Challenge of the Ixian Captains - William vs. Zerith

[Revenant]

“How many warriors have come to this place to fight and die?” William Arcus muttered wonderingly. He paused, taking a moment to breathe deeply and savor the lingering echoes and smooth air that swirled around him. William delighted in the faint hint of blood and sweat that played about him, as he always did when he came to the Citadel. This was the foremost testing place in Althanas for warriors from all walks of life, a place where men and women could test themselves and their abilities in combat. But what William smelled, and what he felt as he entered the ancient building, was the truth beneath the civilized veneer that the Ai’Bron monks painted over the act. And what lay beneath was nothing more than the primal, savage nature that lurked deep within all living things; the bestial instinct that had allowed civilization to first rise from the murky darkness of nothingness.

“Welcome back Lord Arcus,” an unknown monk of the Ai’Bron said, approaching the reminiscent Captain of the Ixian Knights slowly so as not to disturb William’s transcendent reverie. The Ai’Bron monks were the masters of the Citadel, and were renowned not only for their healing abilities, but also for their wisdom. William opened his eyes slowly, letting the soaring buttresses draw his eyes into the foyer’s spanning heights. The ancient edifice was breathtakingly magnificent but appreciating the architecture wasn’t what William had come for.

“Everything’s ready then?” William asked, turning his attention fully to the monk. The monk gave William a friendly smile and gestured the way to the Ixian Captain’s chosen chamber. A single glance in the indicated direction showed William that a crowd of curious onlookers had already assembled at the viewing portal outside the selected chamber. It was obvious that they eagerly awaited the coming match with something akin to giddiness, each spectator an Ixian Knight who had come to watch a fight amongst their own. William had openly challenged the other Ixian Captains to a game of one-on-one combat as a way to incite some friendly rivalry amongst the ranks of Sei’s army.

William ignored the various cheers and jeers that greeted his arrival, keeping his eyes locked firmly on the chamber’s door. He knew that his squad was somewhere in the crowd, as well as some of the members of the squad led by his opponent, Zerith Dracosius. Most of the crowd, however, was made up of members of other squads, spectators who had just come to watch the spectacle and who owed no allegiance in this fight to anyone.

William continued forward, waving his hand in a slight acknowledgment in order to get the crowd to part a little. Trying to force his way through the sea of humanity was like trying to edge to the front of the chow line in the dining hall. The Revenant found it endlessly frustrating and forced himself not to snap at all the well-wishers. This whole exercise, he reminded himself, was supposed to bring the Ixian Knights together, not tear them apart. Besides, the entire clamor died the moment William crossed the threshold. Instead of the roaring crowds, William found himself surrounded by an incessant crack of fire and billowing smoke. Gone were the soaring stones of the Citadel, replaced by a charred plain of burnt soil and blackened trees. All around him was the ruined remains of a small village, cracked husks and bodies burnt to ruination by a wave of dragonfire. This was the battlefield that William had chosen, a blasted wasteland under a harsh, unforgiving sun.

And it was beautiful.

[Zerith]

William may have not been interested in dealing with the crowd that had gathered to watch their battle, but Zerith took the attention and ran with it. As people cheered and hands tried to reach out to touch the public face of the Ixian Knights, Zerith wore his brightest smile and gave as many high fives as he possibly could. Every time he pumped his fists into the air, the crowd roared with excitement. It was a shame that the revenant didn’t know what he missed, as there was nothing quite like being able to entice a crowd. The ability to control a mob carried quite the amount of power. Luckily for the halberdier, it was also something he found himself able to wield with natural ease.

The warder had been quite surprised when he saw that leader of the monster hunting team issued a challenge to the other seven generals of Sei’s growing army. Yet he felt like he could relate to the man’s motives behind it. A little friendly rivalry between the captains could do well for the organization, to the point where potential bonds could be created and strengthen the harmony between the teams. This would result in a better army, a stronger army. One that like the working parts of a machine could work in unison in order to fulfill the grand purpose he was destined for.

With his signature halberd held in his right hand, Zerith strode through the threshold to his battleground with absolute confidence. Once through, his sapphire eyes took in as much of the environment as he possibly could and he was pleased with what he saw. William Arcus chose a field that made probably made him feel right at him. Blacked husks were all that remained of the trees that once stood proudly, and a thick layer scorched earth covered the ground like a rich carpet. Smoke billowed into the air, the smell of it assaulting Zerith’s nose with surprising strength. And the crackling sound of an open fire touched the halberdier’s ears with such clarity that he knew exactly what he was hearing. He took a moment to crouch down to the ground and picked up some of the black soil, rubbing it into his fingers, he examined the feel of it.

“William,” prince finally acknowledged his opponent as he climbed back to his full height and nodded his head in greeting. “I can’t begin to explain how much I’ve found myself looking forward to this. I hoping you pose a challenge to me, otherwise I feel like this will only be a waste of my time.”

As if it could taste the tension as it continued to build up, the blade of Amenzanil surged with power. Electricity leapt and arced across the sharp metal, issuing it’s only threat to the revenant. Zerith’s body quickly shifted, his feet spreading further apart while he grabbed a hold of his halberd with both of his hand and reacquainted himself with the feeling if it’s smooth, wooden finish and the weight it carried. His calm demeanor locked on his adversary, and for the first time he found himself smiling at the man.

“Come on then,” he spoke again with ironclad resolve. “I want to see the fiery engine of destruction people claim you can be.”

[Revenant]

"Bold words," William chuckled, his lips curling into a smile that was both vicious and unsettling. "But at least you're brave enough to face me yourself." William referenced his fight with the Wetworks Team Captain, Cassandra Remi, who had chosen to have a champion stand in on her behalf rather than facing certain death at William's claws. Yet Zerith was certainly no Cassandra Remi and the eagerness that almost physically radiated from the man spread infectiously to the Revenant. William's smile widened as he reveled in the fact that he too felt a sense of eagerness at the coming conflict. Sei had his faults but choosing Zerith as the public face of the Ixian Knights wasn't one of them.

William shrugged off his cloak and let it fall into the ashen waste at his feet where it kicked up a swirling cloud that clung tenaciously to William's bare feet and tattered leggings. His eyes instinctively flowed along the lengths of Zerith's pole arm, the destructive blessing of the Thayne Goddess Jomil allowing him to see the weak points and impurities in it. It was exceptionally well made, he saw, and would prove to be a difficult object to destroy. William's grin twisted into a more savage, feral thing at the thought. Destruction, after all, was what he was made of, and he was always up to a challenge.

William suddenly pulled himself to his full height, thrust his arms out to his side, tilted his head back, and ejaculated a wild laughing roar. The light of the blasted sky lit his features in still portrait, the red rays of light somehow finding enough holes in the roiling blanket of smoke clouds. To the spectators outside who were unfamiliar with the source of William's power, it seemed as if the chamber's broken sky somehow burned the Ixian Captain alive. His skin blackened and cracked so quickly that those who blinked missed the transformation between William's human and demonic forms. Thick bone carapace, as hard as any fire-forged steel, covered the Revenant's arms and legs, ending in wicked, razor-sharp talons and his eyes blazed with an internal heat equivalent to the dragon fire that had torched the battlefield around him. A rousing cheer arose from William's supporters in the viewing stands, punctured here and there by the counter-jeers from Zerith's supporters, all unheeded by the two warriors in the viewing globe.

"Enough talk," William growled at the waiting warder, his voice like the sound of grating charcoal from the change of his demonic transformation, and then sprang forward on the offensive. He moved fluidly despite his swollen, muscular frame, and he did so with a speed that was impossible for any normal man. The swirling cloud of ash that kicked up around him caught on the wavering lines of heated air swirling around the fiery engine of destruction like a dessicated whirlpool, enhancing the Revenant's image as a living weapon. Still, all the destructive power in Althanas wouldn't matter much if William couldn't get past the barrier wall woven by the longer reach of Zerith's halberd. There were few creatures who could stand toe-to-toe with William in close quarters combat but all of the Revenant's skill would be moot if he couldn't get through Zerith's defenses. Loosing a long, primal roar, William darted into reach, trusting his superhuman strength and speed to break him through.