This was easy one of the most setting driven battles in Althanas' history. It was an emotionally charged piece that had epic splattered all over it, except it was held back by the very thing that made it great -- over emphasis on imagery. While focusing on the lucid setting, you forgot to bring the story along with you. Storywise, it was like South Park's parody of Game of Thrones. I was constantly waiting for a pizza (ne' a climax) that never came. It was like reading a 16 bit RPG where two characters with taunting abilities just stood there and flung monologues at one another. Their sprites bobbed up and down while the background continually morphed into something new. All criticism aside, this was easily the best battle of the tournament so far BY A LONG SHOT. I'm glad you both consider Althanas home, because four years from now you'll be the Devons, Sighters, and Lethos of your age.

This was a close one. Read on for individual commentary. I'm lazy, so there will be no tables. TS is Tobias Stalt and OD is Odium.

Tobias Stalt | Odium

Story - 6 | 5 (The beginning was admittedly slow. Overloading the senses in the beginning of the match VIA imagry, symbolism or motif can create unrealistic expectations for the remainder of the battle. OD: Your introduction was simple & poignant. TS: Your introduction was convoluted. I realize the underlying dream motif is equally complex, especially if you want to confuse the reader as to whether things or real or not, but I really struggled to follow what was going on. You redeemed yourself, though, with one of the most emotional conclusions I've read on the site. Excellent work)
Setting - 8 | 8 (See above)
Pacing - 5 | 5 (Pacing is low not due to writing errors, but rather to the combination of an imagery overdose, long boring monologues and blasts of repetitive similes. Improving the action and using shorter sentences could have improved your scores here independent of other issues).
Communication - 5 | 5 (See above)
Action - 5 | 5 (TS: It seems you took my T1 complaints to heart. After witnessing you dodge every attack under the sun for two rounds, it was odd seeing you go down after only a few attacks. I realized Tobias might be in a weakened state, but this was odd. OD: I can't fault you for your interaction with the setting, but like with Tobias, I needed more interaction with the characters. If you want a good example of how take actions quickly without breaking pace, see Roht Mirage v. Leopold. In that battle they had entire sword exchanges in a sentence.
Persona - 7 | 7 (I got an excellent look at both of your characters).
Mechanics - 7 | 7 (Spelling errors were minimum. Both of you tended to abuse commas though).
Technique - 7 | 8 (OD: This is the best score I've given out in Technique. You used all of my favorite literary techniques in this one. I saw true metaphor & even foreshadowing. The symbolism was excellent and I love how you fucked with me until the bitter end on whether the encounter was real or not. Superb work. TS: You stuck to the basics, but did them well.
Clarity - 7 | 6 (After careful review, this category decided the battle. Tobias' writing was much clearer to read, and why it didn't always match the technical depth of Odium's writing, ultimately it was easier to follow what Tobias was doing compared to Constantine)
Wildcard - 6 | 6

Total - 63 | 62

Tobias Stalt advances to Round 3 of the Redemption Bracket
Odium, sadly, is eliminated.

Tobias Stalt earns 863 EXP and 63 GP
Odium earns 225 EXP and 75 GP

Though you don't meet the score requirements for JC nomination, I am a notoriously low scorer and am going to nominate you anyway. The battle has its flaws, sure, but this is a prime example of how you can move battles with setting and technique and I want to share it with writers on Althanas. Congrats!