Ethan vs Duo

[Taskmienster]

I sat and watched the world revolve around me without a care in the world. I was not a creature of habit like everyone else was; I did not follow the common structure and pattern that denizens of Althanas persistently did. I was something altogether different than what you would expect to find in the fantasy based world. My black leather jacket was open, unzipped at all times, with two thin leather straps that were further binds to close it; it was layered with a lining of thick white fur that appeared to be real but was not in any way. Under that was a common ‘v-neck’ shirt, short sleeved and black. I also wore a pair of tight jeans, girl’s jeans as were the style back in the early twenty-first century. A studded belt, a belt buckle for the aesthetically pleasing aspect alone, and a pair of black converse added to the unique style. Even the piercing through my bottom lip, a curved bar, was something you would not expect to see.

The reason for all this was quite clearly, because I’m not from Althanas. The logistics behind the world are my plaything, as I see it all in a different light than what another might. To me, it is all a game, and not in the figurative or proverbial sense that the statement might be taken for. Althanas is, literally, a virtual reality game; just another world on another server that most have to log into and play by the rules. Me though, I work differently than those other characters that are registered and approved by the administration. I’m a hacker; I undercut the rules and forced my way into the world around me.

Yet I sit, and wait, in an illusion created by the supposed ‘masters of magic’. The Ai’Bron monks were nothing compared to the potential I had in the system, they were bound upwardly by the game’s laws. I, on the other hand, had the special experience of being able to royally fuck with the way the world worked and ignore all rules. Even though my dreams and aspirations had yet to come to fruition, the idea made my mouth water. “My, fucking, god. Where the hell is this guy?”

My words bounded through the empty caves behind me, but where hardly loud enough to be heard by anyone else thanks to the thunder that crashed through the sky. I have no clue what the monks have set me up with, and in reality don’t really care. What I do know is they don’t expect either of us to be flying, or for that matter standing out in the thirty-plus area outside the caves. Lightening struck freely, dropping from the dark sky to shatter free standing boulders. The caves were small though, if I stood they’d be barely over my own height, about ten feet tall at the opening and closing to smaller the deeper it ran.

I hadn’t gone spelunking or anything, so maybe they opened up more inside? I’d have to worry about that when my opponent finally showed and we got the fight underway. If it was a necessity I could go deeper, explore while running should the other person be really strong. I figured though, with the lightening, that I wasn’t going to leave my little safety and into the big open cliff-side. The little mountain hideaway was perfect instead.

((In case it's not clear enough yet, there is a mountain with a big open area to fight in, and a cave along the wall. It's also being laced with lightening, though no rain, just a lightening storm))

[Duo_Maxwell]

Thanks for the description at the end. It will really help out.

Zanith, standing roughly 15 feet tall, eyes blood red, spiked shoulder tops, spiked wrist guards, spiked Knee guards. Now what makes Zanith unique is his wingspan. He has a wingspan of 20 ft from tip to tip. Body is all mechanical all metal made of steel. And his weapon of choice is a beam scythe, but for the time being the power is no more stronger then that of an ordinary steel blade. Now being the "new guy" in town, Zanith decides to check out this place called Scara Brea. Upon his arrival the first thing he notices is the giant pagoda.

He decides to go and check it out; but just as he opens the door, a short robed man appears. "Follow me please?" The monk says as he turns around and quietly walks down the closest hall. Zanith follows, scythe in hands ready for anything. They approach a set of giant cedar doors. The monk stops in front of the doors and turns to Zanith "Your opponent awaits you inside. But be cautious, the arena is to his choosing" And with that the monk walks past Zanith and dissappears. Zanith grips his scythe in his right hand and grips the door handel and pulls it open and walks in to a lightning field. The doors shut behind him and vanish.


The weather is muggy and the sky is dark; sounds of thunder and lightning flashes cross the muggy skys. The wind is howling, the trees are blowing with the wind; leaves, parchments, small things like that are blowing all over with the wind. Now Zanith, due to his personality he says that this is his favorite weather. Only cause it's dark and droopy.

Zanith slowly and cautiously walks to the middle of the arena being careful of the lightning. As he approaches the middle a bright flash of lightning reveals a shadow of the sort to Zanith. "Who is my opponent today?" He says to himself as he walks over to the shadow. Scythe ready for anything to happen.

[Taskmienster]

As soon as the light flickered and the chosen opponent entered, I could not remain still in the presence of the new arrival. To say I was surprised when my opponent entered would be, by far, the biggest understatement of my lifetime. The thing, since it was for sure not a person, was massive. It stood easily over twice as tall as me, was covered in metal, and was carrying a scythe that made me smirk. What was the thing that had found its way to Althanas, and in turn to the Dajas Pagoda? I could only remember a gundam from some silly show I had once seen. But how the hell did it get into this fantasy world, much less fit through any door in the Pagoda? “You’ll have to forgive me, but what the hell are you?”

I took my chance to rise from the rocky cave as it moved towards me. With a free hand I brushed the random pebbles and dust from my jeans, trying to get the nearly black soot off my tight pants. Instead I just got a black smear across my hand, which felt very strange. It was like coal of some sort, forcing me to ponder whether or not I had stumbled into a coal mine being struck by the skies. So volatile an area, with so curious an opponent; the monks were sure as hell keeping me on my toes.

“Well, never mind,” I said as I flicked a dagger from up either sleeve into my waiting palms. What was I planning on doing with those? A chuckle escaped my pursed lips and I could not help but wonder. The beast of a man before me seemed to be composed of metal, a beautiful amalgamation of gears and inner workings that anyone in Althanas would be scared to see. Threats of new weapons from Alerar would abound if this thing was let loose into the public eye too much. Any chaotic or destructive tendencies it had would relay an ill vision of an entire country, though I doubt it was something made on Althanas. “I don’t really give two shits as to what you are, or where you came from. The names Ethan, though most just call me Lars. I’ll be the warrior of the Pagoda you’ll be fighting today, prove your worth and you can have my place in this backwards ass place.”

As if in response to his obvious dissatisfaction with the way the way the Dajas Pagoda worked, a lightning bolt struck mere feet from me. The concussive force was astounding. I plugged my ears, after the fact, and found that my head was ringing. The last time I had felt that way was after a sound pounding into the ground, this though, was like a middle weight back and forth brawl that ended with a blow to my temple. My thoughts were muddled, my head was already slightly spinning, and I could barely hear my own voice. “Mothefucker, let’s just get this started so we can get out!”

((I apologize for the wait, and if my opponent would like to post that we agree to remove time constraints for the battle in an effort to have a fair bout I'm all for it. If not than I will take the first of two warnings for time delay and attempt to be more on top of things.))

[Duo_Maxwell]

Ok. From this post on, All time restraints have been removed to make this a more fair bout.

Zanith came to a halt as he heard a voice. "The names Ethan, though most just call me Lars." is the first thing he heard without trying to listen. Not like he cared anyway. "Most call me Zanith but you, You can call me your worst nightmare." As he says this he grips the handle on his scythe tighter now knowing his opponent is a male, and to be expecting anything now.

As Zanith started walking towards Lars again he heard him say "I’ll be the warrior of the Pagoda you’ll be fighting today, prove your worth and you can have my place in this backwards ass place.”

As Lars spoke this negativity about the pagoda a bolt of lightning came down mere feet in front of Lars, which in turn made his head ring. So Zanith took this chance and quickened his slow pace to a run now. As he runs towards Lars he brings his scythe back behind his torso as if ready to slice. But just as he gets so close to Lars he brings the scythe down beisde him and raises his left foot and goes in for a kick to the gut. A very painful kick.

[Taskmienster]

The steps of the monstrosity were heavy, making the ground slightly quiver as he rushed forward. The steady beat was pulsing in my chest like the bass at a concert, mimicking my heightened heartbeat. He was holding his beam bladed scythe in an aggressive way, as if he was going to swing it. I had nothing to answer with, just a couple daggers compared to this things long ranged weapon. If only I had a gun was all I could think, I’d just drop the fucker in his tracks with a couple quick rounds. The weight of the broken twelve millimeter revolver inside my jacket called to me, but it was just dead weight. Instead I clung to the familiar steel daggers, silently wishing there was something to pray to for help.

Instead of following through with the weapon he lowered it, much to my shock. I was prepared to roll out of the way when it fell. On the balls of my feet I bent my knees and watched as one of the massive feet was launched instead. That was something I can overcome, something I am a little more used to. Instead of simply side stepping it I spun to the side and lunged. My daggers were facing down, a means of defense as well as quick strikes. I took the open opportunity of the extended leg and lashed out with the dagger, aiming it at the back of where the ‘knee’ would be had it been a human.

Another bolt of lightning struck from the sky yards away from me, and I could do nothing but blink. Those black spots clung though, wouldn’t leave my peripheral vision no matter how many times I closed and opened my eyes. Instead of focusing on them I looked back to my opponent and sighed, not sure what if any damage I had caused. There would be a time and place to use some of my more advanced techniques, but the opportunity had not yet presented itself. I didn’t want to waste my skills and get nothing out of it yet.

[Duo_Maxwell]

Zanth's charge on Lars would of most likely knocked the wind out of him IF it had hit. But that was not the case; Lars had anticipated this which shocked Zanith. Lars dropped to his knees and just missed that kick. If only he had dropped a second later it would of got him straight in the face. But no, it missed him completely and that left Zanith open for an attack from Lars.

An oppertunity only the blind would pass up. See Lars took his steel daggers and went in for the back of Zanith's knees and tryed to cut them. They hit, but caused no real damage. They merely scratched his armor. Clear across the back but not deep enought to cut the wires. Now if he were to get another chance at that same knee would anything really happen to Zanith.

As Lars scraped the back of the knee, another bolt of lighting came down and for moment blinded him. Zantih took this chance as his foot hit the ground with a THUD he brought his scythe down towards the man's feet, aiming for the tendons in the back hopefully cutting one or even both. Hell both would be very nice. Since this match would be over the second it happens.

[Taskmienster]

The lightning had left me off-balance, in a state of disarray. My mind was lost with the sudden blast, for a moment leaving me wary of not only my surroundings but also my opponent. I had learned quite a bit from battling, not only in the Pagoda but also in the Citadel. The first lesson any budding warrior would require to survive would be that it was not just a one on one match up between two forces, but a dynamic struggle to endure against the elements as well as an opponent. The match I was fighting was no different, not only fighting against the metal goliath but also against the lightning that fell around.

It was due to my unsettled mind and unsteady footing that I barely made the correct move. The light blade arched towards me, and in a state of disarray I stumbled over a loose boulder and dropped to the ground. The edge of the scythe-like weapon callously cut through the weak packed dirt, catching gravel and tossing small stones into the air. I scrambled away from the weapon, rolling and re-gaining my footing. Both daggers in my hand made deep imprints, my white knuckled grip tightly holding the plain steel handles.

“Damn man,” I sighed as I watched the metal man. There was no puncturing the steel shell of the man, not at least by glancing blows. I needed to have direct attacks, I needed far more than just to strike and slash at the man with my small daggers. For once, in the first time I had ever been on the Althanas server, I wished I carried a sword like the next cliché character. Though I had chosen not to degrade myself to that point, not to be another sword swinging hero or dagger wielding thief. It seemed that the choice to avoid cliché was my downfall.

Instead of throwing myself towards the man, instead of taking an offensive means and pushing the pacing I decided to continue my slow mindset. There was nothing I could do yet. Defensive stances and counter-attacks were going to be my means of survival, I could only hope that they would serve me well.