Welcome to Radasanth...((Open))

[Abenaki]

Open Battle

Jada couldn’t remember the last time he had closed his jaw, or the last time his eyes hadn’t been wide with wonder. For two days now he’d been wandering, zigzagging up and down the labyrinth of streets and byways, exploring what seemed like every inch of this magnificent place…

HUGE! was the thought that came to mind most often as he explored. Never in his entire life had Jada seen or dreamed that this many people could exist in one place at the same time. They lived in huge structures of wood and stone that made the animal hide shelters of his people look tiny by comparison. The ground beneath his feet was covered in stones that had been purposefully set in place to mark the paths amongst the innumerable buildings that lined both sides of him…

“Omki!” Jada kept breathing aloud. ”Wake up!” for I must be dreaming. Yet it wasn’t a dream. It was real. The structures were real. The people, people who came in sizes, colors, and races that Jada could have never imagined, were real. It was like the entire world that he hadn’t even knew existed had gathered in one place in the four and a half months since he had left home. But enough open-mouthed wondering. Jada thought. There will be plenty of time for curiosity later…

“Alsoda.” Jada told himself aloud. It was time to go, for today was unlike the day before and the day before that. Today Jada had a goal.

In his two days wandering this wonderful place, Jada had slowly become aware of the fact that a great number of people seemed to move in one direction. Like a stream flowing along the stone pathways, these people paid little attention to what was going on to either side of them, and instead flowed towards the largest structure in sight. It was towards this structure, that on this day, Jada also flowed…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By midday Jada had decided that he would never reach that huge structure in the distance. He’d been walking for hours, even running a bit in areas where there were less people crowding the pathways, but his destination never seemed to get closer. It was as if no progress he made meant anything in the place. As though he were standing still. At least it seemed as such, until Jada walked between two buildings and suddenly found himself right in front of it…

Jada froze, open-mouthed for the umpteenth time in the last couple days. His eyes were like huge disks as he slowly gazed upwards. How? He pondered silently. A minute ago I was so far away…

“Amazing isn’t it, boy?” Jada heard vaguely. Turning his gaze, his neck still craned upward, Jada locked eyes with the biggest man he had ever seen. Standing a man and a half tall, and weighing probably as much as an elk, the man glinted in the midday sun for all the shiny metal covering his chest.

“Gagwi?” Jada asked hesitantly. What?

The man gaze him a puzzled look for a moment before cracking a smile. “The Citadel!” He said loudly, pointing at the huge building. “Its amazing isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Jada nodded, recalling the common word for agreement. “What is its purpose?” He asked the man. He realized that his horrible accent and pronunciation probably would strike this giant of a man as odd, but the man didn’t even seem to notice that Jada spoke in a funny manner.

“People all over the world travel here to fight, my boy.” The big man said heartily. “Anyone who wants to walks up to the front doors and the monks throw them in a room. Once two people are in a room, they fight.”

“They fight?” Jada asked puzzled. “Why?”

“For the sport of it of course!” The big man smiled again. For a second Jada found himself feeling very glad that this behemoth standing next to him was friendly. “This is where you come if you want to prove yourself. That’s why I’m here.” The big man adjusted his metal shirt and pulled out a massive axe that had been hiding over his shoulder. “I’m here to prove I can fight with the best of them. So that’s what I’m going to go do.” The big man gave Jada a pat on the back with his free hand that almost sent the warrior tumbling. “Who knows, maybe I’ll see you in there!”

Jada watched the enormous man for a moment longer as he lumbered towards the great open portal that led into the heart of the great structure before him. To prove myself? Jada thought abesently. Without really paying attention, he began to fiddle with the hilt of the cold metal weapon hanging from his belt. It wasn't his weapon, but one taken from his captive so long ago.

No, Jada thought, not that long ago...



((OOC: For the sake of the length of this post, I'm going to let whoever cares to join me in this battle set up the arena upon their arrival at the Citadel. Once that's settled, Jada will join you in my second post...Any takers?))

[Xanith Trailweaver]

The arena which Xanith selected was one familiar to him from his past, a lake he had first visited twelve years ago. At that time he had been known as Thietnar and was a prized agent of the Elvish empire of Revelae, a man responsible for tracking down and eliminating the greatest threats to his country.

In one of his missions, a man Xanith was pursuing had been so desperate to elude the elf that he had rowed to center of a long but shallow lake called Hirofel. It was a dangerous, desperate move as Hirofel was populated by a family of man-eating beasts who had blunt grey heads, high-set eyes, and who sweated blood when they became excited.

Xanith did not follow that man into the lake. After speaking with nearby locals, Xanith learned that no one who had ever entered the lake had survived, and that the man would likely only have a few hours to live before one of the creatures would attack his boat and devour him. Waiting on the beach for several hours, Xanith's suspicions were confirmed when a piece of the rowboat washed up on shore.

But now it was Xanith's turn to brave the waters of Hirofel. He requested, however, that his arena be only eight yards wide and three hundred yards long so that two combatants would quickly meet one another. Furthermore, Xanith had asked that the chance of encountering one of the monsters be the same as if one was rowing across the entire lake, which stretched for eighty miles.

Eager to meet his opponent, one courageous enough to face the unknown and earn the elf’s respect, Xanith sat down in his boat and began to row forward.

[Abenaki]

Prove myself…

The thought kept running through the warrior’s mind as he slowly but surely walked towards the great open entrance to the building he now knew as “The Citadel.” His strides were short and slow, almost apprehensive. His breathing was shallow in his chest. You are born of a warrior people. He told himself silently. There is nothing to prove…

And yet he kept moving forward, coming closer and closer with every step. Others, men and women of all shapes and sizes, were walking in the same direction. None walked with him though. All kept to themselves, brushing past him or going around him. Jada had the sudden feeling that he stood out, even amongst the diverse crowd around. Confidence. Jada decided. They all knew what they were walking towards. They knew was to expect…

All Jada knew is that people fought here, or so the big man had said. But what kind of fighting was it? Did people fight to the death here? Or was it all just for show of strength and for sport? These were questions that Jada very much wished he had the answers to.

“Can I help you?” The voice seemed to come out of nowhere, and Jada was very much surprised to notice a short balding man walking alongside him. He immediately stopped walking, his hand dropping to his weapon, his heart picking up pace rapidly. “Oh” the man said apologetically, “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Who are you?” Jada asked.

“I’m a monk.” The man said simply. His odd robes shifted slightly as the man shrugged. “I work here.”

“You work where?” Jada replied quizzically. His eyes went from the man to the door of the Citadel and back.

“I work here.” The man said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “I’m here to help combatants find suitable rivals.”

Jada eased his hand slowly from the hilt of the cold metal weapon at his hip. Taking a deep breath he glanced again at the Citadel. “You choose who fights?” He asked. Somehow he thought that wasn’t quite right, but he lacked the words to refine his question.

“No.” The monk answered slowly. “Our combatants decide for themselves if they will fight or not. I simply place these patrons in the appropriate arenas. Ones that will pose to each combatant a unique and rewarding combat experience.” For a second, neither of them spoke, and noting the horribly confused expression on Jada’s face, the monk let out a deep sigh…

“Are you here to fight or not?” The monk asked in a brusque tone.

Jada toyed with the question in his head for a moment. Prove myself…

“Yes?” He said reluctantly, a hint of apprehension in his voice.

“Oh, good.” The monk said with a smile. The man waved his arms through the air in a strange fashion, making some strange noises with his lips. In the blink of an eye Jada found himself standing in a boat on a flat, drab looking plane of water…

“Kina!” Jada yelped, his feet kicking out from under him as the boat rocked beneath his sudden weight. His arms went wind milling around as he tried to keep his balance, but it was no use. With a yell and a splash!, Jada went crashing beneath the surface of the water.

Fear drove him in to action as the dark, cold water closed over his head. Kicking and thrashing about, Jada’s mind went into a frenzy, desperately trying to remember how to swim. He tried to scream, but the water rushed into his mouth, his nose, his ears. It was surrounding him, dragging him down to the bottom. Suddenly there was solid footing beneath him, and tucking his legs beneath him, the warrior lunged for the surface.

Jada’s head broke the surface with a splash, his long hair throwing water everywhere. His arms grappled with the edge of the boat and he quickly pulled himself up out of the water. WHAT IS GOING ON!? His mind screamed. HOW DID I GET HERE!?

[Xanith Trailweaver]

Several minutes later Xanith caught sight of his opponent for the first time. Nothing about this man really captured Xanith’s attention other than his dark complexion, his nakedness (he wore only a pair of short trousers), and the fact that he was soaking wet. Xanith guessed that the man had either fallen out of his boat somehow or was dripping with sweat, perhaps having trained strenuously before entering this contest. The elf hoped that it was the latter possibility and not the former, as he didn’t want any chance of the water beasts being alerted to their presence this soon. Yes, Xanith wanted the battle to go quickly, but not that quickly.

“Hail warrior,” Xanith said, standing up in the boat and holding out his hands to show that he was not yet armed. “Welcome to Lake Hirofel, here on the Methusa Plain, which you can see in the distance by looking to your side. May I ask who I am speaking to?”

[Abenaki]

For several minutes Jada sat despondently in the small vessel he had suddenly, and very unexpectedly found himself whisked into. Those several minutes stretched on for what seemed like forever, as he slowly drip dried after his tumble into the cold waters surrounding the boat on every side. Rubbing his arms and his legs in a slow and methodical manner, Jada kept the warm blood flowing smoothly from his chest to his limbs, trying for the most part to keep his limbs warm. If he were supposed to do battle in this place, the last thing he would want was for his limbs to become cold and cramp up as the water evaporated off his skin...

Staring bleakly into the water, struggling to stay warm, Jada became aware of the fact that he was not alone. It started as a lapping sound in the distance, a steady disturbance of the water. Gradually the sound came closer, and small ripples radiating from the distance surrounded the boat. Turning his head slightly, Jada stared off in the direction of the ripples origin, one hand slipping slowly to his weapon.

"This is where you come if you want to prove yourself..."

The big man's words ran through Jada's head as another small boat became easily visible, rowing closer and closer. There was a single figure on board, a man of some sorts by the looks of him, but there was something different about him. Although he couldn't quite place what it was, there was something about the man that made him different. What ever it was, though, could wait. Ceasing his rowing, the other man stood up in his boat, eyeing Jada intently...

"Hail warrior," The man called out in welcome. He held out his hands in a sign of peace, displaying the fact that he was unarmed. "Welcome to Lake Hirofel, here on the Methusa Plain, which you can see in the distance by looking to your side. May I ask who I am speaking to?"

Jada followed the man's words as best he could, his mind scrambling to keep up with even such a modest introduction. Though silently cursing his still meager understanding of the Common tongue, Jada was able to pick out key pieces of what the man said. Most of it was inconsequential, or so Jada determined as best he could. The last bit though, required an answer.

Standing up to match the man, Jada patted his hand on his chest. "I am Jada" he said proudly, his feet spreading into a wide stance to balance himself in the boat. The thought that he was about to fight this man, or so he had been led to understand, rose to the front of his mind. "Who are you?" The warrior called back...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

“My name is Xanith, and this is my home,” the elf replied, bending slightly for a quick bow before he gestured at the lands around him. “Or at least it used to be,” he said, his tone revealing more than just a hint of elegy.

With his opponent standing, Xanith quickly looked the man up-and-down, searching for any weapons that his opponent might be carrying. Convinced that the long sword was the only weapon the man had, the elf then stated, “Your skin marks you as one of the Tular,” in reference to a race of nomadic horsemen who lived to the northwest of Corone. Xanith had only seen one or two of their kind before, having learned most about them from an encyclopedia that his friend Serti had once let him borrow, but he was curious to know more.

Unlike his opponent, Xanith Trailweaver found little inspiration to face the unknown anymore. It was the unknown that had robbed him off his past life in Revelae, and it was the unknown that he faced every day in his new, miserable existence.

[Abenaki]

Xanith... Jada pondered as the man bowed quickly. He toyed with the name inside his head in much the same fashion as a child would toy with something new in their hands. He kept turning it over, examining it, trying to discern something from it. It was unlike any name Jada had ever heard before, and sounded interesting to his ears...

"Your skin marks you as one of the Tular." Xanith said in a tone that was almost expectant. It was almost like the man had unlocked the mysteries behind Jada's identity just from the color of his skin. It was the tone of a man who spoke of things he didn't truly know, but assumed to know.

"I do not know these Tular" Jada replied coolly enough. His hand strayed once more to the hilt of his weapon. Jada found that he did this quite often, despite the fact that he had never once used the weapon for anything more than hacking at brush and splintering firewood when making camp. "This one is a warrior of the Kokopelli." Jada once again patted his chest with his free hand as he spoke. He wondered if the man would even understand his reply through the thick accent of his people and the probably improper grammar of his statement. Worrying about his opponent’s ability to understand him, however, was not in Jada's mind at this point.

The simple knowledge that he was here to fight this man, and that fighting was the only purpose of this place, began beating in Jada's mind. He could feel his heart quicken at the touch of the cold metal hilt beneath his hand, and his muscles were beginning to tense in anticipation. Forgotten, momentarily, was the radical sorcery that had dumped him into this dreary place. Forgotten, momentarily, was the cold that had crept into his bones as the cool water evaporated off the surface of his skin...

Enough small talk... Jada thought impatiently. A sly smile crept across Jada's features as he casually drew his weapon. Grinning with confidence, Jada spoke but a single word...

"Awasos!" Jada called out eagerly, the battle rush overtaking him. Were he a little less consumed by the idea of battle, Jada might have contemplated the strategic pros and con's of using his shaman skills so early. Already there was a rush of spirit energy flowing in through his fingers and toes, filling his muscles, making him stronger. A more contemplative Jada might also have considered what might happen if this battle did not end as quickly as he hoped. This borrowed energy would only take him so far, and if he was not victorious before it left him, he would be at a severe disadvantage...

Gripping his weapon, and still smiling, a thoroughly strengthened and eager Jada took a quick step up onto the prow of his vessel and gave a powerful leap. The power he exerted catapulting himself off the boat sunk the prow deeper into the water, and sent Jada hurtling across the moderate gap between the two combatants. Winding back his arm as he soared quickly from one vessel to another, Jada gathered his feet beneath him. As the battle-hungry warrior landed with a thud, the boat rocking heavily beneath his feet, Jada swung the cutting edge of his weapon in a wide and powerful arc in the general direction of Xanith's midsection...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

Before Xanith had a chance to ask exactly who or what the Kakapilly were, his opponent leapt from his boat onto Xanith’s, shaking the small vessel violently and almost causing the elf to trip backwards over the plank he had been sitting on. As it was, Xanith was surprised that the force of the man’s landing hadn’t broken through the bottom of the boat.

Xanith could also consider himself fortunate that Jada brought his shortsword in wide, as it gave the elf the time he needed to spin to his right, draw his parrying dagger, and deflect the blow. But the savagery of the attack was too much for both the dagger and its owner to absorb completely, causing Xanith to stagger backwards and fall over the side of the boat.

The elf had an idea, though, and a few breaststrokes brought him underneath the boat. With the hilt of his dagger facing upwards, the elf began furiously striking the hull, hoping to puncture a whole in it large enough to sink the vessel.

[Abenaki]

Fast...

The speed with which his opponent had drawn his own weapon, prepared, and for the most part successfully parried Jada's initial attack was enviable. In the space of perhaps a second Jada had gone from visions of standing victorious over the hacked corpse of his enemy, to watching said enemy fall over the side of the boat. As the ripples dissipated over the surface of the water, Jada slowly eased his death-like grip on his weapon. His hand hurt, and the sheer force of blow he had delivered had caused pain to lance up as far as his shoulder. Leaning out slightly, the warrior scanned the water for any sight of his enemy...

The first knock at the bottom of the boat rocked it only a little. Then multiple knocks, one after another in quick succession could be both felt and heard. It sounds almost like he's trying to break through the bottom of the boat. Jada thought with a slight bit of amusement. If his crash landing on the boat hadn't broken the floor of the vessel, what hope did his opponent have at breaking through from beneath it? It's not like he's trapped under there. Jada thought. He could swim out from the boat, or over to the other one if he wanted to...

The power lent him by his gathered spirit force still coursing through his veins, Jada reversed his grip on his weapon and raised it over his head. He listened for the area where most of the knocking noises seemed to be emanating from, and selected a spot where two of the planks that formed the bottom of the boat were joined. Mustering up as much strength as he could, Jada slammed his weapon, point first, into the bottom of the boat. The weapon bit deep into the wood, but stopped suddenly with a jerk. Grunting with exertion, Jada yanked his weapon free and raised it up over his head once more. A small trickle of water was beginning to leak into the boat where the tip had broken just through the bottom. With a great yell, Jada slammed the weapon down again. Striking in close to the same spot, the blade bit through this time, and the blade sank through the floor to the hilt, dragging Jada down to the floor of the boat with him.

Whether or not the blade sticking down out of the boat had cut or stabbed Xanith, who was presumable still beneath the boat trying to sink it, was unknown. All Jada knew was that he was beginning to sense the first signs of his condensed spirit energy leaving him. Fairly soon it would leave him all together, and if this battle wasn't over by then, Jada would have to improvise...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

From his current position Xanith could hear or see very little, so the elf didn't know what to think when the boat, after he had stopped striking at it, continued to shake violently - could his opponent have sat down and now be trying to row away from him? Or had he jumped back to his own boat?

His questions were answered soon thereafter when his opponent's blade came smashing through the hull, brushing aside Xanith's dagger and gashing the elf on the side of his right bicep. Xanith immediately let go of his dagger and, grunting at both his own stupidity as well as the pain in his arm, began to swim towards Jada's boat, rising above the water to catch a few breaths and to look back at what the barbarian was doing.

[Abenaki]

Did I hit him? Jada thought hopefully as the knocking at the bottom of the boat ceased. He gave his weapon, still buried in the small boat's bottom, a few tugs and pulled it free. Glancing over the blade he was more than a little disappointed to see only a little blood mingled with the water dripping off the blade. Not enough, Jada thought miserably, not nearly enough...

Xanith's head breaking the surface a short distance from the boat caught the warrior's attention, pulling his gaze away from his weapon. The strange man was swimming in the direction of the boat Jada had originally been aboard at the start of their battle, and from the way he moved through the water it became apparent that he was favoring his right side. Did I get him in the arm? Jada pondered. Shoulder, or even leg maybe? He watched his opponent as he moved farther away, Xanith's eyes repeatedly darting back to keep track of Jada's position...

Chase him! Jada's mind was screaming. Press the advantage! The warrior rose to his feet and held his shortsword loosely at his side. The spirit energy that he had absorbed into himself through his meager shaman's spell, the spirit energy that had been providing and sustaining his incredible strength, was fast leaving him. He could feel it in his limbs, almost as if the energy were pouring out of his arms and legs like water. Soon it would all leave him, and even now Jada could feel his weapon growing heavier and heavier in his hand. I may have scored the first strike," the drained warrior thought sourly, "but that won't be much of an advantage if I'm to tired to properly defend myself...

"Give up!" Jada called out with a feigned air of confidence. He forced himself to smile and raise his sword up so that the weapon was pointed threateningly at Xanith. "My strength is too great for you!" The warrior lied. He was praying that his wounded opponent would not realize that Jada's unnatural strength had left him, leaving him weakened and vulnerable. He was praying that the man would yield and bring a swift closure to this battle...

Just give up... Jada hoped silently...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

Genuinely disappointed that his opponent wanted to end the battle, Xanith tried to think of a way to bait the other man into continuing the contest. As he paddled his legs to keep himself from sinking, the elf unhooked the hand crossbow he kept loaded on his belt. Now backpedaling, the elf pointed his weapon at the other man’s chest.

“Are all Kakapilly cowards? Do they all dishonor their parents?” the elf shouted, expressing a sentiment that he wasn't sure was true or not. “Come and fight me or I’ll kill you from here.”

Xanith was confident that, for whatever reason, he now had the advantage in the battle. Three hundred years of service had taught him to notice when an opponent was bluffing, and common sense alone would call into question why the man would now want Xanith to quit what was an illusory battle, one with no chance of permanent, physical harm to either of its participants.

Advantages, however, are often short-lived, and as he pedaled away from his opponent the elf had no idea that a three ton, man-eating animal was rapidly approaching from behind and only seconds away.

[Abenaki]

"Are all Kakpilly cowards? Do they all dishonor their parents?" Xanith was taunting. The man's arm had come up out of the water, and he was pointing an odd looking object at Jada's chest. What do my parents have to do with this battle? Jada wondered quizzically. Perhaps he had mistranslated that last part? "Come and fight me or I'll kill you from here." Xanith added, backpedaling away from the warrior.

How does he intend to kill me? Jada pondered, slightly perplexed. The only weapon he could imagine capable of doing such a thing was a bow, a weapon the man swimming away from him obviously did not have. Perhaps that thing in his hand? More sorcery? Jada frowned. This battle had started off so well, and now the tables had turned completely. His limbs ached with exhaustion, and his weapon felt very heavy in his hand. His thinking was getting hazy as he fought to rally some amount of energy to continue the fight.

Jada was beginning to realize that using his trump card as an opening attack had been a mistake. A very foolish mistake...

Even your eyes play you for a fool, warrior. Jada chided himself. He could swear that the water behind his opponent was welling up like a wave, moving as if possessed by a life of its own. Wait... The warrior's lips drew into a tight frown, his eyes fixated, no longer on his opponent, but the water rising behind him...

"Gagwi ni!?" The warrior yelled, pointing above Xanith's head, indicating the water behind the man. What is that!? If it weren't for the sudden, rising fear in Jada's breast, he might have realized how stupid he looked, trying to get his opponent to look behind him when it was clear that the opponent held the upper hand. Who would fall for that old trick? Jada might have wondered...

If only it were a trick...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

"What? Do you think I'm tha-" Xanith replied, before he was interrupted by a surge in the water somewhere near. Swinging back to a vertical position, he saw that one of the monsters of the lake had just passed underneath him with tremendous speed, and the elf knew that he was lucky to still be alive.

It must have tried to headbutt me, he thought, remembering back to when the villagers nearby had told him that was one of the monster’s instinctual forms of attack. It must have been the horizontal alignment of his body that had saved him – had he been paddling, as he was now, he was certain the monster would have gone for his legs.

Having an idea, Xanith began paddling his legs furiously as the monster circled around for another pass at him, but with a consequence of his plan being an opening of himself to an attack from his opponent.

[Abenaki]

Before his opponent could finish his quite expected comment about old tricks, the man was interrupted by the water surging around him. Even from the boat, Jada could make out a huge dark shape moving rapidly under the water. It passed harmlessly under Xanith with a rush that sent ripples dancing over the surface of the water, and came rushing towards the boat...

What else could go wrong? The warrior thought in resignation. His mind was flooded with images of the boat being smashed into a hundred pieces, and of his body being ravaged between the jaws of some hideous water-beast. These dread images quickly vanished, however, as the foreboding mass beneath the water passed right beneath the boat as though it weren't even there. Out a ways farther it moved beneath the water, before gradually swinging around back in the direction of Xanith...

Get out of the water! Jada silently urged as he realized his opponent wasn't making a beeline for the other boat. Making for the relative, albeit perhaps temporary, safety of the small vessel was a move that Jada would not have thought twice about making. It was a move most anybody in their right mind, of so Jada assumed, would make...

Yet Xanith didn't make for the boat. Rather, he started kicking his legs in the water, almost as though he were trying to lure the monster back for another pass at him...

He knows what it is... Jada suddenly realized. This is his arena. He knows this lake! He said its name! It only stood to reason that if the man knew the lake, then he would have some knowledge of what dwelled within it...

"You!" Jada yelled at the man, glancing quickly at the rapidly approaching darkness beneath the surface of the water. "What is it!? What are we fighting now!?" If Xanith knew, Jada wanted to know also. If it had a name, it could be killed. If Xanith knew what it was, he might know its weaknesses. On the inside he was desperately praying to the short balding monk who had whisked him into this mess. Praying, begging, pleading for the man to whisk him back out. Yet part of the warrior knew that wasn't going to happen. He was still here, and whether he liked it or not, he was stuck possibly fighting for his life alongside the same man he had been trying to kill just moments before...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

When he was convinced that the monster was coming back for yet another run, Xanith stopped pedaling and swam backwards, moving underneath Jada’s boat. When he reached its far end, Xanith turned to look where the monster was, and finding it to be only a few more seconds away from eating him alive, the elf shot up and out of the water. Before the beast could reach his legs, Xanith, using his natural Elven agility, grabbed the edge of the boat and hoisted himself up, flipping his body back-first into the vessel and crashing onto its floor.

As lay there gasping for breath he heard his opponent shouting something, but Xanith wasn't listening, instead moaning out of sheer exhaustion and at the pain in his bicep. He lifted himself to his feet and saw that the monster was circling around for yet another attack. Even if you were agile enough to dodge this animal, Xanith thought, it would eventually wear you out and then kill you.

This would have to be his final stand, he knew, as he watched the monster make its approach, its head above the surface of the water and its mouth wide open, displaying an impressive array of teeth, each of which was the size of the elf’s hand. The monster was going to tear through his boat, and the only thing that Xanith could do in response was to unhook the pouch on his belt and wait.

[Abenaki]

What is he doing? Jada thought in disbelief, trying to figure out his opponent's actions. Why wait until the creature lurking beneath the water was coming back for you before making a break for the boat? Why hadn't the man gone for the boat right off? Nothing Xanith was doing was making any sense in the warrior's mind, and nothing Xanith was doing was improving their mutual situation at all. Now both of them were up and out of the water, but that hadn't done anything to discourage their new foe.

Fine, ignore me... Jada shook his head in disgust. His arms were tired, his legs were tired, and he ached all over. If he hadn't made a fool out of himself by using his ace in the hole so early in the battle, he might have used it now to bring some sort of closure to the conflict. Either Xanith or this new monstrosity had to die in order for the warrior to escape this nightmare, and despite his fatigue he was going to make it happen...

Because Xanith certainly didn't seem to be doing anything about it...

Digging deep into any reserves of strength that he could muster within himself, Jada forced himself to grab hold of one of the heavy wooden oars sitting in the oarlocks. Pulling it from the guides, the warrior swung it back in a windup. The boat rocked beneath him, and he almost lost his balance as the weight of the oar dragged at him, but Jada kept his eye on the monster as its head surfaced above the water. It was making a beeline for Xanith, who was doing nothing more than fiddling with his belt...

Jada let out a deep, guttural war cry as he put everything he had left into hurling the oar, horizontal, end over end, out over the water in the direction of the back of the monster's head...

[Xanith Trailweaver]

Jada's oar connected squarely with the back of the beast's head with a large thump. The impact of the blow caused it to momentraily lower its head, giving Xanith the opportunity he needed to attack it. Rearing back, the elf threw his own projectile at the beast, the bag of sticky gel he held in his hand. Xanith watched as the bag hit the front of the monster's head, exploding upon impact and scattering its contents over the monster's face, including its exposed eyes.

In a second the gel had hardened, and Xanith tried to cover his ears as the monster roared, angry over the pain each warrior had inflicted upon it. Blinded, it thrashed about violently in the water, before, much to Xanith's relief, it began to swim away from the two combatants. It headed in the direction of the shore, no doubt seeing self-preservation more than revenge.

"Good work," Xanith said, turning to face his opponent and clapping his hands. He unsheathed his last weapon, a long sword that had never before failed the Elf. "So where were we?" he asked.

[Abenaki]

Jada was on his knees, his hands grasping the hilt of the shortsword planted tip first in the bottom of the boat. Right now that shortsword was the only thing holding him up, the warrior having expended every last ounce of energy he had hurling the heavy oar out across the water.

So he hadn't really needed my help after all... The warrior thought in relative disbelief. He was shaking his head, his mouth partial open as he breathed, his eyes scanning the clouded heavens for an answer to a question he didn't have. And now he wants to know where we were? Jada continued in disbelief...

Xanith had been clapping, as though applauding there mutual effort to defeat the monster that had already turned tail and fled. He soon stopped however, and revealed to the warrior yet another weapon in his arsenal, a sword that by the looks of it had a longer reach than Jada's own sword. Fool! The warrior chastised himself. Xanith didn't need to fear the monster. He already knew how to defeat It. And Xanith had known how to defeat it relatively easily by the way things had turned out...

"N'bamaldamen n'lessinen, n'saossani, nngadi odabi." Mumbled to himself, not really aware that his opponent wouldn't be able to hear him, nor understand anything he was saying.Can I continue the fight? The warrior had asked himself. I prefer that I go to bed, I'm tired, I want to rest... Had been his own answer…

Jada had nothing left in him to fight with, and he knew it...

"I give up." Jada finally said in resignation, in a volume that his opponent might be able to make out. He pieced together the words carefully, piecing together their meanings as he uttered aloud his failure. "I can fight no longer." He added. The cool water that had been slowly trickling into the bottom of the boat ever since he had stabbed a hole in it was closing over his aching legs, relieving some of the pain of his exertions...

"Kill me if you want." Jada went on, still shaking his head in defeat. "I will fight if you try, but I can not offer much of a threat."

[Xanith Trailweaver]

“This is not how it is supposed to end,” Xanith replied, clenching his teeth for added emphasis. He had battled in The Citadel for almost five years now, and never before had an opponent surrendered to him. Xanith wondered if there was something wrong with the other man that had caused him to tire so quickly, if he was sick, or perhaps under the influence of some sort of drug or magical curse.

Or maybe, Xanith thought, he was a coward after all.

“I am not going to win like this,” the elf said, as much to himself as to Jada. “There would be no honor in victory.” Indeed, Xanith was proud of his victories at The Citadel, and winning there made him feel better about himself than anything else he did. He had bested The Citadel’s most-persistent champion, the half-demon Eleric, on three separate occasions, and had defeated all of his other challengers. The Citadel’s battles allowed him, for a few brief minutes, to forget about the past which haunted him every day of his life, to forget for a second that he had once been Thietnar and that it was his failure that had resulted in the extermination of an entire race. When Xanith found victory he found happiness, and he did not feel he had defeated Jada today.

Doing what he had to, Xanith stretched both of his arms out as long as he could, reversed his grip on his long sword, and brought the blade as deep into his own abdomen as he could. After a short burst of pain, the lake disappeared before him and was replaced with a small, non-descript brick room. Back in The Citadel and frustrated, the elf kicked the wall nearest him before turning to face Jada.

“Rematch,” was all he needed to say.

[Abenaki]

Jada had watched on in fascinated horror as Xanith ran himself through with his own sword. Of all the possible outcomes that he had imagined, this one had not been among them. He had imagined the other warrior leaping into action to finish him off, or perhaps another device similar to the one Xanith had used on the creature. Even a draw...

But not this...

Jada's horror was quickly replaced by fear, however, as the lake seemed to shimmer and come apart around him. Walls sprung up where there had been none, and suddenly there was solid ground beneath him. Disoriented and exhausted, Jada fell back onto him rump and stared about his new surroundings in disbelief. Where there had been a lake not seconds before, there was now a plain and ordinary looking room. What was more, Xanith was not dead.

The man kicked the nearest wall in apparent frustration. "Rematch." Was all he said.

"Later, then." Jada said in partial agreement. All that was on his mind right now was getting out of this room and out of this place. He needed food, rest, and most of all, a landscape that he could touch and feel without fear that it might transform into something else entirely at a moments notice.

Dragging himself to his feet, Jada nodded a silent farewell to Xanith before turning for the door. He checked himself once, and then again to make sure that he was still alive, and still in one piece. As far as he could tell, he was, and he still had all of his possessions as well. Later, then. Jada repeated to himself with a tired smile as he pulled open the door...

Standing right in his path, was the short, balding monk from before.

"So, find what you were looking for?" The man asked with an innocent smile.

"Nda." Jada said tiredly. If not for the fact that he was all “surprised-out” for one day, he might have startled at the sight of the grinning man. After all, it was this monk's fault for getting him into this mess.

"That a no, is it?" The monk said in what might have been a concerned tone. The man put one arm across his chest and used it to support his other, with which he cupped his chin in his hand. For a moment the man seemed lost in concerned thought, completely oblivious to the fact that Jada was trying, unsuccessfully, to make a hasty exit from the conversation. "You know." The monk said at last, taking only a couple steps to catch up to the weary warrior. "I think I've got just the thing for you!"

Jada stopped, shaking his head. He was almost too afraid to ask.

"This time there won't be any magic lakes or hidden monsters." The monk went on. "Just you and your opponents locked in a good old fashioned cage with solid ground beneath your feet. No illusions, no tricks. Just a good ol'fashioned trial by combat."

Jada was only half listening, but he caught the gist of what the monk was prattling on about. Certainly sounds better than that last mess. He admitted to himself grudgingly. Turning around, his shoulders hung low in weariness and resignation, Jada said, "I'm listening."

"Ah, excellent!" The monk beamed. "Let me ask you, have you ever heard of The Cell?..."

[Xanith Trailweaver]

As he watched Jada brush him off and leave the room, Xanith wanted to unleash the spite he felt in his belly, to hurl insults at the other man, as he had done earlier in their battle, or to slap his opponent in the face. His anger subsided quickly, however, and was soon replaced with feelings of disappointment and self-loathing, feelings that had cursed the elf for the better part of ten years and feelings that Xanith could not seem to ever rid himself of.

Dejected, the elf walked over to the door and opened it. Just outside he found Jada speaking with the monk who had set up their arena, Dayner, and for a second Xanith considered interjecting himself into their conversation, before deciding that there was little reason Jada would now agree to fight him when the human had declined only two minutes before.

“Another time,” the elf whispered to himself, and he pulled aside another monk, Certig, to ask if there were any open rooms. When the monk replied in the negative, Xanith thanked him and decided to return to his room at The Flyting and meditate for a few hours.

But he was shocked when, upon leaving The Citadel, he was greeted outside by two dozen or so men and women wearing eager smiles on their faces. Gathering at the base of the stairway that served as the Citadel’s main entrance and exit, the crowd raised their arms to the elf and began to cheer.

“Hail Xanith!” they cried. “Huzzah for Xanith! Hail Xanith!”

Not sure what to make of this newfound adulation, Xanith walked down a few steps and shouted, “What are you people doing here?”

“Did you win?” one of the members of the crowd replied.

“Who did you fight?” another asked.

“Were you hurt at all?” a third said.

“This is none of your business!” Xanith yelled, giving into his frustration once again, and he walked down the rest of the staircase and shoved two people aside who were standing in his path. “Leave me alone!” he said, and he walked away from the crowd. He heard a female voice behind him cry, “We love you Xanith!” but he merely shook his head, not caring to look back. An opponent of the elf’s had once told him stories of Citadel combatants who had earned outside fame for their exploits, but Xanith had never believed he would be one to gain notoriety. He had fame and fortune once, back in Revelae, but he wasn’t sure he could stomach that lifestyle here in Radasanth, especially in his fragile emotional state.

So with a sign of resignation Xanith continued his trek towards The Flyting, curious as to what exactly that crowd knew about him and who it was that had told them, and unaware that this would be his last day at The Citadel.

* * *

Xanith Trailweaver will return in "Much to Offer"

[INDK]

Xanith Trailweaver is the winner; 60-57!

Abenaki

Total Score= 57

Introduction – 7 I really like how Jada’s introduction emphasized she was a stranger in a strange place.

Setting – 6 With how novel everything is to Jada, it makes sense that things that are normally passé to most of us would seem to be new and exciting to Jada. This can make setting a bit difficult, as there are so many things that could attract his attention. Of course, there is a fine line between showing your character’s amazement and having it be a bad skit of ancient caveman lawyer. That was why I’m glad you left most of it in your introduction, where it was appropriate.

Strategy – 5 This strategy was acceptable. There were a few times where I thought you failed to go by the most logical action, but what Jada did wasn’t completely unbelievable in those instances.

Dialogue – 6 Fairly strong. I like how you use it to emphasize the distinctiveness of your character.

Character – 6

Rising Action – 5

Climax – 5 It seems here that the climax was poor because you misread how Xanith would behave. I can't really blame you too much for that.

Conclusion – 6 I really liked how you tied in the cell. It was quite amusing.

Writing Style – 5 I really don’t care for repeating other character’s dialogue, especially from the previous post. It is more repetitive than anything else.

Wild Card – 6

Xanith Trailweaver

Total Score= 60

Introduction – 5 I thought this was a bit confusing. There was an interesting bit of backstory, but I really had no idea why your character wanted to brave Hirofel. That bothered me.

Setting – 7 This was very creative, but I really felt like this could have been stronger if you’d offered more detail about how fighting in this setting was different than a fight in a more generic one.

Strategy – 7 Most of this was clever enough, but there was nothing that really stood out to me.

Dialogue – 6

Character – 5 This could have been more significant if you’d tied the backstory of your introduction in more to the later posts, or if you’d let the reader in a bit more to the character action.

Rising Action – 6

Climax – 5 I’m giving you a few more points here than I might otherwise, because the story arc really didn’t lend itself to a good climax.

Conclusion – 6 Despite this conclusion’s last line reeking of a Bond film, it was better than average.

Writing Style – 7 My biggest problem here was everything it seemed you sacrificed in order to gain brevity. Brevity is great, but it feels like you overvalued it a bit in this battle.

Wild Card – 6

Spoils=

Xanith Trailweaver receives 900 EXP and 100 GP
Abenaki receives 225 EXP and 100 GP