own declining health with the sole aim of spilling as much enemy blood as possible before their own inevitable deaths.

Regardless, the dull ache in his right shoulder had yet to make Shud angry by itself. His still somewhat fuzzy vision was irksome, but not angering. But the thing that always succeeded in making him angry wasn't so much a physical pain, but a pain to his core. Whenever Shud used magic, a strange pain spread out over his entire body, causing his head to ring and his limbs to tingle. But, to compensate for this weakness, the large quarryman could focus his consequent rage on a single task.

In this case, his task was to crush the paladin. As she readied herself to charge at his sand-encased prone form, Shud noticed a large object move swiftly in his direction to loom over him. Rider looked down at him, somewhat concerned, somewhat questioningly. In his enraged state, Shud couldn’t work out what exactly the horse and rider were doing, so he glared at her, baring his teeth in the hope that she’d move away and leave him to focus on his fight. Thankfully, his ally moved swiftly to the north, away from his fight.

Darting his eyes back to Paladin, Shud was unsurprised to see her create a golden sword from nothingness and run towards him, sword aimed at his exposed throat and axe no doubt intended for the exposed section of his left arm. The seemingly trapped man would have been pleased did he not now have to perfectly time his reaction. If he made any mistake, or in his anger acted too enthusiastically, he would likely be severely maimed or killed. He would have to be steady, patient and firm until the last possible moment, within the fierce woman’s final few bounds towards him, both to conserve his own strength, catch his opponent by surprise and, most importantly, to deflect her weapons.

Shud, approximating the number of steps until he needed to act, began to count down.

Eight. Six. The highly compacted sand surrounding his body began to vibrate as he focused what little magical strength he had left through his bones and into the surrounding sand. Three. His muscles tightening, Shud took in a deep breath and prepared to spring in the next instant.

Suddenly and much sooner than anticipated, Paladin began to dive, accompanied by an unexpected, sickening crunch. As a consequence, her aim seemed to be half a foot off the targets Shud had been expecting, and she quickly became too low for his planned attack to be as effective in blocking the gleaming weapons she wielded. To the air with it, Shud thought. Instantly the blood-concreted sandstone encasing his body erupted upward as he pulled his legs backwards and pushed off with his back, leaping upright with phenomenal speed. The compacted sand pushed the attacker's sword upright and he reached around with his gem-coated left arm to deflect the axe at its haft. Then, safe from the weapons for now, Shud hurled the woman to he sand, roughly in the direction of his many-bladed Pillar of Earth.

As she landed with an expected thud and swish of sand, the quarryman dashed after her, slivers of his gem-encrusted arm breaking off to embed themselves across the gash in his right shoulder, as primitive stitches. His aim now was simple: Crush the Paragon of Light and make her suffer. Now was her time to feel weak and defenceless. Shud hoped she’d hate it in her final moments as much as he had.
AQ DF  Post #: 43
9/17/2015 20:09:54   
Tdub
Member

"You are weak. Failing."

Stop this, Hollow! Zane continued his run in vain. He knew his opponent was not following. But it was too late to turn back now. Whatever attack John had planned for him, he didn't want to face it head-on. He could only keep running. But something was different. He felt slower, as though the events of the day had caught up to him. Something was wrong.

"Pathetic. Your Lord needed a Champion, and you have presented him with a coward."

The assassin ignored the voice, attempting to determine the source of his loss of energy. Surely it had to be another's doing? A magical assault of some sort. Zane glanced around, hoping to catch a glimpse of this new assailant. But none revealed themselves, and he was forced to consider that he might just be...

Tired.

But how could that be? He had done training exercises for longer than this. No, there had to be some other explanation. For the first time in the competition, he truly felt... Alone.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of approaching water. John had sent another liquid missile his way, and Zane barely had time to spin out of its way, seeing it fly by his head. But the spin proved too much for him, and he fell, defeated, to the red sands of the Arena, collapsing to his knees.

Amidst the stands, the chanters raised their arms as one towards the heavens, knowledge filling them with certainty. Facing the audience, the began to intone in somber harmony. "We stand witness as the graces of Darkness is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, Zane is cast back into the shadows, from whence he may strike unseen across the world once more."

So, that's it then. Unworthy. Chosen, but disappointing. So be it.

Zane was now just a few feet from the Pillar of Darkness, and he could see the gate opening, beckoning him to rejoin the outside world. He stood, and walked calmly toward the end of his journey in the Elemental Championships. He did not look back at his opponent, nor did he glance at the other Paragons. His time was over, and he had no intention of staying any longer. Briefly, the image of Master Hollow, smirking at the defeated Paragon, flashed through his mind.

I didn't do this for you, old man.

Zane stepped through the gate, walking out into the world. He sheathed his remaining dagger, and hid his knife within his clothing once more. The Arena sands had claimed his second dagger, but he had no intention of retrieving it. Not now, anyway. He continued walking through the streets, his mind too occupied to think clearly. Where he was going, even he didn't know. Perhaps he would go on his own, seeking answers elsewhere. Or perhaps he would settle down in a town such as this. Only one thing was certain.

He would not return here.
Post #: 44
9/18/2015 9:57:31   
Apocalypse
Member

Before she could strike down the giant, a sharp pain exploded from Lucia’s right ankle. The joint emitted an audible crack as something hard and dense collided with it. She gasped for air, the sudden agony causing her to falter in her onslaught. Micha! She grit her teeth as she thought the name. The paladin had tried to avoid conflict with this particular combatant, but it had come all the same to her. By some twisted will of fate this would be the flow of events to pass.

There was time to neither curse nor accept the whims of destiny. The Paragon of Fire’s assault had created an opening, one which Earth’s Chosen capitalized on. Shud’s sand blew forth, crimson armor metamorphosing into a violent desert storm. The violent tempest knocked aside her Beatification, her sword missing its mark by a wide margin. Her Veneration fared no better as the arm coated in gemstones rose to intercept the axe at its handle. A meaty hand landed on her person, and between the torrents of sand and throbbing in her ankle, Lucia was off-kilter enough to be oblivious to the fact that the giant had lifted her off her feet until she was sailing through the air and away from her opponent. She hit the sand hard, her axe flying from her grip upon impact. Each bounce sent a new writhing shockwave of pain along her anklebone.

When at last she came to a stop, Lucia raised her head and spat out a viscous wad of sand. Her vision was blurred and her eyes itched from the grains that had landed in them. The specks intruded upon every inch of her body, making her entire skin feel corrosive. The paladin did not even try to stand at first, instead reaching a hand to her throbbing ankle. She willed another chain link to vanish and was rewarded with light pouring forth from between the fingers locked on her leg. A warm sensation flowed from her palm, soothing the pain as her bone mended itself. All too soon the warmth faded away and pain resumed its burning grip. Lucia climbed to her feet and wavered as she put weight on her right leg. She sucked in a sharp breath and clenched a fist before another chain link winked out of existence. A brace formed around her foot, covering either side of her ankle and encircled her leg with two bands. Her efforts in healing had never shown any real promise. She was a paladin born to deal pain, not assuage it.

Pain…it had become the one constant in her life. Whether it was inflicting it or receiving it, pain was the one absolute Lucia could depend on. For two years Lucia had been on both ends as she put an end to bandits, scourges, and monsters of all varieties in her travels. The paladin should have had far more scars than she possessed. She had been beaten, slashed, and burned in all manners. It brought out the worst in her. But the pains of the flesh were naught compared to the torment lying within herself. It clawed at her day and night, tearing away at her over the course of weeks and months. It was the price the paladin had to pay. She had no right to seek forgiveness, not that it would have undone any of her past trespasses. Lucia could only trudge forward and hope that at the culmination of this tournament the nightmare would be over – one way or the other.

Returning a favor, Lucia pivoted as a Light Incarnation blazed into creation in her hand. This one was a plain shining hatchet, reminiscent of the ones in the training yard of the Dawn Fort. Without hesitation the paladin launched it at the Paragon of Fire, the Veneration turning over and over as it soared towards Micha’s chest. The torso, besides allowing the largest margin of error in terms of accuracy, also required the most disruption of movement to evade. Lucia had no false pretenses about finishing off Micha with this throw, but it was her best option to buy herself time.

The paladin turned back to Shud. The giant was closing in fast, fresh vigor in his eyes and movements. With her maneuverability hampered, dodging was out of the question. Instead, Lucia drew back her arming sword in preparation and raised her opposite hand as if in a stance. Once Shud was almost atop her, Lucia’s right hand snapped to grip the new Beatification that had sprung to life. A six feet spear lay in her grasp, its tip forming just inches away from Shud’s chest. Lucia was depending on Shud’s colossal bulk to prevent him from stopping and cause him to impale himself upon the Light Incarnation.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 45
9/18/2015 13:19:45   
Ultrapowerpie

Mail Moogle of AdventureQuest


 "Wait... John won????" Joe asked, flabberghasted by this turn of events.

"I thought you two were best friends!!!??" Janet cried aloud, also flabberghasted but at Joe's comments.

"We are, and I know he can kick butt when needed, but he's never been in a gladitorial arena before, and..."

"First off, he's clearly doing awesome. Second, he hasn't won, he just hasn't lost. Still if he can make it to the top three that'd be real nice even if he doesn't win, it'll make for a good story back at the Juncture."

"Right so who's left in the arena?"

"Let's see... the Paladin, who's currently engaged with the freakish beefcake slab of meat and the cat-lady.... oh and the bizzare horse rider"

"Seriously, who the heck brings a horse into a death arena? And why is her primary a sword on a stick?"

"It's called a glaive, and it looks slightly more fanciful then a simple sword on a stick," Janet corrected.

"Uh oh, I think she may be breaking off from the combat with the Sherrif no longer entertaining her..."

"Hmmmmm, she looks to be a ranged combatant, and she's probably going to be fairly useless without her horse..."

"Oh, she did not just attack John, that jerk! She's so aggresive, attacking a janitor while he's busy with others!!!!"

"Joe, stop it. It's a free for all in there, and he actually is now finished with the darkness paragon. So really she was actually quite civil waiting until this moment to attack. Anyways, go get some more of this conrypopper things," Janet asked.

"Why do I have to do it?"

"Cause I outrank you?"

"... Fine..."



The ragarang had, by now, completed it's throw and had returned to John's belt after he had caught it, when suddenly another voice boomed out.

"We stand witness as the graces of Darkness is withdrawn. By the Will of the Arena, Zane is cast back into the shadows, from whence he may strike unseen across the world once more."

Clearly the Lord of Darkness saw my thought on how silly an assassin meant for stealth in a broad sunlit arena with no ranged skills whatsoever was, and that's what has caused this turn of events.

John's self-congratulatory thoughts were brought to a halt as he noticed the horse rider (who WOULDN'T notice the horse rider? Riding a horse in an arena like this, so silly) had broken off from the rest of the pack and was looking in his general direction. He remembered from the introductions (and from the brief glimpses of combat he saw when he wasn't busy) that this foe was the energy paragon. Great, another elemental opposite that's giong to use lightning to full annoyance. Seriously, how is that horse not dead? It has no armor and is a huge target. Considering that she's not charging over here with the glaive means that she prefers ranged combat. That's fine, we'll...

This thought train was interuprted by a bolt of lightning shot forth from the horse rider, in John's general direction. John instictively rammed the MOP into the ground and let the lightning hit like a lightning rod. John's thick yellow rubber gloves allowed him to handle the MOP without getting zapped, though the MOP itself would be stunned by this, meaning John couldn't make use of the little monster for a period of time. Then again, this long range attack made it all the more likely that he wouldn't be needing MOP's assistance.

Picking up the MOP again, he dropped another soap bar into his bucket. Not bothering to give it a good swirl in the bucket, he torrented the water in a spiraly motion and shot it towards the rider. She wanted to play rough? Fine, let's see how she does with a wet horse. He was fully aware that she'd probably dodge it, but hey, at least it was a long range battle, something he liked.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 46
9/18/2015 22:27:28   
Kellehendros
Eternal Wanderer


 The meteor hammer sailed in, missing Lucia’s left leg as she stepped forward. That fact did not matter overmuch. After all, the Enkeli’s sharp eyes could see the inevitable approaching, and a moment later the heavy metal orb slammed into the Paragon of Light’s right ankle with a high, sharp clangor of steel that could not hide the greenstick snap of bone breaking from her receptive ears. The Kissa had to give Lucia credit: the woman gasped sharply from the blow, but did not cry out. That was a break, and Micha knew from her own experience how painful such injuries could be. It took a lot of fortitude to continue on in the face of that sort of pain.

That was not the end of it either. Staggered by the unexpected strike, Light’s Chosen reeled straight into Shud’s reply. The sand about the Paragon of Earth burst up and out, throwing off Lucia’s strikes. Micha reeled her chain back in, watching as Shud capitalized on the opportunity to take hold of his off-balance opponent and then hurl her through the air like a child’s doll.

Right, let’s stay away from him… The Kissa winced in sympathy as Lucia slammed into the crimson sands, luckily too far from Micha or Shud for them to be an immediate threat. Light’s Chosen reached down, and the Enkeli watched the woman touch her ankle. A link of golden chain vanished, and skeins of scintillant magic wove about the broken ankle. She was…

Micha’s eyes widened. Lucia was healing herself! The Kissa watched the woman begin to rise, leg encased in radiant braces formed of her magic. Tears pricked at the back of the Enkeli’s golden eyes, an impotent fury and loss sweeping through her.

For a moment the Arena vanished, replaced by a forest clearing. Water lapped over stone, Kedron gasped, his life slipping away like the ripples passing those bloody banks… Oh merciful gods, Ked… His chest was a mass of puncture wounds, ruined and torn apart by the Markis’ mane of quills.

Magic.

The Enkeli growled softly, shaking herself out of the memory. Magic. It isn’t fair! Her people had no magic. They had no power such as this, to heal with a touch, to call lightning from the sky, to shape the earth at a whim. She had nothing, only a curse: to see, to watch, to witness.

And to do nothing! Micha had loved Kedron more than anything in the world, and she had watched his final moments, helpless. She had watched him drown in his own blood, powerless. She had watched his spirit slip its mortal chain and pass into the next life, useless.

That, more than anything else, enraged her. More than Dell’s taunts, more than the having the chance to see Kedron, to speak with him, to touch him, this sparked a furious fire within her. She would hurt Lucia for this. The Paragon of Light might be able to wipe her pain away with scarcely a touch, but now it was her turn to suffer.

“You hate what you are.” Polemaetus’ corpse-voice whispered. Memory stirred; a wing stroked lightly over her back. “I can help you. I can take it all away.” Revulsion ripped through her, suffocating the flare of rage and hurt.

No. No, this was not what she was; this was not who she was. It was not Lucia’s fault that she had her magic, that it was within her power to mend wounds and restore flesh. It was not the Paragon of Light’s fault she could have saved Kedron but was not there. It was not Lucia’s fault any more than it was Micha’s fault that she had no magic with which to save him. I’m so sorry, Ked. He would have been ashamed of her.

Forgive me, Lucia, for thinking such things. The Paragon of Light had no idea about the maelstrom of emotion she had evoked within her opponent, and it was lucky for Micha that Light’s Chosen had needed a moment both to rise and steady herself. Otherwise, the Kissa might have missed Lucia’s reply and found herself in need of healing.

As it was, the Enkeli had only moments to get out of the way. Her foe had formed another weapon of light, this one a hand axe or tomahawk suitable for throwing. The weapon, hurled at Micha, sailed through the air, spinning end over end towards her center of mass.

She had not been moving, so stepping aside from the strike was not so hard as it might have been, had there been momentum to work against. Then again, there was nothing to work with either, and so the Kissa’s dodge was not so graceful as it might have been. Red granules rutched beneath the wide pads of the Enkeli’s feet as she twisted out of the way. Her moment of distraction as her opponent threw required her to inhale sharply and lean slightly back to successfully avoid the wicked head of the weapon whirling past; its haft almost clipped her nose.

Micha straightened, squaring herself with Lucia and noting Shud thundering in for his own attack. The Kissa needed to close with the Paragon of Light to be effective, and the imposing charge of Earth’s Chosen should more than succeed in giving her the opportunity. As Lucia’s weapon flashed into a long spear, the Enkeli bounded forward, meteor hammer beginning to spin as she moved into striking distance.
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 47
9/19/2015 0:10:23   
  Starflame13
Moderator


 Shouts of pain and several loud thuds echoed to Elysia’s right. The brawl at the Energy pillar was moving, courtesy of Shud, who had just hurled Lucia across the arena with ease. Light’s Champion skidded to a halt, out of range of both her assailants, but she seemed unable to stand immediately. Elysia winced in sympathy at the decreased mobility, but turned away. Even understanding the situation, she would not rush to Lucia’s aid. Nor would Micha and Shud need her own to keep the paladin busy.

On her side of the battlefield, Zane had turned and, like the Wolf, chosen his life over an act of petty revenge. With his clothes still caked in muddy sand and dripping with water, the Champion of Darkness slinked out of the arena without a single look back. That left John undistracted and fully capable of dodging her lightning. Instead of attempting to run, the man chose to slam his mop into the ground. The bolt, rather than continuing its course straight to John’s chest, veered off and connected with the mop handle, releasing a gradual rumble of thunder. Elysia’s eyes widened in understanding. Although the shaft was painted to appear like a traditional wooden staff, it must instead be forged of some sort of metal. While the Water Champion avoided injury, probably with the help of overly protective rubber gloves, it still would give her a target to latch onto. John couldn’t deflect everything.

Neither, though, could Elysia. As she watched her opponent, he dropped yet another object in his bucket. As easily as she could call down a bolt from the heavens, he summoned an immense spiral of soapy, bubbly water, and sent it spinning towards herself and Blossom. She narrowed her eyes and jerked the war horse around, smoothly reversing direction to loop back to the other side of the pillar of Earth. If John could manipulate all water at his will, she would have to be prepared to get fully soaked at one point or another. This one, she could avoid. The strange, armed guardian of Earth seemed to grumble in displeasure as the tremendous blast of soapy water collided with it, sending bubbles and the occasional droplet scurrying around the sides to streak across horse and rider.

“Wait until after the battle to give my horse a bath, I’d be happy to lend a hand then!” Elysia rounded about the pillar and yelled across at the attacker, giving Blossom a squeeze with her knees as she did so and gripping the glaive in her hand, the tip pointing steadily at John across the horse’s withers. Snorting, the horse obeyed the signal and increased his pace to a full gallop across the sands. Not quite his fastest pace, that of a desperate escape. Sure-footed as he was, his rider did not trust the sand beneath his hooves to not give them both a nasty tumble if they tried that. Still, they were moving fast enough to cover the distance between herself and John in only a few moments. She didn’t want to bring herself fully in range of the water blaster, but being closer gave her other advantages.

Elysia knew that her intended target would have time, as she neared the end of her charge, to counterattack. In fact, she was partially counting on it. Around the tip of her glaive, threads of lightning began to dance. Not a full sphere of lightning, not enough to fully shield herself and Blossom, but the wide, curved outer disk of a shield. With her glaive angled across her horse’s shoulders, she could just follow John with one eye, keeping the tip of the glaive, protruding from the crackling slice of globe, tracked on his chest. Any normal projectiles that hit the spell would immediately be vaporized by the sheer energy of lightning, and the charge would chase a similar water attack from before up its stream to the source. With luck, John would be too surprised at her audacity in charging to react, and she would be able to skewer him and use the forward momentum to carry him across the sands on glaive-point to pin him between the wall and her shield. Even if she fully missed with the glaive, there was still a chance the shield edge would catch the man as Blossom’s speed would carry them past both Water pillar and Paragon. The energy globe could then be completed to cover for an incoming counterattack. She really hoped it didn’t come to that, or that she could change her horse’s direction enough to take him around the maw of Darkness instead. Holding a full energy sphere would partially exhaust her, especially with the beginnings of a fever-induced headache starting to pound at her temples.

With a shake of her head, Elysia tossed all the half-formed backup plans aside and doubled her focus on John. A solid strike, fast and certain of aim, would render them unnecessary and her opponent immobile.
AQ DF MQ AQW  Post #: 48
9/20/2015 12:40:46   
Ultrapowerpie

Mail Moogle of AdventureQuest


 "Alright, I'm back with food, Ms. Exposition." Joe said sarcastically, annoyed that he had to go and do things that caused him to needlessly miss action while Janet got to bear witness to the action completely.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to mention your contribution to the cause in the Report once we get back to the Juncture," Janet smirked as she grabbed some food from the bag.

"Just tell me what happened, it looks like John is still in the fight"

"Aye, that he is. In fact he's now in the Final Four. Earth jut got called out... literally the sands decided to give him up"

"Man, this is just nonsense, they should be fighting to the death not fighting for the whimsy of these beings...."

"Hush up, at least this means there's a good chance John won't die here even if he doesn't win. The Juncture would be most displeased if we lost him to this fight, especially given the... setbacks of late..."

"Yes yes, well, what's going on with the current fight? Has the horse been drenched?"

"No, the coward fled behind the Earth Pillar, not surprising.... wait she appears to be coming out now"

"Aye, there she.... I say tha doesn't look like she's preparing a lightning bolt..." Joe commented.

"You're right... oh no, she's not actually going to... charge him, is she?" Janet asked, a bit taken aback from the audacity of th emove.

"Yes, yes she is, look the glaive is already being charged and... she's off..."

"My that glaive seems to be emiting some sort of energy field... I suspect that being zapped by it would be rather gruesome, for projectile, water or flesh..."

"Whelp, looks like the only choice left to John is the Bellywhomper," Joe concluded.

"The what?" Janet asked.

"That's right, you didn't participate in Lightish Brigade Clean Up, did you?"

"No, I was already engaged in another assigment when... was that the big charge?"

"Indeed, down, down the 600 rode into the valley of dirt. The Rusty Pallies refusing to get cleaned up for the upcoming parade in Battleon led by Artix to celebrate the Day of the Distingrated Dead that Don't stay Dead.... that's quite a mouthful actually. Anyways, Artix had some paladins on horses that refused to take a bath without holy water. This was all well and good until that... incident with the Ley Lines shuting down all the powers of the Necros and the Pallies."

"Ah, yes, the Rusty Pallies refused to clean up and were a disgrace and as such were banished from the main Order as they were not only unreasonable, but highly pungent. Alright, but what does tht have to do with John and this Bellywhomper?" Janet remembered, hearing parts of the tale from her colleagues.

"Well, as I said, they rode half a league onward, into the Valley of Dirt, which as ou know is one of Lore's dirtiest areas, so dirty that most creatures stay away from there just from the smell. But no, the Rusty Pallies not only didn't want to take a bath to get cleaned up for the parade, they wanted to be EXTRA repungant just to pay back Artix for banishing them. This coincided with the fact that we had some of our own chasing them with steam-powered steam cleaning suits.

"I'm assuming this means that y'all had set up a trap at the valley?" Janet asked.

"Most assuredly so. John was one of the many janitors that entered the outskirts to set up this operation. But I'm digressing. Anyways, fowards the Lightish (for they were of questionable shininess) Brigade rode, charging for our guns..."

"Guns? We don't use guns in the JJJJ... maybe Tranqs but..."

"No no no, Cannons, dear Janet. As in, our Water Cannons," Joe corrected.

"Of course, the amount of grime on their armor could only be possibly hosed off with a high pressure water cannon. I'm assuming wind and water mages filled in the slots where you didn't have enough artillery?"

"Indeed, anyways, there was Cannons to the left of them, Cannons to the Right of them, Cannons in front of them! John was manning one of the artillery in front of them, which is where he developed the Bellywhomper..."

"My, I can't imagine with the volleys and thunder, a storm of streams and soakage, them riding boldly well."

"Ride they did, boldly indeed. INto the jaws of the Valley of Dirt, into the mouth of Healthy living, rode the 600"

"I still dont' see where John's move came in..."

"FLASHING THEIR SABRES!" Joe continued, standing up and getting caught in the moment. "Flashing them bare, in the air, with full intent to sabre the gunners!"

"Uhm, ok this is getting odd... what does that have t do with John?"

"John needed to buy the artillery time to finish the deed, and so he walked bodly into the valley, and using the vast pool of water we had avaliable, He attempted to keep them back with waves and slippery soap!"

"My, that's... bold, I guess"

"But all the world wonder'd how those pallies plunged through the slippery soap! Right through the water line they broke! John was about to be sabred I say, had he not performed the Bellywhomper that day!"

"Which is...?"

"He dived for cover using a soapy wave, leaving behind a rather slippery trail for the horses to slip and fall down, thus buying time for our heroes!"

"Wait he just bellyflopped out of the way with a slippery trail?"

"CANNONS! Cannon to the right, the left and behind them (for we had moved in opposing water cannons to cut off a retreat), they thundered with vollies of water!"

"Joe, the uh, fight?" Janet asked.

"Horse and Human fell that day, fell as if into a giant well! Thsoe that had made it through fell into a giant hole we had carved up full of normal water so that they would indeed be lceansed! All that was left of them, left of the six hundred!"

"Ok, I'm ignoring you now and going back to the fight..."



John recognized a cavalry charge thanks to the Lightish Brigade, and was fully prepared (though a bit taken aback that someone would do something so reckless in such a place) for it. He saw the charged energy spitting from the galive, making any projectile counterattack useless. This of course left only one option.

Dang it, I HATE the Bellywhomper... it gets me all muddy

Sighing, John plopped another soap bar in the bucket, as he had moved back closer to it when his foe had gone behind the pillar. The speed of the charge didn't give him much time to stir the water and soap, as the steed was quite clearly at full gallop. Waiting until the last possible moment, John then lept to his right, away from the bucket and towards the water pillar, a stream of water spewing forth from the bucket and just underneath John to help propel him far away from the area. He landed on the ground belly first as the water continued to carry him forwards, leaving behind a very slippery trial behind him, one that would easily cause a charging horse to slip.

John rolled onto his back as the water torrent stopped moving him, getting ready for another attack in case his gambit moved and he needed to move quickly again.

< Message edited by Ultrapowerpie -- 9/20/2015 12:41:07 >
AQ DF MQ  Post #: 49
9/20/2015 13:28:40   
Rayen
Constructively Discussional!


 Running at Lucia, Shud used the last of his remaining magical energy to sustain a hurtling bound towards his current foe. If he could only get a hand on her arm or chest, he’d be able to debilitate or deter her enough to avoid further conflict for a few essential deep breaths. Approaching her now standing form, Paladin formed a hatchet, which she promptly launched at a target to her left before returning her attention to him. A few paces away, the large quarryman reached out his gem-encrusted arm in preparation to block Paladin’s newly-formed sword and strike at her body.

The air between the flashed suddenly, leaving behind a gleaming spear mere inches away from Shud’s heart. In a flare of panic, the large man realised there was no way he could possibly stop himself in time, so brought his outstretched arm down in an attempt to push the deadly point away from his body. His attempt at attenuating damage succeeded only up to a point. A heartbeat later, the spear tip pierced the skin covering his right lung, continuing through a space in his ribs to exit out his back.

Letting out an involuntary bellow in pain, Shud’s next step landed poorly and he went careening towards the Light Paragon’s left side, just as, with a spin of her wrist, she brought her sword biting into his already injured shoulder. With quick reflexes, Lucia attempted to move out of Shud’s inexorable path, but was too slow, ending spun through the air with the force of the collision and face first in the sand.

As the two combatants fell in different directions, the spear, still embedded in Shud’s side, was torn from Lucia’s grasp, disappearing as the large man hit the sand atop the gaping wound through his side. Shud pushed himself onto his back, alleviating some of the pressure on his punctured lung. As Paladin shakily got to her feet, Shud, devastated, realised that he was powerless to stop her attack. A tear formed in his eye; he had failed his little sister, his Element and his own expectations. Gasping for gurgling breaths, he closed his moistened eyes and awaited a stinging pain, then death.

Instead, he felt a soft pressure above his aching lung, followed by warmth and the realisation that his breathing was restored. His side was still in pain, but his lung felt fully repaired! Opening his eyes, Shud found the paladin kneeling on the sand beside him and watched as one of the golden links disappeared. Still kneeling, she managed a single word between haggard breaths. Yield.

Shud grinned. Stone may be stubborn, but will always give way under a greater force. Additionally, he had made a promise to the Great Beings of Earth, and he fully intended to keep it. Rolling carefully into a kneeling position he spat blood, allowing for his reply. “Was gettin’ sick o’ this anyway. Y’fought well, Light. G’luck.” Just before the last word, Shud took a deep breath and patted her light-braced ankle for emphasis, inconspicuously, at least in Shud’s mind, realigning and repairing any remaining damage to the ankle with each pat.

Then, standing, Shud walked back towards the Energy Pillar to retrieve his staff and, with its aid, headed towards the now open gate behind the tree of stone swords. As he walked, he heard the chanters go off about something again. Surely they had someone else to bother? Already grimacing, he heard his name mentioned in the same sentence as “adamant”. Once, they would have been correct to say such a thing. But now, they were mistaken. He’d come here solely for his sister, but when the Earth Beings had spoken to him earlier that day, they’d opened his mind to the truth of his burden: His life was filled with the guilt and blame he felt towards himself. Their request had been a simple, but enlightening one.

Live, they had said, Make amends, forgive yourself and live your life to its fullest, not for us, but for those you love.

So, confident in his own abilities, Shud had continued with the Championship, both to prove his own strength to himself and so that he’d have the joy of regaling his family with an exaggerated account of his exploits upon his return. But he had made a promise to himself that, should he be faced with the choice between leaving or a chance at victory with the risk of death, he would not consider the latter. Grateful for the opportunity of life granted by Paladin, Shud walked through the gate, looking back upon the two pairs of combatants wondering, for the first time, whether risking one's life for a wish could possibly be…

At the gate of Ice, Dell had watched with a frown on his face. The gate of darkness had opened but Zane was completely unfamiliar to the sheriff.

The battle raged on and from his point of view, things were looking grim. With guarantee's that another chosen Champion would leave.

When it was announced that Shud, the Earth Champion was next to leave, Dell had taken off at a run towards the Earth Gateway.

"Howdy there Earth Champion.” Shud took a step back in surprise. Standing in the middle of the corridor before him was Icy. The formidable Paragon of Ice bowed, stepping to the side to allow passage through the corridor. "Wanted ta personally congratulate ya'll in how ya'll did and to greet ya'll at yer gate and pay respects."

The sheriff smiled at the much larger man, who was hunched slightly with injuries. "Ah hope yer continued journey's will be full o good fortune. Ya'll did swell out there.” At this, Dell Wolf took his hat off and bowed down to his waist towards his fellow champion. "Happy trails pardoner.”

Shud was caught entirely off guard. Being greeted so warmly by a man who, seemingly moments before, had deserved every letter of his nickname before leaving on less than friendly terms, was unexpected to say the least. In disbelief, Shud softly clapped the man’s upper arm, and replied, “Y’seem a good man, Icy. May yer path stay steady beneath yer feet.”

Not knowing what else was expected of him, the injured quarryman hobbled off to find a healer before he made his return journey home. Having left a broken man seeking the means to heal his sister and family, he returned a wiser man, who understood that his sister forgave him and that his family had been whole all along.
AQ DF  Post #: 50
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