Round One, Bracket A: Team Awesome vs. Zetsumei

[Atle]

When Qaron crushed stone, the wanderer knew her to be strong. When she, seemingly by will alone, commanded stone to rise and crush him, the wanderer knew her to be powerful. That in combination with the anguish he felt she locked within herself was a deadly combination, apt to cause unpredictable behavior. And the sudden display of mental ability fit well into his definition of ‘unpredictable’.

At such close range there was no possibility of complete evasion. So as the screen of flying debris barreled into him he let himself go with a gentle push backwards, teetering on his heels and submitting to gravity's relentless earthward pull. On the way down the world slowed around him, adrenaline dancing in his blood and charging his already heightened awareness. He saw an opportunity and took it, curious to see what would happen.

His left hand was free and open. He reached through the cloud of dust and rock to the very largest stone and laid his palm upon it, felt the tingle of strange energies suffusing it- and pushed himself downward against it. He struck the carpet audibly but rose again a split second later with no further damage to his composure.

She would see a large purple bruise on the side of his face, though, and he would feel blood trickling from both nostrils. They were thin streams both, and dried quickly, but the taste of copper would remain on his lips.

Wasting no time he made his way forward again, transfixing Qaron with a determined stare untouched by anger. Indeed nothing even so much as resentment stirred in his soul as he came upon her and delivered a precise strike downward, aimed for the wide area between her shoulder and the crook of her neck. Pain arced up and down his body from a smattering of bruises hidden by armor, but years of discipline put it out of his mind. To allow suffering to hinder his movements would likely be fatal.

[Qaron]

Despite the pain blossoming through her chest as a growing sappling pushes through the earth, Qaron felt a smug smile cross her lips as Zhangs' emotions turned from pity to awe. As any one does, Qaron liked compliments and to her, being acknowledged as powerful was the greatest compliment one could give her. It had been her beauty, etherial and eerie though it was, that had garnered her compliments previously. Now that was taken from her, she relied on her power; on her strength, her senses, her transformations, her ability to kill without question. The pain slowly disappated and she felt her chest whole again and unbroken, strong as ever. She turned her gaze to the scene in front of her, as the stones and blocks slammed into walls or smashed through windows.

Even the Lycans' keen eyes could not penetrate the dust cloud. She growled at herself and dropped lower into a ready crouch, the muscles in her thighs bunching, her muscles in her abdomen, neck and shoulders tensing and her fingers flexing and cracking as she waited. She growled at herself because she had been clumsy. The pain had caused her to lose control of herself and lash out without thinking. She had effectively blinded herself.

A shadow in the dust; that's all he was.

Suddenly he was in front of her, above her, striking down at her and as he came towards her she noted the bruises and smelled the blood. Her mouth watered again.

His strike fell down at her shoulder but found empty air, as she twisted in a graceful pirrouete to move behind him. She finished with a flourish, as if she were a dancer on a stage, instead of an animal pitted in battle with another warrior. Qaron launch a high, powerful kick at the back of the humans head. If aimed just right, with just the right force behind it, it would snap a humans neck. It had even severed it on one occasion. With Zhangs' strength, the animal doubted she would cause that kind of damage, but a twinge of hope flared through her.

It was followed by a twinge of regret...

[Atle]

... as he slammed the butt of his staff into the mouldering rugs underfoot and caught her ankle coming around for a continued attack, curling his fingers into a vice grip that trembled inches from his face. The pain was brutal- three bruises scored that same arm from her earlier kinetic display and the force of her kick had trembled every bone in his body. So he broke off soundlessly and drew his weapon to bear once more, nothing in his actions suggesting any measure of weakness inflicted by her attacks.

He would carry on- even as the muscles in his damaged hand began to spasm gently.

Unwilling to allow her to see the hurt she'd wrought he returned to the offensive, erasing all thoughts of suffering and focusing entirely on Qaron. To the wanderer, all that existed was the great hall and the tremendously powerful woman with marble eyes. Bringing the staff to eye level he aimed a precise, tremendous blow toward her chest once again. She seemed to have recovered unnaturally swiftly from his thrust but suspected that, even if she'd healed completely, the area would still be weakened.

Power. She thrived on such magnificent power that enhanced her strength, increased the speed of her natural healing processes to near god-like levels and allowed her to manipulate the solid world with little but her mind. He'd seen her confidence bloom when he displayed some recognition of her abilities; he'd given her what she wanted.

But no more.

[Qaron]

The Lycan growled as she felt his fingers close around her ankle. To an outsider, the display would look incredibly impressive. Qarons' leg, caught in the vice-like grip of the wanderer, was fully extened, her legs almost in a perfect split. She growled at him, a very inhuman growl, rumbling up from the deepest pit of her stomach to spill out of her lips. The bones in her face shifted suddenly, cracking and snapping audibly, black veins curling across her olive skin. The change was fast, gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

Qaron was frustrated. She had never had a human stand up to her for this long. This human was indeed enhanced with whatever magicks* he used to empower him were foreign to her, and frustrating. She had the irrational urge to beat the living spit out of anyone who used magic, or who had ever heard of the stupid word.

He aimed that staff at her chest. Targetting a weak point. Her respect for the human went up a few notches. He knew how to fight using his opponents weaknesses to his advantage, and he didn't mind fighting dirty. Qaron liked dirty. She grinned a cheeky, slightly sexy, and very appreciative grin at the man before she pushed off from the ground.

With one foot caught in Zhangs' grip and her other foot planted firmly on the ground and a staff heading for her already weakened chest, the woman had one option.

Up.

Every muscle in her leg had to work hard to push up off the decaying rug. Dust, must and bits followed her foot into the air. She brought her leg up, the staff clipping the heel of her boot as she rose into a perfect middle split, with Zhang still holding her leg. Her muscles tensed as she hung there, her telekinesis aiding her with the feat.

Qaron leaned towards Zhang, her hands running suggestively over her leg from her upper thigh, over her knee and on to brush her fingertips across his ankle. She didn't take her eyes off his the entire time and as she slowly drew her hands back up to the top of her boots, she smiled.

A flash and glint of steel from her fingertips and a stilleto was launched at Zhangs' eye from only a few feet away.

[Atle]

The supple flesh was no distraction to the wanderer, who'd already begun moving again as she made for her stiletto. Qaron was no sloth, though, and he still paid the price.

Releasing her ankle he'd twisted to the side- and so the length of steel slashed across his cheek and the back of his head, spraying the carpets and ancient stone with fresh blood. A soft grunt and he stumbled backward, one hand flying to the injury; the fingers came away crimson. His focus only wavered for the briefest moment, but it was enough. Searing pain radiated from the wound as sweat stung it, hair clung to it and sanguine life flowed freely from it as with any head wound.

His bones shook, his muscles trembled, his vision became blurry- he had to steady himself against his staff for a moment before his composure returned and the world came back into focus. He found he was back against a wall.

The ceiling arches seemed to fly higher than before, stone fingers brushing heaven and ushering starlight into the living darkness that suffused the hall. It was beautiful, awe-inspiring, a testament to the architectural skill of a people who'd seen in their mind's eye an enduring home built high on the bedrock of a mountain.

Where had they gone? The forest hadn't yet encroached upon the castle walls with even a single vine, yet the emptiness he felt all around him- save for Qaron, of course- seemed thousands of years old. Perhaps it was a hallowed place, respected by the spirits of the earth.

It was those spirits he beckoned as he found himself slumping against a sturdy pillar of the same ilk his foe had so recently demolished with a single blow. He called out wordlessly to the soul of the mountain to lend him its epochal might even as his enemy became stronger, seeking one last chance to grasp victory.

So strong was his faith in the world that he rose again, bloodied and battered and failing from within. The force of the blow's he'd taken trembled the natural rhythm of his body to a dangerously erratic point. He hadn't been ready for a battle like this and swore to himself that, if he survived, he would be ready for the next.

Up from the darkness he came again, a relentless son of Gaia with a will of steel- dropping low beneath the level of her shoulders he performed a two-handed sweep aimed for her ankles, intent on knocking her to the floor. From there he might be able to conquer her, provided she didn't perform another unexpected trick.

[Qaron]

Qaron floated lightly back to the ground as he spun away and staggered against the wall. The animal in her reared its' ugly head at the signs of her opponents' weakness and defeat... and the smell of his blood. She groaned and licked her lips, closing her eyes and sinking slowly to the floor in a crouch. Her fingers trailed over the blood on the floor before she brought her fingers to her lips, running her tongue across Zhangs' life essence that she had picked up from the floor.

A soft, pained whimper escaped the Lycans' lips. She was fighting her own nature in this fight, trying to fight honourably. The wolf - monster - in her whined and strained at her insides, lashing at her with its' claws. Qaron groaned and stood slowly, watching Zhang now, struggling to keep her natural instincts at bay. The woman wanted a fair fight and she owed it to her opponent to fight without resorting to her animal instincts. In her animal form she wasn't concerned about injuries or being nice or any kind of fighting etiquette.

Qaron would simply eat him alive.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost didn't see the staff coming. The slight eddy of air the blow created was enough to bring her back to the present. The staff knocked one foot out from under her, but by the time it did this she was prepared. She stumbled slightly, but kept her footing on the ever dubious rug and straightened.

Qarons' telekinesis lashed out at Zhangs' staff. She didn't know what magical properties the staff might have, but she hoped to be able to yank it out of his hands and take away his weapon, bringing things down to hand to hand combat. She did like to get up close and personal...

[ryuhasigawa]

[sorry, my turn! ^^]

It took a moment, but Ryu's vision cleared. He saw his attacker... The man was sitting on a chair, leaning back, facing towards the open door he had just come out of. The boy's slide forced him against the wall he was running to.

You might be forced to kill... Zhang's words replayed in the boy's mind. Ryu frowned, looking at the man who had tried to kill him. Would he have felt nothing? Would this guy kill whoever stood in his way? Would winning this be enough reason to end someone's life?

No... There has to be another way!

"Eer!" Ryu whispered, the word of power connecting him with the element.

Ryu frowned and focused just behind the chair. Pulling back with his mind, he would use the man's own weight to unbalance him, causing him to tip backwards and crash to the stone ground. Using the time he had made with the distraction, he would run with abnormal speed to the end of the long table the man was sitting at, getting there just as the man would hit the ground. Using his strength, he would push the heavy table over the man, blocking his initial reaction when trying to get up, traping him between the top of the heavy oaken table and the sturdy arms of the chair to either side.

"Vog!"

another word of power was uttered and would shift the boy's focus to another element. Ryu would then focus on the stones the man was now laying on. a pincer of stone would grip the man, binding his arms to his sides and then pulling down towards the ground, ensuring the man couldn't wiggle his way out of it.

Please don't resist... I don't want to kill you...

[Atle]

In the forest-city of Oromonai Tel, whence came the wanderer Zhang Konji, coming of age meant more than a day-long celebration or the blessing of the makoro¹- it meant passing through ageless gates hewn from tourmaline to the hallowed Tomb of Trees. Within a gauntlet would await the once-child, a hellish, convoluted route riddled with obstacles meant to test both the body and spirit.

The reward for victory was a quarterstaff. No simple length of wood, but a beautiful tool crafted from the noble dead of the forest, given willingly. Every dimension and material used would be tailored to the unique personality and ability of the hopeful who sought it. Victorious, one claimed their staff and it was theirs forever, an extension of themselves and a piece of their home that would remain theirs until death.

And then it, along with their discarded shell of flesh and bone, would become the forest’s again.

Thus as Zhang detected the brush of Qaron’s power advancing upon his staff he drew back with frightening speed; she would feel her influence weaken some feet from his physical being, as though reaching through a thick dark sludge. The gift of his heritage had awoken to deny her supernatural ability, an inherent resistance toward all such influences. His second wind struck along with new purpose that wouldn’t likely be immediately discernible to his ferocious opponent.

His face was as clear as day, though. Revitalized he transfixed her again with practiced calm in his eyes, centered, seeking physical harmony once more. She had committed a grave act of disrespect, although unknowingly. He hadn’t been ready- but that didn’t mean the end. What warrior of the Endless Wood fell to a simple blow to the head, after all?

Still, pain raced up and down his body in searing flashes. He continued to bleed and his bruises only worsened at the exertion it took to match Qaron’s acrobatics. Some distant portion of his mind wondered how long it would take for him to collapse from blood loss.

The rest decided there were more pressing matters at hand. Advancing forward he ducked his chin and spilled shadow over his eyes, keeping her from guessing his intentions from their flickering- the ankles, to the hips, the shoulders… he needed to weaken her. Slow her down.

He came within range and slammed the butt of his staff into the depth of the rugs until it ground against stone, using that support to push himself onward. His leg rose and drove out like a steam press, carrying a devastating impact toward her stomach.





¹grandfather

[Christoph]

Thank you for participating! Ataraxis will judge this battle within about a week’s time. Please do not contact your judge regarding the judgment until after it has been posted.

[Max Dirks]

I've been asked to step in and judge your battle.

One general note: I'm aware that we've taken the focus of the tournament away from story and put it on action (as evidenced by the rubric favoring "pacing" and "action" over "storytelling," but the way the rubric is set up, story cannot be completely ignored. Much of what I read consisted entirely of responses to actions rather than story growth. It left things predictable and distorted the pacing when I could anticipate the next move.

Zetsumei
Qaron | Kalar (Possible) ((Comment))

Storytelling 3 | 1 (5)
Setting 6 | 3 (10) ((Q: The negative reaction by your character for knocking over the pillar was pleasing to read))
Pacing 9 | 2 (15) ((Q: Amazing beginning, but things began to drag on towards the end of the battle when it seemed that neither Quron nor Zhang were giving any ground. Remember, we don't judge T1. Don't be afraid to take the fall to advance the story))
Dialogue 7 | 2 (10) ((Q: You said two words, both were eerie and perfectly placed. The rest of your score stemmed from your character's reactions, body language, etc. Nice job of using multiple means to convey your characters actions))
Action 8 | 2 (15) ((Q: Only one issue: the amount of time she had to "feel" Zhang's "hope" while still managing to catch the staff attack broke pacing))
Persona 6 | 3 (10) ((Q: She reads people far too well, almost to the point where it's unrealistic, even as a character trait. Her ability to read Zhang so well almost turned all character growth onto him))
Mechanics 7 | 5 (10) ((K: You switched to past tense once))
Technique 6 | 5 (10) ((Q: There was far too much "mirroring" of writing styles in this battle. It also affected your action score. You'd repeat one another's prose (insofar as reading characters) and your actions.
Clarity 7 | 5 (10)
Wild Card 5 | 0 (5) (K: You posted once)

Total 64 | 28 (100)
Average: 46/100

Team Awesome
Atle | Ryuhasigawa (Possible) ((Comment))

Storytelling 3 | 1 (5)
Setting 5 | 3 (10) ((Both: aside from very nice descriptions at the beginning, neither of you used the setting (or reacted to it) as realistically as Qaron))
Pacing 9 | 4 (15) ((A: See Qaron's comment above))
Dialogue 6 | 3 (10) ((R: Speak through dialogue or through prose. You repeated a lot of things in both formats))
Action 9 | 3 (15) ((A: When I thought you quelled, your character recovered. Other than that, I feel like your actions were slightly move creative than Qaron's. You two worked out the catching the kick nicely to avoid power gaming))
Persona 6 | 4 (10) ((A: Read my comment to Qaron above; R: While your character certainly gave the battle some necessarily comedy, I felt that you played him more like a 16 manga character than an 18 year old assassin))
Mechanics 7 | 5 (10) ((A: Your only flaw was a few missing words; R: Run your posts through a Word Processor. There were lots of spelling, capitalization, grammar and usage errors. Most would have been auto-corrected on Word))
Technique 7 | 5 (10) ((A: Stellar brevity, only a few unnecessary lines in post 15 prevented this from being higher. See my comment for Qaron above to see why you didn't score higher))
Clarity 7 | 4 (10) ((R: Your writing, at times, was as bumbly as your character))
Wild Card 5 | 2 (5) ((R: I know that Kalar's absence likely caused you to quit posting, but I feel like you should have written him out and double teamed Qaron))

Total 64 | 34
Average: 49/100

Team Awesome advances to round two!

Rewards: 550 EXP for Atle, 425 EXP for Ryu and 250 EXP for Qaron. Atle and Qaron receive 200 GP each. Team Awesome receives two fate points.