Ancient Symbols Second Page. (Open)

[Archanex Jotham]

((Open to -any- level 0-2!!!))

I could see the canopy of stars as my soul went to that certain special place. Traveling across the Firmanent was easy when the body was locked in deep sleep. I could see the stars surrounding me, feel the tidal ebb and flow of the universe of Althanas. As I looked about, I could touch the very gray matter of space and time. It was one of the most beautiful images my eyes ever studied. I learned much in my time out here, in the farthest reaches of the Firmanent. My deepest muses were drawn from the time I spent here, often recorded in my personal journals and grimoires.

As time flowed about me, visible as a glowing energy, I felt a tug back towards my unconscious body. I was locked in a deep slumber and I needed to return to the normal boundaries of the Firmanent now. Closing my eyes...I took one last look at the star ocean. Somewhere in that canopy of stars resided the great land of Ayenee, and the star of my origins. That was my last thought before my new journey would begin. A journey of redemption...

Finally, the Overmage had recovered his strength after an entire month had passed since his encounter with Valanthe Xilanthese (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=20308). Fighting the more advanced, shape-shifting magus had left a bad taste in the Overmage's mouth. Somehow, his strength had returned to him finally despite the devastating, ego-crushing defeat. Jotham came to realize that he had much to learn about the Arkanos Arts. He needed to study more rigorously than ever to defeat opponents like that. Jotham wondered how someone could possess such a dynamic force of power and appear so young.

Shaking his head, the Overmage prepared himself for the next challenge. After he had gone through the first trial, the Monks had tabulated a certain power level for the Overmage. Gathering the appropriate information, the Monks knew what sort of training regime to put the Overmage through. Books and grimoires were only part of the story, the next part was proper application of knowledge gained.

Jotham was adjusting the belt of his robes when the Elder Monk named Duncan Lightrunner made his presence known. Jotham noticed that the nimbus around Duncan was particularly intense that day. Duncan also wore an uncharacteristically grim expression on his face. Such an expression seemed to twist the Monk's face into an amalgamation of its usual youth and beauty.

"I have news from the Mages' Guild Jotham." Duncan began. "You did exceedingly well in your first outing to The Citadel, but it was not enough. The match was over way too quickly for the liking of your superiors." The Monk said.

"Sire. It was not my fault--" Jotham began, but Duncan motioned with his hand to silence Jotham. Jotham knew his place and sighed visibly.

"You wield your spell with tremendous skill. However, you need to apply it with more focus. This is the very nature of The Citadel. Training for those without experience." Duncan stopped for a moment then began again. "I suspect you will one day grow exceedingly powerful as your Grimoire increases its pages." Duncan walked closer towards the Overmage. "The Mages' Guild has a task that they wish you to oversee once you are done with the next challenge. You will be free to undertake this task with a method of your choosing. You are required to go to Scara Brae once again in order to research."

"Scara Brae? I've been there before. I shall do this task in the name of the Mage's Guild."

"Good. I am glad that I could count on you. But first, we have a task for you..."

***

Wandering the halls of The Citadel, Jotham looked at the small parchment that he was given by the Monks. Studying the message on the parcel, he knew that he would need to find the appropriate chamber. A team of Monks was assigned to studying the Overmage and all his potential. Jotham looked at the parchment once more, it felt soft against his large hand. Go to chamber 35. It read simply. As he walked, the Overmage counted off the chambers until he found the one he sought. The number thirty-five was etched in embroidered gold on the large double-gates and a party of Monks was already waiting for him. One of the Monks was an unfamiliar gentleman, well they were all unfamiliar to the Overmage, with green eyes.

The green eyed fellow bowed his head towards the Overmage.

"Welcome Sir Overmage." The Monk began. "We have been waiting for you, thank you for your acceptance of this matter. Just as you study pages from your Grimoire, we too must constantly study the different combatants of this world and worlds beyond." The Monk kept his hands folded behind his back in a stiff military position. "You do not need to know our names before we begin. However you do need to know that this next environment will not be the choosing of yourself or your opponent. We will choose the arena for you. Do you understand what I have just said?" The Monk asked.

Jotham simply nodded.

"Very well. We can begin."

(Note: Arena will be described by me in my next post...)

[Cade_Smith]

Cade had never felt as alive as when he walked out into the entrance area of the Citadel. The battle with his friend turned foe Derrick had finished hours earlier, but he felt as if nothing had happened at all. His arms were strong and ready, his body was inhaling and exhaling regularly, and the grime from the swamp-like arena that the monks had given them had finally be washed away. The methane taint of the muck was harder to remove than the wounds he had received in battle. He smiled as he opened his hand, staring at the ball of fire that rested in his palm. To make matters better, none of his spells were draining him as they would if he had cast them outside of the Citadel’s rooms. He was ready for another fight, and wanted anything that the monks could give him.

“You did well,” the voice caught the young, eager sorcerer off guard. He closed his hand and let the ball of fire fizzle into a stream of smoke as it disappeared. The human turned to see that a monk was watching him with interest, smiling as he watched the spell flash out of existence. Deep in the brown robes Cade could see his wide gray eyes moving from the boy’s booted feet to his messy hair. “You seem to still have a little of the swamp in your hair though.”

Furiously he shook his head and ran his hands through his thin hair, trying to find the rogue piece of muck that dared to cling to him. It was like glitter, once it was on you it never seemed to come off. “Thank you, sir. I had fun. I’ve never been here before, but that was so much fun. I wonder, how long do you have to wait between battles till you can start another? Is there a waiting list?”

The monk laughed and patted the boy on the shoulder with a hand that looked as old as death itself. His bony fingers gripped Cade’s shoulder and pulled him closer. His breath was fresh, much better than anyone the young sorcerer had chanced upon yet in his travels. “Eager to get back into the fray? Well, there is an open challenge yet filled in room thirty five. It’s another eager fighter in the Citadel, but he won’t be much like the mage you just fought. Don’t worry, your spells and strength are just like they were before your last match.”

Cade smiled like a small child, giddy with excitement. It seemed that you could go all day, hour after hour, and never tire from fighting in the Citadel. The young man, barely old enough to not be considered a child anymore, said his thanks. He hurried down the hallways towards the room. The door was easy to find, even when he wasn’t counting as he went. A golden plaque held his number, and he wondered if it was polite to knock, or if he was supposed to just open the door and go in. “Hello?” He asked as he pushed aside the gate and walked in. “Not sure if I’m being rude or if I’m supposed to just come in?”

[Archanex Jotham]

(Sorry about the slight mix-up)

Barely standing in the stone room for but a few moments, the Overmage studied the markings and runes that appeared in the chamber. Jotham had slowly begun to admire the Arkanos that the Monks used in their arsenal. It was incredibly potent and had many possible applications. Just like these powerful illusion-based arenas. Prepared to study a bit more and attempt to piece together the secrets of the Monks, his endeavors were suddenly lost as a second presence burst into the chamber. Turning to meet his newly discovered opponent, the Overmage was shocked to see an eager youth.

The youth seemed to be on the same level playing field as the Overmage was, which meant that he would be on some common grounds with him. Jotham heard the boy's voice as he uttered a few words. Just then, there was a flash of powerful elemental energies and the room began to twist and shift. The Overmage knew what that meant by now, the Monks were working their powerful arkanos arts once more. And a fresh ordeal would begin.

Ever the pacifist, Jotham was prepared to approach the youth on friendly terms. Experiencing a small degree of vertigo, the Overmage was stunned with what he saw next. The monks had dug into his mind! A city from the distant star of Ayenee manifested. This was a city built into a lava field, with thick rocks providing the basic support structure. Tall towers many thousands of miles wide, jutted out from the magic-infused stone resting in the lava. Fields of lava thousands of miles long surrounded each of the many hundreds of towers.

Powerfully built bridges that showed the native technology of the ancient members of Ayenee of antiquity connected the various towers together and offered a mode of transport from structure to structure. Jotham could not believe what he was seeing. He had only partially read about the Ancients' cities on various worlds in the Ayenee metaverse. The basic planet of Ayenee itself, was rumored to hold several of the Ancients' cities in various places across its vast surface. Holding his battle-staff in hand Jotham took a brief moment to orient himself.

The sound of conflict filled his ears. But this was a conflict of nature versus man-made technology. Lava burst against the rocks, and sometimes, waves more than ten-twenty feet in height burst across the sides of the lava-proof structures. Symbols would manifest from time to time where the lava struck each of the buildings. Furthermore, large creatures made of the lava maneuvered throughout the fire-rivers. It was a hellish place. Jotham immediately found himself on edge in this dangerous environment.

He wondered how the monks were able to retrieve such a potent memory from the depths of his mind, and part of him felt partially violated. He let the feeling go for now. There was nothing he could currently do against the elder monks. Jotham shifted his body weight now so that he could examine the hallway around him. Many arched rafters constructed the hallways, as well as several powerfully built pillar like structures. Recalling that he'd read about such structures in his studies, the Overmage immediately knew that he was in a combat facility not too different from The Citadel. Several battles were taking place around the pair of combatants. Many of them were contained in special chambers constructed by the Ancients.

Admiring the technology and architectural design for a moment longer, Jotham felt ready. Walking over to Cade Smith, the Overmage felt a tremendous nimbus cloud flowing from the young sorcerer. Jotham nodded his approval. He felt that introductions were in order.

"The name is Archanex Jotham. But you can simply call me Jotham. I am a member of the Mage's Guild. There are bases in Radasanth and Scara Brae. I am currently working on studies and research for the Mage's Guild. We are currently in a land called Ayenee." Jotham wondered how much he should tell Cade Smith. "It is a distant star very far away from the realm of Althanas. It is the star of my origins." He allowed a nostalgic smile to manifest across his face. Then the smile quickly faded as he remembered his current situation. "Very well then we're here to impress the Monks. So you may take the first strike if you will. By the way friend, do you have a name?" Jotham wondered if the youth would answer.

[Cade_Smith]

Cade had never seen anything change in the Citadel after he had entered the room. It was only his second time ever entering combat within the massive building, but already he felt as if he was learning something completely new. The monks that were in the room faded from existence, as if they were mere ghosts in the first place. He was left with a visual dance of light, colors, and scenery that shifted in ways that made his stomach turn in on itself. The young sorcerer felt sick. He clutched at his mid section and knelt with his hands gripping the side of his head. When the heat from the change of settings finally started to warm the outsides of his hands and cause his cheeks to turn a rosy color he opened his eyes.

That was not nice. I should ask these monks to prepare the battle grounds long before I enter, I don’t think I could handle that more than once a day. Or once a month for that matter. Cade looked out the open walls. Pillars lined the room, holding up the mighty tower but that was the only support that he could see. Through the absent walls the world was one still being made. It seemed that the world he had been put in to fight was one that was developing. Lava flowed from wounds across the grounds, pouring out from volcanic openings. Towers dotted the horizon, standing above the scars. Cade had never seen molten rock before and wondered what would happen if the waves reached up the side of the tower and flowed into the fighting area.

The large man who he had only seen for a moment before the sudden change was the only immediate opponent remaining. The hooded monks were gone; ghosts banished or left behind when the two had taken a trip to a new world. The young, much smaller, sorcerer was left wondering what the man was and why he almost looked like he belonged to world. Cade removed his staff from his back and held it out before him calmly, despite the worry that flooded his mind.

“Good to meet you Archanex Jotham, I am Cade Smith.” The sorcerer was only half paying attention to the man, letting his eyes still linger. Other combatants were clashing with swords and words around them but Cade couldn’t figure out where they were. The sounds were rebounding against the domed ceiling and bouncing freely through the open arena. He turned around, unable to see the source of the noise but sure that it was real. Where other people also put in the world of fire to fight as well? The sorcerer could not figure it out. “Are we really in this other world? Or did the monks just want it to seem like that? Can they send us to other places, or is this just an illusion like the last place was that I fought in?”

Cade took a few steps away from Jotham and wandered around the edges of the arena. His hand that wasn’t holding the staff ran through his hair, finally finding the small piece of dried muck from the swamp that he had last fought in. If he had fought in an illusion, would that remnant of the quagmire still have been in his hair? “I don’t care too much about impressing anyone else,” he answered honestly while he turned back to the tall man. “I am more concerned with learning more about my own fighting and how to fight well. The monks didn’t seem to want to stick around to watch us, why should we worry about what they think?”

Instead of attacking he took up a defensive stance with his staff in both hands, the widest part of the oak staff pointed toward his opponent. He had no intention of showing off just because the ghosts that created the arena were watching, wherever they were. Cade also did not even want to take the first attack against someone who he did not know at all.

[Archanex Jotham]

Fire birds constructed of the lava field flew about in various flight patterns outside of the well constructed towers. The battles that were taking place were between armies of shadowy figures and thus, none of them had taken an interest in the duo about to square off. Jotham felt an overwhelming amount of chaos from this Ancient's Artifact. The city itself seemed to contain the pages of an expansive grimoire. Able to see some of the symbols on the walls, the Overmage began to ponder their meeting for a moment. After that brief moment passed, he realized where he was again: The Citadel.

His opponent did not take the first attack. Curious at such a turn of events, the Overmage nodded to himself. Most interesting. The kid is obviously new to The Citadel if he refuses to take the first attack. Very well then, I shall entertain him. It is the reason I am here. The youth spoke for a long moment and Jotham found himself impressed at the younger Wizard. He has a strong will, and a good sense of wisdom. I applaud him for that.

Jotham walked over towards the youth. He wore a grin on his face. Once he was well within close-combat range, the Overmage geared his thoughts for the battle ahead. He expected a long trial was ahead of the two of them, and he also suspected that there would be many secrets to discover in this strange city. Jotham rotated the battlestaff for a seconds and then prepared his first attack. He was going to conserve the Elemental Manna until he needed the equalizer. In the meantime, he had his combat training to fall back on.

Seeing the distance between himself and his opponent, Jotham prepared his first attack. The Overmage swung his weapon from the left side of his body, downward towards the youth's nearest shoulder. Preparing himself for incoming tactics and possible counters, the Overmage kept his eyes focused on his opponent. Finally, a fair battle... The Overmage thought to himself as he attacked throwing caution to the wind.

[Cade_Smith]

Jotham was slowly coming towards the sorcerer, his pace never quickening. He seemed relaxed and at ease, something his younger counterpart was anything but. Battles in the Citadel were supposed to be dramatic, as far as he knew, and the very boring start to the one he had found himself in was unexpected. Cade wanted to smile, felt the fear in his chest turning into excitement, but no expression would come to his face. His eyes were locked on the staff that the man had turned end over end. It was a staff larger than the younger man’s. It must have meant he was a mage of some sort.

A member of the mages guild of Radasanth and Scara Brae, huh? I guess that means that I’m a lot like him. The Milieus Cordeaux is like a mage guild, but it’s not called that. I wonder if he is part of a different group in Scara Brae?” The thoughts were sudden and left the young man wondering what type of magic Jotham knew. He worried about what he might be able to command. The last mage that Cade had fought was Derrick, and he had the ability to weaken an opponent with a spell that would linger. In a hand to hand fight like what seemed most likely to happen, a spell like that would be devastating. There was nowhere to hide, run, or create obstructions between the two. Cade knew unless he hid behind the shallow edge behind one of the pillars he was going to have to stand up and fight a true battle without the use of his environment.

The heavy staff that Jotham swung came towards Cade’s head first. The weapon was just off center, aimed to break the collar bone or shoulder. The sorcerer quickly pushed backwards away from the attack. The oak weapon missed the sorcerer and he waited for it to fall further. When the top of the weapon was just below his waist in height he countered. Cade’s own staff was lunged forward like a spear, the end of it aimed for his opponent’s chest. One hand gripped the base of the weapon, the other hand acted as a means of aiming and control.

Cade was grunting with the movement. His chest was tense and breath was withheld. Standing up and fighting another person, when eyes could meet and lock, was something he had never done. Disconcerting as it was, he was able to see the expressions of Jotham, able to see his eyes. If he could not strike his opponent in the upper chest, or his neck, he had his staff ready for defense.

[Archanex Jotham]

Maybe the energy of this current hell-hole through him off his game. Jotham barely missed his opponent in the previous attack and left himself open to receive a brutal attack of his own. When Jotham's body was arched downward with the forward momentum, the Overmage barely registered the incoming attack that Cade Smith launched at him. Grimacing visibly, the Overmage grunted loudly even as the youth's staff connected powerfully on his chest. The striking blow was enough to send the Overmage back-pedaling several paces with a powerful bruise developing on his chest.

Almost as soon as Cade Smith's attack connected, Jotham felt a bit disoriented at the physical blow. Though he was a Battlemage, and a somewhat skilled one at that, the Overmage still felt tremendous amount of pain when the youth hit him. Clutching his chest for air quickly, since his lungs were emptied cause of that attack, that Overmage gasped for air. He tried to relax and prepare himself in case any other incoming attacks were approaching.

Somehow, he'd managed to hold onto his battlestaff. Balancing himself with his battlestaff, the Overmage realized that the attack had kicked like a mule's hooves! The youth clearly had some training under his belt. Jotham caught his air again, and began to breath in a more normal, albeit struggling pace. His heart was racing, his chest heaving up and down. Used to taking charge of the battle, the Overmage was prepared to keep the youth on the defensive edge.

"That...was a good strike, kid." Jotham began. "Hurts like hell." Still clutching his chest, Jotham took a deep breath to calm himself down. Knowing that he had a distinct advantage thanks to the Elemental Manna Pool at his disposal, the Overmage decided he would only call upon his power if the youth called on his first. Ever the pacifist, the Overmage believed in having an equal and fair fight unless his life was on the line. He walked back towards the other youth. In terms of speed and reflexes, they were both probably on equal grounds with the Overmage being somewhat taller and heavier than the younger lad. "Keep striking like that. I don't want you to hold back. We can share a brew after this battle is over." The Overmage said, extending an invitation to the youth.

Prepared for battle once again, Jotham swung with much more control this time. He aimed for the calves of the young Wizard. With any luck, the low striking attack would connect with something. With no luck, he would leave himself open once again. Jotham was prepared to accept either outcome as he waited to see how his opponent would react to his next maneuver...

[Cade_Smith]

Amazingly, the blow landed successfully. The end of the oak staff, levied like a spear, was thrust perpendicular to the body of the opponent. He felt the soft flesh absorb it initially, and then there was an obstruction. The attack seemed to move slowly, as if every second was slowed down to eternity. He had never struck an opponent so soundly, and yet, he felt as if he had held back much of the strength behind the blow. As soon as he felt the staff connect his arms went a bit lax, scared to truly force a finishing move and crush the windpipe or the sternum of his opponent. Young, scared yet excited, and still unsure of how to truly fight, Cade just watched Jotham rebound from the blow.

Two staff wielding battlers stood apart for a second, taking note of the interaction. One was breathing in ragged breaths as if he had been struck soundly in the stomach and had the air knocked from his robust chest. The other, his opponent, was staring dumbly at the end of the staff. The oak weapon was still parallel with the smooth stone floor. Cade’s face flushed, and he felt a bit of remorse for his attack, as if he had never wanted to hit the other man. Sweat beaded on his forehead, both from the swelling heat of the arena to his own adrenaline rush.

“Sure,” he responded as if unsure if the man was jokingly asking him to drink with him later, a snide remark, or if he was sincere. Cade thought the later. Nobody he had ever met had been rude or given him any trouble with their words, why would Jotham be any different? Naïve though he was, the younger man was still cautious. He pulled his staff back while the other man finished speaking, and looked for a moment into his eyes. The two dark brown orbs did not meet. Cade wanted so badly to look into Jotham’s eyes, see the truth in his words for himself, but was unable to hold his gaze.

Lost in thought as he was, his mind-set completely removed from the battle, the attack that came was unhindered. Cade saw it too late. His eyes shifted from his opponents face to the long staff. It was moving in an arch towards his lower half. The young sorcerer’s mind suddenly snapped back like the string on a bow having released its arrow. Staff in hand, he attempted to move it quickly to block the attack. Instead, he was met with a resounding clash of oak against his thin leg.

Initially it caught his leg and he could feel the thick wood push against his muscle. He did not have time to look down, hardly had time to know what was happening to his body before it began to react. The right leg partially absorbed the blow, the rest of the momentum carrying through it. Both legs met with a knee knocking clash, leaving him feeling disoriented and dumbfounded. Cade’s equilibrium was thrown off, his center of gravity shifted from just above his navel to his waist, and he found himself looking at the ground. Both arms extended, one wrapped tightly around his oak staff, and he attempted to catch himself.

The ground came much quicker than his reactions. His face met the floor with a dizzying crash. Mouth met stone as his hands caught the ground on their edges. Cade’s teeth were smashed thoroughly even as his body instinctively attempted to roll. Instead of the brunt of the fall catching his nose and shattering it, or the front of his teeth which would have knocked out plenty of them, he caught the ground with the side of his face. In a moment he was rolling away from Jotham. His balance was found, though his face was flaring with pain that his struck leg could not compete with. Cade shifted backwards on his bum, pushing away with his skinned hands while he attempted to force his rubbery legs to regain their solid composure.

[Archanex Jotham]

Within a moment, the entire battle had gone in Jotham's favor. Studying the carnage of a simple, well placed attack, the Overmage felt a pang of guilt. Cade was hurt, pretty badly too. For a moment, Jotham pondered attempting to end the match then and there. Yet, deep down, the Overmage understood that the Monks would never allow that. Feeling his pacifistic nature in his heart, the Overmage walked over towards his opponent and knelt down next to him.

"Hey are you all right!?" Jotham asked, with a sincere concern in his voice. "I-I hadn't planned for any of this to happen. I had assumed you would be able to evade that last attack." The Overmage ripped off a piece of his own robes, and made an attempt to hand it over to the bloodied up Cade. "Here, use this to clean yourself. Its up to you if you want to continue or not." Jotham looked around, but there was no distortion in the illusion to signal the match was over. It was apparent to him: we can both continue.

Standing up, then, the Overmage looked around the combat arena that had been created out of his slivers of memory. It was a perfect replication of Ayenee back in those days. Jotham often missed the star of his peoples' origins, but was thankful that he'd found a place to truly call home in Althanas. The star traveler took a moment to carefully observe the other battles that were going on in the large chamber that they were in. The battles seemed to be happening between several thousand individual units that were locked in an eternal conflict.

Limping towards a nearby window, Jotham's eyes went wide as he stared at the scene outside. Chaos reigned supreme. Lava fire-birds hunted pray in this dark world. Jotham tried to understand the memory that the Monks had chosen, but could make no sense of it. He'd never recalled such a hellish place in his entire life, and the Overmage had incredible sense of memory. Giving the youth who was his opponent enough time to recover, the Overmage leaned against the wall as he looked out the window. The place was dreadfully hot, and rivulets of sweat poured down his well-built body. Jotham's bruise had settled now, but the pain was still there. He was breathing more normally now.

Running his hand through his hair, the Overmage waited for his opponent...

[Cade_Smith]

One blow, that was all it had taken, and the young man was proven to be worth nothing more than just another simple small-time sorcerer. Children could best a magic user of Cade’s level. He knew it at his heart. Tears filled his eyes and he wiped them away just as they began to slide down the side of his soft cheeks. His fingers were greeted with salted, warm water from the edges of his eyes, and an even warmer crimson gush of blood that flowed quickly from his mouth. Wincing with pain, Cade touched his swollen upper lip and the loose teeth behind it. One blow, by the god’s only one blow was all it took. Cade pounded his fist on the stone floor and shook his head, barely restraining more tears from falling. And now the man comes to finish me.

He could hear the footsteps. He kept his head low and pushed the edges of his short brown hair up with his hands, mingling weeks of unkempt, dingy hair with crimson streaks. Instead of a killing blow, a strike to his unexposed crown to split the skull, Jotham asked after his condition. Cade looked up as quickly as he could, moving slowly because of the intolerable pounding. His eyes were watery, his vision was obscured with black spots, and he felt extremely nauseous.

A shaky hand reached out and fetched the bit of cloth extended towards him. He dabbed at his bloodied lip, wincing when even the slight touch of the fibers slid across his hands. The young sorcerer felt inadequate. Battle after battle and he had proved that he had control of nothing. His staff was wielded with the skill of a commoner, his spells were useless when used – if he even got the chance to use them, and his body was too frail. Being young, untested, and inexperienced had brought him nothing but more pain.

“I’d like ta continu…” he muttered through the swollen upper lip, unable to close his mouth properly in order to form words. “Bu I don’ think I can.” Cade put his head on his bent knees. The piece of cloth Jotham had given him was soaked with his blood and he felt too lightheaded to keep fighting. It was a lackluster performance, surely the monks would look at him with little more than disdain. He did not care though. He had tested himself and found flaws that needed to be corrected long before he would be able to do more in life. Battle was paramount in a world fraught with trouble, and Cade learned firsthand that he did not have the power to stand on his own two feet yet.

“I admi’ defea’.”

[Archanex Jotham]

Hearing those words was like a shot through the heart from a bowgun. Jotham felt an immediate pain in his chest when the youth yielded the battle before its prime. The Overmage heard the boy's words and nodded carefully in consent. As a pacifist by nature, the Overmage preferred to handle things in a diplomatic sort of way, but the Overmage knew from his experience his views were naive in a world gone mad. Jotham limped over towards the young Wizard and extended a hand in Cade's general direction. The Overmage hoped that the youth would accept it. Jotham's own injury had settled by now, but the pain still burned in his chest. It had been a sound strike, probably more sound than the younger apprentice could have ever hoped for.

"I can take you to the Monks myself so that we can get you properly treated. I sincerely hope by the will of Khal'Jaren that you have learned a valuable life lesson today. Otherwise fighting like this pointless."

Thinking about this mysterious world and all of its secrets, the Overmage realized he would have to do some considerable research to figure the puzzle out. Jotham wondered of all of his memories of Ayenee, why did they choose so deliberate a mystery? The Overmage waited for Cade Smith to take his hand the entire time sitting in an uncomfortable kneeling position before the youth. Despite all the madness in the world, there were still kind souls left in it. Even if some of them hailed from a distant star...

We were sent to protect the children of Althanas since time immemorial. We are the guardians, the watchers, the protectors. We are the ones who stand up against The Scourge in Raiaera, the Harpies' talons in Fallien, and the corruption in Salvar. Our people rival the Paladins of old. Armed with nothing but intellect and wit, we venture forward into an uncertain future in order to understand where we are going and unravel the mysteries of life. I am just thankful I have met this one today... The Overmage learned a lesson too. One of restraint and self responsibility. As Jotham sat there, the world around them rippled for a moment like an watercolour painting gone bad. A moment later, the magics of the Monks faded signaling that the match was indeed over.

Replacing the precious memory-fragment of Jotham's former home, the Overmage looked around as the "real" world appeared. Kneeling down in an empty chamber, the double-doors swung open revealing several Monks that walked briskly towards Jotham and Cade Smith. One of the Monks approached the Overmage, and assisted him to stand up.

"We'll take it from here. Both of you have done well..." The Monk began keeping a plain expression on his face. "Jotham, a word with you at your convenience."

***

After the match was over, Jotham received minor medical treatment in the form of a solvent that was placed on his chest to calm the pain of the serious welt he received. Sitting on the bed in the medical chamber, the Overmage was looking at Duncan once again. Jotham could see the grin on the Elder Monk's face which unsettled the Overmage considerably. What can Duncan be so happy about? Frowning, the Overmage sat in a relaxed position whilst a Nurse looked over him. Jotham looked at Duncan for a long moment.

"The kid has potential but he just doesn't realize it yet. He's holding himself back. I'd like to see further battle statistics from you two." Duncan said, and then continued to talk. "You took a powerful blow significantly well for a Mage. You are learning. Tell me, what are some of the tactics that you have learned today?"

"I learned by Khal'Jaren's teachings that you should always help someone who needs it. The boy requires much more experience to get his training up to speed. He has decent skill with the staff and was able to deflect one of my own attacks, which surprised me considerably." Jotham thought back to the events of the battle and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Remind me again why you have put me on this self-defeatist past of ruin?" Jotham asked finally. Frustration in his heart.

"The path you are on is not self-defeatist. You will face enemies greater than the challenges we can provide in The Citadel. The battle-data we record is valuable to future generations of Monks of the Order." Duncan said and he continued. "This whole affair should be your number one priority above all your other research. Do well and the Order may reward you with certain tasks."

"Certain tasks?" Jotham asked, curious now. "What kind of tasks are we talking about?"

"Well let's just say..."

Fin.

[Cade_Smith]

Proper treatment by the monks meant little more than an array of magic and an unending emotionless gaze. The hooded monks were careful to keep their heads mostly masked by their cloaks, but Cade felt like the eyes that were peering at him were burying into him. He was at a loss for what to do. The pain in the boy’s face was dulling considerably. His magic was being restored as it had been every time they had treated him. However, never had he been treated after such a lackluster performance in one of their arenas. The sorcerer shifted his head, to look into the eyes of one of the two Ai’Bron that looked over him. Disappointment, resentment, embarrassment, they all seemed to hide behind the placid visage of the men.

“Don’t move,” one of the monks said sternly. Cade put his head back to where it had been. His eyes pointed towards the stone dome overhead. Sunshine filtered through the high windows, lighting the treatment facility with a golden glow. As much as he wanted to keep from moving he felt like he was being reproached for his terrible battle with Jotham. His mind was dancing through his thoughts, each one displacing the former thought. Butterflies filled his churning stomach. Was he going to be nothing more than a play thing for other people his entire life? He had come to the Citadel time and time again, and found that nothing he could command was enough to stand against those that fought him.

Am I a failure? Is this just a pretense for the rest of my life? Training with the Cordeaux, the grand mages of Scara Brae, and I can do nothing against anyone aside from have my body beaten. The boy’s thoughts were more painful than anything Jotham could have done to him. He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. His body was warm and tingled throughout; he attributed that to the monks doing. The warmth of the sun and the magic was all he concentrated on, his breath returning to a slow and relaxed state. No, [i] he determinately spurned himself. [i] I am not going to be just another helpless child. I will not be a weak kid who has nothing but regret to fill his life. I’ve lost enough, but that doesn’t mean that I should dwell on that. It is not an excuse for me to live life a way that would make my parents gloomy in their graves.

With thoughts of his deceased family, he closed his eyes. His family had been taken from him in a freak accident, most likely one attributed to his own hand. Past erased as if it had never happened, Cade was left with only the present and the future to dwell on. Determined not to be beaten again without his very best being displayed, the young sorcerer tightened his eyes and waited for the monks to finish healing him.

((spoils… i'd like if i could get the spoil of constitution: Cade is weaker than the normal person and his ability to take blows is far below the average person. if average is 100% he is somewhere around 50%))

[Nayeli]

Ancient Symbols Second Page
Hello to both of you! Battles are always fun to judge, and this was no different. I’m very sorry that this judgment took so long, it was due to events out the judging staff’s control and hopefully this is still timely enough to be helpful. Sometimes it’s better to look back on a thread a while after you’ve done it anyway, just because you have a bit more perspective. Well, that said, on with the judgment!

Archanex Jotham

Continuity (6)
Good enough, but I would have been confused at times if I hadn’t known Jotham’s motivations and backstory already. I’m sure you know this, but remember that you’re treating the reader as if they know nothing at all about your character or his life. While you did a good job of introducing his reasons for being in the Citadel and the like, a bit more explanation of the whole “Overmage” concept and how he’s from another planet and whatnot would be helpful.
Setting (3)
You did a good job in your second post of describing the setting in an interesting way, but after that it just sort of vanished and it was like you were fighting on a blank canvas. Keep describing and interacting with the setting as the battle goes on, and your reader will be much more engrossed and it’ll seem much more realistic.
Pacing (4)
I’ve noticed that you sometimes have trouble building tension in your writing. You give long, specific descriptions of everything going on, which isn’t entirely bad, but sometimes your writing flows very slowly as a result. Try to up the action and cut back a bit on the description.

Dialogue (4)
Your dialogue wasn’t bad—it wasn’t terribly cliché or anything—it just seemed odd or unfitting to your character at times. Sometimes he speaks in a very formal and almost archaic manner, and other times he seems very informal and modern. It comes off as a bit incongruous. Remember that you should try to use dialogue to characterize and make Jotham’s personality much clearer. This ties into your persona score below, so make sure to check that out as well.
Action (5)
Pretty similar to your dialogue…it’s not bad, but not great either. Your action is described in great amounts of detail, with the intention I think of increasing clarity. The problem is that it does just the opposite—see your clarity score below. Remember also that action can be a powerful tool for characterization. That’s something that Cade was good at, but that you maybe need to think a little bit harder about.
Persona (3)
Persona may be your chief problem. It’s certainly the category that I, as a judge, consider to be the most important in the “character” category of the rubric, because it encompasses both of the others to some extent. You can get away with weak technique or mechanics if you have a truly compelling character, but not the other way around. Jotham’s emotions seem strange or random at times. For instance, in post #7, he’s hoping that his blow will connect and inviting his opponent to hit him as hard as he can, Fight Club style. In post #9 he’s expressing sincere concern over his opponent’s health and safety, despite the fact that they’re in a Citadel battle. And then a few posts later he’s wishing that the battle had gone on longer or been more intense and wondering if it was even worth it. Huh? It’s just not quite cohesive. All of those are appropriate reactions, but you need to flesh out his emotions a bit more to make them more believable. As it is, they just seem somewhat forced.

Mechanics (7)
As usual, your basic mechanics are meticulously good. It’s obvious that you work hard in this category to make sure that everything is proper and correct. Well done! However, there’s more you could do here that would contribute to your clarity. Vary your sentence length more, for instance. A lot of long sentences or a whole bunch of short sentences in a row isn’t good. I’ve noticed that you sometimes connect two sentences that really ought to be separate with a comma. That’s just a good thing to do at all. Either separate them or use a semicolon or a dash—you’ll find that to be much more effective.
Technique (4)
While your writing is mechanically strong, there wasn’t a lot of advanced literary technique used. Try and add some more of that in.
Clarity (3)
Another category that I think really gives you trouble. Your writing is very detailed and mechanically perfect to a T, but oftentimes it seems dense and thick and dry. I think what would really help you is if you just cut stuff out. I’ll give you the same advice that Stephen King would—write your post or story, and then try and cut out 10% of the words. For you it might be more like 15% or so, but the point is that longer is not better. Cut out anything unnecessary, painful though that may be to do.

Wild Card (6)

Total Score: 45


* * *

Cade Smith

Continuity (3)
Other than the typical “I’m-In-The-Citadel-To-Get-Stronger” deal, I didn’t get much of a feel for Cade’s past or motivations at all. At the very end of the end of the thread you mention his parents dying in an accident that was blamed at him—huh? That kind of stuff is good to use throughout a thread to develop and flesh out a character’s backstory. Don’t go overboard with it, but a bit more in that department would be nice.
Setting (4)
See Archanex’s comments under Setting. You described it well at first, but after that it was like they were fighting on a blank canvas.
Pacing (7)
Good, you do a good job of keeping the thread flowing and your posts are of appropriate length. I saw you fall into the same trap of over-describing as Archanex at time, so just watch out for that. No real complaints, though.

Dialogue (4)
There wasn’t a lot of dialogue in this thread, so this was hard to judge, but what I saw was decent. It didn’t always seem completely believable, though. Try and consider how lines would sound if someone actually said them. If you’re not going to feel too goofy, try saying them out loud, even. Always ask yourself: is that really something someone would say? Some amount of cheese is allowable given the nature of writing fantasy, but make sure it’s still believable. Also remember that the dialogue score encompasses internal dialogue and Cade’s thoughts to himself.
Action (7)
I didn’t see any real problem here. Your action was clearly and effectively described, which is good, but more importantly than that it fit his character. You used his battling style to characterize Cade as a new, just-getting-started adventurer unsure of his own potential and hesitant to really hurt another person. This ties in very strongly to your Persona score just below.
Persona (8)
At first I was hesitant to give you such a high score here, but you really did do a good job. You characterized Cade quite well and I definitely got a good feel or his personality. When he almost started crying in post #10 I was like “awww.” I don’t know if this was your intention, but he came off as kind of…cute, almost? He was exactly what I would expect from an inexperienced adventurer unused to fighting other people but eager to test his skills. His emotions were believable and well portrayed. Good job. :D

Mechanics (6)
Your mechanics are good but could use a little refining. There were some spelling mistakes and grammatical errors and the like—make sure you read over your posts a couple of times before you post them. It wasn’t enough to distract from the story, but just keep an eye on that.
Technique (4)
See Archanex’s comments above. While you were mechanically fine, you didn’t use a lot of advanced literary technique. Try and add in some fun stuff like similes and metaphors and whanot! It’s tricky, but it makes it more interesting to read and write, I think.
Clarity (6)
No complaints. Your writing was generally clear and the action well-described, although things did drag on a bit at times and certain posts were slightly confusing. Keep working on it, but not an area you need to worry much about.

Wild Card (6):
I liked your character a lot, and I think you have great potential to become a very strong writer. This is especially evident in the way you create a compelling character without advanced technique—simply through effectively portrayed emotions. Polish your mechanics, add in some more advanced skills, and you’re headed in the right direction!

Total Score: 55


Cade Smith is the winner! Congratulations!

Cade Smith gains 500 exp and 145 gold!
Archanex Jotham gains 150 exp and 120 gold!

[Letho]

EXP/GP added!