Round Two: (11) The Grander's Order v (19) Two Horns and a Furball

[Max Dirks]

Round two will begin Friday, May 19th at 12 AM EST. Good Luck!

[Falcon Darkflight]

Canen was considering himself extremely lucky to be physically able to stand on top of Lornius's easternmost range, the Shingo mountains, only just fully recovered from his wounds. He had been spending a good few of his interval days after his encounter with the vicious Tarry Whealer and his meeker partner Nathaniel holed up in his sheltered training spot in the 'Shingos', clutching his stomach in agony and pounding his fist into the eroded rock like a madman most mornings at the pain of his illness. It had seemed that the blood that had been thrown in his face from last round had contained snake venom despite his previous reservations, a toxin which had surprisingly had an effect on his already poisonous blood, perhaps causing a volatile reaction or something, causing him to be ill after the end of the fight. The conclusion of that round had also been hazy, for all he remembered was using his Black Widow magic in an attempt to paralyse Tarry before the vampire had knocked him out with a massive ki blast. As if the blast had hit him again, Canen clutched his aching shoulder tightly within his pale hand, running his smooth fingers underneath his crimson shirt to feel the immensely rough texture of the now healed burn. How had he won the fight? And where the hell was Raelyse?

Canen's eyes poured over the sloping grasslands to the east, towards the fabled pagoda complex, as he pondered these thoughts. The light evening breeze drifted through his long, jet black tasselled hair and bristled against his unshaven face, and it seemed to soothe him just a little. However, it had been three days since he had last heard from his partner, the last time being just after the end of the battle when the prince had carried (more like dragged) the Nocturn's battered and unconscious body from the chapel to be healed, and also so Raelyse could have a private shouting match with him for letting his guard down before he put on a smiley face for the healers of the Lornius Corporation Challenge tournament. It seemed to be too much effort for the arrogant prince to accompany his partner to Lyridia medical facility to check on him, but what had irritated the Nocturn even more was that the medical staff had failed to spot the poison in his system. It was one of many examples of his luck. Or, with more accuracy, lack of it.

Canen's emerald eyes were then attracted to a gliding black shape on the scarlet sun-kissed horizon, a lone dark vessel of his named Lothrain that had served him throughout the era of the Ghost Hand Order. The crow's wings beat down hard on the air and eventually the messenger bird spotted his destined target atop the far east slopes of the Shingo range, and with the grace of a dove swooped down and dropped a sealed scroll of parchment from the air straight into his cross-legged lap. It seemed to be sealed with a rough maroon wax crest, one Canen instantly recognised as an Order emblem, and signed with Raelyse's insignia. At least he's bothered to contact me... he mumbled internally, using the tip of The Valiance to cut the seal and unfolding the parchment inbetween his thin fingers.

Canen, you had better be well enough to fight.. Canen read to himself slowly, uttering a sigh. "An optimistic start, as usual.." He muttered sarcastically. The Nocturn well knew that he shouldn't have expected a warm reception from his partner, he just simply wouldn't get one. He read the rest of the letter quickly without much interest, noting only the important parts of it and not the three paragraph rant about his glorious first round victory. Our opponents this round are Dared Draskin and Leon Timyon...choose an arena and send Lothrain back with a message. He knows where I am...

A short horseback ride from the base of Shingo range later, courtesy of the Lyridian town merchants and the small amount of gold he had bothered to bring with him from Corone, and Canen was stood at the gates of the pagoda complex that had snared his interest whilst residing on his mountaintop retreat. He had already sent Lothrain with a message back to Raelyse, informing him of the meeting time and place, and had decided to scout the area before battle commenced. This new place was large indeed, about the size of a football field both in area and height. A citadel wall that peaked at thirteen metres in height all around completely enclosed the estate in a square perimeter and bore metre long black spikes that ran atop the brickwork, preventing intruders from entering from anywhere else but the heavy iron gates. These twelve metre tall barred doors, however, were ajar and unwatched, abandoned so it seemed and allowed people to walk in and out completely unhindered. Following on from the gate was a single narrow gravel path lined with eroded cobblestone borders and surrounded by large 'blocks' of grass, leading up to the heart of the complex some distance away which seemed to be marked by the tallest pagoda he had ever seen, surrounded by the rubble and debris of similar strucures that had obviously fallen to ruin since their construction. It stood roughly a towering eighty metres in height, with six tiers constructed of a mixture of wood and plaster, a very fragile concoction for a building so tall. This surpised Canen; he was vaguely aware from reading old material in the Corone libraries that most of the old pagodas had been burned down or had simply collapsed, yet this particular one seemed so fragile and had survived for what appeared an age.

The Nocturn paced through the 'inviting' entrance of the complex and up the gravel path, observing the flattened buildings to his sides that lay just past the grassed areas. He noted quietly to himself with a small amount of suprise that some of these structures weren't, or didn't seem to be, pagodas at all. They were a lot smaller and according to his calculations by looking at the red and gold painted debris only had one tier to them, of which was probably quite small. There were also remenants of clothing, mouldy food supplies and even small sidearms such as sacrificial daggers and musket pistols, most completely ruined by either weathering or the actual collapse of the structures, and the fact that such items could only be seen lying about the ruins of the structures that Canen suspected to be the one tier buildings made him believe that this place wasn't what it seemed.

These smaller ones look like barracks or domitories... He observed, as he passed the final row of ruins before the one standing pagoda. Could this have been a military installation?

It was then he reached the ground floor tier of the main pagoda. He looked up in awe at the sheer size of the thing, each of the six tiers must have been about thirteen and a half metres tall each at least, with only two windows per floor. The six floors were painted in a scarlet red and shining gold decor externally, with traditional oriental sloping red tiled balconies. The building itself was based on a square design all the way round, just like most of the old pagodas in Lornius that he had read about, but for some reason there was something different about this one...the Nocturn firmly placed a pale hand on the brass handle of the heavy oak door leading into the building and opened it with a quick twist of his wrist.

The interior of the first floor was almost completely empty. The walls were a beige shade, constructed mainly of plaster and wood it seemed. The floorboards were varnished and smooth and partly covered by a square cut of red cloth that lay dead centre in the room, and from this Canen estimated that this building seemed thirteen metres in length and width wall-to-wall. A few kanji paintings that had been done in heavy black paint aghast a cream rice paper background hung from almost every wall, and there were golden statues of cats on the two adjacent window ledges, completely covering the white sill. Other than these small observations, there seemed to be little else of interest on the ground floor and the Nocturn decided to use the dull room to meet with his partner before taking the battle upstairs.

Now, we wait. Wait for our glorious leader... He thought sarcastically, seating himself dead centre in the room.

[Raelyse]

While the lull period in between tournament rounds is boring for most, a select few take the time and use it to have as much fun as humanly possibly. The temporary popularity of the heroes who had succeeded in round one instantly sky rocketed, turning the most obscure names into household ones. And while some of the success stories shunned their new fame, others embraced it.

While Raelyse was quite famous before he entered the Lornius Corporation Challenge, he became all the more recognizable after his team's first round victory over the Blood Brothers. After dragging his comatose partner to Lyridia to ensure he would be fighting fit for the next round, the prince of Myrusia wasted no time in celebrating the first step of many on way to the final. The town was buzzing with excitement and the presence of one of the first round heroes was more than enough to drive whatever patron was lucky enough to house him crazy. Raelyse, being Raelyse milked the attention like a farmer three months behind on his mortgage.

Girls flocked to him, literally ready to open their shirts to him. He obliged them of course, relishing the inn's finest rooms, eating their finest food, drinking their finest wine and enjoying the company of the most pleasurable women in town. The people of Lyridia seemed to live for this tournament and their town transformed completely from the serene, peaceful country one to the buzzing group of fans that it was now. Raelyse was definitely one of the few participants that was easy on the eyes and this definitely added to his popularity, particularly with the lasses of this town. The best thing of all was they all showed him the respect that he felt that he deserved for the entirety of his life. From the night he had arrived to the night he left, he enjoyed some of the best times of his life.

It was on one such night that a dark messenger flew to the prince, perching itself on the window sill, a scroll firmly gripped in its talon. When Raelyse finished whatever it was he was doing, he approached the creature, knowing instantly what was happening. The next round would be starting soon and his partner needed him or he would not even come close to reaching the next stage. The parchment contained the location of the next battle, including details of how to use it to their advantage. Luckily for Raelyse, his partner had chosen this battlefield while the prince was busy interacting and fornicating. This sorted him just fine. These battles were merely formalities anyway, Raelyse had already seen the trophy with his name etched on it. It was only a matter of time before he lifted it for all to see. It was only a matter of time before he could introduce himself as Champion. And luckily for the prince, it was only a matter of time before his pleasurable company beckoned for him to return to complete his pre tournament exercise.

"Always important to warm up or I might strain something," the prince smirked to himself.

In the morning, Raelyse slipped on the clothes he had worn when he had entered the town. Besides sweat, nothing else had tainted what he had worn in the last battle. His jacket, boots and shirt looked as new as they were when he had first bought them, thanks to the girl he had encountered on his second night. His sword was polished, his rings looked even more expensive than before and his hair... well, it was perfection embodied thanks to the arduous hours he had to endure styling it. As his fingers wrapped around the doorknob, a voice from the bed caused him to pause, his attention turning back to it.

"When will you be back?" a tired voice said.

Raelyse laughed softly to himself, pushing his long silver hair behind his ears. His blue eyes stared at her, his lips slowly twisting into a confident smirk. "Tell you what, next time... I'll bring the LCC trophy to our next 'encounter.'" The girl chuckled, Raelyse laughed and before she could lift her head off the soft pillow, the prince was gone.

The journey to the battlefield was quick and relatively painless, thanks to the presence and gift of another one of Raelyse's Lyridian companions. She had even opted to join him on the short trip there, claiming that she knew the way perfectly. While her brother drove the cart, she sat with the prince in the back of the carriage, trying her best to ensure that Raelyse did not get bored on what was for the brother at least, a relatively long journey.

But when they did arrive, it was with a forlorn heart that the prince departed the carriage. As much as it pained him, he knew that the lips that hid beneath that mass of blonde hair would be welcoming him when he returned the next time. And with his well earned break, he definitely foresaw that there would be a next time. So, after blowing a kiss to his would-be lover, the prince watched as the carriage roared back, zooming back towards Lyridia.

Raelyse had not paid much attention to the journey here, so he was genuinely shocked when he saw the battlefield that Canen had chosen. It was an enormous structure, seeming to cut into the heavens themselves. The suprise only lasted for a moment though, before he flicked his hair backwards and styling it for a moment and walked through the giant gates, left ajar. He adjusted his clothing on the way inside, slowly beginning to notice the creases that were beginning to form there. Raelyse raised his right hand to wipe a bead of sweat from his cheek and smiled when he saw the red mark on it, indicating that his special friend had left a present for him. A red marking of her lips lay there, obvious for all to see.

Unfortunately, the prince did not waste more time deciding to admire and feel even more pride for himself, because the door to enter the enormous pagoda lay open for him to enter. He felt that at this moment, he was more excited to see what mistake his partner had committed and to see what foolish place he had taken him to, this time.

"Canen," Raelyse said even before entering. "Feeling better?"

Only a tinge, just a little bit of sarcasm in that statement.

[Falcon Darkflight]

All around him, Canen could feel the icy cold aura of sarcasm tainting his very being as his 'too good for you' counterpart strolled through the door like an aristocrat entering a slum, looking round in false digust at the surroundings as if to condescend the Nocturn, who had chosen the arena. It was a well known factoid that Salidan was a veteran in making people feel small, uneasy about themselves and eventually feel plunged into that awful feeling of just not feeling good enough to do anything in comparison to him. However, Canen just wasn't buying it. The Nocturn sat cross legged in the centre of the room and didn't even get to his feet to welcome his partner. He still felt frustrated at Raelyse's selfish gesture at the end of the first round, where his short period in the medical facility in Lyridia was being spent by Raelyse covorting with god knows who, god knows where. In fact, he didn't even want an explanation. It would probably only spurn a row.

"Yes, much better." The Nocturn replied with as much of a put on tone as physically possible to signify his annoyance at the lack of respect he had been shown. "Did you have fun yourself?"...you selfish piece of shit... he finished internally, deciding to house his anger at the self righteous Prince of Myrusia rather than spoil the atmosphere surrounding their first round victory.

Whether or not he was right at being angry at his partner was now completely irrelevant anyway: they had a job to do, and a tough one at that. The red and black-robed warrior decided to raise to his feet at last, and upon the polished wooden floor of the grand pagoda he swung his now unsheathed Valiance with great fluidity, drawing to his left and right as he turned, lashing out to strike an imaginary enemy. He made no sounds at all as he practiced away to himself, but simply made a series of facial expressions that told he was focusing his every effort into his blade, seemingly entranced in his 'whirling dervish' training rituals. His sword, from the moment he had dragged it like a crucifix over his shoulder as a little boy from the ashes as Nocturnis burned to the ground, to the moment he had unsheathed it in the massive pagoda complex in the second round of the Lornius Corporation Challenge, had remained an artifact to him. There was nothing he cared for more in this world, not even himself. Not flesh, nor bone, nor nerve, for these things were perishable and would never last. No. It was his undying love for the ideals his tutor Ardemis had taught him. It was his ceaseless faith and belief in himself, despite the cruel words of Asmodeus during his capture in his younger days. Even more so it was the immortal hope that Gideon was still alive. All of these things combined gave Canen a sword that no one could see or touch. They gave him an inner power he could channel into that weapon that had accompanied him for so long to cut down his enemies, and pave a path for him to walk down.

The draught from the open door blew against the Nocturn's robes and billowed Canen's black hair about like sheets to the wind as he stopped his motions and rested, satisfied he was back to form after that bout of poisoning.

"So, where have you been anyway? You leave me in the hands of Lyridia's worst medical staff and sod off somewhere for the resting period without even the basic courtesy to contact me. Come to think of it, don't bother answering that. It would only put me in a bad mood..."

[Artifex Felicis]

The newly grown fur on the cat boys arms and legs began to itch him as he explored the streets for the umptenth time, looking for something to do. The first round or the Lornius Corporate Challenge had finished, the famous two on two tournament that made many famous. In Leon's case, his first round was a one on one, pitting him against a man he both respected and admired. Of course, Leon managed to etch away a victory in the end, if anything than simply because Logan collapsed partway through the battle, unable to continue. After making sure that he wouldn't stab the cat boy in the back, Leon took him, bringing him a short while to a nearby place where he could rest and recover from whatever ailed him. It was the least he could do for someone who didn't take him at face value.

Shop after shop passed by his sight. Wands, swords, girls, armor and many other things besides all shone from behind the paned glass. The town obviously survived only from the business it must get during this time from tourists wishing to watch the tournament. How Leon couldn't fathom. In every tournament he had ever been in, there was only one fight that ever had an audience, the finals of the Magus Cup. He turned, his fuzzy tail following him as he stepped inside one of the few places where there wasn't so many people discussing the tournament that Leon couldn't think about more important factors. Like where he would be able to buy some meat without getting strange looks or wondering how far Team Circus would go.

When he was asked the question the first time, when he was coming out of the room he slept in, and revealed his ignorance, Leon was immediately thrust to a table, given a drink, and told of almost everything going on about the tournament. There was many names that flouted through the air, some of them the grandmaster was able to catch and recognize. Sivienna Mizami for one, from a long time ago, his own and Logan's, as well as Tarry Wheeler. The last one he had never met, but had simply ended up not fighting and going onto the third round of the Magus cup because of. He interrupted the man in his rant about some strange creature called Chumley, asking him about his partner. The man promptly said he didn't know anything, calling him a coward for not going to the battlefield with his partner and fighting Logan. He managed to get away from the man soon after, thankful that he wasn't recognized as one of the winners of the first round. Not that it would have done much, his kind were in the minority now, and not many of the girls looked towards him for that long. It didn't help that his team was one of the worst ranked teams in the entire tournament.

There was a buzz in the cat boy's ear, and he sctratched the large furry appendage on the side of his head until he realized that it meant something important for once. He listened carefully, though his efforts were in vain, a few minutes later one of the townspeople came into the bookstore, talking in rather loud voices about how the locations of the next round of battles was decided. Leon listened closely, as the man, speaking in a constantly louder voice that there was one rather close to where this town was, and that it was only an hour or two walkaway. His tail swished in delight as he went back to his book. He found out everything he needed for his next battle and did it with a cup of chai tea in his hand and a book in the other. Not a bad highlight to his day.

A few days later, his things packed and everything ready for the battle as he came close to the doorway of the battlefield. It was exactly as he heard it described. A huge fortress-like placement. He opened the door, unsure of what to expect. Most of the rumors about the place stopped there describing the wall with the huge spikes on top and the door. He stopped outside the large doors, settling in almost. He had a good enough vantage point of the one time military base, and if anything he could plan his raiding of what should be some expensive stuff in a few of the buildings left over.

[DeeDee]

((Continued from my profile))

DeeDee hurtled through the portal, air swooshing by his sides as he plummeted towards the ground below. The portal that he had decided to enter was located high above the native Althanian soil, much to the demon's dismay. DeeDee smashed head-first into the top of a tree, shattering it's nose. It tumbled backwards off a branch, torpedoing towards the ground once more. It's back cracked with a thud as it landed, and the demon fell unconscious.

DeeDee had landed on the isle of Lornius, where the tournament, The Lornius Corporation Challenge, was preparing to get underway. Specatators who were filing into the island to watch the spectacular matches had heard DeeDee's unfortunate fall, and they immediately got medics to the scene. DeeDee was taken to the nearest medical center, and promptly treated. It was promptly informed of the bill for fixing his back, and DeeDee responded, "Bill? DeeDee doesn't pay anyone." The medics laughed heartily, but stopped when they noticed that the demon wasn't kidding.

"You're paying up," they said. "If you don't, there are things we can do to you that only doctors know about." They laughed again. DeeDee, sensing they were serious, replied: "Okay, okay, is there something DeeDee can do to pay off this..." he shuddered, "debt."

The medics conferred, then said, "We can enter you into the Lornius Corporation Challenge, and you can hope you end up winning it." They grinned. "Or else."

DeeDee grimaced softly, as its back still hurt. "When will DeeDee be able to start this... challenge?" it wondered.

"It starts tomorrow," they answered, "but you are not fit to move for at least four or five days. You'll just have to hope that your partner can win the first round." DeeDee groaned, and plopped its head back on the pillow. It would need a huge stroke of luck at this point.

Was this such a great idea...? it wondered.

*********************************************

Five days later, DeeDee emerged from the medical center better than ever. It had been given the exciting news that its partner, Leon Timyon, had been successful in the first round, and that the second round would be commencing shortly. It would have to hurry so that it wouldn't be late. After all, it had a debt to pay off.

As it stood before the huge open steel doors, DeeDee was an ant. It peered through the entryway, and noticed that it was an open area with a few people standing in it. It would have to figure out which one was its ally, Leon Timyon, and which were its targets.

Best I go in with a bang, than to leave with one, DeeDee thought.

DeeDee marched through the entryway triumphantly. "DeeDee here and ready for action," it crooned. "Who's ready to fall to my mighty power?"

[Raelyse]

As the prince continued to pace up and down the strangely cubic shape of the room, he could not help but wonder. What was with Lornius? In his previous battle, their battlefield had been strangely symmetrical as well and this one was completely cubical. Although he was no intellectual, Raelyse could easily see that the length of the room was equal to its height, which served as a horribly annoying reminder of his school days. His last arena had been a facade for an alcohol storage facility and with that still fresh in his mind, he speculated that this might be something along these lines. If it was, good luck to his opponents. The prince knew that they must be near by now and Canen would have no doubt chosen this place because of some advantage that it gave to them. Raelyse was happy in knowing that at least some of his traits, the more useful ones, were being inherited by his subordinate.

"Where have I been?" the prince replied mockingly to his partner. He cocked his head back and laughed a hearty laugh. His feet had taken him to the opposite end of the room, to the staircase. The prince peeked up it in a lecherous manner, as if he were looking up a girl's skirt, before he turned his head back, revealing the cheek that still had the imprint of a pair of large red lips on it. He raised his left hand and extended the index finger, pointing to it. "I've been getting horribly drunk, beating up orphans and masturbating. What the hell do you think I've been doing?"

Raelyse tapped his cane loudly on the first step before pushing his body up. The staircase wasn't that long and although they looked weathered, the steps looked as if they were stable enough to climb. Now that he knew what to do, he turned his head back to his partner, a smirk crossing his smug face. "Hurry up, I can sense them coming already." In reality, the prince did not feel such a thing at all. Then, when he brought the idea up, he did. Using his affinity with the element of lightning, he felt the electrical energies of not one, but two beings pulse through the air. Both were outside and making their way in.

"Canen," he whispered, softly. "Blast the door. Now."

Instantly, he quickened his pace and moved as fast as he could up the stairs and into the next room. Raelyse only hoped that his underhanded tactic had managed to at least soften up his opponents for the battle ahead. In this tournament, all that mattered would be that he won. He didn't care how he did it, he just wanted what he deserved. Is that so wrong? His ears perked and vibrated slightly as he heard the sound of an opponent declaring his arrival. No doubt he would be on the receiving end of one of Canen’s attack not long after he closed his wide mouth. Perhaps the only trait that came close to rivaling Raelyse’s narcissism was his hypocrisy, especially when he claimed that he hated people talking or bragging.

As soon as Falcon sprinted up behind him and into the next room, the prince of Myrusia instantly activated his next power, the command over the element of water. He focused his energy and moved all the water vapor in the staircase and door area into the entrance of the second floor room, consolidating it and twisting it into the shape of the door. He then froze it into solid ice, six inches thick, effectively, if temporarily sealing off the entrance to the second floor.

"Now..." Raelyse panted softly, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "You going to tell me why you picked this place?"

The prince inadvertently began to pace around the room, which he noticed was exactly the same shape as the one directly below it. Except this one's floor was covered from the entrance to the next staircase by tiles, each perfect squares and aligned perfectly. A few were chipped, but the majority were perfect, if a little dusty. As he walked around, Raelyse suddenly felt a sudden jerk in his posture. He nearly tripped, but managed to recover, only to find a nasty surprise waiting for him. One of the tiles that his cane had landed on has sunk into the ground, as if it were a button triggering... a trap.

Instantly, a large iron grated door fell from the ceiling in front of the entrance to the next staircase, presumably to the third floor, sealing it with a loud bang. It completely covered it, meaning even the skinniest of Raelyse's special friends would be unable to squeeze through. It was also the same size as the door, meaning that it would be almost impossible to lift.

"Okay," the prince said. His posture turning to face his partner, the smirk slowly starting to fade as anger rushed to his face.

"Fuck what I said before. You're going to tell me why you picked this place."

(Bunny Approved by Falcon.)

EDIT: OOC tag sucks.

[Falcon Darkflight]

Eyes radiant and familiar in shadow, flaring and strange in the inadequate light of the stairwell of the pagoda’s first floor, Canen greeted Raelyse’s request with a simple nod of the head. Already halfway up the staircase he turned with the urgency and ferocity of a cornered hyena and outstretched a pale hand towards the room in which their two opponents had finally entered. He had barely even glimpsed at them, but knew that their presence alone was enough to signal that the beginning of the fight was now, and there was no room for error or timewasting.

The Dark Matter orb twisted and rolled like a ball in his hand, pulsating and humming with an eerie low pitched tone, and crackled as the small electrical and gravitational field holding it together finally reached a state of stability. He cradled it gently, much like a father would cradle a newborn child, before slamming his palm forwards to force the energy quickly out of his hands. A whizzing sound erupted from the orb followed by a ringing crash as the orb impacted somewhere near the entrance to the pagoda, sending a cloud of plaster and splintered wood shooting into the air. It may not have been an offensive, but any kind of delay or distraction was good enough for him.

As soon as the Nocturn heard his Dark Matter orb crash into the doorway, he turned tail and followed the Grander up the creaking wooden stairs to the first floor. His first observation, as he came to a standstill next to his partner, was that the room was identical in shape, size and space to the one below. The floorboards were no longer so, but instead a set of perfectly aligned and symmetrical square wooden tiles, some of which were raised slightly above others. Purposely, so it seemed.

“This place, my good friend…” Canen started, not daring to move an inch forwards without the re-assurance of his partner. “…used to be a militia training facility. However, what I noticed on the way in here was that there appeared to be an entire installation, not just a sparring building. All of the levelled buildings and derricks outside still have small arms and supplies sticking out of them, unclaimed and abandoned…”

He followed Raelyse’s pace around the room, and then stopped in his tracks as an iron grated door quickly sealed off the entrance to the next stairwell. He peered over inquisitively towards his partner, who was in turn peering down at his cane. One of the tiles was sinking into the floor, a pressure pad which had triggered the ‘trap’.

“Should be an interesting fight, eh Raelyse?” He sarcastically stated. “Watch where you are stepping. Remember, this place was used to train militia…”

[Artifex Felicis]

The silence was deafening as Leon and his partner moved ahead, with the grandmaster a few steps ahead of his taller companion. The demon, for the cat boy really couldn't think of any other races he could be, seemed imposing, but also not at all like he had heard from Logan in his match beforehand. Taking a grain of salt along with what he said, Leon believed the demon that Logan was trying to find and kill in order to save Althanas from spiraling into doom was different in someway.

"Scarier," Leon muttered aloud, opening the door to the rather large and imposing building where he had heard his opponent's would show up. Unless they were already there, then the cat boy would be in hot water if they were low enough to strike without so much as a hello. He stopped before the door, oblivious to whatever his partner was doing as he picked out gravel from in between his toes and where it stuck to the bottom of his feet. It didn't hurt, but he could still feel it though the thick pads of his bare paws whenever he took a step.

Somewhere in his mind the cat boy did not belive that this demon guy, whose name he still didn't know, was really his partner. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, it's just that he still hadn't even spoken to him yet. If he would help him win the tournament, then that was just fine. He would have preferred to do the tournament with someone he knew a bit better, but somehow most of them were busy around this time as it was. That and some of his friends, those that could actually fight and wouldn't object, weren't even on the same continent as him at the time also hurt.

He opened the door quickly, his eyes widening in shock as he did so. His eyes ha quickly scanned the room, settling in on someone leaving and going upstairs, not before a rather scary ball of magic began to come towards Leon. He slipped into the building quickly, the force of the flying magical attack grazing the cat boy slightly on his side as he did so. It felt as though his skin was being pulled off of him as he did so, then resettling on his face. The pain was akin to being slapped by a strong girl, painful but it quickly went away quickly thankfully.

His anger flared for a moment as he swore under his breath, though it passed a moment later. It was a tournament, and if doing cheap, dirty underhanded tactics won it then the millions of people who adored you probably wouldn't care. He remembered a saying that was close to what it meant, but it escaped him for the movement. Not that it mattered now, there was a battle to fight, a silly grin plastered itself on the cat boy's face. Hunting was one of his secret pleasures, and it wasn't often he got to do it to humans legally.

[DeeDee]

When it was apparant that the demon's message had not been recieved, DeeDee sighed. He had intended to make a bigger splash into his first adventure, and naturally failed. The incompetent demon flexed his hands as he marched forward to meet with its partner, Leon Timyon. DeeDee could tell that the feline standing before him was his partner, because there were no others around. DeeDee assumed that they were already inside the building. Leon dashed towards the door, and DeeDee followed suit, although with less urgency. He had enough experience with suspicious situations from sneak attacks in his own world to understand that their opponents meant to mess with the duo in their entrance. The demon intended to let the catboy know this, but Leon had already entered the building.

Crap, the demon murmured to himself, awaiting the inevitable. Suddenly, a burst of energy blasted through the open door, and the demon rolled off to the side, growling softly. "If this is their cowardly method of attack," the demon began, charging through the entryway, "then DeeDee says we kick the shit out of them!" Without losing much time, the demon charged for the stairs off to the side, and hurtled up the steps. If the demon had been looking in front of him rather than down at his feet the entire time, he may have noticed the ice barrier that barred his way. Instead, DeeDee charged straight into the frigid wall, and he immediately shuddered before slumping to the ground.

*****

"Son, do you know what this is?" DeeDee's father came into view, holding in his hand a piece of lava rock that he had obtained from the many volcanoes surrounding the town. DeeDee, wearing a confused look, nodded and replied,

"Yeah. That's a lava rock, which we use for everything. It's essential to the life of a Baclavian Demon."

His father nodded, and smiled. He then reached up into one of his bookcases, and pulled out a tattered, dusty book. He opened it to one of the pages, which revealed a ragged picture of an icicle. "Now, do you know what this is?"

Still not understanding the point, the demon replied, "Yes. That is an icicle, representing the power of ice and the fatal things that it can inflict upon a Baclavian Demon. Any who come into contact with the cold nature of ice will grow weaker and weaker, until they finally collapse of exhaustion."

His father smiled. "You have done your homework, son. What you don't know, however, is the connection between the two. In worlds beyond this one, some people have the power to wield fire, and the power to wield ice. Many have done wonderful things with these powers, while others have used those powers for the worst imaginable reasons. Make sure that you do not align yourself with those terrible creatures."

DeeDee nodded. "What're the chances of DeeDee leaving this world anyway," he joked, laughing. When he saw the look on his father's face, his immediately changed as well. "Wait a minute..." he said.

"I am staying on this world my entire life... aren't I?"

[Falcon Darkflight]

When Canen had ascertained that the ice blockade Raelyse had summoned forth had served its short lived purpose, he motioned for his partner to accompany him across the trap ridden floorboards to the opposite side of the room. A strong pine scent rose from the wooden floor, somewhat reminding the Nocturn of the same light odour often experienced in Concordia forest during the summer months, the rare period of time where he could actually relax and enjoy himself. Yet even with this somewhat warm and delightful smell the persistent stale stench of must could still be smelt over the top and quickly reminded Canen he was not in his favourite retreat, but instead in the midst of a death-trap complex.

Although usually inoculated against being caught out, Canen found that his next step was to be more painful than he thought. He felt the floorboard beneath his sole sink with even the slightest of pressure, and before he could react a six inch metal spike shot out of the ground next to his left foot, slashing the flesh on his ankle without penetrating the skin. He let out a startled cry and clutched his wound with his right hand, leaping off the pressure pad switch in an instant and landing on what appeared to be a safe portion of the floor.

"Raelyse, I'm getting irritated of being here now..." He growled in a deep, clearly agitated voice, watching the spike slowly retract into the floor and feeling the sharp pain burn in his foot. The thud of his opponents body outside sounded with a muffled thump, the ice barrier still apparently up and running, and the Nocturns emerald eyes flickered over to watch the silhouette of the demon slump to the floor. "Wait a minute...there's no way he was knocked out so badly by running into that..."

Perhaps it was the ice element that did it... He mused. Canen observed, leaning on the left hand wall for balance as the barrier began to melt in front of his eyes, the water cascading in spent torrents down the surface of the crumbling ice to form rigid cold puddles on the floor of the staircase. He noticed there were quite a few large gaps forming in the barrier now, and both members of the other team were awaiting entry to the floor, even if the demon one seemed to be partially unable to fight. Canen quickly, using his right shoulder to lean against the left hand wall, brought both of his hands forward and outstretched. The temperature surrounding the floor began to drop quickly, each breath the warriors took steaming in clouds of vapour as the sharp ice particles of Needle Tempest began to form in the air, twirling and glistening even in the somewhat dull light the pagoda had to offer. He thrust his palms forward and with this motion a cloud of small icy needles shot forward, propelled by a sudden gust of wind towards the half melted doorway. Hopefully, the needles would shoot through the gaps in the crumbling barrier and either strike or further hinder the opponents, but most of all Canen wanted to see if the ice would harm the demon who was slumped on the stairwell.

[Raelyse]

"Well done once again," the prince mocked sarcastically. He could hardly resist throwing his head of long silver hair backwards and letting out a loud, raucous cackle. Fortunately, he managed to hold it in and instead decided to opt for the next best thing. Lifting up his sleeved hands, he began to slowly clap his two hands together loudly, the sound echoing throughout the two floors. That confident, patronizing, condescending smirk stayed glued to his face, never even seeming to shift in the slightest. Almost as if he were performing a dance, the prince of Myrusia then shook his head from side to side, almost coordinating the clapping with the slow shaking of his head.

"Look out Raelyse," he said in a mocking tone, trying to imitate his partner's gruff tone in the most comical manner possible. "There are traps... OH LOOK! There's a trap. Let's step on it."

When Falcon spoke of his annoyance at this situation, the prince merely smiled back, knowing that enough had been said. When it was all said and done, he had a partner here. If he wanted to make fun of him, there would be plenty of time for that after they won. For now, they would have to finish their enemies, starting with that funny looking creature.

"You know," the prince said softly underneath his breath to his partner. "I think that one's an idiot. I say we kill him first, and then throw his charred corpse to his partner."

Before Raelyse could ready an attack of his own however, he heard the sound of something rush by his ears and noticed that Falcon had launched an assault of his own. He allowed his smirk to soften into a smile, at last this team was learning to be ruthless. It would be the only way that they would advance from round to round, there was no room for the nice and the meek in a competition such as this. And Raelyse wanted to win.

"What the fuck you trying to do? Tickle him?" mocked the prince, describing in what his eyes was, a pitiful attack from Falcon. He would show him how the Grander's Order would defeat their enemies. Quick, but also in the most painful manner possible, not through firing oversized toothpicks.

Channeling the power of the rings that he wore on each of his hands, Raelyse began to feel their power pulse through his veins, weakening before eradicating the curse that afflicted his right leg and made it both awkward and difficult for him to stand without his walking aid. Within a few seconds, he was standing upright, balancing perfectly on both of his feet. "Hold this," he said slowly, that smirk starting to form larger than ever on his face. "Now, Falcon... I'm going to show you why I have this," Raelyse rose his right hand and pointed to the imprint of the lips that was still on his cheek. "And all you have is that," without looking back at his partner, the prince moved his finger and pointed at Falcon's crotch.

By now, every morsel of his energy was focused on the task ahead. He intended to eliminate his enemy now, without leaving so much as ashes for the next unlucky occupants of this pagoda. Raelyse raised both of his hands to his eye level and slowly began to twiddle and twitch every single one of his fingers. At first, he did it at a slow pace but gradually he increased the speed until they were nothing but blurs. His electricity powers began to invoke themselves, his powerful magicks coursing through his body at incredible speed. From his back, all throughout his torso and then forcing themselves through his fingertips.

"DIE!"

That simple word was accompanied by a quick thrust forward of both of his hands, every single one of his fingers out stretched and pointing towards the demon, whether he had risen or not. Electric sparks jumped off his fingertips as the prince used every ounce of willpower to restrain the powerful thunderbolts that were mere millimeters from thrusting forward. With a sudden jolt, he adjusted his hands, changing his target completely.

A moment later, the thunderbolts erupted from his fingertips, propelling themselves towards the area where Raelyse had aimed there. His brilliant mind had pinpointed and chosen one place where he knew that his enemy could not hide, a place where they could not avoid.

The melted water from his icicle barrier which now flooded the entire staircase and possibly the first floor as well. And, my friend... water conducts electricity.

[Artifex Felicis]

With his partner hurrying on ahead, Leon stayed behind then. Instead of charging in blind, he decided to at least make sure neither of his two back stabbing enemies waited behind in the shadows for him. Not that it mattered, it was dim light, but more than enough to see that there were almost no hiding spots where they could be lying in wait. The cat boy rose slowly, his body still somewhat in pain from they magic strike thrown at him.

There was a thump, followed by a rather odd sound. He hurried to the stairs looking up to see a rather large block of ice ahead of him, melting far faster than the cat boy would have ever thought. Before that, lying on the floor as if he was dazed, his partner. Whatever sarcastic remark that the grandmaster was going to say to him was put out of his mind. The water on the ground was beginning to soak his feet. He stuck his tongue out in disgust, shuddering slightly at the thought of smelling his wet fur for the rest of the day.

He moved quickly, taking care not to get much of himself wet. Water was not one of his favorite things. Even washing up was an ordeal that he put himself through only when he needed too. Before he even came close to the demon, a volley of sharp spiky things shot out towards him, from the same person who ended up throwing the magic ball that made it feel as though his skin was ripping off. turning to the side was not enough to dodge many of the needles. They pierced into his shoulder with ease, one of them only stopped by a rib. It was a bitter sweet joy, as he only knew his lung wasn't punctured by one of the ice needles from the soft crack he heard.

He sucked air, staying upright and leaving the needles where they were. Enough of them were in him that if they were taken out, the blood from them would be far worse than the relatively minor pain they caused him now. He exhaled, growling as he saw his two prey through the large hole in the ice wall. It didn't matter that it was melting or that he was getting wet now, his prize was in sight. He took two steps quickly, making a leap with a small splash of water onto his partner's downed form, and then pounced forward. There was a flash in the air as he passed the almost nonexistent ice barrier. He aimed for the one with the shining palms, the one who looked like he just killed his partner.

[DeeDee]

The water swished and swirled around the demon's unconscious body, before actually pulling him with its flow down the stairs. The water level began to rise above the demon's nostrils, and before long, he was without air. Almost as quickly as he had fainted, DeeDee was up and conscious, sputtering and staring through the melting ice barrier at their opponents. Both of them stood facing the door, arming their next attacks at the demon and catboy. DeeDee couldn't help but swear under his breath at how his opponents had managed to pincer them in this funnel. The demon was certain that his rivals were thinking that this was too easy, and that they had the battle in hand. He was there to make sure that if he went down, it wouldn't be without a fight.

As soon as he noticed the next attack, flying needles that emitted a cold aura that DeeDee detested, the demon began to scratch the word "fire" into the air. He concentrated his mind into creating the word, to distract himself from the draining effect that the whizzing needles had on him as they flew by, shattering into the wall behind him. Before he could finish his spell, however, he felt a soft foot step on him from behind and heard a crackle in front of him. Before the demon could realize what had occured, his partner had leapt into the room, and the cascading water that was about as high as DeeDee's waist emitted a huge burst of energy as the electricity from Raelyse's spell struck it. In his last few moments, DeeDee could only manage but a single word:

"Asshole."

*****

"Elements have a huge impact on a lifestyle, DeeDee," his father continued. Fire and ice are opposites, as well as thunder and water. If you consider the hostility between citizens of the earth and citizens of air, you can connect their rivalry as well." His father paused, and drank a swig from his beer. "There is one thing you need to know about the elements. For each and every element, there is an opposite. When they are combined, they generate a neutralization reaction, because they despise each other. For example," his father said, "if you combine fire and ice," he took a small block of ice that he specially brought from his lab, and put it on the table. "...it will create a reaction and both elements will disappear." DeeDee conjured a fire bolt and aimed it at the ice block. With a loud hiss, steam poured from the connection, and before long, there was no trace of either element."

"Is it the same for each opposition?" DeeDee wondered, fascinated with the subject.

"A good question. But no," his father replied. "Each opposition has its own method of neutralization. You must discover each one in your own experience."

DeeDee nodded. He liked his lessons with his father, and took each one seriously. He wondered how he would experience all the elements if the only ones he had discovered in his world were fire and ice, but his father's expression was stuck in his mind. He couldn't figure out why his father had been so solemn, but he had the unfortunate feeling that it wouldn't be very long before he found out the truth behind the matter.

[Sighter Tnailog]

Battle Judging

The Grander’s Order v. Two Horns and a Furball

This had the makings of a battle that could have scored around a 65-70 per player, but due to its lack of real finishing (or even really taking off) it has scored much lower. This is no reflection, I think, on the quality of the players involved -- given a completed battle, I think you would have made a decent showing. But time and tides give everyone a bad hand, sometimes. In the end, the victory went to the ones who did the best with the time they had.

These scores are now FINAL, and will not be revised again. For anyone who got to see the amazing editing extravaganza that was the past three hours, congrats. That's history for you. And here's the judging.

The Grander’s Order

Falcon Darkflight

INTRODUCTION ~ 6.5. An interesting segue, although I was left a bit hanging on the arena selection. How does this occur? Do you pick the arena and then let tournament officials know? Why would the officials let a single person pick the arena, and a person who might be biased? How is the location of the arena transmitted to your opponents – it’s as if your character simply assumed that they would find out and act accordingly. However, while this assumption may be safe for you as a player, it wears thin for the character.
SETTING ~ 7. Excellent description of the setting. It is very rare that I feel I can see an arena in my mind’s eye, but this time I really could see it. I’m not giving full points, though, for two reasons. First, there wasn’t enough battle for me to see the arena being used in the way that I think necessary for a good setting, and second, your movements once inside the pagoda were hard to follow – it was sometimes difficult to figure out which floor you were on, what direction you were running, how the staircases operated, etc. Maybe this is a result of my sparse knowledge on pagoda architecture, but in the end it is the responsibility of the author to explain, not the reader to know.
STRATEGY ~ 5 I didn’t see much fighting, and therefore not a whole lot of strategy. I’m giving you the high score in this area (although only by half a point), because your character noted and attempted to make use of the idea that maybe…just maybe…DeeDee was vulnerable to ice.
WRITING STYLE ~ 6. You wrote well and were understandable. When I see that, I usually commit to at least a score of 5. However, you didn’t go as high as you could because I saw a lot of run-on sentences. Furthermore, some of your metaphors seemed a bit anachronistic. Describing something as the “size of a football field,” especially when done using free indirect discourse, is slightly out of place – how in the world does Canen know what a football field is? That sort of thing is acceptable for Chumley, maybe. Also, the use of the word “oriental” in describing architecture – do people in Althanas conceive of the “Orient” as a specific region with specific architecture? I think, in further writing on Althanas, you should consider using metaphors and diction that are drawn from examples within the Althanas world. That would help you greatly in this area.
RISING ACTION ~ 3. Since Rising Action is almost entirely contingent on what it rises into – a climax and a conclusion – it necessarily suffers when there is no climax nor conclusion.
DIALOGUE ~ 5. Nothing to really challenge, nothing to really praise. As a result, what can be given except a middle score? It does seem like what you say is tied into who your character is, but I still feel somewhat robbed. Work on making it…I don’t know…a bit more memorable. That doesn’t mean flashy or pretentious or contrived. But as it stands, I remember Raelyse and Artifex Felix and DeeDee through the things they said or thought, but Canen Darkflight doesn’t stand out as much.
CLIMAX ~ 0
CHARACTER ~ 5. My final comment on Dialogue is applicable here. I remember the other three players, their characters, and something of how they acted in the thread. But I had to continually reference the thread in order to remember Canen Darkflight. I don’t know how to give detailed responses on making this better, but I can see a good enough writer in you to make it better without my help. Make me remember.
CONCLUSION ~ 0
WILD CARD ~ 5.5. Neither a stellar nor a sub-par performance. I would have given it a 4, though, due to the lack of a conclusion, but let me tell you why I gave you more than that. Your character seemed to be thinking about Lornius -- what it is, how it is situated, how to describe and develop it. Since Lornius is one of the awards, I feel it's important to offer a bit of a prize to those who are already thinking about what they will do should they win that prize.
TOTAL ~ 43

Raelyse

INTRODUCTION ~ 8. Good work. I loved the way you described the whoring, the drinking, the reveling; that is true writing. You pulled together a length of time otherwise unaccounted for in a way that was interesting and seemed real, like it had happened and wasn't just a montage to pass the time. This is the sort of introduction I like to see.
SETTING ~ 5. See my complaints in Falcon Darkflight's scores, minus the good points. I gave a 5, though, because you did do some things with the trapped floor and the staircase door, but had you not done that you might have been as low as a three. Work on description!
STRATEGY ~ 4.5. You blocked the door. I suppose that's cool. But that was really all that happened. I gave you a small point boost over your opponents, however, because you also chose to have your character trip a switch that actually blocked his progress. That sort of sacrificial playing is in scarce supply on Althanas these days, but is as much a part of strategy as anything else.
WRITING STYLE ~ 8. You shone here. You're easy to follow, without glaring errors. Although your sentences can sometimes be clunky or overly long, it happens rarely, and you're definitely coming into your own. Keep up what you've been doing, and you've nowhere to go but up.
RISING ACTION ~ 3.5. I felt as though you did a better job in this, especially by heightening tension between not merely your opponents, but also your fellow participants. There seemed, in your work, more of a room for something beyond a mere battle. There was potential for growth, and so I’m edging you a bit above your competitors.
DIALOGUE ~ 7. Your dialogue really fits your character, but here's a qualm: is the cursing necessary? I'm certain Raelyse curses, but I wonder if there aren't better curses in Althanas than "Fuck." We have to use English because, well, that's what we use. But we sort of operate on the principle that English "stands in" for other languages unique to Althanas. I think putting in words that are too "English," and don't strive to give our writing an "Althanas" feeling, could be a disservice to your scores in this area.
CLIMAX ~ 0
CHARACTER ~ 7. What a jerk. Raelyse really does manage to be what he is, and you do a great job of describing it. I love the way your semi-third-person manages to excoriate him for what he is even as you portray his actions and words. But the improvements in Dialogue may help your character scores -- the two go hand-in-hand.
CONCLUSION ~ 0
WILD CARD ~ 5. This would be a 4, due to the lack of conclusion, climax, and effective rising action, but your character really makes me loath to do something like that. Keep being a bastard. And I use that English word in the nicest possible sense, you Son of Denebriel.
TOTAL ~ 48

TEAM SCORE ~ 45.5

Two Horns and a Furball

Artifex Felicis

INTRODUCTION ~ 7. A good job, although suffering from some of the same problems as Falcon. Why does Leon simply assume that the battle location he overhears is the one he should go to? However, I have given you a slight edge over Falcon because not all the problems were of your own making -- you were working with what was given you, not making it up from scratch. And you did as good a job of integrating yourself into a storyline with more in it than the battle in question, and that's to be praised.
SETTING ~ 4. I saw very little description of the setting. At one point, you seemed to be "taking in the battlefield," but you were doing it from a position which, according to Falcon's description, wouldn't have given you a good vantage point anyway. Also, Falcon consistently stressed the enormity of the pagoda, a fact which you (and Raelyse and DeeDee fall in this category too) overlooked. While I am sometimes inclined to forgive a lack of great description or uncertainty about the arena, in cases where it was as well-described as this I am less given to leniency.
STRATEGY ~ 4. There really wasn't a lot to compliment or to attack. You took a small hit and you ran. In the absence of really much strategy at all, and nothing particularly noteworthy, I'm gonna have to give you a 4.
WRITING STYLE ~ 5. You were understandable, but you used a lot of run-on sentences, misspelled in quite a few places, and were sometimes a bit clunky in your grammar and syntax. Keep working on mastering the English language, and you'll keep getting better.
RISING ACTION ~ 3. The comments I've made already should suffice.
DIALOGUE ~ 5.5. Roughly the same things I said to Falcon apply here. You just seemed a bit more...memorable...and I felt like your internal thinking was also more lucid, more thoughtful, more memorable.
CLIMAX ~ 0
CHARACTER ~ 5.5. Once again, see Falcon. I just thought you did better by the barest margin, but for the most part what I said to him applies to you too.
CONCLUSION ~ 0
WILD CARD ~ 4. You did well, but lacked that conclusion and climax that would have made it all hang together. And, unlike your opponents, you lacked any overridingly valuable or great thing that would encourage me to make it a 5 or a 4.5. Sorry, we all get hit sometimes.
TOTAL ~ 38

DeeDee

INTRODUCTION ~ 5. Although you made me laugh, it felt short and not very, well, connected. It felt like you were simply trying to get in, and how you did it didn't matter. Work on making your introduction more substantive. I wouldn't make it more heavy -- on the contrary, I think the lighthearted style made it worth something -- but maybe give it a bit more substance.
SETTING ~ 4.
STRATEGY ~ 4.
WRITING STYLE ~ 5. You were understandable, but at times I felt you'd slopped your work together just for the sake of getting it up. Don't interpret this as a call to more length, although maybe a little wouldn't hurt. What I'm asking more for is that you give it maybe a bit more effort.
RISING ACTION ~ 3.
DIALOGUE ~ 6. You made me smile, and your dialogue (especially internal dialogue) was well-suited to your character.
CLIMAX ~ 0
CHARACTER ~ 6. You were going places with your memories of your father. Wish I could have seen more of it. You also seemed to have a very, well...consistent character. He was himself, and that's not a bad thing to have.
CONCLUSION ~ 0
WILD CARD ~ 4. In places where I left no comments, it is because the comments I left on Artifex Felicis, Raelyse, and Falcon Darkflight should be able to properly elucidate what I feel helps most with the improving of writing. Pay attention to those comments and you'll get better.
TOTAL ~ 38

TEAM SCORE ~ 38

BATTLE WINNER: The Grander's Order

EXP REWARDS

Falcon Darkflight gains 372 EXP!
Raelyse gains 392 EXP!
Artifex Felicis gains 38 EXP!
DeeDee gains 38 EXP!

GP REWARDS

DeeDee and Artifex Felicis gain 200 GP each as a consolation prize.
Falcon Darkflight and Raelyse gain 50 GP each.

OTHER REWARDS

Falcon Darkflight, Raelyse, Artifex Felicis, and DeeDee each earn a small statue of a pagoda. From the Lornian Department of Tourism and Recreation, this cheap product can be sold -- for about 20 GP -- but is much more interesting as a souveneir.

[Thoracis]

Rewards Added!