The Crystal Pedestal - Bane Flaresto v.s Banda Utako

[Falcon Darkflight]

The Citadel, interior.

Bane Flaresto pulled a cigar from his jacket pocket and lit it with a snap of his fingers, looking past the flame into the monk’s eyes. A cloud of blue smoke filled the musty corridor and the strong odor of tobacco started to cling to the walls like paste to paper. It wasn’t usually a habit Bane would have indulged in, but nothing about his current lifestyle was what he would have called ‘usual’ and the smoke calmed his mind, at least a little. The cigars he had bought had a feint scent of menthol.

“So, what do you think of this? Can you do it?” The Basillisk asked the monk opposite him. He wasn’t asking for an opinion, as such, but more wanting to know if it could be really be done.

“There is nothing the monks of the Citadel cannot conjure up.” The monk responded sharply. “Do you question our talents, Mr. Flaresto? I would have you remember that this building has housed some of the finest monks in all of Corone’s history. I need not remind you of why our people, and many others, come here.” He was polite, but held a harsh tone in his voice. Clearly Bane had offended him by asking this of him.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve experienced the power for myself.” Bane took another heave on his cigar, referring to his first ever trip to the Citadel where he had fought Kaiser Nightwind, a strange monkey. Following the trend about everything he was experiencing in Corone, he had been astounded by the healing powers of the monks who had attended to his battered body in the aftermath of a body wrecking explosion. Not even a scar remained from that fight, not a scratch. These attendants could even raise the dead. Nothing he had ever seen or experienced in his life came close to that kind of power, and it was a power that he had to awe.

He took another slow drag, kicking his head back, and exhaled a ring. “I’m thinking of crystal, to be honest with you, something maybe with a bit of, you know, a sparkle. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t just a cosmetic request. I want you to take the arena from my thoughts, and make it manifest.”

The monk eyed him up and down, and did as requested. It took but a moment for the Citadel attendant to create the arena from the picture in Bane’s mind.

“It’s done.”

Bane thought about his request for a few seconds, and lamented on his choice. “I’ve never been to The Pedestal as a Basillisk. As a human I think only once, because I was born there, but never since.”

The monk smiled a smile which indicated he was listening, but pressing matters and demands on his time prevented him from really wanting to care too deeply about the sentimentalities of his clients. He was a busy man in a busy place.

“Well, Bane, the arena is ready for your arrival whenever you so wish.”

Bane nodded slowly. “Right.”

He gritted his teeth and stepped forward into the nearby portal, preparing himself for the worst part of the journey. The transportation sickness still got to him more than any other aspect of the Citadel.

[streak101]

He was ticked off, he came to the Citadel to find the drunkard that had badly healed his new ally Amaril. Banda's last battle at the Citadel was with a half-dragon mercenary who later accmpanied him, and one of their clients to a dragon's lair deep inside Luthmor. Banda had found that the half-breed was left with scars after their battle, he made the connection between the drunk monk that pitted the two against each other, and the horrible healing of one of the monks himself.

He grabbed a neardy monk, it was the same man that healed him after the last match, and the same man he told to keep an eye on the drunkard before Banda left, "Remember me?" The monk nodded, calm and serene as he was before, "Where is the drunk man I told you about last time I was here?" The monklowered his head in thought, "I believe he's still on suspension." Banda stood silent, he came angry, and was expecting to scare someone out of their wits, but now that he wasn't able to do it, he had no idea of what to do next.

He regrettably thanked the monk, and wandered around the Citadel, now he was angry for nothing, I have to take it out on something... Banda stopped, he could hear conversation around the corner. He silently walked along the wall until he could understand what they were saying. He poked his head out to get a good look at the two. The first was a Citadel monk, the other must have been someone looking for a challenge telling by the way he was dressed, and the words that come out of his mouth.

Banda watched him carefully, his mind giving him an idea, he took careful notice everything the man did. Things were beginning to become uninteresting when the man snapped his fingers, causing a flame to come out of what appeared to be his fingertips, and lit his cigar. Smoking, what a bad habit. Though it bothers him a lot less than it used to nowadays, Banda's father used to smoke, it was just another reason to hate him, he always filled the air with toxins. He quickly forgot about the cigar when his mind registered that this man was a walking lighter.

The two finished their conversation, and the manstepped through a portal. Banda grinned, he could release his pent up energy against the man, and seeing as he had the upper hand of somewhat knowing what he would be up against, the battle might be a lot easier for him, and more entertaining. Wasting no time, he ran around the corner, and sprinted towards the portal, "I'll be his opponent monk!" He waved to the man, and ran through the portal, Here we go again!

[Taskmienster]

This thread has been waiting for over a year. If you would like to complete it, or work on it further, you can PM myself or another staff member and ask for it to be moved. However, till that time, it will be resting in the Citadel Archive forum.

Thanks,
~Task