Boiler

[Dissinger]

(Closed to Bandit Brother)

"Well, this is going to be interesting," The words slipped forth from the mouth of the ghoul, who even now sat upon a pole. Well, pole was more of an understatement, as a pole implied a slimness that this didn't actually have. It was more of a pillar, about two feet wide and with enough girth to support the Ghoul. It wasn't the only one, not by far. In fact there were others in the area that rose, more of a pillar forest.

Hell, some even had connecting walls.

What made it interesting to the ghoul was the fact he couldn't see very far into this forest. He'd get maybe five feet of visibility, and in doing so, he'd probably not see something till it was too late. So, he sat upon a pillar, which gave him marginally more distance to look, and waited patiently. He had spent a life time of arrogance and pride; he had learned a few minutes to enjoy the fight were worth it in the end.

Besides, it was the quiet ones that made it interesting.

He had studied the battlefield for awhile now, the pillars were painted a garish red, and ironically, in some form of assumption of the opponents, the top of every pillar was a brilliant gold. It had taken Seth a few minutes to learn how to time the jumps to scale the pillars, without knocking them over or slipping. Now he felt at ease within the forest watching the deep green tile floor below for signs of his opponent.

A predatory grin lit up his features before he snickered, "Come out, come out, wherever you are..." The ghoul had come to fight, and for no other reason than to stretch his muscles, he had gone too long without battle, a true fight, a true challenge to sink his teeth into, literally. Not since the nWo's war against Imperial had he seen anything bordering on a challenge.

He was praying for one now.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max stretched as he awoke from his sleep in the citadel lobby. He knew coming here would get him a fight, but he had watched countless fighters enter and leave. not one of them had looked like much of a challenge. As he approached the man at the front counter, he brushed some of his white hair out of his eyes and ran his hand threw it yawning. He had really come here to try and learn a new ability in the midst of battle, because he found when under pressure he can learn more and learn it faster.

“Hey Ralph what's going on? Any news on the bracket search?” Max said as he leaned on the counter resting his head, he was still incredibly tired from his nap.

“Well let's see I found a few open brackets all nameless fighters” Ralph said as he flipped through the pages he had marked.

“Well we do have ...” the monk trailed off as he rested his finger upon a name “No you can't handle him”

“Fill me in that bracket I want him then” Max said as he rolled his right shoulder getting ready for a fight.

“His name is Seth Dahlios, very well known around here. He is a great fighter, as well as a great murderer and a thief”

Max smiled as he slowly started walking to a door, “show me my way in!”

Max smiled as he followed the monk, and as they walked down the hallway he started thinking.

If it's a room full of platforms I will find the highest one, after all the higher the better.

and If its an open area then I will rush him, try and end it fast.

If its a forest I will use the tree's to my advantage and use my paralysis touch on them. They won't know what hit them

As he entered a door he looked around and it was nothing but black. After a few seconds he heard a tearing sound, when his eyes adjusted to the light. he realized he was in a forest … of pillar's and walls, Max would call it a maze but it was randomly placed walls. It was more so opened for you to go anywhere, but as he climbed a pillar he heard his opponent cry out. he reached the top, and pointed at his opponent.

“I am Your opponent Maximilian Cannon, now bring it or perish”

[Dissinger]

"What is it with every young adventurer having to come forward with pomp and fanfare to announce themselves?" Seth asked as he slowly moved to crouch atop his pillar. The wide brimmed hat was forming a cover for his eyes, even as a sadistic grin lit up his features. The excitement of the coming fight began to overwhelm him, it spoke of the blood lust he could embrace, and the desire to tear this foolish man apart.

Lunch time...

The pillar forest seemed to be silent at the question, letting the words echo softly through the room, before the ghoul grabbed the brim of his hat, and casually tossed it across the room, for it to rest against the wall and slide down, lost amidst the sea of trees. With a shrug of his shoulders, the jacket slide off his dirty, bloodstained vest and shirt, a hole of which showed white flesh beneath it, the clothes having remained unfixed since the homunculi Kycoo had ripped his heart out of his chest, a wound healed later during his trip to Raiaera.

"I'll tell you what kid, so long as you keep me entertained, I'll let you stay alive. The second you're no longer fun, I'm going to rip your heart out and use it as an appetizer to the feast," The words said he gave a mental command letting long chains stretch from his hands towards the floor, reaching about a third of the way down the pillars.

As soon as the chains clinked from their freed prison he was off like a rifle, speeding towards his opponent to cause as much damage before ripping out the other side. A swing lashed out to grip the poor bastard's neck in the lash of his chains. His other fist sped for the poor man's stomach, with enough force to punch straight through to the spine.

If the kid couldn't survive this, Seth had wasted his time.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max rolled his shoulder's as the man started talking. But when he saw the chains and the man take off he panicked, and tried to get into a ready stance.

“Man oh man this may be a little fun”

Max thought as he went to leap to another pillar top only to feel the one he was standing on shift, and start to tip over. He quickly jumped to the adjacent pillar only to reach it about a quarter of the way down from the top, the sudden impact of Max on the side of it started that one toppling.

Max leapt to another one and kicked off that one trying to get it to fall in the way of his assailant. If he meant what he said bout letting him live. Then he didn't have to worry. But the eating his heart. That sounded rather painful. Max hit the ground and knelt down looking up seeing three pillar's collapse to the ground.

Max couldn't wait around and tried to hide behind a nearby pillar to try and surprise the other man, he couldn't fight head on with this guy. His two chains would not only rip away his sword's from him, but if they connected would hurt a heck of a lot more.

So as he laid in wait he focused Mana to his Left hand and remembered his fight against Eric, his old friend from his bandit day's, and how he had done a pulse of mana. Max smiled thats exactly what he needed to do. A pulse there was countless pillar's about and a pulse was the perfect way to injure his assailant.

He closed his eyes and focused mana into his chest, while waiting to paralyis the guys right arm, and to blow him through a pillar in the process.

[Dissinger]

With the breaking of three pillars, one launched towards the pillar he was perched upon, he was forced into a backward retreat. The ghoul's eyes narrowed slowly studying the battlefield, before the pillars finally came to rest upon the deep green tiles below, shooting plumes of stone fragments and dust into the air, blocking any attempt to monitor the area.

Finally he jumped forward, landing nimbly upon another pillar, and began a rather interesting habit. Hopping from pillar to pillar slowly, landing on one foot, then the other, and proving how nimble he truly was. He continued at this, allowing his opponent not only time to recover, but time to hide. His eyes focused only on leaping from pillar to pillar, and hopping softly atop each, almost cockily.

Coming to a stop in the area the boy had fallen, he called out, "Well, at least you got one thing on your side. Sheer determination can overcome any amount of incompetence. You just have to want it. If you think I killed people just because I was more skilled you're crazy. Its the people that have nothing to lose in trying you fear. Those fuckers will catch you off guard every time."

Closing his eyes, he stood tall atop a pillar. The dust had settled, but the Ghoul saw nothing about him. This concerned him slightly, so in order to find his opponent, he stretched out. The hunger within him was tugging softly at his twisted heart; seeking to satiate itself upon the small morsel he was delivered. Nodding softly to himself, he leap back a foot or so, falling gracefully to the tile below.

When he landed a resounding crack echoed through the arena, and one could have almost sworn the stupid stunt of the Ghoul had broken a leg. Only to find the figure had landed in a perfect kneel, his eyes hidden by the brown locks of hair that graced his head. Soon he rose to a standing position, the chains softly clinking against one another, before he moved through the forest.

He sensed his meal nearby, and opened his eyes looking in the direction he had felt the pulse of life.

I see you...

[Lady Blackwell]

Max was focusing his mana, as he felt something tug him back to the real world. He Smiled as he opened his eyes and sheathed his sword as he turned around the pillar seeing the man there, his opponent, his maker.

“Well well well let's rock then” Max said as he took off with both his hand's glowing a bright white light and his chest so swollen with mana it started to hurt, but he couldn't let any of it go until he was in front of the man.

Just as he got within striking distance of the chain's he changed his orientation and spun on his left foot, as he reached out to surge some mana through this guy's right arm. And as soon as he touched that arm and sent the mana through, he let all the Mana he had built up in his chest explode out with all the ferocity that it could.

He fell to a knee and started breathing heavily, it had felt like something tore apart his chest. Looking down, he could see that pieces of his leather were missing, a lot of them. Showing his chest and only fragments of the leather remaining.

He knew this fight was not over, but he was smiling cause he had managed to get the mana pulse right on the first try. The strength of it didn't matter at this point. All he knew was, he was out of mana and pretty much out of stamina, he had to regain as much as he could if he was going to survive this fight for much longer.

[Dissinger]

Everything went to hell at once.

One second Seth was moving through the forest, the next the brat had rushed forward and gripped his right arm. Immediately some kind of explosion had hit and Seth wasn't sure if he was coming or going anymore. All he knew was his head hurt, and he was now under a pile of rubble.

Looking through the cracks to bright light above him he shook his head clearing the fog. Moving he began to try and lift his right arm, only to stop when he felt it not budge, even the tiniest of movement was impossible. It refused to flex, to rise, or even to help. It wasn't that it was impossible, just that it refused to. “What was it I said about determination making up for skill? Gods above I hate it when I’m right…”

Growling he reached out with his left hand, glad for once he had been trained to be ambidextrous. Darith probably would have had his head, but that relied on his old mentor knowing that he was alive, and further that he had been embarrassed so. The sound of rocks tumbling in a bit of an avalanche filled the air, before the stone pillars broke and rolled forward, knocking down other nearby pillars from sheer force and momentum.

A cry of outrage filled the air as Seth Dahlios emerged, battered, bleeding from a few stone, and quite possibly bone, splinters in his skin. Looking about the area the left hand wiped the dust from his sweating face before he spotted his opponent. "First hits free, then you pay asshole!"

The chains immediately unwrapped themselves from his wrists, falling upon the ground with a loud crash, even though his right was still moved up in a semblance of shielding him from the rushing boy. The left arm immediately shot out, snaking through the forest of pillars to reach at the boy, preparing to bring him forth and begin the feast.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max fell to a knee breathing heavily, it felt like someone had ripped out his heart. He had a huge grin across his face, he had managed to do the pulse but if his opponent wasn't dead then Max was. He could barely get enough strength to try and stand up.

Max laughed as he stood up wobbling back and forth as he assessed the scene. Several pillar's were knocked down and there was a few that were reduced to nothing but rubble. And he could not see his Opponent nowhere.

As Max went to walk away as he heard a cry of outrage from behind him. He slowly turned to see the man standing up right, bloodied and beaten. As well as looking extremely pissed.

“Well then I guess I should of killed you with that first hit” Max chuckled as he began hacking and coughing, his body was already past it's limit's if he didn't do something fast he would suffer another loss in the citadel.

Unfortunately this man was not going to give him a chance to think about what to do next. The chain from his left arm came flying at him, and weaved around the few pillar's that he had passed on his way towards the exit.

Max figured he could try to move, but he would inevitably end up being caught so he stood there, if all else failed he could use the chain's to his advantage

[Dissinger]

The boy refused to move, even as he saw his death moving for him, the boy refused to budge an inch. It was more than the ghoul could take, and with a flick of his wrist, he grabbed the chain and brought it to a snapping halt, mere inches from the boys face. Something stirred in the thief when he saw the unmoving boy before him, and he knew what it was, respect.

Even though the boy had lost and he was as good as dead, he faced his fate head on, rather than run as a coward.

Seth could understand that, perhaps even accept it. Still he moved about slowly grabbing the coat and the hat he had so carelessly tossed away at the beginning. A sigh left his lips before he was racing towards the exit of this forsaken cesspool. Gone was the lust for battle, for the killing blow and the geyser of blood. In just one moment, the boy had moved beyond the reach of the Demon's desires for carnage.

Who'd have thought Seth Dahlios would see some of himself in the other. It intrigued him, and he wanted to see if this boy could grow and avoid the pitfalls that had consumed the Lavinian Demon. As he moved past the boy his words spoke firmly, "You got some spunk kid, don't lose it. Might come in handy."

Seth probably could have killed the boy, desired to tear that cockiness down and erect despair within the boy. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it, not anymore. Perhaps during the year of carnage he had sown across Althanas he would have left the boy a gibbering wreck of himself through torturing and taking delight from his victim's screams. That was a Seth long since killed, if only to survive.

As the door slammed shut the monks moved forward a look of confusion on their face. Seth snorted softly before shaking his head, "Get me a new fight, this one wasn't worth the kill."

[Lady Blackwell]

Max smiled as his impending doom flew towards his face, he was happy he had gave his best. Respecting the man before him as a better fighter. Then something unexpected happened the chains stopped just mere inches before his face. Max looked baffled and shocked as his opponent walked by him.

Max chuckled as the man spoke, before turning into a hacking and coughing fit. He could barely move, let alone breath. Within seconds monks were huddled all around Max staring at him in wide eyed confusion. How could this meager boy, have done that much damage to the man known as Seth Dahlios while remaining almost totally unharmed. Even though max was unconscious on the ground and had severely injured his chest cavity he had a smug little grin on his face.

The only thing traveling through Max's head was; “Soon I can take you on Antrio”

Closing post

Spoils requested: Mana pulse: The ability to use all remaining mana from Max's body to create a 360 degree pulse of mana, (PC chooses what happens) ((Judge chooses Equivalent and Effect)) (((Against a NPC depending on the mana Max uses can knock someone back a step with little amounts of mana or send everyone flying within a ten feet diametre)))

[Lord Anglekos]

Boiler
As I was given choice of rubric, I'm doing numbers with limited commentary here and there. I clap my hands at another David versus Goliath match, but...well, onto the judging.

Dissinger's score is first, Bandit Brother's is second.

STORY
Continuity: 4 (for both)
Setting: 5/4
-I liked the interaction with the pillars from you, but felt there could have more, much more, done with them. Also, the lack of description was conflicting at times.
Pacing: 6/4

CHARACTER
Dialogue: 5/2
-This has been mentioned before, Bandit, but I feel the need to mention it again. Your dialogue feels like it's coming from the lips of an anime character more often than not, and it is very hard to believe that such words would be said by a real person. My advice on this is to speak them aloud. Do they feel natural, or something you would actually say? Usually a character is often influenced heavily upon by their authors themselves.
Action: 6/5
Persona: 5/2

WRITING STYLE
Mechanics: 6/5
-Bandit, I see some definite improvement here with you. You had a few obvious mistakes here and there, but far less than usual. Keep it up. Diss, you missed a few places for commas and such, mostly grammar mistakes from you. They were fairly eye catching, so I docked a few points.
Technique: 7/4
Clarity: 5/3
- BB, in your last post you said he was unconscious, yet he was still able to think? That didn't make sense. Things like that you have to watch out for. Reading over your posts after you've written them is a good way to catch things like that.

WILD CARD: 7 for both of you. I always like seeing a good David versus Goliath. Dissinger, I thank you for helping BB out OOC'ly, and BB, I'm glad to see you putting your knowledge to use.

Dissinger gets a 56.
Bandit Brother gets a 40.

Dissinger wins! Congratulations.

Dissinger gets 2200 EXP and 500 GP.
Bandit Brother gets 200 EXP and 100 GP. I added more than usual because I was impressed at his effort. He also gains his Mana pulse ability, with the stipulation that it can only send human-sized or smaller figures "flying" for a distance of up to ten feet.

[Taskmienster]

Exp and GP added!