Challenge of the Ixian Captains - William vs. Kyla

[Revenant]

Of all the Captains that William had challenged in his open notice to the leaders of the Ixian Knights, Kyla Orlouge had been the one that William had been most hesitant to include. It didn’t matter to him that Kyla had just given birth or that she was the biological niece of his leader, Sei Orlouge. He knew that the magical healing of the Ai’Bron monks who ran the Citadel would ensure that no physical repercussions would come from anything that happened in the fighting palace’s hallowed walls. Even death could be halted and reversed by the powerful magic that the monk of the Citadel wielded. And regardless of the monks’ healing abilities, William wasn’t the sort of man who cared about how much damage he inflicted upon his opponents in the heat of battle. The single reason why William was hesitant to include Kyla in his challenge was respect.

Though he and the young Mystic weren’t exactly friendly, the two of them had come to a mutual understanding and agreement. He understood the pain and suffering that she had been subject through in her life and she in turn understood his. It was an odd arrangement but it was enough to form a foundation of respect between the two of them. When he had suggested leaving Kyla’s name off his list however, Jerrick had been very vocal against it.

His second-in-command had a far better understanding of the day to day affairs that went on in the Ixian Knights’ headquarters. There were rumors going through Sei’s Tomb that Kyla had only received her position as Captain because of her relationship to Sei, never mind that all nine Captains had been identified by the prophecy that had sat in the tunnels long before even Sei had come to the place. Jerrick explained that to leave Kyla’s name off William’s list would only serve to further alienate the young Mystic, which was something that went completely against the camaraderie building exercise that the duels were intended for.

And so here he was, once again entering into one of the Citadel’s battle chambers with a crowd of Knights watching from outside. Once Kyla had accepted he knew that he would be unable to go easy on her, for to do so would be even more shameful than to leave her out of the game entirely, and now he was forced to ready himself for combat against the girl. Despite his initial reluctance, there was a certain buzz of excitement in the atmosphere, an energy that William felt whenever a fight was upon him. His hands faintly itched with anticipation, eager to loose the demonic claws within them, and his blood boiled in his veins.

Once inside the chamber William took careful stock that the room’s magic had faithfully duplicated his request. His heavy cloak hung limp in the steamy, humid air, as there wasn’t even the slightest breeze to give it life. A single waist deep stream cut across the chamber’s center, with only a narrow strip of sandy land on either side of it to provide traction. Other than that single cutting feature however, there was nothing but thick, lush foliage, rustling with all manner of savage predatory beasts. It was homage to the forced play date to the zoo that Sei had put Kyla and he on.

William could only wonder if Kyla would be as eager to visit the jungle as he was.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla held tight to Anita's hand as they walked towards the room where Kyla would fight her second battle in the Citadel. Fear gripped her stomach and she fought to keep down her lunch. Just moments ago she had handed Akiv off to Gran-Gran so she could watch the boy while his mother faced near certain death. Kyla's last brush with the Citadel had left her feeling embarrassed and naive. Truth was she didn't feel too much better about this fight. Her opponent was William Arcus, a man many believed had no soul. Kyla knew that deep within he was actually much more than he let on, which was what she was learning about most of the Ixian Knights. William and she had spent a day at the Zoo, and Kyla felt a connection with the Revenant. Just as Kyla had once lost everything so had he. They were forever connected with the kind of pain that only comes from losing everything that has meaning to you.

"Ready?" Anita looked deep in her sister's eyes. "You don't have to do this you know." She put her hand on Kyla's shoulder and gripped it gently, "No one would think less of you."

"Everyone would think less of me Anita, don't you get it. I hate that the stupid prophecy stuck me in this stupid army! I hate that I'm here fighting when I should be at home taking care of my three month old son! But most of all, I hate that no one can see that I didn't ask for any of this and I'm just trying to survive. So no Anita, I do have to do this. Even if he puts me through hell in there, I have to show them that I'm not afraid and I'm not going anywhere. If I don't have a choice in all this then neither do they." Kyla wiped a stray tear from her face and looked at the looming doorway. "Oh, and tell Jensen he can have my spot next time."

Anita gave her sister one last pat on the shoulder and left the room.
--------------------------------------------------------------

As Kyla entered what she knew would be the room of her first death, she was taken aback by the vividness of the illusions the monks created. She was in a jungle, surrounded by wildlife and beautiful green landscapes. The stream that ran through the place calmed Kyla's nerves a bit and she found the strength to search for her opponent.

Several feet away from her stood William Arcus. He had the same determined look in his eyes that he always had when there was something important to be taken care of. Kyla's heart beat a bit faster when the thought struck her that the important task would be taking her life.

"Um...am I supposed to curtsey or something?" Kyla smiled slightly, "No, I suppose that'd be silly when we're about to try to kill each other, huh?" The young mystic looked around her one more time, "So I guess you really did want me to learn the evils of nature. Ah well, let's do this then."

The girl whispered to herself and a sword appeared in her right hand. It was about three feet in length and much lighter than your average sword. She tightened her fist to test Sophia's Mane, then readied herself for whatever the Revenant would send her way. Sei had taught the girl not to move first unless she was sure of her opponent’s strength, better to see what they are capable of before you get yourself into trouble. "Let him come to you."

[Revenant]

William pushed his hood back and let the chamber’s light fall on his face, still human despite having his opponent at hand. He gave Kyla the best smile that he could, though it appeared awkward and forced as always. He appreciated that she had connected the reference to their time in the zoo and hoped that it would remind her that their fight wasn’t personal, but was intended to raise morale amongst the troops. Lack of intelligence was never her issue though, he thought, watching the young Mystic prepare her sword. Sei needs her to be a warrior and yet he refuses to do anything but coddle her.

“You look so stiff…,” William was about to call her ‘girl’ but remembered how much she despised being treated like a child. “Kyla,” he finished. He loosed the clasp on his heavy cloak as he talked, tossing the ragged garment into the brush with a casual shrug. Something under the cloak trashed about wildly, unhappy that it’s resting place was being disturbed in such a manner, but William ignored it. The magic of the Ai’Bron could restore cloth as easily as it restored flesh and he knew that no matter what happened to his favorite piece of clothing, it would be returned to him at the end of the fight in as good a shape as he had left it.

“There’s no reason we can’t have fun with this, right?” he asked. William walked as he spoke, casually approaching the stream that split Kyla from him. But even though his walk was casual, the transformation that stole over his body was nothing less than hideous. It appeared to any outside observer that the Revenant’s entire body was somehow engulfed in invisible flames. Black lines of ashen corruption spread swiftly across his naked torso until they covered his entire body. Shards of blackened bone wormed through the flesh of his arms and leg, twisting together to form razor-sharp claws that were strong as steel.

“This is my fun, Kyla,” the demonic Revenant growled, his voice harsh and chalky. He waded out into the stream, the water hissing as it flowed over his molten flesh. “I’ll bet you’re standing there like Sei taught you, waiting for the attack to come. Always on the defensive.” William’s grin faltered for the first time, letting slip a hint of the disdain that he had for Sei’s methods. “Aren’t you the good little pupil following her master?”

The water was over William’s knees now, the sluggish flow completely covering his bone greaves. Weighed down by the flow, he knew that there was no way he could utilize the full capacity of either his demonic speed or his martial arts, and unless Kyla were completely oblivious, it would be obvious to her too. “Why don’t you let loose a little, lose yourself in the moment, let the roar of blood and fire drown out the rest of the world?”

William had reached the mid-point of the stream, the deepest point where the water flowed fully over half his body. He stopped there and reached a single clawed hand out to the young girl on the opposite bank, gesturing her forward.

“Come play with me.”

[Amber Eyes]

Fear gripped the girl as she watched the revenant approached her. There was a malice to his voice Kyla had never heard before, and it took all her focus to avoid looking away as he began to change. This wasn't the first time Kyla had seen the revenant this way, though it was the first time his attention had been on her.

A shiver went down her spine as he asked her to ignore her training, her hand twitched inside Sophie's Mane, and three blades burst through the fabric at the tip of her knuckles. The girl fought to control her knees which were beginning to weaken, she stayed in her stance and looked hard into the face of the revenant.

"You know how creepy that is right?" The girl laughed, pretending to be unaffected by the sight.

Kyla looked down at herself, Anita had tried to get the girl to dress in armor that morning but Kyla had refused. Sei had eventually agreed that without being familiar with it, the armor would hurt her more than it would help. So while in front of her stood what looked like an impenetrable force, here stood Kyla Marie Orlouge in cutoff jean shorts and a damn t-shirt. Kyla stored the words she would shout at Sei once home deep in her mind and focused again on her opponent.

"Fine, this is your fun, we'll play your way." Kyla crouched low, the blades from the Mane inches from her eyes, she kissed the lion on the glove's back and then looked up. She found her opponents gaze and then sprung from her crouch, the length to the riverbank gave the girl four running steps before she jumped with all her might, Sophia's Mane braced to hopefully collide with the right shoulder of the revenant.

Kyla couldn't help but close her eyes as she brought her sword down at an angle. If it went as planned, her left hand would bury the three blades into the revenant's right shoulder as her sword came swiftly across his throat.

[Revenant]

A thrill of pleasure slithered up William’s spine as the indecision on Kyla’s face resolved into a determination to bring the fight to him. He could see the unease in her eyes, the fear that played through her azure orbs. But even with all that fear Kyla held her gaze firm, meeting his own fiery stare with unwavering determination. There was strength in her that William doubted she herself knew she had.
All that daddying that Sei gives her, he thought.

But then, just as William’s appreciation for Kyla’s warrior nature sparked to life, the young mystic went and ruined it. It wasn’t the way her lithe body sprang forward, her feet churning through the riverbank’s soft loam like cat’s paws. She moved with the certainty and sureness of a hunting cat, true, but like a cat she sprang at her prey, pouncing with deadly blades held aloft. While the tactic would work for a cat bringing down a rodent, William was a trained, battle-hardened warrior. Kyla’s leap would bring her quickly into striking rage, but it also made it impossible for her to alter her course. It would be different with Sei, who could grow those ridiculous wings, but as far as William knew, Kyla hadn’t inherited that particular family trait.

For the briefest instant William felt the urge to just throw his rage out as a magma shot at Kyla’s airborne form. The explosive blast would strike her well before her bladed gauntlet or sword would meet him and would surely tear her apart, except for that little glass shield that mystics just happened to so handily have at their command. Plus there was the fact that William didn’t want to end the battle just because Kyla made such a rookie mistake. And since even a rookie’s blades could cut through his tough demonic hide, Kyla had to be stopped.

“Yes, yes, yes,” William cried, still taking pleasure in the moment despite the wrongness of it all. Instead of summoning up his molten rage to stop Kyla, William drew on the demonic speed which made him faster than any normal warrior could ever hope to be and slammed his gauntleted arms into the surging river around him with the force of a battering ram. A solid wall of water rose up to deflect her blades, followed by William’s razor-sharp claws.

He honestly had no intention to tear out Kyla’s throat with his swipe, though he would do so if she did nothing to defend herself. He couldn’t even be sure that his wall of water hadn’t knocked her completely aside. Regardless, William’s nerves were perched on a string, waiting for the sound of shattering glass that heralded the mystic’s innate spell of protection.

[Amber Eyes]

Mystic protection. The birth-rite spell of mystics everywhere. Shattering glass and probable injury await anyone who might choose to attack someone of mystic heritage. An aggressive attack will be met with that mystics version of the attack. The key word there is aggressive, which does not include self defense.

The water caught Kyla as she flew through the air, protecting her from most of the revenant's claw.

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

Kyla Orlouge was not aware of any of this. To the young mystic the moment went something like this.

She flew through the air with her eyes clamped shut. Fear invading her belly and her entire body covered with goose bumps. Suddenly she hit water, quickly opening her eyes to see how she could have missed. All that was before her was blue sky however and a searing pain attacked her left arm. Within moments the girl hit the riverbed with a sickening crack and confusion swirling in her head. What the hell just happened?

Kyla pushed herself up to her knees and looked down at herself. A few cuts grazed her right arm and her elbows were tinged blue from the scrapes she accumulated landing roughly on the riverbank but no major damage was done. "Damn that hurt," the young girl muttered to herself. She dusted off her arms and stood, again releasing the blades of Sophia's Mane.

"Yeah, ignoring Sei's teaching sure seems to work well Mr. Arcus, thanks for all your help." The girls mind raced, unsure of what to do. "This time I think I'll stick to what I know."

[Revenant]

“Back to this Mr. Arcus nonsense Kyla,” William chuckled, wading forward to the shore where Kyla had recovered. Streams of steaming vapor rose from his cracked, blackened form. His entire body was alight with sensation, the cooling water sending tingles across his form. But underneath the surface passion, William’s murderous impulse had been aroused. He no longer moved with the casual ease of a warrior who was participating in a friendly match but rather as a creature straddling the boundaries between man and beast.

“I thought I told you to call me William.” The grin plastered on his face was feral and taunting. His eyes flicked briefly to the bladed gauntlet on her hand, the legendary zodiac weapon that was a sibling to the rod sitting back in his room at the Ixian headquarters. He gestured at it with a casual flick of his own claws. “After all, I thought we were alike, you and I.”

William cleared the edge of the river, casually stamping on a writhing snake that had emerged right after him. It wasn’t poisonous, and was completely non-aggressive, but it didn’t matter to William in the slightest. There were plenty of hazards lurking just beyond the edge of the jungle clearing, and they were doubtlessly being drawn in by the delightful scent of blood trailing on the breeze.

“As much as you try to hide the fact,” William halted just out of what experience told him was the range of Kyla’s sword, his claws twitching as if of their own volition, “you’re as much a creature of destruction as I am.” Another casual gesture, this time towards the magic suppressing anklet that Kyla wore, “aren’t you?”

A more rational member of the Knights might have thought twice about saying something so crass to the young mother, but the battle lust had been roused in William and he wanted nothing more than to draw the same out of Kyla. She would need it, after all, if she were to be of use in the upcoming war for Radasanth.

“Now …” William started, but then sprang forward, hoping to draw Kyla’s attention away from his attack. He kept one bone covered arm back for defense while swiping forward with the other. But the attack was just another feint intended to keep Kyla off-guard as his trailing leg swept around to knock her off her feet.

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla gently wiped her bleeding elbows as she listened to the revenant speak. He was clearly trying to get a rise out of the girl, and though she knew it she could not help but feel a bubbling anger deep in her gut.

As the man walked fearlessly towards her Kyla noticed a small log rotting slowly on the edge of the embankment. She focused on it as hard as she could and smiled to herself as it began to travel towards the pair. Her attention was distracted for a mere moment when William mentioned the destruction Kyla would cause if not for her anklet. That tiny piece of jewelry that saved both her and any who stood in the way of what she wanted. She quickly pushed the comment from her mind and again focused on bringing the large log towards her. It was positioned only inches from the revenant's head when Kyla saw a blur coming towards her.

Instinct forced her to react, but she was not quick enough. Glass shattered and Kyla covered her head as she dove into the dirt. Her mystic protection always produced some catastrophic situation. No two times had the spell done the same thing, though Kyla knew other mystics did. Kyla peeked from under her arm and saw the glass spinning in circles around her, almost as if it were unsure of what to do. The glass began to change colors, first a red, then orange, and finally a hot blue flame engulfed each piece before they flew carelessly in all directions. Kyla again ate dirt in an attempt to protect herself. When the sounds of falling glass finally quieted behind her Kyla pulled herself to her feet, thanking the Thaynes that her mp had done what it was supposed to and left her unharmed.

[Revenant]

The enveloping circle of Kyla’s mystic protection spell was what William had been waiting for. He had observed the Orlouge’s in enough combat situations to know the extent of the spell and its limitations. As soon as he heard the first sounds of cracking coming from the glass field, William spun and dropped face down in the loose soil of the riverbed.

He saw the waterlogged hunk of wood behind him, noting that it had not been there as he had approached, and cursed himself for forgetting the young mystic’s ability to move objects with her mind. There were no outward appearances of Kyla’s power aside from the manipulated object, so it was an easy mistake to make. But William held himself above the standards of normal warriors and even something that simple was a grievous error.

Fingernails of pain dragged across his back as Kyla’s shield exploded outwards. Being under the spell’s blast range shielded him from the worst of the effects but his muscular bulk meant that he wasn’t completely out of harm’s way. As rare as it was for him to be thankful for the infernal curse that had transformed him into his current state, William found that he was rather pleased that his skin in his demonic form was as tough as hard-boiled leather and stopped most of the wounds that Kyla’s mystic protection managed to dish out.

William agilely rolled forward as soon as the wave of broken glass had passed, twisting mid-roll so that he came back onto his feet facing his opponent. Unexpectedly, a web of pain burned across his wounded back as he rose. He had thought that the scratches on his back were nothing more than flesh wounds but there was some quality to Kyla’s shield that seemed to enhance the pain.

“Mystics and their silly little spells,” he hissed, grimacing despite his best effort to hide the fact that Kyla had actually wounded him. “What are you going to do now that you’ve lost your precious parlor trick?”

[Amber Eyes]

Kyla rolled her eyes, she was starting to get a bit annoyed with asshole William. "Are you always such a jerk when you fight? Or am I just really lucky? Your right, I'm almost out of tricks, but maybe I have one or two left."
As Kyla spoke she searched the area for anything that might help her.

She spotted a small squirill playing on a branch about ten feet above William's head. She looked at the branch and a smiled developed on her face. She focused on the it and forced it to move back and forth until finally it broke. If she was successful the branch would hit the man moments before the squirel landed directly on his face.

Sure it was a crazy distraction rather than an actual attack, but it was all Kyla had left. She knew coming into this she would lose, might as well go out with a laugh. Kyla didn't stick around to see if her attack hit its mark, she instead climbed the tree with her last effort already forming itself in her mind.

[Revenant]

If her intent had been to deter or offset the red tide of William’s bloodthirsty rage with petulant words then she was to be seriously disappointed. Outside of the arena William was as amiable towards Kyla as a creature bred to be a living weapon could be. The forced excursion to the Radasanth Zoo that Sei had set up for Kyla and William had left a soft spot in William’s molten heart for the young girl. Unfortunately for the young Mystic, no amount of softness would reach the fiery Revenant whilst on the field of battle. Unless she was incredibly dense, Kyla knew what manner of creature William was before she accepted his combat challenge.

There was a moment of stillness between the two combatants as William waited for Kyla’s counterattack. He could feel his healing ability already closing the minor wounds on his back that the young Mystic’s protective shield had given him, and mentally chided Kyla for not pressing any advantage that she could when she had it. It came as no surprise to the Revenant that he would once again be forced to take the offensive in their conflict, though doing so didn’t bother him in the slightest. Reminded of Kyla’s telekinetic abilities through her earlier failure however, William didn’t blindly charge forward this time and was thus able to quickly react to the shift of motion that came from Kyla’s attack.

Shifting to one side, William easily dodged the makeshift wooden missile that fell from the overhanging tree. Kyla, he noted, had taken off as soon as the branch fell, bolting to climb the same tree as if its bulk would provide shelter for her from her demonic foe. William barely had time to sneer at the complete futility of Kyla’s attack when his vision was obscured by a frightened ball of fur. A single bone gauntlet swept up almost faster than the eye could follow to pluck to squirrel off of his face, crushing the hapless creature as it did so. It was more of a distraction tactic than an attack, as the creature’s tiny claws would have done little more than cause superficial scratches to the Revenant even if his demonic skin hadn’t been too tough for them to penetrate, and it hadn’t been terribly effective.

William tossed at the gory mess into the thick foliage, giving it up as an offering to the unseen scavengers lurking inside, and then turned his full attention back to the tree-bound Mystic. If tossing sticks and woodland creatures was the extent of Kyla’s battle prowess than what use was she as one of the Ixian Captains? William liked Kyla as a person, but if her sole contribution to the prophesied war were childish pranks and to be related to Sei then William would rather she stay of it all together. In the blink of an eye his focus shifted from engaging in a friendly sparring match to showing Kyla the true ugliness that she would face in a real battle, the sheer ruthlessness that her foes would show her.

It was clear to any outside observer that something had shifted in William’s attitude. He hit the edge of the foliage like one of the monsters that he hunted, his bestial roars setting the arena rustling as the jungle’s unseen inhabitants scrambled to get away from this living engine of destruction. Vines and thick jungle underbrush withered as the William’s molten aura of heat washed over them, making it easy for the demonic warrior to tear a straight path through them.

William’s Thayne blessed sight instinctively found the weak points in Kyla’s hiding tree as the two of them met, each and every one of the tree’s malformed knots and fractured stress lines standing out like blackened veins of corruption to the Revenant. Taking these cues, William struck each weak point with the full might of his demonically enhanced strength, each axe-like blow of his biting claws causing the trunk to come once step closer to toppling over.

[Amber Eyes]

The sound of the squirrel being squished beneath William's claws made Kyla want to vomit. The girl stayed in her tree, her eyes closed and hoping that the demon would not attempt the same thing with her head. The sounds of crunching wood soon entered the girl's ears and she held on tight to the branch she was holding on to. Looking down at William Arcus tearing apart her momentary hideaway brought her closer and closer to just shouting a forfeit. But there was one trick Kyla had not tried.

The girl looked down at her right ankle. The tree shook with even harder vibrations, almost jarring the Mystic from her makeshift safe spot. It was going to be the riskiest trick she had ever pulled, but if she was going to survive the battle, or at least earn her opponent's respect, she would have to do it. She reached down for the gold anklet that kept her feuding magics at bay...

Suddenly, the branch she had been positioned on snapped, and the girl fell through the air, tumbling towards William. Kyla closed her eyes as she continued to reach for her limiter, grabbing it and yanking it off of her foot as she came within an arm's length of William.

There was a brilliant flash of black and white, and Kyla passed out from the sheer force of the attack. Given how close she had been to the Revenant, Kyla thought for sure he would have succumbed to the same misfortune as her. She didn't ever see what happened after the flash, but she had assumed a small explosion of magic had busted forth from within her, as it had done when she decimated the Mystic race.

Kyla opened her eyes to find herself in what appeared to be the citadel infirmary. She rose up a bit too quickly, and nearly pulled the IV needle out from her arm. "What happened?! Where's Mr. Arcus?! I need to know what happened when I took off my anklet!"

[Revenant]

“Calm down woman,” William grunted, entering the recovery room as soon as he heard Kyla awaken. Gesturing at the needle in the young Mystic’s arm and then waving a placating hand in her direction he added, “There’s no need to get all worked up and hurt yourself on my behalf.”

William himself showed no signs of injury, his natural healing ability supplementing the Ai’Bron monk’s restorative magic well enough that he had already completely recovered. It had been a few hours since William had staggered out of his own recovery room, retrieved his magically repaired cloak, and sent the last remaining well-wishers back to Sei’s Tomb. Since then he had patiently waited for Kyla to recover outside of her room.

“I’ve got to say, I wasn’t expecting that,” William gestured idly to the magical restraining anklet that was once more affixed to Kyla’s leg. Several monks came and went, scurrying around the Revenant who, for his part, just crossed his arms and leaned casually against the doorframe. Neither paid much attention to the other.

“I’d just about finished tearing down that silly tree you were hiding in when you made your suicidal leap at me.” There was a newfound respect for Kyla reflected in William’s eyes, and though it wasn’t on the same level that mutual warriors gave to each other, William knew that Kyla was willing to pay whatever price she needed to in order to see things through to the end.

“I’ve done a lot of these silly little fights,” he said, “and while I’ve been tossed into meat grinders, sank into the ocean, or been buried under a pile of corpses, this was the first time I’ve been blown up.” William flashed Kyla a half smile that was eerily disturbing even though his voice was light and joking. “You’ve also somehow managed to either delight or disappoint every single member of the Ixian Knights simultaneously. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had several new fans when you manage to get back home.”

“Jensen laughed at me until he couldn’t breathe anymore and even Sei seemed pleased with you. Thought you were witty or something.” William waved the thought off.

“Regardless, I know how …” William trailed off as if looking for the right word, “intimidating I can be when I’m in the moment. You held up far better than most people I’ve gone up against, which has to count for something.”

“Here,” William grunted, pulling a wooden plaque out from under his cloak and tossing it onto the bed at Kyla’s feet. It was a relatively simple affair indicating the challenge between the Ixian monster hunters and the investigations team. Like all the plaques that Jerrick had made up for all of the Captain’s challenges, this one was designed to be hung in a place of prominence within the winning squad’s office as a friendly boast of pride.

“You can have this.”

[Yari Rafanas]

Challenge of the Ixian Captains; William Vs. Kyla

Amber Eyes
Revenant

Story:
4 / 6
I feel there was a missed opportunity to really play of the themes that were hinted out throughout the thread. I wanted more camaraderie and definitely more of Kyla's inadequate abilities in battle explored. I really felt Revenant was trying to push these but wasn't responded in turn.

Continuity:
5 / 5

Setting:
4 / 6

The setting was a classic battle setup, but ultimately the interaction with it was a letdown. You both made solid attempts at using it, but I had to remove points from Amber Eyes for the odd choice of a squirrel in a jungle. If it was described as lush and containing bloodthirsty monsters in the nearby bushes then the creature you throw at your enemy's face should be somewhat exotic. It can still be a comical distraction and fit the arena you've been given.

Creativity:
4 / 6

Character:
7 / 7.5

Interaction:
5 / 7
The description of William in the water pushed you up in this category, for sure.

Strategy:
6 / 6

Clarity:
8 / 8
Easy to read and I pictured the conflict almost perfectly in my head. I gave some extra points here, because even as established characters on the site, you still took the time to tell me what they looked like. I absolutely hate having to look at a profile to get at least an idea of what I am supposed to be picturing in my head.

Mechanics:
4 / 8
Lots of little mistakes and some big ones, Amber Eyes. There were spots where you used “Your” vs. “You're” and misspelled a crucial detail in your description (squirell) that really took me away from what you were writing about.

Wildcard:
7 / 7

Amber Eyes – 54
Revenant – 66.5

William wins.

EXP/Gold:
Revenant gains 980 EXP and 300 GP
Amber Eyes gains 300 EXP and 150 GP

[Breaker]

Rewards added.