[Open] I am Nosdyn 2.

(Looking for one combatant. Level does not matter. I am trying to remaster my basic combat mechanics)

Nosdyn stared forward.

The arena had already been formed to his exact specifications. There was a battlefield all around him. The chosen battlefield was Radasanth and it was being pillaged by a massive, unknown army. Nosdyn specified to the monks that he and his opponent could interact with the raging battle. The assailants were a race of mysterious shadow entities that were very strong. Each of the shadows was armed with different arms and powers. But they were somehow similar. They'd attacked one day simply without warning.

Radasanth had been the target, and they were attacking any who attempted to interfere with their assault. Nosdyn had another mission that day. It was not the defense of Radasanth, but rather he wanted to re-teach himself skirmishing tactics. And his own capacity for survival. Recently, he'd met the boy...Morus...in The Citadel. It had been a lop-sided battle...but the boy had earned Nosdyn's respect. Further in recent times, Nosdyn had settled in Stonevale and had grown attached to that town and her people. Though Nosdyn did not have a mate yet, he had something and somebody to fight for. A reason to fight for Demons was something VERY dangerous. It could change the world. Nosdyn had acquired during the recent events with his second encounter with Jake Narmonalya that he'd grown to love Stonevale. He wasn't sure why or for what purpose. Only that it was his reality now.

The Demon stood on a rooftop of a ruined building. Fires burned throughout the city, smoke rising into the sky. It was mid-afternoon on a Wednesday. the thirty first year of Nosdyn's life. Nosdyn was there on that desolate and ravaged Radasanth listening to the sounds of battle. People were getting killed and he could have helped, but that was not the point. The point was to survive a devastating conflict. Nosdyn turned towards the general direction of where the chamber's gate was and proceeded to wait. He had something to prove. He was trying to bring a peaceful coexistence between Men and Demons. It was a dream and it was a simple dream worth fighting for. Stonevale had accepted Nosdyn for who he was and changed him.

The rest was still evolving, still changing. As Radasanth, the capitol of Corone fell all around him, he was strangely calm. He was at peace on a battlefield. It was more home to him than a warm bed occupied by a lover or three. He was a Demon first and foremost and he was bourne for battle.

To Hell with anything else...

“Yes Lord Osiris.” Hayate obediently answered as Shinsou spoke about his upcoming mission. It hadn’t been long since the young Amatsukami boy found himself in the tutelage of Lord Osiris, but it had been filled with excitement. The time that the lord of Yukon spent away from Akashima had all but changed the boy from a board young noble to a full-fledged member of the Brotherhood. Shinsou, the do factor leader of the Brotherhood, had opened Hayate up to the idea that there were people out there in the world that made his measly power and allegiances look positively trivial.

Can we really trust this guy? a voice echoed through the young lord’s psyche like an intercom. It was the voice of his partner Yamato, a powerful spirit bound to Hayate by his noble blood. He seemed concerned and not yet ready to accept Shinsou as a suitable replacement to the Shogun of Akashima. If any of the other houses back in Yukon would find out about switching sides like this blood will be spilled.

I’m well aware of that Yamato.

How can you stay here in Radasanth meandering around like you haven’t a care in the world? the voice intensified. Yamato must have been feeling uneasy since their last Citadel match.

Silence,Hayate barked stopping Yamato’s whining. I am still the head of the clan, you need to treat me as such!The voice in his mind went quiet and the young lord was once again alone with his thoughts.

Hayate had gotten a little distracted conversing with his partner and lost track on what Shinsou was saying to him. The two of them had been walking through the lower district of Radasanth as they discussed the purpose of the brotherhood. Hayate was pleased to hear that they worked on the side of the people, and for hours listened to the laws that governed the group of soldiers. He hadn’t yet met anyone other than Shinsou but from the way he described it the Brotherhood was a decently large organization.

“… It’s your job to deal with him.” Lord Osiris went on and on about a man who had registered in the Citadel. He talked about him like he was a very dangerous man and a sure fire target for the Brotherhood to keep an eye on. Shinsou went on about how this man was wanted across the land for a number of murders, but decided to hold up here in Radasanth for some reason. It was really remarkable the info that Lord Osiris was able to come by with his connections.

Later Hayate found himself standing in front of the large ornate doors of the Citadel facing the same pit in his stomach as he did the first time he was here. He still needed to be cautious about his identity until he could make his way back to Akashima and wrap up the loose ends he’d left there. But until then wore his mask of bone over his face and covered his head with a white hood. The monks of the Citadel must have been used to many other doing much the same thing and never gave him a second glance before the activated the doors.

As the large stone tablets moved apart the young lord could feel the sheer amount of chaos emanating from inside. He could smell the smoke and carnage before ever stepping a foot inside the arena. Then as he took his last breath of fresh air Hayate leapt through the magical portal and was whisked away. He reappeared standing atop a war ravaged Radasanth, burning and crumbling all around him. Hayate was on a large building overlooking a perpetual war zone that stretched as far as his eyes could see. After a quick look around he spotted a figure looming behind him. This was presumably his opponent, and in the back of the young lord’s head he began to feel uneasy. Sounds of battle seemed to fill his ears as the world around him raged on.

“I suppose that you must be my man,” Hayate yelled across the smoldering rooftop to Nosdyn. “Did it have to be so depressing in here?” he said in jest as he pointed all around him.

Nosdyn watched his opponent arrive.

He appeared to be a noble folk of some kind or another...it was all right. Nosdyn walked forward and stood next to Hayate. "The fall of society." Nosdyn began. "Interesting to think about how close to the edge people are at any one point in time. I chose this arena for a reason." Nosdyn said calmly. He looked up at the smoke stained sky. "Death is also something interesting to think about." Nosdyn rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But I did not request an opponent to discuss world views. I believe you answered the call for the same reason." Nosdyn equipped his weapon, removing the latch portion from his belt.

He activated his weapon, the blade manifesting a moment later. Yet, he did not immediately attack Hayate. "It's interesting to see how quickly empires crumble. We cling and cling to center at the calm of a storm...and in the end it all means shit." Nosdyn had a sad expression on his face. The sounds of the battle being waged and lives being snuffed out were a constant thing in that arena. In the distance, the image of The Citadel was on fire and being pillaged. At that point the shadow men clearly had defeated the forces of Radasanth. The motives of the attack were unclear, but it was clear that they were there to conquer.

Nosdyn looked off to his west for a moment, the shadow men were conversing on a huge estate.

Though normally he would have helped them...he knew it was futile to interfere. There would be another day to fight the shadow men. He turned his attention back towards Hayate. "On your mark, we can begin." Nosdyn said carefully.

He is of Hadian blood. Yamato chimed in while Nosdyn was flapping his lips. They are a tough bunch. Shall I take care of him for you?

Not just yet, I’m here to gauge his competence. Why don’t we take it easy for a moment and see what we are getting into first. Remember last time?

Don’t remind me…

Hayate watched as his opponent drew his weapon. It was a strange weapon that gave off a deep purple glow and a slight buzzing sound. The young lord hadn’t seen anything like it in Akashima, assuming it to be of forges of Hadia or wherever he hailed from. Hayate matched the demon as he unlatched his horse killer’s blade and swung it a violent arc overhead. The blade of the weapon was etched with ancient Akashiman runes of power that pulsed with every heartbeat. They both wielded amazing weapons that in all effects were alien to one other.

“I see,” Hayate spoke in a rough voice through his mask. Suddenly without finishing his thought Hayate hiked his leg back before kicking a sizable piece of the crumbling roof at Nosdyn. It wouldn’t do much more than distract the man but never the less it was an opening. Fallowing in the shadow of the debris Hayate closed the gap between the two before droping low and swinging his mighty blade. He aimed to sever both of Nosdyn’s ankles with a single stroke ending this fight before it could even begin.

Don’t get to excited, you know he isn’t going to fall for it. Yamato echoed prepping Hayate for his counter attack. The two of them had been fighting as partners for a number of years and both learned that a frontal assault was never a great plan. In spite of this rash battle tactic they needed to start the engagement by any means.

That where you come in!

“Rise Corpse King.”

Nosdyn was ready.

He observed the giant sword his opponent held in his grip...it was likely an Akashiman curved sword. He didn't remember the actual, "correct" name of such weapons off hand. He'd ever only been to Akashima a few times in his earlier days. He didn't know his propers when it came to Akashiman technology and weaponry. His eyes were focused and he observed every movement his opponent made. The debris that was kicked up with surprising ferocity was smacked aside. A small bruise developed where the larger portion of the stone like debris struck him.

The reflecting light of his opponent's sword caught Nosdyn's attention. He is attacking. Preparing an adequate strategy, Nosdyn felt his skin harden as the rush of demonic blood poured in his vessel. He kept his eyes locked on his opponent's eyes as the man struck his ankles. Yes, the majestic weapon did connect with Nosdyn. However, it was met with significant resistance as Nosdyn's flesh became hard as iron. Nosdyn looked down towards his opponent. There was a trickling of demonic blood as Hayate's sword struck his body. Nosdyn had always favoured wearing leather armour to combat as it did not restrict his movement capacity.

Nosdyn held his weapon aloft for a moment deciding what to do next. The warrior, his opponent, said something about corpse something or another. Nosdyn assumed that he was preparing to use this or that personal power. He didn't mind it really. He tightened his grip on his weapon. Rotating it a moment or two and then he prepared his own strike. Nosdyn skillfully pivoted towards Hayte despite the numbed pain he felt from the curve sword's impact.

Nosdyn had recently upgraded his weapon so that it was the tier of prevalida. The capacity of making adamantium had been lost to history and the ages of time a generation or two ago. Nosdyn was content with the power his prevalida upgrade provided. As he stood there, he swung his weapon. But he swung it in a wide, middle level arcing swing from his ready position. He meant to strike Hayate in the meaty shoulder area of his body. Nosdyn's weapon left a trail of energy as he swung it. He kept his eyes locked on Hayate's own gaze. As he swung his weapon, he vaguely recalled shadow men moving across a nearby roof not yet attempting to interfere with their match. They were distracted by locals they were killing...

Sweat leapt from Hayate’s neck as all the momentum he carried was stricken from him. His sword imbedded itself in the leather of Nosdyn’s armor as if it were made of metal. But that couldn’t have been the case. He must have done something to stop Hayate’s attack but it was a mystery to him at the moment. All he could do was match the demon’s icy gaze waiting for Nosdyn’s counter attack, but a lot can happen in just a moment.

As Nosdyn looked down upon Hayate he swung his blade in a violent attack aimed at the young lord’s right shoulder. But in the very instant he dared to strike down Hayate things went from bad to worse for the demon. Hayate’s blade that was once firmly within his grip vanished into a cloud of grey smoke and from underneath him a larger fist broke through the roof sending rubble and cinder flying. Nosdyn’s blade was met with the steely flesh of the Corpse King as Hayate conjured his brother in arms to the battlefield. Blood seeped through the clutches of the Corps King’s fist as it caught the demon’s blade just moments before it would have slain Hayate. Though his titan was strong the demon's strange weapon still cut fairly deep into it's ethereal flesh.

Bring this whole building to the ground Yamato! Hayate screamed telepathically to his partner lumbering one floor below them. All that was heard was a low growling sound in response and just for a moment all seemed to stop. Hayate’s stare intensified as he could start to feel their building quake. Hayate recovered gracefully returning to his feet and shuffled backwards a few paces.

“Get ready for a fight you won’t forget!” the young lord taunted the Hadian as the Corpse King let go of the warriors blade and withdrew his hand back into the floor below. Violently the building began to shake as just below them Hayate’s Avatar began to trash about throwing itself into all the supporting walls and pillars. The suddenly the floor beneath Hayate’s feet began to crumble causing the young lord to plummet down a level. The roof continued to fracture and crumble away spreading directly towards the demon. Below Hayate landed safely on the shoulder of his titan. It continued to thrash about for a few more moments before the entire structural support of the building was compromised.

Through the wall! Hayate instructed his monster and with one final powerful leap the Corpse King smashed though the wall to the outside. It flew through the air for the briefest of moments before sinking its claws into the adjacent building hanging and observing the devistation behind.

Two targets now...

Was the one thought that burned in his mind. The entire time that the corpse king creature destroyed the support structure, Nosdyn had a flash-back. He recalled the first time he met Jake Narmonalya in battle, back in Alerar, back in Ettermire. A different situation that was and Nosdyn had a building collapse around him thanks to Jake performing a specific attack. Even as the building began to sink in on itself, debris crashing everywhere, Nosdyn kept his eyes locked Hayate and his pet. Nosdyn's blue face remained calm the entire time as the building fell. He smiled, sinking slowly with the building.

Glass, stone, mortar flew about everywhere. A cloud of dust and debris came flying upward to obfuscate the demon. Nossdyn still kept smiling. As he sunk below the cloud he acted. Slashing outward, the purple blade emitted a shine brightly through the dust cloud. it created an eerie effect. The blade, sharp as prevalida, shattered the debris coming around Nosdyn. Two can play this game. Nosdyn thought to himself. He was not a fast individual, but rather strong and armed with the capacity to endure.

As he slashed outward, he made short work of debris, stones and mortar. There was a tremendous noise of things breaking apart and being undone. Nosdyn's mystical sword slicing things with ease. Once he cleared a path for himself he stalked Hayate and The Corpse King. The Corpse King had latched until an opposite structure across from the one they were just on. Nosdyn kept that grim smile on his face. The entire time...he smiled as the building collapsed. You are not Jake. Nosdyn suddenly thought of his arch-enemy turned ally. With a swipe of his sword, Nosdyn began to slash at the same wall that Hayate and The Corpse King were hanging on to.

Nosdyn began to slice and cut at it, without warning. Some injuries existed on Nosdyn from the sharper debris that had struck him but Nosdyn barely felt that. Though in truth, the bruises and cuts were quite massive. He could still act through the pain. The pain fueled his power. As he slashed at the stone wall, there were more screams as Radasanth continued to burn. The shadow-men had continued their assault leaving Hayate and Nosdyn alone for the most part. Though Nosdyn knew that was likely to change at some point...

Nosdyn continued to destroy the wall supporting Hayate, waiting to see the effects of the devastating...

Surprisingly the demon of Hadia was okay. Through all the rubble and sharp debris the young lord figured it would have been an easy victory. But it didn’t seem like Nosdyn would be giving up so quickly.

Did you just see that?...

Suspending their disbelief the two peered down on the beast of a man as he whipped his violet weapon around like a mad man. They hadn’t much time to think as Nosdyn almost effortlessly cleaved huge pieces of the foundation away. It didn’t take long for the pair of them to feel the building’s foundation rock as it began to lose its’ stability. So instinctively they duo acted choosing to go down to the surface streets below.

The Corpse King loosened his grip on the wall and began to slide down its side until they were roughly two floors off the ground. At which point the spectral titan used its powerful legs to hurl the two of them into the center of the street. By now it was already clear to the young lord that Nosdyn wouldn’t be slain by brute force and had decided that their fight would take a more creative turn. The moment the Corpse King touched the ground Hayate dispelled his magic and his titan faded back into nothingness.

“You’re hard to kill…” Hayate yelled at the demon standing about twenty yards from him. The young lord was looking for some kind of tell, a flaw he could exploit, or something at all he could use. He saw that he was hurt, but his cuts and bruises didn’t seem to bother the brute. Were all demons this resilient or was this one special?

While the two stared each other down there was movement brewing all around them. The shadowy men had finally set their eyes on the two fighters now that they were down and in the open. Almost instantly they attacked from the alleys screeching and flailing their sharp shadow weapons. Hayate was caught off guard a bit and stumbled backwards avoiding the three shadows that moved in on him. As the magic of the Corpse King disappeared his faithful weapon returned to its original form in the young lords clutches. Like a tornado Hayate spun violently slicing at the shadows as the pursued him. As the edge of his blade met with the monsters it passed right throw them like they weren’t even there.

Run my Lord.

Hayate headed his partners warning and turned kicking up dust in his wake. Nosdyn would have to wait to continue their fight until they could get rid of these pesky invaders.

Wind cascaded through the streets of Radasanth, carrying with it the scents of death and blood.

Nosdyn looked around he was prepared to attack the golem-like creature that Hayate had summoned. It was massive, but Nosdyn was ready to do everything he could to defeat it. However, before he could attack it, the creature vanished in a wisp of smoke and energy. Nosdyn did not know why or how...his own magics had a different path of study. He's a crafty one. Nosdyn thought to himself as his eyes twitched. Nosdyn was hurt, but not terribly he would fight as long as he could fight.

He'd requested such an arena to provide a worthy test for himself and his opponent. So far the test has been adequate. He is distracted fighting off the shadow-men. One of the shadow men looked at Nosdyn, their cold eyes glowing with power and energy. Such power...there is no intelligence in those though...such a waste. Nosdyn slowly walked towards the nearest of the shadow men. He was already staring deep into the eyes of the creature. The fall of society...we're all just clinging to ideals, beliefs. In the end nothing matters. Nosdyn smiled to himself as he shut his weapon down. Attaching it back to his belt. He'd already proven enough.

However, before any other chaos could happen, he quickly approached the nearest of the shadow men. Nosdyn was never built for speed, but he did not care. He had other strengths. As he lunged forward, he began to summon his power. The mantle of fear. I have not used it for so long... He was a little rusty using the mantle of fear, but he didn't mind. It would be sufficient to penetrate the mind of the shadow men.

For a moment, reality blurred around Nosdyn's mind. He grabbed the shadow man as it attempted to attack, but Nosdyn's purpose was much more refined. He'd done his technique thousands of times before on many victims. The shadow men would not escape his grasp. Nosdyn's eyes began to glow with the energy of fear. As he grabbed that creature, he entered the mind of it. Surprisingly, there was very little mental protection or shielding within the creatures mind. No protection...is there something they want me to see...? As Nosdyn pierced the outter walls of his defensed he yelled towards the creature. "Show me...YOUR MIND."

And the creature began to reveal it's secrets to Nosdyn in a painfully extracted way...

The young lord watched ever closely as one after one the shadow men attacked him. He managed to evade them relatively simply as they attacked in a very forward manner with wide telegraphed movements. All it took was taking decisive backward steps and a bit of swinging his sword and any shadow men that attempted to hurt him were pushed back bit by bit. Hayate didn’t seem to be having the slightest bit of trouble dealing with these all but mindless constructs.

By now Hayate had put about fifty or so yards and about twenty shadows between himself and Nosdyn spacing them out a bit. As he continued his backward march the young lord noticed an alley way to his left and quickly diverted himself into it. About forty feet down the alleyway he could see a rudimentary fire escape that leads all the way to the second floor roof. As his feet carried him towards the scaffolding he could hear the shuffling of his pursuers behind him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on edge as a wave of fear washed over him. Was this the shadow men or something else?

The young lord lifted himself up onto the rig and once safely on took his blade and sliced through the weak metal ladder below him. He had cut off the shadows from fallowing him any further for the time being but couldn’t help shake the feeling that things weren’t going to be getting better from here. He turned faceing the main street he left his opponent on and pondered if this feeling that was overtaking him was Nosdyn.

After a brief moment of thought the young lord made his way to the top of this relatively small building. He figured that it wouldn’t be long before the demon showed his face again. But Hayate had to come up with some solution to defeat Nosdyn. He was durable that was for sure, but was he impervious? Hayate didn’t think so and began to plot his next move against the beast of a man.

Let me just get my hands on him, Yamato spoke to Hayate. If I can just get a good grip this fight will be over in an instant.

And what if he doesn’t let you, what if he sinks his blade into your heart? the young lord had already noticed the cut on his knuckles from before when the Corpse King caught the demons blade. He wasn’t sure if Nosdyn had caught on yet or not but the damage inflicted onto the Corpse King is reflected back onto Hayate as if it were his own. Still he knew that if they didn’t do anything and be proactive this fight would be over before they even land another blow.

Then let’s play the long game, I’m sure he isn’t going to be able to keep up with us. We could set up some kind of trap from him or something.

And you call me rash and impulsive… For now we will wait and see what he does next. I don’t want to get caught up in whatever he is doing over there.

Nosdyn's power was met with very little resistance. There's something they want me to see. Something they NEED me to see. As he entered the depths of the creature's mind he saw a penetrating darkness and then something else after the darkness as a force, a void, parted. He saw something he didn't expect to see after the event horizon.

We brought you here to talk. The shadow said in Nosdyn's mind.

How is this possible...? Nosdyn responded.

Outside, the shadow man and Nosdyn appeared to be as one entity, one face united.

The fall of society is inevitable. There is a coming disaster. You and your mortal races will be powerless to stop it. The voice said.

Nos listened. Then...what do you need me to do...?

The voice continued. ...You must live, Nosdyn son of Krotar. There must be a new generation of warriors to protect Althanas from the coming disaster.

The great calamity... Nosdyn thought to himself, but the shadow man could hear.

Take your weapon and use your prowess to defeat your current foe. But remember what you have learned here today. There is a coming calamity. You must GROW STRONG, and survive it. With that, Nosdyn felt the voice grow quiet as it was silenced.

He turned to look towards Hayate. He activated his weapon once more, and stalked towards his opponent. He was looking up towards the corpse king and towards Hayate. As he walked forward his mind was focused on the task at hand. I must do everything in my power to win here... As his eyes narrowed he looked at Hayate and memorized everything about the physical appearance of the lord. At that point, the screams of a dying Radasanth still filled the air. What place did Nosdyn have in it all? I want to create a world where Demons and Men can live in harmony...is such a thing too grand a dream...? Nosdyn had lived a life-time of conflict and betrayal. Since his youth, he'd learned the demon's code of doing things, their way of conquest. It was all he knew and something he was born into.

As he grew older he began to see the error in Demon society.

In truth, the error in ALL society. It's a dream, but it's a dream worth fighting for. Nosdyn limped as he walked towards Hayate and the corpse king. The limp was an acquired from his battle with the boy named Morus. That battle had been intense and brutal, but Nosdyn had shown restraint in fighting the stalwart lad. The thought repeated itself in his mind. Demons and Men can live together in peace and harmony. It is a dream, but a dream worth fighting for. As he thought about those matters, a shadow-man walked towards Nosdyn and stood in front of him.

Nosdyn stared at the shadowy creature and narrowed his eyes. "Do you intend to stop me...?" Nosdyn asked.

"...No." The shadow man spoke without a moving mouth. He simply spoke, projecting his voice outward.

"Then why stand in front of me?" Nosdyn asked.

"...Look." The shadow man said suddenly pointing towards his east.

Nosdyn looked in that direction and saw what the shadow man wanted them to see. Fires had begun to spread all over Radasanth. The shadow men were on every roof top of every damaged building in the area. The citadel was burning as well. Nosdyn narrowed his eyes. "I see..."

"...Defeat the warrior and his pet." The shadow man said to Nosdyn and moved out of Nosdyn's way. The shadow men seemed to view Nosdyn as something that they did not view the other mortal races of Radasanth that were slain so horribly. Nosdyn stopped directly in front of the corpse king. "You." Nosdyn began. "No more running. Will you fight me here or not...?" Nosdyn said to both the corpse king and Hayate. His weapon was ignited with the blade making it's furious sound of souls suffering in this or that hell. Nosdyn waited to hear what Hayate would say, and he readied his weapon after that. Nosdyn was ready.

The young lord had begun to see things clearly now, from the very beginning he had been doomed to fail. Was Shinsou playing some kind of cheap trick on him or did he seriously think that he could win with the odds stacked against him? Nosdyn had set up some kind of elaborate trap as he showed his clear control over the shadow men in the city. He commanded them in a similar way Hayate controlled the Corpse King.

Don’t you see where your blind devotion leads you… Yamato rang in the back of the young swordsman’s mind like a siren. Into traps my master, literally traps.

Now is not the time for lectures.

What do you have in mind…?

If I can’t hurt them then it’s all up to you, Hayate instructed his partner as he pointed his sword to the crowd of shadow men. I doubt we will have a second chance at this.

“Rise up Corpse King,” The lord of Yukon said through the holes in his mask. “Bring my enemies only devastation and pain!” as the incantation left his lips a swirling pool of deep red energy began to swirl all around him. It pulsed and flared outward violently as it condensed around the young lord. Hayate then began to roar like a beast as the spectral form of the Corpse King came into vision. It danced between this world and the next eyeing all the shadows and demon waiting to receive its wrath.

“If you want a fight,” Hayate yelled to Nosdyn. “You’ve got one yourself one.”

In what seems like an instant the Corpse King shattered the boundaries between this world and his own in a violent clash and anger. Hayate was safely stashed within the titan’s chest cavity as it began its deadly assault. In a blur of movements the avatar conjured forth a katana of its one and began to stash violently as the shadow men attacked him. They swarmed the Corpse King like a wave of ants but stood no chance against his might. The titan slashed through them as if they were paper even sending shockwaves into the few standing just behind those he killed.

Even the Beast’s mighty legs were enough to send the shadow people flying as he ran past towards Nosdyn. The Demon stood there with such a smug look of entitlement on his face. If it were Hayate alone he would sure have given up. But it wasn’t just the young lord, he had Yamato to help keep him together. The Corpse King closed the gap between them and the demon while simultaneously kicking up a large chunk of rubble towards Nosdyn mid stride. Imitation was the highest form of flattery after all.

In the distance, The Citadel burned.

Smoke rose upward to taint the sky. It was a fitting end to the legacy of Radasanth. The shadow men easily destroyed the population of Radasanth and sacked it. Buildings crumbed under the weights of various fires and destruction. The shadow men were converging on Radasanth for a very specific prize.

Nosdyn had seen the mind of the shadow men and he was certain he knew what they were after. Granted that he was a Haidian, he did not really want to save a Human civilization. He found himself torn between his dreams and the goals of the shadow men. His eyes were narrowed as he stood there, conflicted. The shadow men were attacking Radasanth...and yet...he did not want to prevent the fall of their society. Though it was true that he'd changed during his time in Stonevale, he was still a Demon FIRST. As he stood there, on the broken streets, he observed. His thoughts were a whirlwind of chaos as he considered what he should do.

Part of him wanted to help save Radanth during it's time of need. But given the other side of the coin, they'd leave me out to dry for being a Demon... Nosdyn thought that last part very casually of the equation. He was a strategist first, and he knew that the shadow-men were a far superior enemy. Part of something else all together...a collective of sorts. Their agenda was not one of corruption or anything like that, they simply had a racial motivation to do what they had done.

Were they wrong...am I wrong...? Nosdyn was conflicted. He thought about what he wanted, an Althanas where Demons and Men could live together. He looked down on the broken cobblestone for a moment or two as he considered the folly of that. It is just a dream...but why do I have it...? Is my dream worth fighting for...? Nosdyn observed with a raised eyebrow as his opponent became as one organism with his pet, The Corpse King. It was a truly interesting event to observe. As he'd stared at it he watched as The Corpse King absorbed the young lord and they became as one entity.

"...By The Thayne. You've taken away your advantage FOR ME." Nosdyn suddenly said. At first he'd been concerned about how he was going to defeat TWO opponents. But now that he has combined with the other thing... Nosdyn walked forward towards The Corpse King. "You're a fool. I don't know if you can hear me in there...but you are a FOOL." Nosdyn did not say that with any actual malice in his voice, he merely spoke in a matter of fact way. Readying his weapon one more time, Nosdyn slowly began to feel rage building up from within.

Then...there was doubt. Is it right to kill him outright...given what I want...? Nosdyn thought to himself. This is The Citadel, he knew the risks going into this fight and so did I. The difference being is that I'm prepared to die. He is afraid. Nosdyn had observed the young lord's fancy clothing and attire and had assumed he was a noble from this or that nation. Noble blood... The thought swelled in his mind as he readied himself to attack. He was not built for stealth or speed, but rather...pure raw strength. Nosdyn was already hurt from the previous round of attacks, blood slowly trickling down from the injuries he'd sustained. However, the pain fueled his power and his Demon's desire to spread waste and destruction.

Again the feeling of conflict touched his heart. Why...do I feel this way now...? Is it because of Jake or something else all together. Jake... Nosdyn thought of his arch-enemy turned ally. The event back in Stonevale had changed Nosdyn significantly. He'd died for Stonevale.

The fact that the Stonevale citizens had accepted Nosdyn as he was...showed him that his dream could be achieved. It was a dream worth fighting for...and as Nosdyn stood there...blade at the ready, something happened. Nosdyn merely stared at The Corpse King/Hayate's eyes and did not attack. He was going to let The Corpse King approach. Even as the creature kicked up debris and cobblestone, a few of the pieces did hit Nosdyn. He flinched but did not retreat or counter. He was going to test The Corpse King's full power. He was gong to test himself...he was going to test them ALL.

The swordsman and his creature were equally shocked to see Nosdyn take the lump of cobblestone to the face without even as much as flinching or winching even a little bit. He merely accepted the damage and went on and on challenging Hayate and the Corpse King. The young lord knew that the demon standing before him wasn’t a quick fighter, but what he lacked in speed and dexterity Nosdyn made up for endurance and durability. Nosdyn wanted Hayate to play his game, he been doing so from the beginning anyway.

Do It! cried out to his partner tossing out any plans they had out the window. Rip his apart!

The Corpse King growled in agreeance and leap at the demon closing the gap between them in a single might leap. As he landed dust and small debris went flying but didn’t stop the two opponents as neither budged an inch. Then the monstrous titan lifted its massive hand with his ethereal blade ready to deliver a decisive swing to cleave the demon in two at the hip. His strength would be more than enough to dent metals so even if Nosdyn tried his trick again Hayate was fairly confident that it wouldn’t completely stop his attack.

Don’t let your guard up of even a second, The swordsman commanded of his titan. Grab his blade with your free hand the second you see him move. I’ll be ready to deliver the final blow.

Understood. Yamato responded knowing well enough that they wouldn’t get a second shot at this. They had to make this count or it would all be over.

Nosdyn had one more iron skin ability to use.

However, he would not need it. Debris and other items flew towards Nosdyn and caused more bruises and cuts. Nosdyn assumed this was Hayate's final last-ditch attack. Nosdyn's more tactical oriented mind saw the tell as soon as the creature landed and raised his arm to attack with that elegant sword. Nosdyn's eyes narrowed and he was a able to see through the dust with some degree of comfort. Thanks to his enhanced senses. Nosdyn's muscles tightened as he prepared to act.

The mighty sword was swung through the air in an attempt to cut Nosdyn in two clean pieces. Nosdyn knew the attack would be fatal if it connected. However, Nosdyn was also not a fool. He was already moving when Hayate's monster attacked. Instead of firing off his last use of his ability, Nosdyn swung his mighty blade as he saw the other's weapon coming close. In a dynamic display of skill and swordsmanship, Nosdyn pivoted his body and swung his weapon in an exact fashion to intercept the man's curved weapon. As he swung his weapon, there was a suddenly spark of energy and light as Nosdyn countered.

Nosdyn held his weapon in a very particular way, pointing completely downward and intercepting the man's sword. Nosdyn's muscles burned against the weight of The Corpse King's attack, but Nosdyn did not show any fear. In the face of his opponent, he'd shown bravery and courage. Nosdyn held his weapon the entire time that The Corpse King and Hayate attempted their slash. Nosdyn held the monster at bay with his own enhanced strength. It hurt, but he was able to JUST hold on. He waited to see what Hayate would attempt next with their two blades locked in a grapple-style-lock.

Though Nosdyn seemed to halt the Corpse King’s attack the combined assault of Hayate and his thrall was not nearly over. Hayate planned on the Hadian to conjure his impenetrable defense once more in the hopes that it would be the last time he would be able to do so yet that wasn’t the case. Nosdyn moved only a little bit bringing his mighty weapon up to intercept the sword of the monster.

Hayate would punish him dearly for this

The young swordsman seemed to shoot out from the chest of the Corpse King like a bullet carrying all the momentum from the beast great swing. This was his only shot at this so ever movement counted. As he soared the briefest of distances Hayate unlatched his grappling hook from the folds of his garb and griped its iron links firmly in both hands. The second Hayate passed by Nosdyn’s head the swordsman tried to twist his chain around the demon’s neck. He planned to force the demon off his feet and hopefully to the ground.

This opportunity was not lost to the Avatar as Yamato reared back his mighty leg before slinging it forward to deliver a powerful kick. Though they were both in near perfect synergy the two fighters weren’t sure if this would be enough to stop the Demon, much less the circling horde of shadow men that seemed to serve Nosdyn. But if the Demon wanted to fight he would have one.

Get ready to move my lord, Yamato stated as he could feel his strength start to overpower the Demon’s. It was a delicate situation, one that could quickly go badly for Hayate. The moment he retracts his blade you need to avoid his counter attack.

Hayate knew what he had to do and the moment he placed his feet on the ground about a meter behind Nosdyn he pulled the chain with all the strength he could muster.

As Nosdyn held the swordman's weapon at bay for a moment or two longer...something happened.

Out the corner of his eyes Nosdyn noticed Hayate emerge from the body of The Corpse King. Hayate's speed was far superior to Nosdyn's who was not built for reaction time or dexterious movements. A wind came in from the south at that point, fires coursing through the streets of Radasanth. As Nosdyn stood there, he noticed that Hayate had a different weapon, or piece of equipment than before. Nosdyn frowned considering what was about to happen. As he held the sword at bay from the attack of The Corpse King, the wind was suddenly knocked out of Nosdyn's throat.

There was an ever constricting iron chain whip wrapped around Nosdyn's neck. Nosdyn immediatley gasped for air, but concentrated just so so that he could keep himself upright. His muscles strained against the dual pronged attack of his opponent. Tears swelled down Nosdyn's face from the ever constricting weapon tied around his neck. With the air rapidly leaving his lungs, Nosdyn could no longer concentrate on holding The Corpse King at bay. His weapon shut off a few seconds later, though Nosdyn fought to stay conscious, The Corpse King's attack connected.

There was little he could do to prevent what was going to happen. A moment earlier, he'd been holding The Corpse King in a dead-lock, but at that point the tides of battle changed. Nearby, on one of the crumbling buildings, one of the shadow men observed as Nosdyn was killed. There had been no time for Nosdyn to react to the sneak attack. As he stood there, he was easily cut in two halves by The Corpse King's sword and his upper half and lower half fell the ground in a gory display. Nosdyn kept trying to fight off his fall and demise but there was nothing he could do. He blanked out and the fight was over.

(Scores are formatted as: [Nosdyn, Hayate/Total] )

There is a strange tonality overall in this thread that I’d like to address. It felt as if both writers were very focused in the success of their characters in battle, as perhaps some pride is tied to the power of your character. I can’t emphasize strongly enough that this is a functional mistake. Please focus on the quality of the story, the mechanics, and the READER, rather than which writer has constructed a more powerful in-game persona that can defeat other characters. Both of you clearly have a lot of talent that was left on the table here because as the reader it felt like this became a bit of a pissing match and your writing didn’t mesh like it is capable of.

Plot: 12, 13/30

Story- 4,5 /10

The entire premise of this thread is based upon these two squaring up in Radasanth for a fight. There is no interaction with Radasanth as a city that separates it from a vacant industrial complex; minimal mentions of citizens running in fear or trying to intervene, no life of the city interjected. I felt like that was a miss.

The story is also a battle, so I understand that motivation is not necessarily going to be strong. With that said, there was very little effort made to create character motivations. Hayate’s “test” from Shinsou, and Nosdyn’s desire to test himself were creative angles, but they weren’t really fleshed out.

Setting- 4, 4/10

This was a pretty mediocre thread for both of you in this respect. Setting was limited to visual sensory; even the tactical sensation of getting chopped in half or suffering damage as Hayate were really not very well represented. There was a little engagement in the setting based on the buildings used, but it could have just as easily been a slab of mountain as it was a large building you were chopping up.

Pacing- 4, 4/10

For a short battle with very little buildup, the pacing was a bit choppy. Nosdyn and Hayate both toggled back and forth between turns where they did literally nothing, or turns where I thought they had multiple moves strung into one turn.

Fundamentally it was clear that you were both enjoying the write, but struggling with communication amongst each other. Hayate’s allusion later in the thread that “damage taken by the Corpse King is transferred to him” was a nice gesture to let Nosdyn in, but you should find a way to introduce that tidbit out of the gate, or communicate with each other via PM/GoogleDoc/Facebook/carrier pigeons.

Character: 15,15 /30

Communication- 5,4 /10

Both of you struggled with each other’s actions, or lack thereof. The responses came fast and furious, but it felt like two people writing different stories, rather than a cohesive encounter that you both were enjoying. It’s too bad; I like both of your writing quite a bit and know you’re both capable of a great deal more.

Nosdyn, there are times when your character says way too much. The time it takes to articulate multiple sentences is often underestimated in a battle, where a fraction of a second is super critical.

Hayate, it felt like your character was struggling to be a realistic character. You have all these shadow figures around that attack the city, but it’s unclear if that saps your energy. The Yamato/Corpse King character seems invincible at first and then becomes your weakness, even though he’s largely just a visage. Your character could be much more interesting if you add some more vulnerability to him rather than focusing on making him ultra powerful in character.


Action- 5,6/10

This was one of the stronger categories, although as I’ve mentioned the pacing struggled a little bit with the overall activity level of the thread. There was no animosity in this battle, which was interesting when two characters engage in a death match.

Nosdyn, I really liked that you didn’t close attacks and had some creative ideas, not simply hacking and slashing at your opponent. You were on the nose a bit with how slow Nosdyn is relative to his power.

Hayate, your character has some nice depth here with a little Japanese vibe, very similar to some of the thematic elements that Shinsou offers. There was a lot of action that you offered here to make things exciting, but it wasn’t extremely well connected. The shadow crew seemed to become a bit abandoned along the way, which was odd.

Persona- 5,5/10

Both characters are unique and have a really interesting vibe to them. I like Nosdyn’s complete dispassion, although it certainly feels like he could use a shot of humanity to make him a little more relatable. Hayate also has a cool vibe about him, but more time was spent talking about what he’s capable of than focusing in on who he is and what really makes him tick.

This isn’t a thread that lends itself to really developing persona. You don’t get penalized or rewarded; it is what it is.

Prose: 14,15 /30

Mechanics- 4,4 /10

This was the weakest category for both of you, and frankly a “4” is being a little generous. It was very obvious that these posts were not carefully proofread, as I struggled to find any posts from either of you that was totally clean. Specifically, Hayate needs to do much better in formatting spacing and construction of thoughts relative to normal text. Nosdyn had a large number of incomplete sentences.


Clarity- 5,5/10

This was a reasonably strong category for you both, although I had to go back a couple times to format my thoughts on each character. Nosdyn’s activities were rarely ambitious, and some of his activities were questionable; why was he slashing at the building when it’s clear he’d be strong enough to climb? Hayate did a nice job of clarifying Yamato, the voice in his head, from the main character. Conversely, I think all the moving pieces in Hayate’s posts made understanding some of it a bit unnecessarily complex.


Technique- 5,6 /10

I won’t dock you both again on this as I already hammered on poor spelling and mechanics problems. There wasn’t much in the way of metaphor, foreshadowing, or allusion here, although Hayate’s allusion to some Althanian lore with other characters and regions got him an extra point.

Wildcard: 5,5 /10

It seemed like a fun thread that took a turn at some point and went a little off the rails. The post rate implies some rushed writing. Having fun is a big part of Althanas, so I hope you enjoyed this ride and learn from some easy-cleaned mistakes.


Final Score: 46,48 /100

Hayate Wins!

Nosdyn receives:

300 EXP!
40 GP!

Hayate receives:

1000 EXP!
80 GP!


Congratulations!