Shaking off the Rust (OPEN)

[Bloodrose]

Open. I'm going to try shooting for 1 post per day, so if the person who takes this battle could do the same - that would be much appreciated.

I suppose the days of anonymously slipping in for a fight are gone. Teric reflected glumly as people slowly began coalescing along his path. The wide, broad steps that led to the front of Radasanth's famed Citadel gradually became narrower and narrower as gawkers and onlookers pushed towards him with hushed whispers on their lips.

"Who is that?" Some whispered.

"The Grandmaster!" Whispered others.

Those that knew and those that didn't seemed to be equally intermixed amongst one another, the knowledge of his identity and profession spreading like wildfire through the growing crowd. Soon the scores of fighters that graced the Citadel's halls each day were formed up like a sentient wall on either side of Teric's path - funneling him towards the open doors ahead.

"I love you!" Someone in the crowd screamed, and the whole assembled mass cheered and laughed and reached out to pat the passing Hierarch on the back. A few hundred smiling faces, their eyes star struck as though it were the Red Marshall wading through the public morass, and not just some grizzled old mercenary who'd cut his way to the top of the other famed testing ground; The Dajas Pagoda. These people knew him as a champion - a shining example of the success that came with hard work and dedication to the warrior's craft...

A champion? Teric might have laughed. If only they knew the dirty, bloodstained man underneath that mantle. None of these people would cheer for mercenary Teric - not in the same way they cheer for Grandmaster Teric. That realization, knowing that the fame belonged to the title and not the man, made the crowd's jubilation ring hollow in Teric's ears as he trudged forward to a waiting monk.

"Grandmaster Bloodrose." The monk, a small bald man in a brown robe, greeted him with a curt bow. "It is most unusual to have Hierarch’s of the Pagoda visit our halls. Is everything alright there?"

"The Pagoda is fine, and in fine hands." Teric replied casually. He was almost too aware of the prying ears behind him - a literal mob pressing forward to listen in. The crowd has gone eerily silent as well...

"Excellent." The monk smiled vaguely. "May I ask then what brings you here today?"

"I'm looking for a fight." Teric replied simply. The wave of gasps and hurried whispers that rippled through the crowd on the steps behind him was impossible to miss, and Teric's gaze was briefly pulled back over his shoulder to survey the throng. People were cupping their hands over their mouths as they spoke, pointing and gesturing like a flock of gossiping schoolgirls.

The monk seemed puzzled. "You are not happy with your fights at the Pagoda?" He asked slowly, as if looking for the right words to say.

"I haven't had many fights at the Pagoda of late." Teric responded quickly. "The Master's all seem quite content with their positions, and all are quite deft at keeping down enthusiastic Warriors. It's been making for a lonely stay at the top."

"I see." The monk nodded sagely, half closing his eyes and smiling that vague smile again. "Follow me then, Grandmaster, and we'll do our best to arrange a worthy challenge for you."


My opponent is free (and encouraged) to create the arena in their opening post, if they so wish. If not, I will create the arena in my next post.

[Valanthe]

OOC: I've wanted to battle you, but never really had the chance, though I'm certain a TG prolly coulda sped things up. I've been itching to try out my level one skills, nows my chance.

IC:

Fifteen minutes earlier...

Valanthe approached the Arena. She was back from Raiaera, back from that aaccursed red forest. Knowing who her mother was was a relief, for she knew that with some research she could find out more about the history of the Havergast family. Her victory over The Dark Man brought with it newfound strength and power, and Valanthe knew of no better place to test her new limits. As she approached, she realised her new strength was just the leftovers of Omni's strength, when the mighty multi-dimensional all-powerful diety gave him the entire combined might of his strength and power to fight of his nemisis, The Dark Man.

She thought of the Dark Man, and how it was her families fault he was here. She was going to send The Destroyer of Worlds away personally, to atone for her families deed in summoning him. She wondered what he truely looked like, as she recalled with a shudder how he was enveloped in a living darkness that prevented anyone from seeing what he truely looked like, as though he were but someone's shadow, seperated from them and made it's own living being.

Lost in her thoughts she didn't realize the monk was there until she bumped into him. A fat jolly fellow he held no ill against her for not noticing his presence. His rosy red cheeks jiggled as his belly shook like a bowl full of jello when he chuckled.
"Come now my dear, losing yourself in thoughts like that could lead to your untimely demise if you don't watch where your walking." the monk said.

"Sorry. I find myself, stronger. I faced a God and lived, and became stronger for doing so. True, I had the help of another god, but I was the one to fight him. Have you heard of The Dark Man? He has many names, I faced him, and all his powers of destruction and uncreation. I lived, and as I said, became stronger. I want to see how strong I am."

"I see, I'm sorry to hear The Dark Man is real. I hoped the fairy tales of him traveling from world to world and destroying them for the sole crime of existing were just that, fairy tales. N'jal's bad enough, we don't need two entities bent on suffering and destruction. Anyways, what did you have in mind?" the monk asked.

----------------------------------------

Valanthe waited for an opponet, hidden in the grass. She was assured an opponet was less than fifteen minutes away, a good one that would not disappoint her, so she became a tigress.

Upon entering, no one would suspect a thing, for tigers are known for their ability to hide, to stalk their prey unseen in dense, dark jungles. Her claws were out, and she remained hidden in the grass, among the trees and bushes. Patiently waiting, beneath the hanging vines with flowers, wrapped around trees as a scarf in winter, even as other creatures could be heard in the distance.

She already knew what she would do, having only a tiger's natural advantages. She would remain hidden, waiting for someone to enter. She would let him pass her by, or turn his back to her, and then spring, catching him by surprise, and kill him with a single deadly swipe of her powerful claws. At least, that's what she had planned, had invisioned.

[Bloodrose]

Dheathain? was Teric's first impression as he stepped from the stone halls of the honey-combed Citadel into the lush jungle grasses of the arena. Where the air in the hall was cool and refreshing, the air in here was muggy and warm, making his skin clammy and causing the corners of the mercenary's mouth to curl in a sneer. Teric had never been a fan of the swampy, jungle atmosphere of the Eastern Continent - and to be forced into such an environment made his skin crawl.

"Wait..." Teric was about to ask the monks to find him a different arena, but he was interrupted by the click of a door lock as he turned. "Great," the old timer muttered darkly to himself, staring out into a murky jungle gloom where a door had been just a moment before, "typical Citadel tricks." Shrugging out of his coat, Teric dumped the heavy garment on the lush jungle floor and started rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. If he was to duel in a muggy, oppressive atmosphere like this, he'd have to make the best of it.

As he readied himself for his (hopefully brief) stay in the jungle, Teric was keenly aware of the fact that his opponent already lingered somewhere amongst the voluminous flora. On the way here, the monk had mentioned something about a challenger wishing to "test their newfound strength"… or some other monkish bullshit. New strengths versus old didn't matter much to the grizzled mercenary - as long as they could put up a fight, that was good enough for him.

"Hello?" The mercenary announced his presence calmly, confidently, talking his first few steps deeper into the tropical arena. A hundred years worth of fallen leaves and grasses compressed slightly beneath the soles of his iron-shod boots as Teric made his way forward, despite the fact that the warrior knew everything in here was simply a figment of his imagination. That was always one thing that amazed the Grandmaster no matter how many times he wandered into a place like this; the monk's attention to detail in creating their arenas was unparalleled. "Anyone home?" A second call went out, the hackles rising on the back of the mercenary's neck as he moved his right hand to the hilt of the sword worn by his left hip.

Stealthy bastard. Teric contemplated. The fact that he wasn't getting an answer, despite knowing full well that someone else was here, gave him every reason to be suspicious. It was unlikely that his opponent had decided to drop down for a nap, so the likelihood that he waited in the vegetation like snake was high. On full alert, painfully aware of every sound he made striding through the jungle, Teric emerged from a stand of trees into a relatively flat, grassy area. It seemed to be the perfect place to wait for his lurking opponent to show face: it was open, easily accessible, easily escapable, and the wavy thigh high grass wouldn't offer much protection to hide behind or utilize advantageously once they got into it...

"Snz-uh!" The sound of a sudden, involuntary sneeze echoed sharply around the tropical setting as Teric hurriedly slapped his free left hand over his nose and mouth. "By the Goddess!" The mercenary exclaimed, more surprised than anything. Sneezing wasn't something Teric did very often - mostly when he was sick or around cats, and since there were no cats sitting in his lap or sleeping on his clothes to aggravate his allergies...

Certainly hope I'm not getting ill. The warrior prayed silently, lowering his hand and casting his gaze back to the arena’s jungle surroundings.

[Valanthe]

As the man that was to be her opponent entered the arena, Valanthe’s muscles instinctively tightened, ready for action, to pounce upon her prey.
With great stealth, the Tigress inched forward ever so slightly, to get into a better pouncing position. The door closed with a slight click, and Valanthe knew her game had begun.

Her prey she recognized from stories and rumors alone, and she tingled with excitement. The monks had certainly upheld their end of the bargain, The Grandmaster of The Dajas Pagoda was a very worthy opponent. She silently swore to herself not to let this man down as an opponent. She found herself purring very softly to herself, thankfully, Teric was stripping down so that he could operate better in this environment, leaving himself in lighter clothing that a coat. Even still, his sleeves had to be rolled up.

She noted that this man didn’t seem to enjoy the jungle very well, which was all the more to Valanthe’s advantage, for she enjoyed this jungle very much. Of course, she was biased being a tiger and all. When one changes shape, the change is complete on all levels, save for intelligence. She still held all her own normal knowledge she always possessed, her own instincts, her own skills. But superimposed on top of them were those of a tiger. She waited patiently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

She noticed something about Teric that threw her off a little bit, perhaps it was just his aura as a battle hardened veteren, maybe it was a magic spell, she didn’t know, but she doubted her own skills against him. Was she really a worthy opponent for the grandmaster? She knew in her heart she really wasn’t, she had a long way to go to get to his level, but she was determined to try anyway, for her own pride, if nothing else.

As he called out for her, she smiled inwardly, knowing her initial plan of waiting as a tigress had been a good one. He seemed unnerved by her silence, and as he reached for his sword, she knew the time to strike was close. He moved closer to the grassy area, and on silent paws, she followed, hunched low to the ground. Her coat, a product of nature, helped her to blend in. Of course, if Teric turned around and looked, he could still see her, but he was moving to a large grassy area. Perfect. Then he sneezed.

Is he, is he allergic to cats, or is he just sick?
Valanthe fervently hoped he wasn’t allergic to her, because that would be a dead give away to her presence if he wasn’t ill.

It was now or never, she readied her self, and with a bloody roar that shook a nearby troop of monkeys out of their sleep and set them to chattering, pounced on the grandmaster of the Pagoda with all five-hundred fifty pounds of her average feline weight. As she landed she attacked him with her deadly and powerful claws, intending to simply outright kill him, knowing that if she did not throw him off balance and keep him off, she would lose to experience, and thus had to kill him quickly.

But would he realize she was his opponent and not simply an arena hazard, like the monkeys chattering at them in the trees nearby?

[Bloodrose]

That guttural, tell-tale roar behind him was likely the deciding factor in whether Teric lived or died. Without that split-second warning the mercenary wouldn't have whipped his head around in time to identify the threat pouncing on him from behind. He wouldn't have seen the claws arcing through the air in front of that dinner-plate sized paw, and those knife-like digits would have torn flesh instead of thin air...

Ten feet away Teric reappeared as if by magic, seeming to have crossed half the distance of the grassy area in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, his hasty but necessary use of the "quick step" technique came off sloppy, and the old mercenary tripped headlong into a dive. He hit the ground in a tuck, rolled once, and then Teric sprang back to his feet with all the grace of a seasoned acrobat. In an instant his sword was out, the clean, razor sharp blade separating the man from the beast.

"Snz-uh! Somomabitch!" Teric sneezed again. Now his nose was stuffed up as well, distorting his speech as he focused on the dangerous predator at the edge of the clearing. Small house cats were bad enough, but the close proximity of such a big feline was sending the mercenary's allergies into overdrive. Eyes watering, nose running, and his adrenaline fueled blood pounding in his temples, Teric let the monks know what was what:

"Assholes!" He yelled to no one in particular. Bad enough they stick me in a jungle, but now I've got predators to worry about? Teric was dumbfounded. Arena hazards weren't unheard of, but usually they were mundane mechanical or environmental hazards. Things like lava, quicksand, spikes, or trapdoors. In all his visits to the Citadel, this was the first time Teric had ever encountered a living, breathing obstacle other than his opponent.

Maybe that's why my opponent isn't around? The Grandmaster was struck with an almost comedic thought. Maybe he wasn't expecting a big tiger either. The idea that his opponent lay mangled and mauled somewhere in the jungle was an interesting thought, but Teric couldn't dismiss the notion that his foe might still be lurking in the trees somewhere - waiting for the tiger to do his work for him or waiting for an opportune moment to strike.

"What do you say, kitty?" Teric asked in a patronizing tone. "Did you eat my opponent for me?"

[Valanthe]

Valanthe looked about in confusion as Teric just vanished, and spotted him ten feet away. How had she failed? There was something about his presence that was throwing her off. She should’ve kept quiet, not roared, but she felt the urge to show off in the presence of such a legend. She sat down and looked at him, carefully considering her options. She could revert to normal, but that would be showing her hand. He didn’t seem to suspect her of being his opponent, which was good, no, better to wait until she couldn’t hold her shape anymore. So, what to do then? Tigers didn’t have ranged attacks, so the only option she really had was to attack frontally.

She was worried he might behead her before she got close. Well, she’d have to be careful about that. If he kept her at bay with his sword, she’d just have to revert so she could use her magic on him. She growled at him, to let him know she wasn’t forgetting about him. If she were in her normal form, she’d definitely have to use her shrapnel bomb to slow him down. If worse came to worse, she’d become a monkey and get the monkeys in the trees to rally to her cause.

Then he asked if she ate his opponent. In response Valanthe licked her chops displaying all of her pearly whites in a great yawn as she began purring loudly in a contented manner, as though she had infact ate someone. She walked slowly over towards Teric a little ways as her tail slowly swung from side to side, and stared at him, hard, trying to intimidate him. Then the purr became a growl, and Valanthe launched into another attack, running for Teric and swiping at him with her claws as she came closer. This time if he ran off, all bets were off. No sense in wasting her time in a shape Teric would keep running from.

Meanwhile, the monkeys in the trees kept raising a fuss, interested in the struggle between man and beast on the floor below.

[Bloodrose]

His question had been rhetorical in nature, for Teric hadn't expected any sort of response from the big cat opposite him. Wild beasts, once they picked a fight, didn't usually wait around to plot their next move. Any normal tiger, upon spotting Teric after his disappearing act, would have charged right back into the fray without a second's hesitation. This tiger, however, licked its chops appreciatively as if to tell the mercenary "Yes, I did eat your opponent." The predator smiled at him - displaying those dangerous teeth boldly before prowling forward, the tall grass parting around its shoulders as it advanced.

There is something seriously off about that cat. Teric thought as he took a couple steps back in tandem with the tiger's steps coming forward. Large cats were well known for their ability to close sizeable distances in a hurry, so the veteran wanted to give himself as much space and warning as possible. It's smart, too smart - like it can understand what I'm saying... A familiar maybe?

That thought put the Grandmaster on edge, making the skin on his scalp crawl. Magi were amongst Teric's least favorite type of opponent, and generally speaking he'd had poor luck with wizards and witches in the past. "People fear what they don't understand." Wasn't that how the mantra went? With his limited knowledge and talent concerning anything magical in nature, that generalization applied to Teric quite well.

The tiger lunged forward with all the speed and agility a creature of its size could muster - the shoulder muscles and legs coiling like giant springs before rocketing the predator forward. In that instant Teric was glad for the extra space he'd kept between himself and the animal - because the tiger was fast. While supernaturally fast himself (fast enough to stay out of harm’s way), the extra buffer room gave Teric more than enough time to turn the animal's frontal assault to his advantage.

The mercenary made a juke to the left, dropping his shoulder in a classic feint and at the same time silently triggering a seldom used technique he liked to call the "Double Take." Normally he didn't even bother with the skill, which briefly disrupted the vision of anyone looking at his person, but right now he wanted to add a little extra kick to his ploy. Teric hoped the mild hallucinogenic effects would thoroughly confuse the tiger into clawing towards his feinted side, even as the Grandmaster side-stepped and twirled back to the right like a pirouetting dancer. As he spun, Teric's sword came about in an arcing, overhand chop, and the veteran aimed the blow at his target's near, front shoulder. The uncomfortably close proximity of the beast now meant he was in trouble if the creature didn't buy his ruse - but it also meant he was in a prime position to strike a killing blow if it did.

Duels, Teric had learned long ago, were simply a coordinated string of calculated risks. The greatest rewards in a fight came with taking the greatest risks - and leaving himself so close to a quick, smart animal like a tiger was certainly a pretty big risk...

[Valanthe]

Valanthe rushed forward, believing her eyes, which were completely fooled by Teric’s doubletake. She clawed at the empty air, and growled in surprise. She started to run for a large tree to hide behind in her normal form, when a blade bit into her shoulder causing her to cry out in pain in the form of a great roar. She fell over on the ground, all concentration on her shapeshift lost.

She began to glow greatly, a light obscuring the process of the shapeshift, and it’s natural byproduct. It was said that if someone actually watched someone shapeshift, the person watching would lose their minds. Whether this was true or not was never proven either way, but the ancient druids worked their shapeshifting to produce an obscuring glow.

As the glow faded, Valanthe slowly got up off the ground, wincing in pain. She looked at her shoulder where the wound was. She discovered that because her Vlince robes shifted into a pocket dimension around her when she became an animal, they were completely unaffected by events that happened to her, but they also didn’t help her either. Because the blow happened to her shoulder as a tiger, her shoulder in her normal form was also effected. But because nothing else was hit, neither was anything else hit. The wound wrapped from the front of the shoulder, to the back of her shoulder.

Valanthe glared at Teric, and cast Shrapnel Bomb. A greet steel ball came into being in mid-air, and lines appeared all throughout it. Valanthe darted behind a tree, just barely hidden behind it as the steel ball exploded with great force, sending shrapnel flying every which way. Valanthe knew this had to be her second most strategic move thus far. The first had been throwing him off by starting the fight as a tiger. If Teric was hit by shrapnel, he’d almost have to slow down, especially if he got hit in the legs. Then maybe she could hit him by other means. The thought crossed her mind that it was possible for him to be hit in the throat, slitting it with a piece of flying shrapnel.

Regardless of what happened, as the shrapnel stopped flying, by whatever means, it would disappear and fade away. Valanthe kept her back to the tree, waiting for some sign as to what happened.

[Bloodrose]

If not for the ominous glow that began emanating from the tiger as soon as it fell, Teric would have stepped in for the easy kill. A prone, injured beast made for a quick victory, but the mercenary's wariness of most things magical in nature or appearance held him back. It was a bright glow - bright enough to make the Grandmaster squint and look away. Was this something the Ai'Brone cooked up? Was the tiger about to explode in a fireball like an Aleran powder keg? He didn't know, so Teric backed up a few steps and kept his distance.

Now there's something you don't see every day.

The glow dissipated, and where had once been a hulking tiger was now a slip of an Elven girl. Half his own weight, maybe, Teric contemplated - and oddly colored for an elf as well. White haired like a Drow, but without the black skin tone that race was known for. Her garb was typical of a woodland druid, and seeing as she could shape shift to boot, the mercenary would gladly bet money on that being her profession.

"Clever." The Grandmaster mused out loud, speaking more to himself than to her. "I can see why you wanted to fight as a tiger and not in your own body."

The druidess just glared at him, staring daggers as if trying to kill with a look. Teric almost felt sorry for her, knowing full well just what he was capable of doing to someone her size. The knowledge that this was the Citadel, and that by virtue of her being here she was willingly putting herself at risk, however, belayed any qualms the veteran had about continuing the fight. He was about to do just that, readying his sword for a forward, lunging offensive, when the small woman proved again why Teric was wary of magic.

"Through magic, even the smallest opponents can prove deadly."

A strange orb materialized out of thin air near the elf, and the fact that she took off running was all the warning Teric needed. Bolting to his left, the veteran hurtled through the tall grass like a juggernaut. His sight was fixed on the tree line, and he almost made it before the jungle air resounded with a popping noise and a hailstorm of metal shards whizzed by. Teric's right arm came up over his face instinctively as he burst through the tree line into the shade of the canopy overhead.

"Ssss...Ah!" His breath made a soft hissing noise as the mercenary drew air through clenched teeth. A half dozen metal barbs stood up out of his skin at various angles, his right arm stinging as if he'd just walked through a nest of hornets. The chainmail he wore beneath his shirt and vest kept his torso from harm, and there was something to be said for the puncture resistant properties of the Vlince in his breeches and shirt. Only his forearm, where the sleeves were rolled up to show skin, took any real damage. There the small projectiles had shot to the bone.

"Bitch!" Teric cursed, now moving through the trees. He didn't stop to pull out the barbs, for there was no reason to. Almost as soon as they'd hit him, the shards evaporated on their own, leaving only small, bloody holes behind. The veteran could only chastise himself. That's what I get for allowing her so much time to regroup. He thought. It was a rookie mistake, underestimating his opponent's resourcefulness just because she looked so delicate. Unfortunately for her, that was the type of mistake Teric only made once in a duel.

A few dozen strides through the jungle undergrowth and Teric caught sight of his prey in the corner of his eye. They hadn't been that far apart when they'd both taken off running, and so not surprisingly they weren't very far apart in the woods where they'd hidden. She'd made it safely behind her tree, while he'd been a step to slow, but the tree wasn't going to protect her now.

Teric's arm slashed through the air faster than most eyes could follow, and twin crescent blades of air flew off his sword like a pair of scythes. Their trail was easy to gauge, as they cut a swath of destruction through the jungle underbrush as they rocketed towards the elf. Teric was dismayed to note that he might have acted prematurely - he was a little too far away for the blades to reach his opponent before they lost their cutting edge. That said, however, the druidess wasn't that far beyond that point...

[Valanthe]

Valanthe smiled in triumph as she heard the spell work. She could only hope he was slowed down. The monkeys in the trees were chattering. Most were betting Teric would win, knowing that was how things usually wing, the larger more powerful predator usually beat the smaller.

She started hooting and hollering at them in their own language beseeching them to help her. Unfortunatly this meant that she didn't notice Teric coming for her until it was too late to really dodge him. She backed away from the blade, a pair of shrubs bending away from her as she backed away. The hit, and an exposed root, tripped her, knocking her out momentarily.

As her chest began to bleed, and a wound on her head opened up slightly, ten monkeys leapt on Teric, answering Valanthe's plea for aid. Biting, and scratching, they attempted to help Valanthe with all their simian might. Meanwhile, another five monkeys in the tree flung a handful of poo each at Teric. If Valanthe were awake, she might've laughed, happy that her unskilled attempt at persueding a group of monkeys to help her were successful. However, she was just barely waking up, bleary eyed and groggy, unable to focus due to the wound on her head.

"Where am I?" She asked, confused. Appearently she had amnesia too.

[Bloodrose]

Nothing spoils the moment quite like a handful of monkey feces, so when one struck Teric's vest as he celebrated his apparent victory with a smile, the mercenary was obviously displeased. Also, as if being struck with excrement isn't insulting enough, a pack of hooting, chattering monkeys descended out of the trees like an army rushing to the aid of their fallen commander.

"Get away from me!" Teric snarled, visibly enraged as he dealt swiftly and brutally with this new threat. He backhanded the first monkey to reach him with a closed fist, cracking the creature's skull open and flinging it end over end through the air like a ragdoll. The second monkey met with a similarly gruesome fate, as it was swatted out of the air not with a fist, but with a sword. The sight of one of their own falling to the ground in two pieces gave the remaining monkeys adequate pause, and without the will of the Druidess to galvanize them, the creatures broke and scattered back into the jungle.

"Stupid animals." The veteran was muttering to himself under his breath now, pausing to fetch a handkerchief from his pocket. A normal battle would have dictated that he rush over to the fallen elf and dispatch her immediately, but his opponent was out cold - maybe even dead already. She'd taken a direct hit from his always effective 'Slash', and Teric didn't like her chances given the lack of any substantial armor. No, there was no urgent need to deal quickly with a comatose body...

After he'd cooled down for a couple minutes, busying himself with cleaning the poo from his vest and the gore from his sword, Teric found himself in a sort of melancholy. Kind of disappointing, really. He found himself thinking. Once over the insult of being attacked my primates, the veteran could fully appreciate the creativity of using their help. The Druidess, it seemed, was both clever and adept at utilizing her surroundings, making her an interesting and dangerous opponent. It's too bad she couldn't back up that mind with a stronger body. Teric dropped the used nose-rag on the ground, deciding it would be easier to buy a new one than clean the poo out of the old one. If she gets stronger, grows a little in her craft, she could be quite the opponent one day. The type of opponent I'm looking for...

Maybe his quick victory was the cause of his melancholy, Teric decided as he began wandering closer to the Druidess. He circled wide around the body, past the legs and around the side so that he could approach her body closest to the head and shoulders. More and more these days the veteran was finding it difficult to find anyone capable of giving him a good fight. Some might find that odd. The warrior knew, but there was a reason he became a career fighter. There was that rush - that exhilaration a man felt in his chest when dancing with Death - Teric had become dependent on. He was like an alcoholic in need of his next drink, and all he was finding these days was water. Godhand Striker had been the last man to satiate his thirst, but Teric was quickly realizing that men like Godhand were one in a million.

Maybe I've gotten too strong. Teric shook his head, a knowing smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. Now there's something I never thought I'd say.

He approached the Druidess by her head and shoulders because Teric had learned long ago to never approach an opponent from somewhere where they could get at you easily. It was advantageous to stay away from the limbs as much as possible, should your enemy be playing possum, but the veteran wasn't too worried about the elf springing a trap on him. She had a pretty nasty wound opened up on her head and her chest, and even if she did wake up, Teric would be willing to wager she'd black out again - this time due to blood loss - relatively quickly.

Kneeling, Teric pulled the dirk he kept in his boot and hovered it over the elf woman's neck. As if sensing the imminent danger, the Druidess awoke, staring up at him all blurry eyed and disoriented. Her question, mumbled like her tongue was a loaf of bread, betrayed just how disoriented she was, because the elf didn't seem to realize just where she was, or who she was, or even why she was laying there with a knife over her throat.

"You're about to go home." Teric replied. He tightened his grip around his knife, readying the strike. "You're about to go home, and you'll remember everything when you get there."

[Valanthe]

Valanthe had just woken up, her memories were fuzzy. She saw monkies try to clobber a guy, but they ran off when he proved too strong. Who was she, what was she? It was coming back in a flood, she was a druidess, her name was Valanthe Xilanthese, yes, she remembered it all, and her opponet was about kill her!

Fear raced through her body, what could she do? She was stuck, trapped, this was the end. She hated this part, the part where she died. It took her back to the time, back when she was a child. She had been out on her own, during a thunderstorm. She was under a tree close to the edge of a clearing. It was a dead tree, but it served well enough for the impressionable young girl. Suddenly, everything went white, and then black, as a bolt of lightning struck the dead tree. It scarred her for life, making her terrified of it's power. She was lucky her adopted father found her quickly, or she would've died. Other than death, Lightning was Valanthe's greatest fear, and the citadel was quickly taking her fear of death.

As she felt her throat get slit, she knew it was too late. As her life blood gushed out she made one last desperate attempt to make Teric suffer. She put her hands on him and let all 12,500 volts of electricty that she could muster flow into him, then everything went black.

She remembered breifly visiting the Anti-firmament, and she remembered being surrounded by Omni's comforting light. Then something or someone brought her back, and she woke up in a recovery room.

"I lost." She said quietly.
"Indeed, but it was to Teric Bloodrose, tis no great thing to be ashamed of. But take to heart the experiences you had." the monk in her room said.
"I need to be more powerful." Valanthe said.
"I'm not quite sure that was the goal I had in mind." the monk said.
"I know, I know, your just as bad as my master was when I was his apprentice, power is nothing without effectivness, the weakest of children can topple the mightiest of giants with naught but a sling provided they know how to use it effectivly, likewise the mightest of swords is nothing in the hands of an unskilled novice." Valanthe said, reciting her master's lesson by heart.
"Well, he did have a point." the monk said.
"Am I cleared to go?" Valanthe asked.
"I have no reason to stop you." the monk said.
"Good, I'm going to go pray in the forest for some direction. You were right about one thing though, a loss to Teric Bloodrose is nothing to be ashamed of, he's one hell of a fighter." Valanthe said with a smile as she got up and left.

[Bloodrose]

Even with her lifeblood ebbing from the cut Teric had opened up in her neck, the elf was still trying to fight. Her hands hit him in the chest, her palms suddenly painfully hot. A jolt ran through Teric's body like a lightning strike, convulsing his muscles and knocking him back a couple of feet. The veteran sat down hard on the jungle floor, his limbs twitching and his heart beating furiously in his chest. Every inch of him ached, like he'd just been hit by a runaway ox cart.

Damn! All told, the veteran was more impressed than he was hurt. The jolt had been unexpected, and certainly painful, but once again the Druidess' skills didn't fully complement her tactics. A couple minutes rest and the spasms would pass - the numbness in his limbs dissipate. What he was feeling now was typical of a low level lightning spell - not that Teric wasn't still intimidated by the magic. One last, desperate act of aggression. She really does have a fighter's spirit.

The elf died quietly, her body drained of every ounce of strength. As was typical of the place, the Citadel arena began to shimmer and dissolve as her last breath left in a rattle, the jungle trees and underbrush evaporating as if made of mist of the wind. In less time than it takes a man to pick himself up off the ground, for that was what Teric was doing at the time, the jungle arena had vanished and was replaced with a cold, empty stone room. A single door set into the near wall clicked open and three monks entered expectantly. Two moved right to the Druidess, lifting her body and immediately carrying it off to wherever it was that the monks worked their miracles. The third, the monk who'd met Teric on his way in, approached the surviving combatant.

"So?" The monk asked. "Was it everything you were hoping for?"

"Close." Teric replied. "She was a competitor in spirit, but I'm afraid her skills left a little something to be desired."

The monk smiled knowingly, his eyes alight. "Yes, well, you have grown quite powerful of late - much more powerful than you where when you came here and fought Viral. It is a little more difficult to find opponents who possess the same level of skill."

Teric returned the smile, knowing the monk was right. His strength, his speed, his mind - they were all as fast, strong, and sharp as they had been in his heyday, perhaps even more so. It was a difficult thing to wrap his mind around sometimes, being so much stronger than the average Althanian - and Teric was quickly realizing that the days filled with plentiful, challenging opponents were behind him now. If he was going to keep himself busy, he was going to have to find something more meaningful to do than kill fledgling warriors in places like the Citadel.

"I appreciate your efforts anyways." Teric told the monk, walking out with the bald-headed man. As the door to the arena closed behind them, the mercenary added: "I may be back soon though, so if you happen to see anyone..."

[Arsène]

Sorry this has taken so long. I've tried my best to give you both some detail and tips, and if you need to talk to me about anything, my AIM is in my profile. I'm usually on.

Story

Continuity ~

Bloodrose: (7)
I enjoyed your introduction a lot. There was a level of pageantry present, and adding the crowd just seemed so appropriate. There were glimmers throughout your thread I liked too, where you kept reminding us of Teric's past days of (somewhat? Slightly younger?) youth and his old adventures in the Citadel. I would've liked a few more glimmers, however, to help me fit this into the big picture. Maybe a small reflection on an old battle in the Citadel, and just what made it feel so different.

Valanthe: (5)
Your opening was alright, but there is a reason you scored lower here. Bloodrose had his character’s story present throughout. This didn’t seem like one disconnected battle. He mentioned a number of times how different it felt to be battling now, and the reader can really see how well this fits into the rest of his adventures. You mentioned The Darkman only during your introduction, and for such a powerful foe I would’ve expected his presence to pop up more, especially when Valanthe lay dying at the end. The Darkman sounds like a being that deserves much more airtime, because if I lost a battle that I used to test my ability to stop such a beast, I’d be filled with a sense of dread. I would’ve also liked a little more back story on Valanthe’s family’s role in the release of such a beast.

Setting ~

Bloodrose: (6)
I enjoyed Teric’s first reactions when entering the arena, and especially liked the bit where he compared them to the jungles of Dheathain. The bit about taking off your jacket because it was humid really shows that setting can go beyond the realm of sight and sound and into the actions of a character. For the most part afterward, the only real interaction I saw with the setting was jumping behind trees. I suppose Teric really didn’t need to interact with the environment as much because he had the advantage, so I really can’t fault you. Still, I often forgot about the trees and instead pictured a muddy mess of dirt with a few patches of grass as the battle progressed.

Valanthe: (6)
I must say that I loved the setting and how you used it. I’ll touch on this more when I get to action, but your use of hiding was something I never see in battles. It was refreshing and I thank you for that. From a technical standpoint, I got a lot more information for the setting from Bloodrose. His descriptions allowed me to see a fairly exact picture, and your interaction with it, from the stealth in the tall grass to monkeys flinging poo, gave me a three-dimensional image. In that way, I think you two made a good team. However, I think you can greatly improve if you just talk more vividly about the environment. What are the smells and sights? You mentioned a few times the howling of monkeys, and while it allowed foreshadowing, it seemed incredibly redundant when you mentioned it two times within a few posts. There must’ve been a bit more going on. In the early stages of a battle, especially, your character should be taking notes on everything that surrounds them.

Pacing ~

Bloodrose/Valanthe: (5.5)
I think this thread moved at the only pace it could, logically. But that posed a problem. The first few posts gave me a feeling of anticipation, but once Valanthe reversed from her shapeshifted form things moved far too quickly and every effort from Valanthe then on felt futile and wasted. You two did the best you could, but the pacing of the story was hurt because of the difference in level and power.


Character

Dialogue ~

Bloodrose: (7)
I loved the noises Teric made when injured. There was something so incredibly comical about it, and I have to say it’s not often I see sounds made into actually dialogue, and not just “he cried//screamed/snarled/etc. in pain.” There was nothing truly epic about the dialogue, but then the battle never really called for it.

Valanthe: (4.5)
For the most part, I found your dialogue functional. When it concerned NPCs, like the monk Valanthe spoke to, I could only tell the difference between speakers when I read who said what. There was no real difference in tone, that’s dangerous ground to tread. You need to work on bringing more life to each character, because no everyone is going to talk the same way, there are always subtle differences.

Action –

Bloodrose: (6.5)
In the battle, you played Teric like I’d expect. He’s a seasoned warrior with a lot of power to back him up. But there’s one thing that just didn’t sit right with me. Why would Teric go to the Citadel at all? Sure, it’s a hub for warriors, but he remembers the days when he fought there, and it seems like he mostly fought people at his power level. Now that he’s stronger, surely he’d think to try something more daring. He seems like the kind of guy who has a good head on his shoulders, so as I was reading his thoughts on being so overpowering, I could only sit and wonder why he wouldn’t post a challenge outside the Citadel. It makes sense that only the strongest would accept a challenge that could kill them, and who wouldn’t want to fight the grandmaster?

Valanthe: (3.5)
I was going to give you a much hire mark in this area, but I had to deduct some major points for your use of powergaming. There were times when you seemingly attacked and hit your opponent without his explicitly written permission. Off the top of my head, you had the monkey poo connect to Teric in your post, and you released your full voltage on him, again during your post. You may have had his permission to do so, but that has to be marked in the text itself.

On the plus side, however, I did enjoy your use of stealth greatly. I would’ve awarded you three or four more points, had the powergaming not occurred. I do wish to congratulate you for that.

Persona –

Bloodrose: (7)
The idea of an old man with incredible skill and stamina makes me giggle. He did start to sound really conceded and self-centered later on in the thread, which made him a little less likeable. Repeating over and over again how he wants to find a worthy challenge, I can’t help but think this guy needs a woman or a time-share in Florida. Still, you have a good grasp of character and I really enjoyed Teric for the most part.

Valanthe: (4.5)
There was a sense of urgency to Valanthe, early on, that I felt completely drain towards the end. Of course focus shifts solely to battle, but again, I have to bring up The Darkman. He seems like such a threat that I would never let him out of my mind if I were to encounter him. Every waking second would be devoting to searching for power and tricks to defeating this demon. Hell, Valanthe should’ve asked a few tips of Teric at the very end.


Writing Style

Technique –

Bloodrose: (7)
I really enjoy how you describe battles. There’s really good imagery in every paragraph, and it makes for an exciting read.

Valanthe: (4)
The only technique I really saw was foreshadowing, and that was only the two instances you mentioned the monkeys before Valanthe commanded them to attack. A few more techniques will greatly increase your score. Just try to add some imagery, some alliteration; anything that can help the flow of your work.

Mechanics –

Bloodrose: (9)
For the most part, I saw only one or two grammatical errors for the entire thread from you. And even then, I had to double check to make sure they were actually errors.

Valanthe: (2)
Valanthe, you need to proof read. This isn’t just friendly advice. You need to consider this a dire warning. I counted at least 10 errors per post, on average. There weren’t minor errors either. These weren’t even errors only a spellcheck would pick up with ease. I could see them clear as day. Please, spellcheck and proofread anything you write. I implore you.



Clarity –

Bloodrose: (7)
There was a time or two I was confused about Teric’s movements, but that’s only because it’s hard to imagine an old man moving in the blink of an eye and summoning cutting force to slash through forests.

Valanthe: (4)
Because of the numerous mistakes, clarity suffered. I found myself re-reading passages because of a misused or misspelled word on many occasions.


Wild Card –

Bloodrose: (7)
Valanthe: (7)

I actually really liked this thread. I’m not sure why, but I felt really excited to read this and I hope you two write together again someday.

Bloodrose receives 2300 XP and 1250 GP
Valanthe receives 300 XP and 320 GP

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!