=Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena

=Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (Full Version)

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Ronin Of Dreams -> =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/13/2007 21:04:02)
It has been a long year since the last Elemental Championship, but the Championship Arena Complex did not show signs of age, but rather on the contrary - it grew, and along with it, just a hill and a spring with a weary wooden bridge over it away, grew the township...now more of a city...of Bren. The vicinity of the Arena has done it much good - apart from the great crowds -- and thusly business -- it brought it during the Championship itself, just the presence of such a building carried the township's name far over the lands. There came adventurers of many sorts, and the burgeoning four inns of Bren were never short of business, there came priests of the Elemental Lords, building shrines and churches and granting it divine protection not from one, but from all the Lords, and there came many, many artisans to maintain the three offshoot Arenas around the old one, and craft yet a fourth offshoot that hung high in the sky above the lot. The would-be combatants, either just arriving, or having taken a night's rest either at an inn or at the small camp of tents at the base of the Arena hill, would get to see the artisans' handiwork soon enough, right after the priests and mages within them finish their last checks on the protective barriers and image transportation enchantments for the gathered crowds. ~~~ The gates opened with a slow and ominous shudder, finally cast wide for all to see within. Fountain Arena was open once more. This arena's new setup took the form of a lazily rising steppe of circles, standing tall and proud with its accompanying beauty of fountains and shrubbery. The hill it had originally been made into had been cut away to create symmetry to the form, and create a more difficult defense of the high ground. The eye catching display of constant transmutation from the crowning fountain on the ninth, top step is mere eye-candy to spectators...but could easily be turned into an offensive threat by competitors of skill. Even in the soothing scents and pleasant aromas of the plants placed so delicately on the battleground seem to hint at greater dangers. Their sweet smells hiding the sickly-sweet aftertaste of year-old blood newly dampened by fresh running water. Perhaps the same water that runs on the cobblestone path on the northern side of the structure that is pooling at the feet of all on the bottom level ever so slightly. But now is not the time for beauty, nor for gardening. Now is the time for battle. Under a summer sun and a shimmering magic veil, the fight was to begin at the Fountain Arena!

Kellehendros -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 1:03:40)
The gates to the Fountain Arena creaked open slowly, inch by inch revealing the beautiful interior. Through those now yawning gates walked a man bearing a simple oaken staff, carved here and there with some runic symbol or another. The stave's bearer was just about six feet in height, and was probably something of a dissapointment to those spectators who had come to see massive, muscled men pummel each other into the dust, or to see wizened mages cast magic back and forth like children at play. No, the mage was no great warrior, his frame was lightly muscled, and that only because when he could find no other work to sustain his wanderings he would resort to manual labor for food and coin. Agile enough in his own right, he was no quick-footed rogue. Nor was he of a great and learned age, to have the wisdom of years on his side. He was not a priest to call down the forces of the Lords themselves, to wield divine power to smite his enemies. No, he was none of these things. His entrance was not greeted with a great roar of approval, though one might have thought so at the roaring of the crowd as he entered. Nay, the crowd roared its approval only of the fact that the competition had begun. There was not all the much that was special about him, he was just a young mage, and a scribe, and there was a cat following him. Unbeknownst to the crowd the small grey form of a simple housecat was actually the mage's familiar. The two were currently in the middle of an argument that had much the quality of having been rehashed several times already. "You will be careful, won't you?" "Oh Slash, you know I will." The mage replied. "Alex, promise me that you won't get yourself killed. Fools die here every year." "Slash, I'm smarter than that, thank you." "If you say so." Not at all pleased, the familiar tried a different tack, a hint of desperation edging her unheard voice. "Look, at least let me stay and help." Alex sighed, shaking his head. "No, we've been over this about twenty times now. You can't help, not even advise from the stands, its against the rules. You'd best hurry and go, I'm surprised they haven't caught you by now." Growling softly, the cat turned and padded off, back through the entrance way and up into the stands, casting a final benediction behind her as she went. "Be safe Alex, and good luck." The mage stood for a moment to survey the Fountain Arena. His moment of contemplation gave the spectators a moment to consider him as well. Alex's hair was of a middling length, his bangs dropping to just above his eyes. The hair's color was one of the few unusual things about the mage, a strange light blue, obviously magically induced color. The mage's clothing was simple grey peasents garb, though over it he wore a fine woolen vest that matched his hair. It was adorned with a runic symbol, woven in black thread into the cloth, the symbols for both Water and a simple defensive spell intertwined. The spell symbol was fairly weak protection, and would really only protect from an already deflected blow. By far the most fascinating thing about the mage, as far as the specators could see, was his cloak. The cloak was a deep sea blue color, and as Alex moved it seemed to ripple, conjuring the illusion of a moving sea. With one hand Alex adjusted the cloak's hood distractedly, he wasn't wearing it up currently, since it would only inhibit his vision. Alex's eyes moved slowly up the nine tiers of the Arena, the perfectly manicured lawns, lovingly tended shrubs, the beautifully rendered fountains. He wondered for a moment how anyone could actually fight here, then, reminding himself that he was to fight here, wondered at the waste of it all. It would be tragic to ruin such a lovely space, but it would have to be done. The Northern side of the Arena resembled a bit of a waterfall. Apparently one of the fountains wasn't draining properly, that, or the architects thought this little trick might make things more interesting. It was probably both, a mistake that lead to an interesting twist, how wonderful. Who knew how many more twists there might be lurking in the Arena yet. "Right, first things first." Alex whispered to himself. He had been lucky in being assigned to this Arena, there was a ready supply of water on hand for all his spells. He would need to secure a supply of water, namely a fountain, and begin setting up his defensive wards. That might take some time, but hopefully he wouldn't attract too much attention until he was ready. Nodding to no one in particular, Alex moved forward up the path on the South side of the hill. Moving with purpose he stopped by the first fountain on the second tier of the Arena, casting a quick glance up at the ninth tier and the magical transmutation of that fountain from water to fire and back. The mage shuddered, best stay away from that if possible. Turning, he looked across the fountain towards the gates, from which the other competitors would soon emerge.

The Extinguisher -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 3:36:33)
The arena looked pretty. That was something to it. And it was out in the open. Another good thing. Open space was good. It was better than closed space in any case. Gave some freedom of movement. The water wasn't the best thing that could be there. It would prove more hindering than helpful, unfortunately. Of course, with a name like The Fountain Arena, water was to be expected. Oh well, what can you do. As the gates opened, and the tournament officially started, a angel floated in. At least, to the spectators watching the match above, it would appear as an angel. However, this person was far from angel. The red wings, almost like fire, of a falcon or an eagle were attached to a small and frail body. Her hands and feet extended where sharp, almost like talons. She wore no shoes. It was not apparent to any observer, but her bones were light and hollow, to allow flight. Her face was small and young brushed with innocence, with small, but pointed ears, like an elf. All in all, Selinde Undomiel did not look like a fighter. But that was why she was here. Seli landed onto the arena, oblivious to the crowds cheers and taunts. She moved herself the farthest away from the both the fountain and the gates (No sense exposing myself to anyone) as was possible. From there, she prepared herself. From a bag on her waist, attached next to twin rapiers, she removed her musical instrument, a fiddle and began to tune it. In all honestly, she knew it was something that was probably better off done before the match, but a well-tuned instrument is one that is tuned as closely to the performance as possible, as to not prevent any mishap. Especially when stored in extra-dimensional space. After adjusting her focus, she place the violin on her neck and removed a rapier from her belt. Upon closer examination of these twin blades, one would see that the blade has been adjusted by the finest blacksmiths and luthiers to function as a bow as well as a blade. As slashing was not an issue with the sword, the string would not break easily, and combat was very possible while playing. Nevertheless, the second sword was useful as a backup until she could restring. Pretty innovative, Seli thought, smiling preparing the rapier-bow. Taking a swift a run through on the fiddle, she nodded and started humming as she began playing. A light blue glow surrounded her hand that carried the fiddle. Her voice was light, but anyone close would see she was singing a song, and as she did so her fiddling became faster and faster, reaching almost inhuman speeds. “A little hasting spell should make this whole thing go faster.” She chuckled at her own bad joke, and prepared herself for battle.

Geddesmck -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 8:05:08)
Zenz yawned as he walked through the large gates. He had, as usual, slept in. Even as he was entering the large and rather beautiful Fountain Area he was stretching and slowly loosening his joints. Almost anytime Zenz had to be somewhere early, he was late and it was even worse today, he'd been in such a hurry he'd left behind his helm. Zenz was just glad he had got the rest of his armour on, although to be fair the thin steel was unlikely to stop anything more than a few glancing blows. A small, grey cat padded towards Zenz, heading towards the exit. Zenz liked cats. He bent down to stroke the small creature, but thought better of it. You never know what kind of crazy creatures show up to these championships, Zenz thought, remembering some of the more... interesting competitors from previous years. Zenz quickly checked his belt. Longsword? Check. Shortsword? Check. Bag of dirt? Check. It was all there and Zenz was ready to fight. He wasn't too sure of his opponents though, he could only see two of them, and neither looked exactly the combat type. An man in peasents garbs with a long blue cloak didn't even have a visable weapon, however, Zenz had only a limited view of the unusual character, who could easily be hold a staff or sword. However, even he seemed normal compared to one of the other competitors; what appeared to be a young woman, but who had just flewn in on large red wings. As Zenz watched as she proceded to play the fiddle. Zenz grinned slightly, his chances seemed to be increasing, he was obviously the best suited combatant there (well, HE thought he was). Zenz was wearing armour, had two swords and was tall and quite well-built. Surely he had a good chance. The brown haired swordsman sat down and waited, closing his dark green eyes he began to concentrate. He could feel the earth, the rock, the very life of the arena. The Earth Lord had smiled on him, he had a good arena. Zenz began to worm his consciencness into the soil of the combat ground, very soon everything (and everyone) would be under his control. He just hoped noone hit him while he had his eyes closed.

Ultrapowerpie -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 10:07:11)
"It still would have been better for you to be in the sky arena..." A robot voice sounded, coming from a circular little floating droid, walking next to it's master, a rather tall, slender yet muscular, brown haired and eyed man of about 25. "Could have worse and been that nasty Cellar Arena. At least here the space is open. Besides, I like a challenge. Gets offly boring if you got the home field advantage. You got water for aquamancers, and plenty of earth for geomancers. I personally hope there's plenty of geomancers here" The man responded, a grin on his face. Though only 25, you could look into his eyes and note that there was the look of a much more expierienced and elder man, as if he had seen combat on a massive scale. "True, you are most expierienced with them, Cid" The robot concurred, it's processorers whirring. "Not out loud! First rule of combat: Never reveal what you got up your sleeve till necesary. Best not to reveal anything unless you go blitzkreig on them, like Aeroduians favor. Fortunately, I'm familiar with both tactics. Now, understand you can't help me out at all. It's against the rules. Not even from the specator stand." "Yes yes. Though, I must say you're training in Paxia will help. Being friends with all the clans certainly helped give you..." the robot began "Do not make me rip out your vocal processor, 5-1-2! Yes that training helped, but it only gave me a glimpse at the magics employed by the other elements. I guarantee you that these contestants use un-orthadox methods, like me." 5-1-2 let's out what sounds like a sigh. "Very well, Cid. I will "root" for you in the spectator stands" and with that the robot floated off to them. Cid inhaled a deep breath of air with his nose, and let it out, as he began examining his surrondings. Fortuantely, his veterancy and ocillomancy taught him to block out the hum-drum of the crowd and be able to hear anything else that was needed to hear, a foot step, something that would warn him of impending attack. After a good scanning of the surrondings, Cid took note of what needed to. "Transmuting fountain.... An interesting device... also the high ground, but I needn't worry bout that. It's combatants that can fly that pose the greatest threat. Oh well, no sense in over worrying about it. Just gotta go with the flow of things" he muttered, and with that he began to assume his usual combat stance of mind, hoping he wouldn't need to go into a full one that he hadn't used for a while ever since the Second one ended... Making sure he wasn't caught off-gaurd, Cid imediately unslung his scythe from his back sling. Cid realized the implications this would give to others, making him apear more agressive and what-not, but he frankly didn't care. He was most concerned with the device that was mounted on top of the scythe aligned with the shaft. It appeared to be a small cylinder with a hole in it. Cid quickly opened a small panel on said device, and made what appeared like last minute modifications. "Should keep things interesting... never know when it'll come in handy." And with that, Cid twirled his scythe with one hand, which demonstrated that it was clearly light weight for him at least, and slammed the shaft down into the ground, amplifying the sound just a little to give it a bigger oomph. "Good, ocillomancy functioning fine." He then decided to move away from the gate but not too far so he could get a good look at the rest of the contestants, to size up the competition.

Mittoo -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 10:45:44)
Even in the glorious sunshine, he still managed to make an entrance. The few small wisps of moisture that liked to think that they were clouds began to move together. They initially moved too slow to distinguish from a wind, but they began to speed up, darkening as they began to merge into one another. Merge turned to impacted as more and more came, forming an almost black cloud that, although rather small, looked dangerous. Specks of light danced across the grey-black surface, and with a mighty crash it gave out a single thunderbolt. As a fair few of the crowd gasped, an avatar of light stood, the perfect silhouette of a man. A correct observation, then - lightning flicked off his body, slowly darkening him until the true form remained. Messy, stuck-up hair, barely changed in colour from the bright yellow glow earlier, crowned a leather bandana, softly glowing with a rune of fire. The rest of his armour mirrored this material, but lacked the tell-tale glow that broadcasted that he was, by and large, fireproof. The man twitched several times - a side-effect of his rather dramatic entrance - and then stretched out a hand, swiftly drawing his sword. It looked fairly nondescript - no distinguishing runes, and only the name "Caor" carved into the blade - but beneath the enchanted metal lay a powerfully strong charge designed to shock on contact, causing severe pain and even (as was one case) immolation. Waving the sword idly, Caor prepared to fight. He caught glances of the first few fighters to enter, and felt a bit depressed - hardly anyone witnessed his entrance, and he'd spent ages on it. Ahh well, he could still show off to the crowd. Walking past one of the many fountains, Caor reached the grassy ground and began digging a small hole, caring less than naught for the plants that he managed to kill in the process. Standing in his newly-created gouge, he opened his hands and held his arms to the sky. Slowly, little pulses of static began to travel from the ground, running from the earth and its infinite supply of electrons straight into his body, lighting him up yet again. Flipping into the air, he whispered an incantation and gracefully landed on a small platform of pure energy. Moving so quickly that it was indistunguishable from teleportation to the untrained eye, Caor sped around the arena, lapping up the admiration and attention. He circled the other combatants, moving too quickly for an opponent to get an accurate hit, and then flew upwards, moving the energy to one fist and launching it at a random piece of grass, carving a 'C' in dead vegetation as he fell. Magically slowing his fall, he went into a walk with a huge grin on his face. And then he did another static twitch for the sheer hell of it.

dinranwen -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 11:17:17)
Cecilia walked from a world of quite preparation to a world full of screaming fans. Momentarily startled by the loud roar, Cecilia stopped mid track standing just within the arean although beyond its gates. Blinking, Cecilia frowned and then concertrated focusing her attention away from the loud roar of the screaming specators. Soon the noise was no more then a dull roar to her ears. She hadn't done anything to lighten the noise, she had simply used the well-trained talents of a blind woman turn her ears attentions away from that which was not important to that which was. After years of walking in a very noisey world, one got very good at sorting through unimportant noises, yet one as experienced as Cecilia on the battlefield knew that it was best not to completly silence any noise as one never knew when what was an annoyance could turn to a help. As she stood there, slightly increasing her awarness through the soft rippled currents of the winds where her wind sprites were gleefully playing with their wild brother and sisters, she gave the specators and her oppenents a chance to obverse her and to measure her up while also letting her quitely prepare without suspicion. Cecilia was tall, but not unusually so, with a tiny frame that barely hinted at the curves of womanhood hidden by a clearly well stiched dark blue dress that hugged tightly over her upper frame before spilling in a flowing bell skirt that halted just above light brown dear skin boots. She was a pretty woman, but not a beautiful one, with her greyish-blue blind eyes that hinted of the emotions of her expressionate soul and delicate heart shapped face. What was must stricking about Cecilia was her mid-back length straight plantium blond hair that lay unbond on her back as gentle moved within the gentle breeze. It was clear to everyone that this woman was a lady, and perhaps they thought she was unused to battle or bloodshed and that she would soon leave the arena in fearful tears of panic. Cecilia could only hope that her opponents were so foolish to underestimate her. Walking forward, Cecilia heard and felt the shift of soft gravel underneath decidly marking each graceful flowing step as she seemed to glide rather then walk towards the back of the arena towards an unoccupied corner away from specator and opponent so that she could finish her preparations for battle. Arriving in her chosen spot for the moment, Cecilia knelt on the ground to touch the earth below her so that her sensitive fingers could feel its balance, its weight, its shift. Turning away from earth, Cecilia's fingers reached into her bag for a waxed bow string. Balancing her long bow across bowed knee, Cecilia stung her bow so that it was taunt. Smiling a crooked smile, Cecilia raised the strung bow to her left ear and gently plucked the string with one delicate finger. To her pleasure, the bow hummed the elegant tone of a well strung bow. Next standing, Cecilia reached to right side of her belt where her leather wrapped metal quiver hung and unbottoned the cap that kep arrow free of damaging wet. Her physical preparations done, Cecilia turned her attention to the arena itself. Closing her eyes, she tuned into the graceful ripple of water of the fountains listening carefully to each ripple and wave. Sighing, Cecilia for a moment regretted the demand she was about to make of her wind spirites. Whistling, Cecilia waited till her personal wind spirites Zephyr and Zer swirled around her making her skirt flaring playful and make her hair to dance slightly in a noticeable breeze. Easy. Cecilia mentally scolded the spirites till the wind around her died to a barely noticeable whisper. It would be best if my opponents do not notice you. Nodding at the fountain, Cecilia asked with a mental voice of command that come oh so easily to her, Show me the grounds where I fight. The spirites nooded and pipped a "Yes my lady., Zephyr in her bell like tones and Zer in his whistle like tones. Then the spirites were gone, and for a moment, Cecilia lost half of what consisted of her sight. Her opponents didn't know it, but the spirites movement which also rang like soft whistles and bells in her ears painted the world of echos for Cecilia allowing her to see what she normally could not. Zephyr, more like a sister then a servant, served as Cecilia's near sight somehow filling the details of the world by painting about the immediat 10 feet around Cecilia blue. Zer, the more protective of the pair and always Cecilia guardian, was Cecilia's scout and far sight. Although what Zer showed her was a more hazy grey, at any moment, Cecilia could send him to focus on one particular thing or person causing whatever she had asked to 'see' more clearly to be painted in a surprisingly detailed silver. Cecilia commonly used Zer to pick out targets for her arrows. Although the spirites did not allow Cecilia to completly see and the details were often a little fuzy due to the monotone blues or silvers in which they were displayed, it was far better then the black darkness of nothingness filled with only touch and sound that she would have possesed if had not been for them. However, the spirites never should the full world unless she asked, which Cecilia rarely asked perfering not to rely on such temporary and costly senses. But she asked them to do so now, and momentarily Cecilia's world was filled with color, bright vivid starling beautiful color, and atonishing detail once more. For a brief moment, Cecilia saw as a seeing person did. This vision however would not last long as it strained the spirites strength. So Cecilia took the time to obverse the fountain, slowly walking towards it and then around it. She obversed the flooding and small water fall on the north side, she took in the four cooblestone paths on the fountain itself, she looked at each step filled with plant or fountain alike, the flaming and then watery display of the awesome top teir, making sure to take careful note of detail of everything she could see. Then as quickly as she came, it was gone, leaving Cecilia standing in the corner in which she had started. The spirites returning were exhausted and swirled lazily around Cecilia gaining strength from Cecilia's magical sources. The colorful vision had cost them much and it be many moments before the spirites could do anything other then swirl around her. Thankful the process of their revial was quicken by their connection with Cecilia as Cecilia shared her strength freely with the spirites in exchange for the sight they provided. Tapping a careful finger on her chin, Cecilia bit her lip before returning through counting steps to the northern side of the fountain. She didn't step on to the fountain itself, merely stood there facing the north. Cecilia had always felt a kinship with the more northern of the winds and it was their brisk coldness and strength upon which Cecilia often called. Turning, Cecilia carefully creeped backwards until her heels touch the lowest step on the north side of the fountain so that she faced the north itself. Her position was strageric and careful chosen in addition to her 'nothern' prefence. The 'accidental' waterfall at her back would provide Cecilia with some protection since Cecilia knew that if she listened hard enough she would hear any disturbances in the water behind her. The dirt before her was gravel and would consquently shift under the weight of a step. As for flying opponents, although Cecilia had not taken the time to obverse her opponents as of yet, she sincerly hoped none of them could fly. However, Zephry and Zer had talked to a couple of local wind spirites and although the wild wind spirites were unwilling to fight for her, they had agreed to warn Zephyr and Zer, thus Cecilia herself, of any danger coming through their terriority of the sky. Comfortable in her position but strangely and suddenly apprensive about the coming fight, Cecilia now turned her attention to her oppenents closing her eyes as to feel each opponents aura out as she waited for the fight to begin her one hand resiting on an arrow, the other planting the bow in the ground so it stood at the ready only waiting to be drawn by its mistresses touch. And she waited.... And waited... And waited...the noise of the fountain behind her singing a deceptively peaceful melody.

Onomatopoeia -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 15:30:03)
The deafening roar of the arena permeated the city as a trio of men wearing identical clothing walked through the city. One, a lanky blonde turned to his nearest companion and asked, "How fast do you think he'll lose?" The one being asked the question, a short brunette with curly hair, grinned and said, "I give him twenty minutes, tops." The third man, their brother, Luthor, who was participating in the championships, walked up behind the pair and smacked them both in the back of the head. "A little support for your brother if you will." The shorter of the two, Hector, rubbed his head and asked, "I'm sure father will be happy that you are using your martial skills, but why not use your magic?" Luthor sighed and said, "I've already explained this, baga. I am one of the most powerful mortal magica users to ever set foot in this country. Not to mention easily the most handsome. If I want to impress the higher ups I'm going to have to do something they wouldn't expect, like win the tournament without the aid of magic, save for the enchantments in my tattoo and cloak, and Ransotengai." Luthor drew himself up and said, "Now if you will excuse me, I must be off. The battles await!" With that Luthor stalked away, trying his best to imitate the walk of someone normal, leaving his brothers to comment that the explanation he had just given was entirely different from the explanation he gave last time. ------------------------- Luthor was excited. Oddly enough, though he had travelled the breadth and width of the world, he had never seen the ocean. Being from the desert, where water was a scarcity, the sight of an entire arena filled with the marvelous liquid was something to behold. He scanned the arena for his opponents, only managing to catch sight of a few. Luthor drew his sword and began waving it about in a flashy, if not particularly effective, manner. Something for the crowd. He called out, not really expecting anyone to hear him, "Pray for mercy for I am the most powerul mortal to ever exist! Whole universes cower before me, kings and emporers wage wars for the honor of kissing the ground upon which I have trod, the gods themselves have blessed this mortal! And this humble mortal's name? Hear it and tremble in fear, for my name is Bob!!!!" What followed started as a tirade concerning his might, which quickly shifted to him speculating what like would be look like if he were a hundred feet tall. Eventually Luthor lost interest and just sat down and waited for the fights to begin.

Kellehendros -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 15:39:21)
Alex was thankful that he was in the habit of arriving early for nearly everything. In this instance it would work out very well in his favor, for he could observe each participant as they entered the Arena. The first competitor drifted in on flame red wings that appeared bird-like. Her unshod feet and hands were oddly extended, giving the mage an impression of claws. The woman had Elfish, pointed ears, and moved quickly away from both gate and Fountain. She pulled out what appeared to a musical instrument and began to tune it. "Bard." Alex whispered to himself, intrigued. It would have to wait though, the second competitor had entered. This man had more of the typical look one might expect for such a competition. Yawning hugely as he entered, the man was limbering up for combat by stretching out. A pair of swords adorned his body, swinging with the easy gait of long familiarity from his frame. The man sat down and closed his eyes, appearing to fall into a sort of meditative trance. Alex could only assume from this that he was some type of Warrior-Priest and was attempting to communicate with his Lord, or one of his Lord's more accessible representatives. Third was a slim, muscular man, a war scythe slung across his back. The man held Alex's attention for a moment, he was conversing with a small floating object. It was a metallic ball that somehow managed to reproduce human speach. The mage frowned and dredged through his memories for anything he could think of that might be similar to this strange creature. Unfortunatly he could recall nothing, but it would matter little, as the man dismissed the metallic creature, and then began to prepare himself for battle. Hastily filing the man under the possiblity of Warrior, Alex turned his attention to the next entrant. The next entrant was not readily apparent. A moment later though, they became readily so, appearing in an eccentric display of power. The mage was immediately unhappy with this. People who threw power around so readily were either fools, or had much more power then they had a right to. Ignoring the man's attention seeking antics Alex filed him under Mage, then shifted his gaze to the next competitor. A young woman, there was something odd about her though. The way the wind seemed to swirl around her despite the relative lack of breeze in the Arena. The woman took a brief tour of the Arena before coming to a halt nearby to the waterfall on the North side. It was a good spot, the waterfall would help protect her back to a degree, and for a moment the mage berated himself for not making this observation sooner. There was simply nothing to be done about it though, so he would have to cope with his mistakes as best he could. With his position chosen his next task was to set in place his defenses. The mage closed his eyes and concentrated, spiraling downwards into himself to contact his link to the wellsprings of magical power. Murmuring a short incantation Alex swept his hand through the nearby fountain, tossing up a spray of glistening water droplets. The droplets seemed to hang in the air for a moment, then burst apart, creating a sort of haze that surrounded Alex, breaking up his figure. It would make it harder from him to be hit with arrows or spells from a distance. The mage's eyes opened, flashing to a glacial white as he concentrated. His next task would be to erect defenses to protect him from hand to hand attacks, but that would take a bit longer. Hopefully the rest of the competitors would be to busy with thier own preparations for a while longer.

Geddesmck -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 15:49:03)
It didn't take too long for Zenz to join his mind with the earth, it was after all a very basic ability, if it was advanced Zenz would have been wary about using it. He couldn't help smiling as he felt the peaceful plants basking in the sun. Then the energy user showed up. Zenz felt the sun disappear through the plants reaction and then he had a horrible feeling; the new combatant began to dig a hole, killing many of the plants that Zenz had connected himself too. Zenz felt their pain and distress, as powerful as earth magic could be, it came with a high price; Zenz was forced to feel what the plants and earth he connected himself with felt. Death didn’t feel good. Anger boiled up inside Zenz, but he concentrated hard and he calmed slightly. He knew if he lost control of his emotions he would also lose control of powers. When the same opponent burned a large C into the soil though, killing even more innocent plants, Zenz snapped. He could feel the culprit walking on the ground he obviously had no respect for. There was a loud rumbling sound and out of nowhere a huge stone pillar rose from the spot the energy user had been walking on. The speed and force of Zenz' attack would have sent the man flying into the air... if it had hit; Zenz wasn't actually sure how accurate he had been. Just in case Zenz opened his eyes, stood up, drew his longsword; the unbreakable "Immortal", and charged towards the stone pillar, hoping he'd have the chance to actually use the sword. As he ran he commanded the pillar to return to the earth, the anger had passed. There was a large cheer from the spectators; finally the battle was beginning.

Shodu -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 15:59:53)
Ferith didn't bother making a flashy entrance. Holding on to both katar he simply walked through the gates, stopping only feet into the arena and looking around. The fountains and the waterfall were the first things he noticed. They would be a great asset to both water users and electric users looking for a nice way to amplify their energy. The earth around him made any earth mage an extremely dangerous foe, he'd have to hope any possible earth weilder would be too busy fighting a wind one to notice him. The water could be of great use, he did know ice magic. Simply freezing the water alone could help prevent water and electric users from taking advantage of it, however he doubt he could possibly freeze this much water for long. He could try drawing energy from it, water was very closely related to ice. If the water was cold enough he might not even need to use his katar to draw magic. Ferith turned his attention tot he competition. The first one that struck his attention was Cid with his scythe, the image of the reaper flashing through his minds eye. A scythe was an odd choice for a weapon, one would need to be either extremely flexible or extremely skilled to weild one effectively. Many dark users enjoyed scythes, while light mages tended to avoid it like poison. It was possible he was also a weilder of earth, a scythe had once been a farming device, while unlikely to be a wind user, although he couldn't rule out the possibility. The thought of the man flying around swinging the scythe was as amusing as it was frightening. The second one he noticed was Alex. He stood out simply because there was nothing unique about him. In fact, he looked so inept at everything that this made him not only extremely unique in the right nobody else seemed to be like him, but it also made him slightly frightening. No inept fool would join the Elemental Championships, he knew there was obviously more to this one than he showed. His dress probably meant he was more of an offensive person, as his defenses were low. He'd have to either rush him or keep his distance. Seli was the third to catch his eye. She was unique in many ways, wings, claws, and musical instruments. Musical magic was rare however not unheard of, it tended to harmonize with the objects around them much more easily and her frail look suggested she spent a lot of time practicing. Her red wings also suggested a probability of a fire user, although he couldn't count out a wind one. Seli's appearence also suggested flight which would put him at a disadvantage. Ferith's aerial ability and flexibility made up much of his combat, a flying opponent would take out one of his advantages. A fire one made her a huge problem. He'd either have to befriend her or simply ignore her. Then he noticed Zenz. He seemed much more warrior than mage, and he lay asleep, probably tired. Ferith reckoned he could probably outspeed him, but he knew absolutely nothing of his element. If he was an earth user he'd be a huge problem. Ferith didn't enjoy the thought of being swallowed whole by the ground below him. He managed to glimpse Caor showing off. Obviously cocky, and a lightning user. Ferith wouldn't bother much with him if he could avoid it, he could tell that the man obviously had a nice supply of energy to be throwing it around like that. He didn't fear energy too much, it was one of the magics he could more easily reflect, but at the same time he didn't know what kind of skill he posessed. Cecelia was the last to catch his eye. He noticed her eyes and deduced she was most likely blind, however this made her a huge threat. Without energy needed to power eyesight her hearing most likely improved, and as stealthy as he was he doubt he'd be able to surprise her. Furthermore, if she was powerful enough to get into the elemental championships she was obviously a huge threat. Ferith knew she was the most likely person to get attacked first, probably by one of the other more cocky competitors, but he also knew she was probably powerful enough to destroy any fool who underestimated her. Ferith sighed and leaned against a nearby wall. Why was it that despite all appearences every competitor seemed like they could cut him in half with their eyes closed? His blue eyes done scanning his competition he began studying the arena more thuroughly, his hand ruffling his white hair, making some of the icy blue streaks more visible. His armor was white and leather, but made like dozens of straps. This made him stick out a bit more in the sun, but also gave him a weak and defenseless look. He hoped, for his opponents sake, none would be foolish enough to fall for the ragged look it presented. Some of his other competitors seemed to be fiddling around with their equipment, either making last minute preperations or hiding their nervousness. Some of the others were messing about or acting in a way that didn't seem too serious. The last was Cecelia, the only one who seemed like she could be prepared to strike at any moment by merely standing there, most likely concenctrating. Ferith decided this was probably the best way to go and stood up with a leg against the wall, leaning back. It'd appear as though he was messing around, however the second he was in danger his position would allow him to more easily avoid it and gain momentum at the same time. Ferith hid a small smile, not wanting to seem too cocky this early. He wouldn't make the first move, he'd wait for the competition to strike and judge them by their techniques.

Cow Face -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 17:33:31)
Mr. Dragon stepped into the arena, his heavy armor slowing his steps. He could have gone faster, but it took a lot of energy to move in his steel clothing. His philosophy was thus: Kill anything that opposed you, while recieving little to no damage to yourself. He was holding his broadsword, as he had no sheath for it. One was offered to him when it was forged, but he declined. He always kept it out, as he was paranoid, and constantly expected attack. He saw those already here, and tensed himself for the battle. He checked briefly to see if his bombs were at his side. They were. Softly, so that none else could here, he chuckled. There was another reason he moved slowly into the arena: The element of surprise. His enemies would, of course, be expecting him to strike as slowly as he moved. True, his legs were slow, but his arms were not. Nor was his fiery broadsword.

kenzoku -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 17:47:17)
A figure just short of a giant draped almost completely in a dark brown cloak stepped in a wandering fasion. Through the gate he walked, his breath loud. On his back was strapped an enormous axe with the strong smell of blood emanating from it. On his feet he wore thick leather boots with steel plating on the toes. From beneath the shadow of his hood his eyes glowed like a pair of burning embers. With every step he took in the lush green grass he left a barren spot as his footprints. He was enormous, much larger than any of the other participants. One would expect a new entry to note the beauty of the plants or the fascinating structure covered in fountains. However, Berzerk was not the sort of sophisticated man to notice these. Nay, he knew only one art. He drew back his hood, revealing an odd mask with a strong aura of evil emanating from it. His hair was the red of an inferno, and rightfully so. His eyes darted between the other entries. He could smell the blood through their skin. He could hear the beat of their hearts, a sound he loved so dearly that it blotted out all other noise. He watched each of them, savoring the sight. How devoid of strength they looked. How feeble of arm. Especially when judged by such a giant among men. The crowd was, for the most part, hushed at such an awe inspiring beast of a human being, as well they should be. He violently threw his brown cloak aside, revealing his great muscular form. He wore short tight shorts, and almost nothing else. He then drew his axe, which was a gruesome sight to behold. It was a massive double-edged battleaxe as large as the man himself. Despite the deceptive sluggishness of this man's movements, he could swing the axe as quickly as most rogues could swing a dagger. Berzerk leapt high into the air with his powerful legs, launching himself onto the top tier of the fountain. He lifted one leg onto the edge of the blazing fountain, raised his axe in one hand, and released a terrifying inhuman roar. The audience members either cheered or froze with fear, as well they should. Holding his axe against the structure, he looked down on the other competitors like a picturesque god of strength ready to hurl a bolt of lightning. The only thoughts that ran through his mind were riddled with violence.

The Extinguisher -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 17:57:21)
A loud rumble seemed to signal the start of the fighting. Which meant that Seli would need to start as well. No sense in standing around waiting to be attacked, and using up all her illusions defending against a single opponent. She kicked herself off and began to run to her target. She wasn't going to fly just yet. Her legs moved fast from the speed spell, and her soft feet did no damage to the ground as she ran. Her target was a swordsmen. One who had been previously showing of to the crowd about how great he was, among other things. Seli hadn't been paying to much attention to it. No she was more focused on the person, not what he was saying. She was also focused on the how to go about attacking. She may have not had a head for numbers, but she had enough common sense to see he was strong, despite all the bragging showmanship he had displayed. It was time to work fast. Luckily this particular spell did not require much music to work. The light blue glow appeared again, and then suddenly vanished. The spell was done, and with no time to spare. This particular spell would (if it worked) lull it's target into a soft, hazy, dreamlike state for a little while, and allow her to strike undefended. As she closed in on swordsmen, she readied for attack. It would not be the strongest of attacks, but it would hopefully give her the upper hand. “Hi” she said, once she was in the swordsmen, and thrust her foot into his face.

Cow Face -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:04:12)
Mr. Dragon stood back, surveying the woman who was currently fighting somebody. He knew that he should study his opponents well, learn their habits, what makes them tick. His eyes wandered around the arena, and locked on the man called Zenz. This one was strong! He called out to him, "Oi! Wanna team up?" While he waited for the reply, he turned back to face the scene before him, tensed and ready for battle.

Ultrapowerpie -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:10:29)
Cid sighed. "Cockyness, one of them foolishly displays his abilities while the other one is all talk. Overestimating your own ability and underestimating your opponents are the two biggest factors that lead to defeat. Still, it's best not understimate anybody... but... this does bring up a good point that I had been meaning to adress, but I thought as pointless originally..." and with those mutterings Cid reached into his utility belt and pulled out a device similar to a screwdriver. With said tool he began to make some final adjustments to his device mounted on the top of the scythe. Continuing with this endeavor, Cid pulled out from another compartment a cylendrical spike. With the screwdriver, and a few screws that apeared to be made out of the same material as the shaft and spike, and mounted the spike on the other end of the shaft opposing the blade. "That should take care of that." he muttered, returning the the screwdriver to it's compartment. After these minor adjustments, Cid heard the roar of the juggernaut. "Oh good, Musclemen. They're the type that usually figure in on that over/underestimating scale that get them screwed by others. Someone will take him out eventually, especially if he wants that high ground." Shrugging of said roar, he turned his attentions to other matters. "It's not just about killing the most, or showing off. It's about showing a mixture of everything. Honor being a big thing, and the ability to cooperate..." and with that he noticed one of the latter entrants. Deciding that the direct aproach was the best way to go, he returned his scythe to it's sling on his back, he aproached Ferith. "Going into the Elemental Championships alone is a fools errand. You wanna tag team to avoid getting picked off by other tag teams? I guarantee you that others will start teaming up, and when you go two on one, the odds are far less favorable." He concluded, extending his arms out as a sign of good faith. He even walked close enough to be in weapons range of Ferith, hoping that it would be enough to sway him. However, he wasn't stupid enough to aproach a suspicious combatant without a contingency plan.

Shodu -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:17:07)
Ferith's eyes leapt from combatant to combatant, looking at their fighting style and technique. The large man with the axe seemed fast and powerful but magically inept, and furthermore he seemed like a large target. He watched Seli daze the man she was to attack, a clever tactic. He'd have to avoid her. Zenz had most impressed Ferith, his display of earth power amazing, and the technique throwing it all into chaos. Effective. "Oi! Wanna team up?" Mr. Dragon's voice rang out. Ferith knew it was not intended for him and felt himself begin to panick. Tag teams... to cover ones own weakness and join the others... it'd make this much harder. His stomach muscles clenched as he realized the challenge that awaited him. He heard footsteps approach him. He looked up and saw Cid approaching, however he did not look agressive. Ferith gave a curious glance in his direction, prepared to dash off at the first sign of hostility. "You wanna tag team to avoid getting picked off by the other tag teams?" Cid's question rang out. Ferith smiled, he had been thinking the same thing. He knew a quick blow would bring Cid down however he was smarter than to attempt that, Cid probably knew he might have tried it anyway. He seemed like one of the most intelligent of the bunch. Ferith nodded his approval. Teams had begun to form.

Cow Face -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:19:19)
After recieving his affirmation from Zenz, Mr. Dragon turned back to the fight. He looked at Berzerk. Removing a bomb from his belt, he lobbed it at the man. Almost immediately, a burst of flame shot up from where the bomb had previously been. Dragon viewed his results once the smoke cleared...

kenzoku -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:25:06)
Berzerk's eyes flashed with malice. The explosion had done nothing, save for making Berzerk angry. He lifted his axe and roared once more. He moved to run down the northern face of the block pyramid, only to lose his footing and slide down the tiers. He hit his head upon striking the final tier, temporarily knocking out all negative thoughts. He rose to his feet to look down--way down--on a woman. She seemed feeble, especially when compared to himself, but with the bump on his head guiding his actions, he asked her a question that may have very well altered the entire course of the battle-royale: "We shall stand as one, yes?"

Cow Face -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:28:15)
Scowling, Mr. Dragon wondered exactly what Berzerk was. A bomb did nothing? Very strange. He decided it might not be best to attack him at the moment; if the woman chose to team up, she might attack Mr. Dragon. Two opponents would be a very bad thing indeed.

Ultrapowerpie -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:29:34)
Cid returned the nod, and quickly unslung his scythe, knowing it was safe to do so without cause for alarm. But just to make sure, he did so away from Ferith, as not to startle him with the speed he could unsling the bugger. "Alright then, first thing to do is to pick a target, or wait for the targets to get to us. Or see if we can get a third member. You got any ideas? By the way, my name's Cid." he added, keeping an eye on all the combat ensuing all around him. Despite the chaos, he seemed... comfortable. He certainly wasn't trembling or showing any sign of negativity to the intense action. "We should pick a course of action quickly, else we'll get caught in this cross fire and that wont' be good for anyone"

Shodu -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:38:29)
Ferith watched as Cid unslung his scythe. It quickly flashed menacingly, but Cid had been careful to do so away from Ferith. He knew why, and he smiled. Cid was smarter than he had thought. "First thing to do is pick a target or wait for the targets to get to us. Or see if we can get a third member. You got any ideas?" Cid's question was quite clear. Ferith's mind instantly flashed to the earth user. Anyone with power over earth would be a huge help. "The first one to strike, the earth weilder. We should try and join with him, he'll be a huge help." Ferith voiced his opinion in a hushed tone as to not be overheard. If someone heard him they'd most likely try it first and that could be bad. "As for targets, we should hang back and wait for them to come to us. We need to know everyones power without being scoped out first." Ferith's leg muscles tightened, he prepared to dash from his spot on the wall.

Onomatopoeia -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 18:43:26)
A kick to the face broke Luthor out of his trance. He had been contemplating what he would look like if he were a female Orc and hadn't noticed the fighting had started. On top of that the lingering effects of a dreamhaze hovered around him. Apparently his attacker had cast some sort of spell against him. He looked around, then focused on what appeared to be his first opponent, a girl with red wings. He stood with no haste and brushed himself off. Then he drew his sword with his left and and raised it to an attack stance, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Luthor threw out a few slashes at her, testing her reflexes. She didn't look like the warrior type and she had no illusions cloaking her, but he wasn't going to taking any chances.

Ultrapowerpie -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 19:07:23)
Cid considers the proposition, and thinks about the implications. "Hmmm, larger teams... I believe that I overheard someone proposing a team up with him earlier... but it might be possible to get 2 tag teams at once. The advantage is that we'd have numbers on our side. The disadvantage is the more people in a team, the more likely betrayal will occur, so you gotta keep an eye out. It would be best if we minimalize betrayal by trying to get one of each element at most. This way we don't have to worry about back stabbing another, because the thoughts going through most people's heads is if they eliminate other people from their element, they'll have a better chance of getting to the finals." He concluded, observing Zenz to gauge the best course of action if they were to act. "By the way, I never caught your name" he added, to try to ease tensions and pass time while waiting to strike.

Shodu -> RE: =Elemental Championships= Fountain Arena (8/14/2007 19:18:13)
"Call me Ferith." Ferith replied. "I'm the ice elemental, and I know the other one is earth. What about your element?" Ferith felt a bit odd asking this, but he did realize he needed to know if the plan was to work. "Way I figure it we'll also be expected to attack our opposing elements to gain an advantage. If we do team eight we'll have to be careful. We might also try and team with our opposing elements to cover for our weaknesses, or we could go for four non-opposing elements in hopes that we could just destroy everything in our path. That'd make the whole thing offensive, but then again that could also set us at a disadvantage. Eight's a large number to keep under control, I'd say about four or five would work best." They'd have to be careful how they approached tag teaming, if they were too obvious the ones they didn't team with might just all team up as a retaliation, however looking around he found that doubtful. They'd want to avoid large 9 on 9 teams. Form a small team and then strike down the weakest so they wouldn't be a problem. Then they could focus on the powerful opponents.

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