The Emma Chamber

[Cicilix]

Cicilix observed the other contestants as she stood still by the barrier. She knew that observing your enemies before the fight started usually revealed something that she could use against them. But these people weren't a bunch of bored children on the streets. They wouldn't give up their weaknesses that easily. But that just made it more important to watch them closely.

As she had hoped they didn't seem to notice her much. This was really the only advantage she had and she knew that. If she could just keep looking small and lost maybe they would concentrate on the other contestants, those who actually proved a real threat, so she could keep watching them and maybe figure out how she would be able to win.

Unfortunately she didn't have a long time to do this. In fact she didn't get any time at all. A sudden movement in the corner of her eye made her look in that direction just as Vyrabond charged her. To her own dismay she couldn't help but let out a surprised yelp and she closed her eyes as a reflex. As soon as she did this she felt the dirt hit her face and she couldn't help but feel lucky.

“He was trying to blind me!” she thought as she quickly threw herself to the side while she opened her eyes again. No matter what he was planning to do she didn't want to stand in the way of him when he did it. He hadn't thrown the debris at her for no reason after all.

Cicilix managed to stay on her feet and quickly spun around to face him, her dagger ready in her hand. But she didn't want to get into close combat with this thing, not yet at least. Before he had the time to turn around she therefore kicked him in the back of his knee, as hard as she could. After all the small girl was surprisingly strong for her size.

[Resolve]

It took Resolve longer than she would have liked to decide on her first target. Two of the competitors sprung into action right away and she watched on as the construct went after the smallest of the group. Meanwhile, her own partner took a shot at the ill dark elf, a strike below the belt if she'd ever seen one. The girl spread her feet and dug her heels into the ground, a gesture of preparation as she lifted her crackling fist. She hoped no one would notice her meager effort to stall.

While the exorcist had anticipated a cutthroat battlefield, a curl of dismay crept across her lips as she took in these first acts. She wouldn't be like them. She wanted a fight she could feel good about, one which would challenge her from the start.

Her pale eyes followed the gaze of some spectators and settled on the last woman in the arena, one close in age and height to herself. From the way the people watched her in familiar admiration, Resolve wondered if this was a local champion of sorts. Such hinted at formidability.

"Perfect."

White teeth flashed in a decisive grin as Resolve raised her arm, and then she attacked. A blast of energy tore through the air with perfect precision and bone-shattering force, aimed directly for her opponent's chest.

[Herald of the Tempest]

Vyrabond's eyes glowed bright green as the pain receivers in his knee kicked in, a silent scream escaping his lips. He dropped forwards to his wounded knee, hands bracing a total collapse as he reassessed the woman who he chose to fight. His head snapped to look her in the eyes, a green eldritch glow humming in his eyes. With a slash at his waist with his claws he cut the flesh draping him like a skirt off, freeing him from any restraints.

He tapped his chest in Kron'tyr code, a steady drumming of his bladed finger making a tapping noise. He waited a moment, as if trying to figure the best course of action. With a tilt of his head he observed her in the manner a confused dog observes its master. Then he burst into action, talons coming up in a swipe aiming for the chest. At the apex of his upwards swing Vyrabond would break his attack into a feint, and come at both sides with a horizontal slash.

The battle truly was beginning, and Vyrabond would show the lesser races why the Kron'tyr would be feared.

[Cicilix]

A small, content smile flashed over Cicilix' face as her opponent fell. Even though he looked monstrous enough he apparently had fairly the same weaknesses as a normal person. This was very good indeed. She had been a bit afraid that the people in this tournament would all be some kind of super champions. But apparently there were a few like her here. Not that she would ever compare herself to this thing.

As he tore the flesh away her eyes suddenly widened and she could feel her stomach turn. What was this thing?! The girl wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer to that question. He seemed almost more like an animal than anything else. But what was he doing in this tournament then? She couldn't understand it. But then again she had never heard of anything like this.

Her thoughts distracted her enough to make her unprepared for the next attack. With a slight yelp she tried to get her dagger up to protect her as she took a step backwards but she was too slow. Luckily this actually helped her instead since she hadn't predicted his feint and the dagger parried his right talons. Her left side was left unprotected however and she stumbled backwards when he hit her, a load whimper escaping her lips as the pain shot through her body. She wasn't used to this kind of sharp damage. All the fights she had been in mostly involved fists and kicking, and sometimes various odd things one would find within reach.

“Damn it...” she mumbled while she pressed her left arm against the wound. “I will not lose this...”

She clenched her jaw tightly together as she stared at the creature with a steady look while she held her dagger up, prepared for his next attack.

“I will not lose to something like this. I will show them that I can do this”, she thought and a small smile made its way to her lips again. Despite the pain there was something she loved about this. She even loved this more than the fights at home. This was more real.

[Gold]

Timothy landed in a crouch. He stayed like that as he scanned the field but then deflated as everyone else was already in a fight with someone else. Seriously, well I guess I could always just watch and determine their fighting styles as well as see who will be the most trouble. So he backed up against the barrier and leaned against it, content to just watch for a while. His eyes scanned the battles as they were fought.

[Herald of the Tempest]

The gleam in his foe's eye made the Kron'tyr admire her spirit. She had flinched when her flesh was cut, just as he had expected of her. Now they looked to one another on the same level. Now they saw each other and their intents clear. His knee still ached, but he pushed the pain receivers down. He could not override the pain he felt, for that was in place to help him blend into the lesser races. He could however marshal his emotions to a degree nobody else could.

He let his talon scrape across one another like shears, his mouth grill opening and closing in a mocking display of a hunter toying with prey. His opponent was patient, wating on the Kron'tyr to make the next move, and he would oblige her this. But he did not rush things. He too could be patient.

Slowly he slithered his body forwards, a snake coiling and ready to strike, he watched her muscles tense around the dagger, and he prepared his arm to hold the weapon down and slash vertically. This would require timing, and a precision that would test his foe's experience with true battle against a real threat. He moved closer, inching his foot a moment at a time, shifting the dirt. He let the tension build in each step he took, letting her emotions build within her. His glowing eyes never left her gaze, keeping her in his focus. He could feel the blood drip off his epidermal shell from his previous victim, and he scraped up a glob to drip between his fingers right before them. He began to play with the viscera before her, attempting to captivate her. And when her focus shifted, he would strike with his claws to hold her dagger away and swipe her chest open.

((Regardless Cicilix, I will attempt to parry your dagger and hold the weapon away from your chest and swipe with my other claw. Cheers!))

[Mage Hunter]

Things happened fast. Magic flung through the air and luckily it wasn’t directed too close to her. She noticed the cretin trying to take her out as she remained hunched over, playing up the poor pathetic creature. While the contact with the magical barrier had caused her to vomit, she wasn’t by any means truly sickened. Well that wasn’t entirely true, the barriers magical aura still nauseated her, but it was all complications she had dealt with before. When she had participated in the siege of Anebrilith she had somehow managed to fire her bow despite being on the edge of puking several times from the overwhelming amount of mana she had accidentally built up in her system. If there was one thing the War for Raiaera did for her, it was teach her that you can still fight, even when vomiting your guts out.

So, when the fireball came at her she somehow even managed to remain still as she knew what would happen. True to form the fireball winked out of existence a short distance from her as she let out a predatory smile and swung her sword up in a cleaving blow meant to take advantage of the momentum her opponent had stupidly pushed himself into, “Think you have what it takes to bring down a member of the Kyorl? You’ll need more than fancy parlor tricks if you’re going to sink those blades into me love.”

[Aurelianus Drak'shal]

Any bunnying done with the permission of my opponents.

Aurelianus was.. disappointed, to say the least, when his ball of Hellfire simply winked out of existence. No screaming, no burning, no rank stench of scorched flesh.. no fun!

He snarled internally, cursing himself as he tried to tumble to what could have caused Shahab's Lash to simply vanish.

The tiefling didn't slow down though, even as the chit started to rise, her sword sweeping out in a cleaving arc. His body was preternaturally quick, one of the few benefits of his polluted (or blessed) blood, and he knew the heavier blade would soon be hard pressed to ward off his vicious, blood-hungry knives. The half-demon kept darting forward, at the last minute lashing out with an Eldritch Blast; It was a gamble after his last invocation had been nullified, but it paid off. The heat-haze shimmer of raw arcane force hammered into the gleaming edge of the sword, knocking it off target, the blade whistling over his head. It was still close enough to skim the quills adorning the top of his head in their trademark crest.

"You think you 'ave what it takes to stop me, cutter?" he smirked, all fangs and arrogance. Inside, however, he was wondering about the odd pangs he'd felt in his gut when he'd cast the Eldritch Blast.

Is it 'er? he mused briefly, before his mind snapped back to fighting-focus.

But even as the dark-elf tried to right herself, to bring her heavier weapon back to bear, Aurelius was whistling his back leg up and round, using his momentum to bring himself round full-circle in a graceful spin. His body turned, every blade, barb and spike adorning his leather armour catching the peak - "noon", on this backwards world - sun, sending off errant flashes of light as his hobnailed boot lashed out with a heavy kick to the centre of the chit-elf's chest.

The blow connected nicely, staggering the elf back a few steps. It gave her time to reset her stance, her sword up in defense; but that street went both ways, and gave the warlock a few heartbeats to re-assess his tactics.

With a feral grin, he slid his second Baatorian knife out of the sheath at his lower back, the light gleaming along the viciously serrated edge. The glyphs along the knife pulsed a dark, arterial red.

"Your move, sweetness," he purred, forked tongue gliding along his fangs.

[Gold]

Timothy watched as a lizard man and a girl fought each other. The lizard had let loose a fire blast that dissipated before it reached the girl. Luckily I don't use magic, Timothy thought as he turned to watch the other fights.

[Amber Eyes]

The first thing she noticed were the swirls of shadow in the clear bubble of light magic. Something was definitely wrong with this cage. This needed to end quickly or the whole place just might blow. Kyla gave a passing glance towards the chaos erupting in the other side of the cell before looking towards the west tower. ”I know you hate these things, but are you honestly trying to kill us all?” The words were thought towards Sei, he alone would hear her. She had no sooner finished the thought with a slight grin when a familiar crack pulled her back to the matter at hand.

She turned her head just in time to see the glass begin to shatter. Fiery blue shards began to fly in all directions, and all Kyla could think was “NOT YET!” The words were said out loud, annoyance evident in the tone. She only had one mystic protection and she had been hoping to avoid an attack long enough to make it count. ”Stupid, stupid, stupid! Let yourself get caught off guard and lose your advantage.”

The mystic stood stone still, noticing for the first time the girl who had attacked her, some unknown twit who probably entered just to rub elbows with the big guys. And now, now she had screwed Kyla’s whole strategy. Kyla stood stone still, crossing her arms in aggravation and waiting to see what was left after the blast.