Round 1 Newcomer: Tobias Stalt Vs Wolf Oden Luka Frekad

[Silence Sei]

Battle begins tonight at Midnight CST. Good luck!

[Tobias Stalt]

Now, how the hell did I end up here?

The howl of the crowd rose like wildfire over Tobias' head as he gazed toward the clear blue sky. It was untouched by clouds or smoke, as if waiting to taste of the chaos born from the Earth below. The feeling it cast over him sent his head spinning; only hours before, it felt like, he had been in the wastes of Salvar, nearing death. Or so he had been certain when his eyes flickered and his consciousness had waned; now however, he was surrounded by warmth.

More accurately, the sun bearing down blanketed the sandblasted arena floor with a heat that contrasted the last place he remembered being. A quick look around showed that there were no obvious exits, save one on either side, both of them barred by thick, steel gates that would thwart any attempt to flee. The people he saw looked ravenous for the very sight of violence, a thought that set his skin to crawling.

Gritting his teeth, the young thief pushed off of the ground and staggered forward, realizing he had been thrown into the middle of a fighting pit, barely awake. "How long was I out?" The question went without any real answer, beyond the roaring of the crowd, and Tobias grimly turned in an attempt to glean if there were lions or tigers being set upon him.

What kind of moron takes the scrawny, lightly armed, near death merchant over the brawny blacksmith with Shadow powers? Gods, the sense of humor of some otherworldly forces. At any rate, the arena was a new experience for Tobias, and even with what lacking skill he had in martial prowess, it gave him the opportunity to test his mettle.

Hopefully, he stood to gain more than to lose. Not yet reaching for a weapon, the bedraggled thief dusted himself off and slowed his breathing, anticipating his opponent. Would it be something impossibly large and difficult to overcome? Or some sort of gladiator, a barbarian hell bent on taking his life?

His dark eyes narrowed on the ground, and his brow furrowed in contemplation. The matter of how he was going to get back would just have to wait until he was finished.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“Sigh, was this contract really worthwhile?” I thought to myself as I glanced at the sweating man on the other side of the bar table. Apparently, he had some kind of grudge or something against a certain 'Tobias' and wanted to hire me to publicly execute him in a brutal fashion. I personally didn't care about the reason but the payment better be worth my time.

“This contract seems to fit my skills, but there are many in the tournament. What makes you think I'll be able to face him?” I asked with a growl.

“Well, things can be 'arranged' if you understand. Also, I will pay you well for your expertise,” the man nervously replied as I leaned closer to him.

“Ok. And what about the payment? You never bothered to specify it. I don't suppose you would be like some other fools who thought they could cheat me? Finally, what happens if for some extremely unlikely case I end up losing?” I asked with a grin as I took out some human bones for display

“Well, we can pay you in gold or there might be an item or two that you might find useful,” the man said with sweat streaming down his juicy looking neck. “I'm sure someone like you will win but is it fine if I keep the money until after you win?”

I could smell the fear radiating from the man. This guy obviously had no experience with bargaining with an assassin. Well, if I had my way, this man would be offering me a decent deal. Extending my razor sharp claws, I gave him some 'advice'. “No down payment! And do you seriously believe that small sack of gold is enough? I should kill you right now for your insulting offer. But I'm a good mood today. I would suggest you make sure I stay in that mood...”

“Wait please. Don't kill me. I got more money. I can pay. I have money in the bank down the street. Would 20% down payment and 80% on completion keep you in a good mood,” the trembling reply came out.

“20% down! Do you seriously think that offer is going to keep me happy? I would suggest something a bit more like 60% if you value your life.”

“Fine, 60% down payment,” the man answered in a defeated tone.



“Well, the man did have the money after all. And sure enough, I'm signed up to battle this Tobias person in the magus cup as planned. Hopefully this battle will keep me entertained,” I thought to myself as I headed to the arena gate. Today, I kept myself in a completely human form. After all, it's best to keep a few cards hidden.

As the gate opened, I could hear the roar of the bloodthirsty crowd. To me, it was like sweet music as I looked for my enemy. Finding a human in the middle, I figured that would probably be my client I would be servicing today.

“Hello, Mr. Tobias. A merchant like you seems a bit out of place here. I don't suppose you would like to surrender so you don't get hurt too badly against a warrior like myself?” I asked in a pleasant tone.

“If he foolishly surrenders, then this job couldn't be any easier. I'll just rip him to pieces. Otherwise, I'll let him strike first. At this distance, I should be able to dodge or block his attack and then counterattack,” I reasoned as I prepared to draw my sword while keeping a solid 20 feet between us.

[Tobias Stalt]

What an interesting fellow, Tobias thought as he turned about in response to the voice behind him, blinking uncertainly. It seemed that they were in some sort of tournament setting, and that he had unluckily drawn a skilled warrior for his first round. Now, given that he had awakened in the middle of the dusty arena floor, Tobias drew a few immediate conclusions: whoever had ambushed him and planned for this made sure he was entered into said tournament and doubly ensured that he would be there. And, annoyingly, that he would have a very specific opponent.

After all, this man not only knew him by name, but by profession. Tobias glanced up as the crowd roared, obviously stoked in their flames of bloodlust by the offer of mercy from the clear favorite. "With respect, sir," Tobias replied evenly, frustrated both by the situation being so wholly stacked against him, and by the underlying knowledge that he was dead with anything short of victory, Tobias clenched and relaxed his fists while hissing through gritting teeth, "you can shove your false mercy right up your hoary arse."

The wind was mild, brushing the sand up and causing Tobias to squint just a little to see the other man, but the effect on his clothes was negligible. Thank the gods for that kindness; to this man, the thief would appear wholly unarmed, and that gave him a very specific edge. An edge that hopefully would slide across the other man's throat very soon.

"I don't know you," Tobias called in an eerily calm voice for someone who knew that they were knocking on death's door, "so I am at a loss. It would seem you know me quite well."

Trudging forward to alleviate some of the distance, Tobias silently patted himself in an absent sort of way, an irritated look painting itself on his face. "And wouldn't you know, they'd throw a man unarmed into a swordfight," he stated rather bluntly, the lie ringing out for the man to register as Tobias slipped his dagger into his sleeve, an undetected motion that would be masked by his self-frisking.

Lowering his arm to his side within ten feet of his presumed assailant, the rogue smiled. "Isn't this just the best kind of day? You wake up somewhere completely different from where you passed out, faced with a git waving a sword in your face, and you just know you're scheduled for execution?"

Tobias' smile did not waver as he stepped forward, another two feet abolished. All of eight remained, and he tilted his head, letting his poisonous tongue do the work. "So, how much did they pay you to get caught up in this? Was it worth it, throwing away your dignity? Or did you have any to start?"

His smile was kind, but it ridiculed the other man. Tobias prodded, knowing men like this had a breaking point. It was best to probe early, until he found it. From there, it would all be downhill. "Show me what kind of man you are, to fight a defenseless merchant. Your mum must be so proud."

Feet planted loosely in the sand, Tobias bent his knees slightly, imperceptible beneath his pants. The thief made ready to burst into action, unsure how the other man would respond to his goading.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

"With respect, sir," Tobias replied evenly. He then clenched and relaxed his fists while hissing through gritting teeth,*"you can shove your false mercy right up your hoary arse."

“Well, plan A is out. Guess it's time to entertain the crowd,” I smiled to myself. “This man will be taking my 'false mercy' soon enough. Maybe I'll even service it the way he 'politely' suggested.” As the merchant closed in, I gripped my sword and began to slowly slide it out.

"I don't know you," Tobias called in an eerily calm voice for someone who knew that they were knocking on death's door, "so I am at a loss. It would seem you know me quite well. And wouldn't you know, they'd throw a man unarmed into a swordfight," he stated rather bluntly.

“Ha! That's what all merchants seem to say. When was the last time I met an unarmed merchant? Oh right, that only happens when they are dead.” I replied while spitting out the stupid sand the wind had blown into my mouth. “Although, killing is always more fun when it's a bloody slaughter,” I silently added.

Lowering his arm to his side within ten feet of his presumed assailant, the rogue smiled. "Isn't this just the best kind of day? You wake up somewhere completely different from where you passed out, faced with a git waving a sword in your face, and you just know you're scheduled for execution?"

“Well, I won't deny that. It's like a sweet dream to have the honor of executing this windbag,” I thought in response.

"So, how much did they pay you to get caught up in this? Was it worth it, throwing away your dignity? Or did you have any to start? Show me what kind of man you are, to fight a defenseless merchant....”

At this wordplay, I could barely contain my laughter. Obviously, he was trying to taunt me into fighting him. While those words may work on other fools, this guy had no idea the evils inside of me. Why in the world would I care about something useless as dignity? Money? That's just to provide tools for slaughter. As for defenseless, I had my doubts about this merchant but if he was telling the truth, then the man would be a juicy treat...

“...Your mum must be so proud."

After all those meanless jabs, he had somehow hit my sore spot. I could barely keep my form as a human as I shouted out. “Mother! She was the most useless thing, I hope she hurries up and dies! 'Be kind. Help others.' Seriously, what useless junk!”

As the rage filled my veins, I couldn't help but sarcastically adding. “I'm sure you had a 'wonderful' mother. She probably spoonfed you all your life and waited on your every need. I bet she must be so proud of your 'language skills'.”

Fully drawing my sword, I prepared to defend against Tobias. I would not yield to this stupid taunt right now. There would be plenty of time for payback when he was on his knees begging for my 'false mercy'.

[Tobias Stalt]

"About as useless as yours, actually," Tobias replied with a laugh, "wouldn't you know, the bitch was a great midwife and a lousy parent." He showed immediately that words didn't really bother him; Tobias was thick skinned when it came to games of verbal abuse. Part of being a merchant was being able to sling meaningless insults about and still sell the product. "At least mine didn't give me all her ugliness when I was conceived. She didn't do you any favors with the intelligence, either; you're so bloody slow, you haven't even tried to swing that damn sword at me yet! What a right bitch!"

Tobias had marked the reaction to his comment about the man's mother above all the others; rage, even veiled, was easy enough to detect when you knew what to look for. This was dangerous territory, and Tobias would need to take the utmost care. While he was about as unarmed as Wolf suspected, the man wouldn't know the nature of that truth until the distance was nil.

The sword did give the assassin reach that would prove dangerous if Tobias was not smart about his approach, so the thief elected to show only his left side to the man. After that, he began back peddling to keep the position. Slow steps brought him out to Wolf's right, but at an angle so that he would move closer. This way, the man would have to move to strike him, both at an angle to get a proper shot, and forward to close the distance.

Tobias studied the larger man with a thoughtful gaze, uncertain of exactly how much protection he had afforded himself. Clearly, he was not heavily armored, but leather could stop anything short of a stabbing strike. Since there was doubt, he'd have to impale the bugger to do any real damage. That limited the number of meaningful targets to the liver, kidneys, stomach, lungs and heart. Small targets were incredibly risky, especially with an opponent who was facing him directly.

The cardinal rule when knife fighting was not to sacrifice a sure strike for a killing blow. If he could draw blood, even a little, he would be better off than offering this man a chance to retaliate. He'd heard his method called "death by a thousand cuts" once, and it seemed fitting. Tobias kept the blade pressed secretively to his left wrist, tilting his head to draw a breath while readying himself. Finally, he braced for what came next.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of a bilge rat like me, fella." Tobias spat on the ground between them, easily within range of Wolf's striking distance. This was a bit more of a gambit; he didn't have the range his opponent had, so he'd pushed himself into the danger zone to draw out the attack. The crowd had grown rather silent now, anticipating a quick death blow from the assassin. His opponent was both unarmed and stupid enough to get closer.

To them, Tobias offered only a smirk of indignation and a snorted laugh. "Gonna give them their show or not, mommy's boy?"

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“Well, I wouldn't expect a merchant to give into a taunt. They just dance around on their words until they got you tripped up on yourself,” I thought. “Now calm down, this is just a job! Bit more annoying than the usual, but I'll be able to release this built up rage once I disarm my opponent.”

“Now, where and what is the weapon? I doubt someone signing up for a battle tournament would walk into without a weapon. Not to mention, he is a merchant... It probably is melee or he would have used it instead of getting closer. Dagger? Staff? Axe?” I mused over possibilities as I ignored all the distractions. My useless mother would probably die sooner or later. The restless crowd didn't have anything to do with the job. My opponent's words were obviously useless to me. All that mattered was my enemy and the arena.

With the rage contained for the moment, I began to map out a plan like I had been taught millions of times before as a mercenary. First, the environment should be studied. In this case we were on a dirt/sand arena. Good, I could use that to fling it into my opponent's eyes. Also, it might be easier to knock my opponent down. Next, I should take a closer look at my opponent. He seems to be unarmed but best to assume he is armed. Unless it's an exotic weapon, he probably needs his arms and hands to use it so if I can get close enough, I can just use my superior strength lock down his arms and break them. No armor I think so my wolf claws should shred through his body. I'm sure my mentor would beat me up for not seeing another dozen things but this should be good enough.

As the merchant spit, I sprung into action. Grabbing some dirt, I toss it towards my opponent's eyes. Under that distraction, I swung my sword hoping to satisfy some of my bloodthirst.

A shallow cut is what I was aiming for. Not only would it allow me to recover my guard quicker, it would hopefully force my enemy to show his weapon. A quick death would be too good for this merchant...

[Tobias Stalt]

With a smirk, Tobias noticed the man beginning to move. It was a very small motion, but it allowed the thief to steel himself for what was to come. Already in motion himself, he watched the man stoop to scoop some dirt, and Tobias dug in his toes. The sand crunching beneath his weight, Tobias flung himself sidelong out of the path of the attempted mudslinging and further toward his opponent.

Crouched now, Tobias was ready for the next half of his scheme. The man twisted to strike at him with the sword, which he had been allowing for all along. With his careful movements up to this point, he had made room for the tiniest fraction of error. Error on his own part, of course, and not on the part of his opponent. That the man would go for something like sand to the eyes awoke a quiet confidence in Tobias that he willed into silence.

There would be time for jubilation when this fight was ended. As the man swung his blade, Tobias found himself to the outside of his assailant's elbow, too close for an effective strike to land from the weapon. Not at all too close, however, for Tobias to answer the man with bloody satisfaction. Thrusting his right palm toward Wolf's sword arm at the elbow, Tobias' left hand attempted to gouge his dirk deep into the mercenary's belly. The weapon was aimed toward the approximate area where his right kidney would be. A strike like this would punch through leather easily, whereas a glancing blow would just not do.

Their combined motion had placed Tobias alongside the man, slightly behind. If Wolf wanted to strike at Tobias effectively, he would need to spin about to do so. Meanwhile, the dagger would be mostly masked by their proximity until it struck true. Tobias had planned for this; first, to make the man get closer so that he could mitigate the advantage of reach. Secondly, to force the first strike, so he could create an opening.

It was the same way his father had taught him to fight, so long ago now. "Fight to survive, not to win, Tobias. A merchant does not enter a battle for the sake of glory. We're not soldiers." Finally, something his father told him would prove uncorruptable. The thought brought a smile to the thief's face, even as he faced the ugly reality of combat.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

As I reached down to grab the dirt, I could tell something was wrong. The smell in the air was not the usual fear. Instead, there was a certain readiness like he was expecting my actions. “Damn merchants! They read people too well with their experience,” I reflected as I tried to swing my sword. However, where was the damn merchant? Based on my experiences, this merchant seemed more like an assassin in his rapid movement and dodge. If I used that as a model, he should be charging to stab me in my organs...

“Looks like I was the one distracted and miscalculated. Guess it's time for me to show the aces...”

With no hesitation, I let go of my sword which promptly flew half way across the arena. As I let go of the sword, I transformed into my preferred hybrid werewolf form and began to turn to my blind spot that I instinctively knew the merchant was dashing in. Unfortunately, it's was too late even with my enchanted speed to fully dodge the incoming dirk. Biting back a scream as the jab punched through my leather and into my side, I immediately countered with a speedy swipe of my claws aimed at the knife carrying arm. “Lose the dagger or your arm!” I thought as I planned out attacks and counters any further bright ideas this annoying merchant might have.

[Tobias Stalt]

Something was wrong. Tobias watched the man let go of his sword, which was a pretty normal reaction to being stabbed, but then his victim's flesh began to writhe and contort unnaturally as the weapon went winging away. Tobias did not want to wait around to see what came next. With a quick twist and a short wrench, he ripped his blade back toward his own chest, the weapon painted a rich crimson.

Tobias hobbled backward immediately, caught off guard by the strange situation his opponent seemed to be in. "Bloody hell..." the thief cursed, eyes bugging as he watched the transformation. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. "I've heard stories about Lycanthropy, but I never lent them any credence..."

His voice trailed off from his musing. Immediately he stirred up several quips about the other man, all of which seemed far more ironic at this point. "I guess I wasn't too far off about your mother being a bitch, being as you're half dog." Tobias backed off the wolf creature a bit more quickly, putting roughly seven feet between them. He had barely escaped the claw attack that had whisked past as he withdrew his dirk. His cloak was torn by the claws, and it now flowed in the wind like a battle standard, the silent testament to his first blood.

That blood was on his shirt and his hand now, and it trickled down into the sand. There had been a loud gasp through the crowd, followed by awed silence. Now they seemed to be watching intently. Tobias searched within himself for the next approach; Wolf had a clear advantage now, as far as physiology went. But Tobias had already scored a pretty debilitating strike with his blade- the soft meat of a mammalian belly protected their organs from the harshness of the elements, but offered very little defense against iron or steel. While he had not poisoned the dirk, nor was it dirty, it had done enough; the wound would bleed until it was treated or closed. Hopefully that would give Tobias the winning edge.

"I don't suppose they paid you up front," Tobias called toward the werewolf, keeping his torso facing the beast as he circled around to Wolf's left. He took care not to get closer just yet, "because the doctor's bill for a stab is pretty hefty, these days."

And I'm certainly not footing the damn bill, Tobias mused, tightly gripping the dagger as he carefully watched Wolf from afar.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“Damn!! How could a lowly creature hurt someone like me. Guess I should have used my ace earlier,” I my thoughts echoed inside my head as I check my injuries. The merchant knew his stuff and was obviously aiming for my vital organs. The quick dodge had thankfully prevented a kidney strike but didn't do anything to stop the damn pain and bleeding. The withdrawing twist was a smart nasty move and compounded the injury.

The merchant was backing off but I made sure to keep an eye on him. “How dare those people not tell me this guy had assassin training? Well, I'll make sure to collect an extra fee especially if I lose,” I thought. “This was suppose to be an easy job...”

“Hmm, how should I proceed? This guy is obviously well trained and I'm missing my weapon. Not to mention, this wound will slow me down and needs to be treated sooner or later so I can't stand around forever,” I grimaced as the full extent of the pain started assaulting my mind.

“Guess I'll fetch my sword unless an opportunity shows for me to jump in. If he wants to beat me to my sword, he'll have to run and show his back,” I finally decided as I walked towards the sword making sure to keep my guard up against any possible attacks from the merchant.

[Tobias Stalt]

Tobias quirked an eyebrow as the wolf creature began to move for the blade he had relinquished moments before. Clearly, his opponent believed he would need the advantage of a true weapon rather than his natural gifts. The response within Tobias' chest was a tempered elation, the sort a child got when they were praised for their efforts. It did not last, though, and he began to stride forward toward Wolf as though he had lost his fear in light of the lycan's cowardice.

"You mean to tell me you're all big and wolf and claws, and you need a sword to fight me?" Not that Tobias could blame him; the thief had claimed first blood, and in an exchange of this kind that could be a deciding factor. Still, he needed to stay crawled beneath the man's skin in order to keep this tempo. He also needed to manage the distance between them- if Wolf got too far away, he could regroup just enough to turn the tide. Tobias was not about to allow that.

Spinning the dirk's handle expertly about his hand, Tobias adjusted his grip to the reverse and continued his predatory stalk forward. By this point, he had returned the distance to about four steps from either of them, and Wolf could easily turn about and make him regret it. But Tobias figured, if he wanted that sword, Wolf wouldn't be too horribly worried about spinning about to catch him off his guard.

If he were wrong, Tobias was poised to bury that dirk deeply in some other part of the monster's body.

He noticed the blood trail that came from the werewolf silently, eyes barely leaving the beast for more than a moment. The wound was bleeding. If he could manage it, it was possible to exert a wounded, bleeding foe into passing out from blood loss. It would be a feat, but a far more manageable one than taking Wolf's life in combat.

"You are welcome to concede, friend," Tobias offered in a crooning voice, lilting it with that calming, trustworthy mannerism that often took men's hearts. It was the one power he had that made him any sort of threat. With his opponent in this dangerous condition, the chance to get into his head would be more perfect than any other. "This is not something worth dying over. Cut your losses, and go back and make them pay for deceiving you."

His smile and words were genuine, which made them that much more believable. He stayed far enough away to give himself room to respond, should his glamour attempt fail.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

Limping slightly as I walked towards my sword, I noticed the merchant creeping closer. Obviously, the backstabbing assassin wasn't going to let this go without a fight. He was close, too close for comfort especially with the movements he had shown earlier. Should I make a dash for the sword and slaughter him? Or turn around and attempt to crush him right now? Either way, I needed to end this match soon so the monks heal me and assuming I won, figure out how to put Tobias's body back together.

Four steps between us... We were definitely in range of each other now. He seemed to be trying to talk pleasant about surrendering? I almost couldn't believe my ears. Yes, I was hurt fairly badly but I was under a contract, not to mention the arena staff would fix me up somehow through their magic. And to give up this chance to rip this lousy merchant to shreds? How else would I satisfy this overwhelming bloodlust that was now overpowering my mind. If I didn't rip off that merchant's smile, I would have to kill someone else, probably a lot of others.

“Well, it's time to show our hands... Let's get straight to the conclusion like the crowd seems to want,” I quickly decided as I sprung into action. This would be the deciding battle so I ignored my aching wounds and pushed my muscles to their max.

At just a few steps away, if the merchant wanted to attack, he would have to stick around long enough to take a nice slash from my claw. With my strength, I would think it should rip a good potion of his juicy soft belly out. My other arm would hopefully be able to stop his dirk arm or at least push it aside from the intended target since this guy seemed to know my vital points very well.

If he didn't want to fight, too bad! I would definitely love to see his back ripped apart.

Wrote this reply a bit quicker than usual so hopefully it's thought out well enough. I suppose we could go down together... Or maybe not. Feel free to contact me if you want to.

[Tobias Stalt]

Fair enough, Tobias grunted as his words fell onto his opponent's furry, deaf wolf ears. To fully evade a strike moving at abnormal speed was difficult. When it came, Tobias had already shifted his weight back on his heels. Leaning back out of the path as the claws raked across his chest, the "merchant" was left with a further shredded cloak and messy scratches deep into his leather armor. He had compounded the position of his body with his motion to affect a more fruitful evasion. Wolf seemed to have anticipated a head on strike, and that was a pretty direct and plausible approach. An approach Tobias would never consider, as he was not built to wrestle with a wolf.

No, Tobias was a lithe, fleet footed little wretch with an irritating knack for getting exactly where he needed to be. The attempt to glamour the beast had been about as effective as anticipated, but the words had played their part all the same. Wolf assumed Tobias did not want to fight, and so had rushed forward to capitalize.

Now fully committed to his strike and with Tobias shivering in anticipation behind him, Wolf would have to reap the consciences of his own vices. Or so it would be, if Tobias had anything to say about it. As the arm passed by him, Tobias twisted and stabbed downward toward the area between Wolf's neck and clavicle. "F... fucker, you almost got me!" Tobias cursed, uneasy about the damage that the wolf had done. The leather armor had taken the brunt of the damage, but the tips of the claws had raked through to skin. Now red was welling up that belonged to Tobias, and he did not enjoy the stinging that came when the wind brushed his open wounds, small though they were.

If he weren't so good at keeping his cool, Tobias would have begun stabbing repeatedly toward Wolf's back. He maintained control, , however, and kept his strikes precise. "When this is over, I'm going wolf hunting. Sick piece of trash." Tobias seethed, pummeled by a harsh wind littered with sand. The crowd was roaring again, only this time, it was due to the melee that had just erupted.

Finally, this was turning into a real fight. Blood had been let on both sides.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“I'm totally going to rip off that annoying arm!!!” I thought as I tried to move out of the way of the incoming dirk, slash at the same time, and turn into a full wolf. Unfortunately, the twin goals of attacking while avoiding proved to be conflicting. By attempting to avoid out of the way, my slash wasn't able to rip deep into the merchant's flesh. It coated my claws with a small amount of crimson but didn't inflict the intended mortal wound. My dodge fared a bit better as I avoided the lethal strike although not completely as a small line of blood began to show on my arm.

As I got further into my wolf form, I could feel the blood leaking faster through my wounds as my heart rate increased. Additionally, all the pain, rage, and animal side started to fog my judgment allowing my instincts of wanting to tear, rip, slash, kill, slaughter this human to take over. Although I wasn't fully transformed after the dodge, I immediately charged at my foe to knock him down and open him up to a follow up attack with my claws and now canine fangs.

Sorry, having trouble thinking up a good reply... It seems rather short and not as well written to me but I'm out of ideas. :(

[Tobias Stalt]

Tobias felt his dagger slide through flesh, but ultimately not bury itself as deeply as hoped. When blood splattered back over him, the murderous merchant had a face like snow speckled red. The gleam in his gaze was bland, devoid of the hot blooded feeling that came with rage. The body of his victim further contorted, shying away from intended death.

Tobias let out a hiss of disdain. Now the target was more wolf than man, and without extreme caution this would go badly. The twist his opponent did was quicker than Tobias meager attempt to back off, but the small man was able to get his legs up underneath himself as the beast pounced.

Rolling beneath the vigorous monstrosity, Tobias kicked his legs upward toward Wolf's gut as he sailed over. Watching in terror as the canine extended his feral claws to rake at him, Tobias gathered his weight up under his shoulders, extending his weight back onto them. With some luck, Tobias hoped this would extend his body into an almost perpendicular position to the sand.

The kick served two purposes: the first would be to protect Tobias from taking a very brutal set of claws to the fact. The second intention Tobias had in doing this was to send the wolf flinging harmlessly over himself. He had never seen this done, but with something like this trying to overtake him the merchant had acted on instinct.

While doing this, Tobias kept his guard near his face, attempting to prevent the assailant from striking a lethal target or rendering him blind. His heart pumped now, terror beginning to shiver through his bones. This was the closest to death Tobias had ever been.

Unable to push words out through his adrenal response, Tobias hoped he would simply roll through, and Wolf would be sprawled on the floor. Blood from the wound on the murderer's stomach had slicked Tobias' clothes. The screams of the crowd had risen to their climax, but neither man seemed to pay them any mind.

Theirs was a world away from the Magus Cup now. Tobias and Wolf were gods of death, waging war on one another to vie for supremacy. The winner would walk out of this with glory, and the other would be left with nothing.

[Wolf Oden Luka Frekad]

“Just give up already!!! You stupid merchant have already caused way more trouble than the bounty was worth” is what I wanted to scream at the man. The blood dripping out of my body was starting to cause me to feel slightly light headed. Leaping to attack the merchant, I failed to notice his roll until too late. As I sailed over him, he struck out with a kick to my side destroying my gracefully flight.

Landing on my side, I growled with anger and pain. “How many tricks up his sleeve does this assassin have?” I thought as I climbed unsteadily to my feet. As quickly as I could manage, I dashed again at my foe although my advance was slowed slightly due to the blood lost and painful kick.

At this point, all rational reasoning had left me. All I cared was getting my revenge and ripping, slashing, and tearing this despicable creature to pieces. Where, it did not matter. Claw or teeth, either would do the job.

[Tobias Stalt]

The pain wrenching through his neck and shoulders as he extended his weight upward passed quickly as Tobias rolled through to his feet, remaining in the low crouched position and twisting to face Wolf. The beast had taken the impact shakily, but Tobias felt his own head ringing from the makeshift throw. That had probably not been the safest thing he had ever done.

On the brighter side, Tobias had prevented any sort of claw attack for the moment. Most of his blood remained inside of his body, save for the droplets that dribbled down his sliced leather armor. Reaching up with his right hand, Tobias smeared the werewolf blood on his face in an attempt to wipe it away, contorting his face in disgust at the putrid stink. He watched as the wolf beast recovered, then rose to dash in again.

Slightly rising, Tobias kept his feet level and timed the wolf's stride in his head. Noticing his opponent had become increasingly sluggish from the impact, the failed merchant put his weight on his toes and took a deep breath. Sand blasted his face again and irritated his eyes, but he did not look away. Brandishing the dirk in his left hand and narrowing his eyes as the predator closed, Tobias darted forward. They were on a crash course.

A mad roar took the crowd now, thunderous applause and the beating of feet against the floor to an inane beat drowning all else. Blood was the way of the world now, and blood would be shed. This was the end.

[Max Dirks]

This was easily the closest battle yet. I can see you both have T1 roots from the precision of your actions. Since this tournament is focused on newcomers, you'll be receiving full commentary. Once again, I'll be combining comments. TS refers to Tobias Stalt & WF is Wolf Oden Luka Frekad. Tobias, I saw at jedivsith that italics for action (prose) is a common. Here, not so much. I didn't dock any points for you doing this, but encourage you to flip it next round. Italics hurt my eyes on some of our darker themes.



Tobias StaltWolf Oden Luka FrekadNotes

Story
5
5
I did appreciate your attempt to morph your battle into a story, but it felt incomplete. Why did the buyer want Tobias dead? How did the timid buyer (who had apparently had never negotiated with assassins before) manage to capture Tobias and place him in the tournament? Your incomplete battle left too many unanswered questions



Setting
5
5



Pacing
4
4
Your quick start eventually started to drag. At one point WF mentioned he had no idea what to post. It was equally apparent in his writing. This is one instance where action rather than run-ons ruined the pace of the battle.


Communication
5
5
WF: You had some redudancies between thoughts and prose.


Action
4
5
TS: Your character had a convenient escape or response to any action Wolf took. While this is typical of T1 where the goal is to out maneuver your opponent, all we are concerned about here is your writing. This doesn't mean take a hit, but keep pacing in mind when you prepare your next action. Your actions here essentially slowed the story to a point where it could no longer continue


Persona
5
4



Mechanics
5
5
Each of you had some minor spelling, grammar, usage and punctuation errors. WF: I am very impressed by your ability to maintain tense while using 1st person. Kudos.


Clarity
5
6
TS: Your early posts were wordy & chalk full of run-ons. For example, in post one you wrote "The feeling it cast over him sent his head spinning; only hours before, it felt like, he had been in the wastes of Salvar, nearing death." Assuming each comma is a break for the reader, your prose here sounds like William Shatner speaking. You could make it more clear by writing: "The feeling it cast over him sent his head spinning. It felt like only hours before he was nearing death in the wastes of Salvar." Interestingly enough, you got way better as the battle went on. WF: Sometimes it was unclear whether you were writing prose, thinking, or speaking due to your use of quotations. For example, “Just give up already!!! You stupid merchant have already caused way more trouble than the bounty was worth” is what I wanted to scream at the man." This could all be written in prose: "I wanted to scream at the man. The stupid merchant already caused way more trouble that the bounty was worth" or as thought: "'Just give up already!' I thought. This stupid merchant already caused way more trouble than the bounty was worth." However, combined it is confusing.


Technique
5
4
WF: You used what I call "active" battle technique, as in you responded to things actively as they were made in your own posts. While doing this, particularly with actions, is fine, I caution you about using it with dialogue. Repeating dialouge in your thread drags out the battle and breaks up any time of suspense or urgency you're trying to build. If you want your characters to talk, meet in the chat room or VIA instant messenger and bunny each other's dialogue. You will greatly improve upon your story elements this way.


Wildcard
5
4
Tobias was a bit more timely with posting than Wolf. Since this battle was unfinished, I had to take this into consideration.

Total
Total
48/10047/100



Tobias Stalt advances to Round Two!
Wolf Oden Luka Frekad is very much alive in the Loser's Bracket.

Tobias Stalt earns 500 EXP and 86 GP.
Wolf Oden Luka Frekad earns 125 EXP and 75 GP.

[Lye]

Exp & gp added!