Three challengers wanted (FFA)

[Lady Blackwell]

((OOC it is now FULL sit back and watch the fireworks -maniacal laughter-!))

Max walked into the amazing citadel as of late people have been hurrying to get here and he had no idea why. So he decided to check this out and it had taken him a few days to get here. On his way he had past several people heading this way. They all told him how amazing this place was but Max didn’t trust anyone so he had to see for himself.

Max walked in the front door and up to the front desk. He was about to inquire how to set up a battle when the monk raised a hand to stop the inquiry. Max did not like this at all he was about to start shouting when he noticed the monk was looking at a long piece of parchment with arena names and arena room numbers.

After several minutes the monk stopped at an arena entitled Gladiator arena the room number was port. Four. The monk got up and headed towards a wall. He was shocked the monk walked up to the wall and knocked on it twice and another monk opened the door. There was a long and narrow hall made entirely of grey flat stone with moss growing randomly in the cracks. Walking down this hall Max saw many arch’s heading up towards the roof and then arching over to meet each other. The monk stopped in front of him and Max almost walked into him. He was about to ask the monk why he stopped when he pushed on a pillar a sudden burst of energy and light filled the hallway Max was forced to shut his eyes it was so bright.

When max opened his eyes there was what looked like water sitting still in between the pillars that showed a picture of a gladiator arena completely oval with at least a thirty foot wall heading up to the stands where people would usually sit. Max entered the water substance He had no time to worry about what would happen he was a bandit and didn’t want to look like a little girl. It felt like Max was pushed and thrown around like a rag doll, a few seconds later he was in the arena laying on the sand. He got up and looked behind him incase there was someone or something there. Nothing except a pillar, with many jagged edges protruding from the service with a very flat and wide top. Max had received an amazing idea to climb to the top so he could see what was going on below him and when someone came in. He reached the top and sat down waiting for his opponent to enter the arena.

[Komosatuo]

The Citadel.

He'd only heard rumors of the infamous arena for battle hungry warriors and mages but had actually never seen it for himself. He had some how managed to stay away from it for the most part, resisting the ever present peer pressure to go and fight there, always feinting some important task or another, mostly having to do with something in the opposite direction. But you can only circle something, weighing it, measuring for so long before you must, inevitably and eventually descend upon it and attack.

It was the third day of the week of the fourth month when this inevitability finally pushed him to the brink of his sanity and forced him to give in. He had run for about an hour now, arriving on the scene in a huff, sweat poring from his every pore, soaking his suit and making it cling to his body in a most uncomfortable fashion. This was only a minor annoyance though, that run had loosened his post-sleep ache out of his muscles and he was feeling warm and ready. He mounted the massive steps of the citadel and disappeared into the massive black depths beyond.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sudden loss of light but when they did he found himself being confronted by a short, stout and very wise looking man dressed in earthly brown robes, held together by a thick piece of frayed rope. "May I help you child," the man asked in caring tones.

"Yes," the man said after he was given a reply. "We just had one open up. I believe there is already someone inside as well, although I have heard that two more are expected to appear at any moment."

A four way fight? It was something he had only experienced in training, back at the compound which seemed to have been a life time ago. It was certainly going to be interesting, that was for sure. The sound of a man clearing his throat brought him back from his thoughts and he saw that the brown robed man was beckoning him forward; he followed without second thought.

He was lead through a twisting series of halls and doorways for a few minutes and was finally stopped before a shimmering pane of, well, it looked almost like glass. Liquid glass. He looked questioningly at the man in the robe but he only smiled, held out his hand in a dismissive gesture then turned and walked away. Returning his gaze to the shimmering, glass he silently pondered what he was supposed to do about it.

"Step through it," a detached voice said from behind him. Jumping at the abruptness of it he spun to see who it was, posture changing from relaxed to defensive in an instant, he only found empty hall. He gazed up and down the hall in confusion and was about to turn back to the glass when the voice spoke again. "Go ahead, walk through it. It won't hurt, much."

Oh great, he thought as he turned slowly, cautiously back to the glass like substance. Won't hurt, much, pfah. He sighed, there was no sense in putting it off anymore. He stepped forward and was instantly swallowed by a sheer white curtain of light. Suddenly it seemed as if the whole world had erupted into chaos and he was being thrown around like a rag doll. Tossed this way and that, crushed, stretched, punched and kicked, all at the same exact time. As quickly as it started it was over, but as he picked himself up from the soft, tan colored sand beneath him he could have sworn it had lasted forever.

Sand. The realization hit him like a hammer blow to the chest. He sprang to his feet, hands instinctively reaching for one of the many pockets hidden throughout his suit, pulling free two throwing stars and a single throwing knife, each held in a throwing position. There was a moment of silence before he realized that, for the moment, he wasn't being attacked. He relaxed, a little, but kept his weapons in had.

It was then that he remembered that the man had said there was already someone in here with him and he looked around. Columns and a thirty foot wall met his gaze, as well as the geometrical shape of the place. It was a circle, or rather an oval. He tilted his head to the side a bit, trying to decipher what it meant, when that too came to him. It was an arena.

Of course, four fighters. An arena would seem the most likely place for that kind of fight.

He nodded to himself and crept into the nearest columns shadow, concealing himself from anyone’s view. He then proceeded to scan the surrounding columns, searching for the one that was supposed to already be in there.

[Lady Blackwell]

Several hours had past and Max was beginning to get impatient of just sitting here and waiting. He personally didn’t trust anyone he didn’t know and he didn’t trust these monks. He figured if the monks knew of a way to create arenas then they could be very discussing the very way to remove him from this arena for he himself was a criminal, a wanted criminal.

Max started to look and see if anyone was in the arena with him. He looked around and saw nothing until he came to a pillar just in front of his he had seen a person sitting there almost as if waiting for someone else to come in. Max laughed in his head letting his guard down that easy meant an extremely easy win for him. Max tore off a piece of fabric from his cloak and wrapped his hand in it, so he could use it do slow his descent.

Max jumped down the side of the pillar he was on the opposite side of his opponent. He grabbed a hold of protruding objects from the pillar to slow his descent on the way down he wanted to be completely ready for this man even kill him in one easy move. Max reached the bottom of the column and crouched behind the pillar and turned to look at his opponent he was still there it seemed as though his tactic had so far worked.

Max drew out his long sword and threw it as hard as he could towards his opponent, he didn’t want this to hit but if it did it was an added bonus. He then drew his great sword as he ran to his opponent with his great sword just hovering above the ground beside him. If this attack worked his opponent would be in pieces and dead.

“But then again he could easily dodge and roll to the other half of the pillar where his blade would not work all that well.” Max thought that if his opponent was even half as smart him this would be an interesting fight.

[Komosatuo]

The ninja inhaled deeply, taking in all the scents that mingled in the air around him. The robust tang of the marble pillars that surrounded him, the flat stench of the dirt beneath his feet, the hard odor of old blood, sweat and tears. This was a hard place, befitting each and every man who lived, breathed and died here. The ninja felt awkward in such a place, as if he didn't belong there, or ever would.

Fool, you are a Horachi'Lykn. The name itself is enough for greatness! The voice was a biteme buzzing beside his ear; he brushed it away with a sneer and went back to studying the columns. If he could just catch a glimpse of - something whistled through the air, a low drumming noise, one only associated with a spinning. . .

He side stepped away from the column, just in time to avoid a badly thrown blade that hit with a loud clang against the solid mass of the column, before falling uselessly to the ground beside it. He frowned for a moment, at the blade, at the spot where it landed and then at where it had come from. A man, rushing toward me, massive blade drawn back, ready to strike. He narrowed his eyes and tensed. The man drew close, feet between them now, closing fast. He clenched his fists and then, abruptly as the man drew within striking distance, ducked below the long and slow arch of the mans blade and lashed out with his left foot. Straight for the mans right ankle. He finished his kick with a roll to his left, using his extended leg to stretch his body flat against the ground, avoiding any heart felt stomp or downward counter from the mans heavy blade.

He rolled to his feet, only two feet from his original starting place but directly behind the man who had charged him. The blade that had been thrown at him lay at his feet and he quickly kicked it away from him. The less blades this man had, the easier it would be to kill him.

That blade is too heavy to be used in one on one combat. Speed and trickery will win this battle today. As the ninja readied himself for the mans next attack he suddenly wondered where the other two were. He had heard no fan fare, he supposed there would have been, this being an arena, signaling their entrance. Perhaps there are no more? It was a long hope but as the ninja set his stance he quickly began to realize that perhaps it was the truth after all.

One on one it is then.

[MiaKane]

The ice elf moved slowly through the streets of Corone as she made her way to a more than familiar place. The citadel was almost the closest thing to a home that she had having spent a good many a day in training and combat with not only patrons of the grand arenas, but the monks themselves. Few knew that they were actually more liken to the warrior monks of her own people.

As she entered the main hall of the citadel a young monk she had more or less befriended immediately broke off a conversation with his fellow monks to rush to her side.

“Mia, how was Fallien?” he asked as she un shouldered her pack and handed it to him.

“It was a pleasant war, Malcolm” she said with a sad sarcasm.

“Yes, we had heard that you had participated in the liberation of Irrakam.”

“The spirits willed it, besides, I made some friends out of it all.” She said as the pair began down one of the many hallways, Malcolm slightly leading her.

“Well then, how about a quick four man free for all to get the sand out?”

“Sounds like a good idea” she said with a light smile on her face.

“Then here we are,” Malcolm said as they made on last turn. Before her was a mirror world of a coliseum, her eyes watched carefully as two men already fought within.

“Well, guess I’ll be back in a few,” she said as she jumped in.

As her body entered the silver liquid, she pondered why this entrance was being a little rougher than the usual, but the landing wasn’t too bad as she landed on her feet and a fist.

She could see the two men fighting only a good stone throw away from her, standing strait she watched as one used a great sword and the other maneuvered quickly as if he was a snake. The ice elf stretched out a little before drawing her swords and waiting.

[Everlast]

Everlast had been told about this place it was supposedly the best place to go learn if you end up dieing your just revived there was no fear of death.

He approached the two big doors to the citadel as he was trying to find the hilt of his longsword. He was earning to get back into a fight one that would challenge him seeing as the other fights he had were against simple bandits and goblins.

Everlast walked into the front door and didnt waste no time scurrying to the front desk and before he let the bald man speak he said

"i require an arena a simple gladiator style arena and a strong opponent if not serveral strong opponents, i need to challenge myself to see if i can advnace in my swordsmanship." the monk just looked up at him and pointed towards another monk that was just coming through a doorway.

"I take it im following you to my arena."

the monk that was in the doorway spoke to the monk at the front desk.

"so he's the fourth?"

everlast looked at the man at the desk which just nodded. Everlast didn't need any more of a invitation he briscly walked over to the doorway from which the monk had turned and started walking down the hallway. They stopped infront of a mirror type thing.

"You expect this to get me to my arena?" Everlast asked as he probed the mirrorly like substance with his sword, after a few seconds more of probing he stuck the tip of his blade in a little too far and it started to pull from his hands.

Everlast was not letting go we grabbed ahold of his sword with both his hands and pulled back. The next thing he knew It felt like he was being pushed and thrown around like a rag doll, a few seconds later he was in the arena standing up on his feet with his sword pointed straight out infront of him.

He had heard the sound of a sword hitting stone or a pillar in this area. His instinct took over and he ran straight towards a pillar and jumped up getting him atleast a quarter of the way up. He then grabbed ahold of a pertruding edge and climbed to the top. There was several places for him to go up here he could easily jump to another pillar if he needed too. He then started to scan the ground beneath him to see where there was fighting going on.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max was amazed this man had good speed but that really didnt matter when it came to swords you wanted strength and the ability to shock the opponent. Max grabbed his greatsword up and rested it on his shoulders and looked for his longsword. he needed that to fight this speedy man.

He didnt have to look long or hard there was a trail from where the speedy man had kicked it and the sword was over by another pillar. Max looked up to see if this pillar was any danger to him and noticed a experienced looking fighter at the top looking for other people.

Damnit! why didn't i see him before? Max cursed himself as he ran to grab his blade hopefully before that man saw him.

Max managed to grab his longsword and when he did he drove his greatsword into the ground hilt up and shook his longsword free of all the sand and dust that was now on it. this man would be dearly for getting his blade dusty, while this other man would pay from being a pain in the a*s.

[Komosatuo]

The ninja sighed and let his arms drop limply to his sides. Apparently, through no fault of his own, the man he had been 'assigned' to fight, was a complete nut job. Either that or he had a form of attention deficit disorder because as soon as Komosatuo disappeared from his line of sight, apparently so did his inert will to destroy the ninja.

Meh, oh well. I guess I could always just put him out of his misery and just stab him in the ba -- He didn't have time to finish the thought when two bright flashes of light flickered in his peripheral vision, to his right and to his left. He gasped and stood, frozen, unable to move, or even breathe.

Fool! Move your ass! Feeling returned suddenly and the ninja heaved himself to the ground behind the nearby pillar, landing with a strangled grunt. Wasting no time with gathering his breath the ninja rolled to his feet and dashed to the next nearest column, flattening his back against it, mind racing and eyes flickering left and right in rapid succession. They could be anywhere!

Where?! Where?!

He whipped his head around to peer around the 'edges' of the column, first looking right then twisting to look left. There was no one. Strange. He twisted to flatten his chest against the column and peered around it more intently. Something moved, above him, right above him. He gasped and flattened his back against the wall and snapped his eyes shut. "Please, please, please, please," he whispered over and over again, hoping that whomever it was that was now striding across the column tops, didn't look down and see him there.

God dammit! What the hell are you doing?! You should be fighting, not running like a scared child hiding from the dark! He inhaled sharply and opened his eyes as wide as they could go, then narrowed them into a glare in almost the same instant. "Running like a scared. . ." He growled under his breath and clenched his fists.

"I'm not running from nobody!" This came out as a rasping whisper and he spun sharply on the ball of his right foot and strode out from behind the column. Aside from the stranger atop the columns, and the psycho on the ground, there was one other person in the arena; a female. Elf, although she didn't look like any elf he had ever seen. It didn't matter, she was here, this was a four way free for all - At least it is now - and she was fair game. The ninja almost laughed out loud as she finished performing what looked like a pre-battle stretch.

Should have done that before you entered this place, girl.

Suddenly pumped from his own motivational exercise Komosatuo thought that perhaps it was time to toy with this girl, give her the taste of a real fight. She does look to have some battle experience, a small voice said in the back of his mind but he ignored it. He was too fully engrossed in his adrenaline rush that he didn't think he could have; he maintained the smile on his hidden face and began dodging swiftly between the nearby columns, slowly gaining ground on the elf girl.

It took only moments to reach her and when he did he paused only long enough to change his step from a leading right, to a leading left before burst forth from the concealment of the columns, bearing down on the girl as fast as he could run. Three yards from her he leapt into the air, legs drifting up to tuck beneath his flying body, arms almost moving in parallel motions with his legs against his torso, and kicked with his right leg at the newly exposed blade in her left hand. Smoothly following through with his left, he aimed a hard kick towards the back of her left shoulder. It should be enough to dislodge the one blade from her and then send her flying forward to land in a sprawl, thus causing her to loose her second blade, leaving her defenseless.

The ninja landed silently to her right and spun, pulling free two of his concealed knives and stood ready. He did not throw the knives, not yet, he didn't think he could have hit anything anyway, seeing as how fast he had been moving and possibly how close she might be to hitting the ground, but he could still stand ready to throw them, should an opportunity arise.

And so, he waited, knives poised to throw, feet ready to run or kick and eyes dead set on watching the motions of this strange elf girl.

[MiaKane]

Another had entered behind her as she watched the ninja and white haired man part combat. The newcomer had immediately made a run for the high ground to her side; white hair ran for a sword that had been tossed away and then the sound of movement to her left. Mia was being slow today as she felt her left hand press suddenly into her hip, binding her fingers around her sword and causing her to bend her knees out of reaction before another sudden pressure forced her to turn to the right, duck low and rise facing to her previous right. She left her blades hanging to her sides and her shoulders sunk.

She sighed mentally as she regained from the sudden drop into trained reaction.

And I was worried that no one was going to notice me…

She blinked as she looked at the grey eyed ninja only feet from her where he stood ready with blades bared and muscles tense.

“You know I can see why you’re here and not with your clan, ninja.” She said as she swept her rear foot back a step before drawing her front one to it into what is called a cat stance, ”A real ninja would have tried to kill me with that first move, or at least completely incapacitate me.”

Mia knew a little of these people, having been taught by her master Sheng Wu the traits of many of Althanas’s martial arts. The ninja were quiet, cold and trained in the art of swift, silent death dealing, not usually a challenge the ice elf was faced with.

“And if that was just a “love tap” cause I’m a girl, it would have irritated me less if you had just given me a knock to the head instead.” She sank slightly on her back leg before the burst kindred with a pouncing cheetah jolted through her body as she moved forward in a quick lunge. The blade in her right hand swung from the right in an arch towards the ninja’s forward thigh. The blade in her left immediately shot forth in a thrust to his torso as her first foot landed and ignited another step into her opponents center.

[Everlast]

Everlast had located a man walking towards another sword on the ground.

He is either really stupid or he's trying to lead me into a trap or anyone else around him.

A quick movement caught his eye as a being of some sort was dashing around the bottom of the columns. Before everlast could do or say anything he has jumped out of the columns and started attacking vigouriously at the other person that was just standing there waiting for something to happen.

Everlast didn't have time to figure out if this was a team fight or not he just needed to fight. "Those people fighting should be engrosed with eachother for awhile so i think i'll take on the stupid one!" He unsheathed his sword and jumped from the top of the pillar using pertruding rocks to slow his descent down. He reached the bottom and instinctively started using columns as cover to aproach the man. He only paused when the man put his big sword into the ground and shook the otherone free of dust and sand.

either this man is really stupid or he has some sort of disease you should never let your gaurd down. Everlast then lunged at the man hoping he this man was stupid enough to forget to look infront of him. If the man was as stupid as Everlast thought this fight would be an interesting one indeed.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max had seen so much comotion in just the last few seconds it was taking his brain a while to process it all.

First off, the man that was fighting him had turned away and went after another fighter a female by the looks of it. This made max think that this man had no honor or at least less then him. He wouldnt attack a female unless they attacked first.

Before max could think a man had come down from a pillar and was running around like a stealthy ninja. within a few seconds he had disappeared from Max's view only to reappear coming straight towards him. this was going to be easy for Max for one thing he could grab his Greatsword and try and run it straight through this new assailant or try and fight him with his longsword no matter what he would porbally win.

"Fool you will die here as long as the other two and by my hand and my hand alone!" Max screamed as he charged his hand with glowing white mana and went in to fight with this unwelcome assailant.

[Komosatuo]

So, the girl knows how to move. No matter, her end will still come just as swift.

The girl was saying something, about a 'love tap' or something like that and despite himself, the ninja growled. It was no love tap, it was a kick! To think, the nerve of some people!

"It was no love tap," he growled, low and under his breath. "It was a, Aah!" Only instinct saved him from having a long gash run across his leg.

Snapping his leg back, sliding easily on the hard packed dirt beneath him, the ninja narrowly missed having been bloodied, less than five seconds into the fight. He had only enough time to hiss in response, as there was a second attack reaching out to try and inflict harm upon his flesh.

The snap backwards had caused his left leg to fly with a jerk behind his right and he realized, in the few stretched instances that usually occurred when one was facing grave danger, that the only way he was going to avoid being stabbed, was to follow his step backwards with a twist to his right. The hiss became a gasp as he pivoted on his right foot, narrowly missing being stabbed out right. The gasp dropped octaves to become a grunt and the ninja ground his teeth against themselves as he inhaled sharply.

That’ll sting in a moment. His fists clenched around the knives he was holding and in the moment where he was just finishing his twist and his opponent was just finishing her step forward, he lashed out with a counter strike.

The stab had been a mistake, on her part. Best to have stayed at a swords length, lulling the ninja into attacking where certain defeat would follow, then to try and close into a hands breadth; he would have to teach her that lesson. He stabbed down with his left knife, aiming to land a stinging blow on her still extended forearm, and then reached out to stab at her shoulder with his right. He followed through with is stab by twisting around in another tight circle, coming around behind the girl. He took two quick steps backwards, using his previous momentum gained from twisting to do so, and stood ready to receive another attack.

He paid no mind to the long, but shallow, gash across his left side, it would cease its bleeding in a moment. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by that just yet, the girl had proven posses some skill in fighting, else that kick wouldn’t have so easily been avoided. He lifted his clenched fists up in front of him, one hand up near his face, the other slightly lower, each ready to either slash, stab or punch.

All around him the roar of the simulated crowd filled the arena, reverberating off the columns, the sound growing louder by ten fold. He narrowed his eyes and kept his attention on the girl, now was not the time to become dazed and lost in the roar of thousands.

[MiaKane]

Her blade tasted blood as it grazed her opponent’s side. He had spun out of the path of her blade by only a slim margin. The ninja was skilled in moving out of the way from what she could tell, but not in striking vital points as was proven by his counter.

His first blade bore down onto her arm and with a slight twist from pulling her blade back she missed a deep injury, receiving only a scratch and a long tear in her shirt sleeve. A shallow cry escaped her throat as she felt a sudden sear of pain on erupt on her left shoulder blade.

The bastard tagged me…

Knowing that he would, being a knife user, stay close to her and try to keep behind her, out of the range of her blades. Her leg extended in a fast back kick aimed high enough to catch his guts before twisting her hips and spinning to the left. She brought her left blade low, hoping to catch his leg again whilst her right followed close behind, yet higher aiming for his neck.

[Everlast]

Everlast kept running full steam towards this white haired man hoping he would try to fight him and right now it looked like that was true. The white haired man got his blade ready for a fight. Everlast ran and just before his sword connected with the white haired man he went on his back and went to slide behind bandit brother. all this was going almost exactly to plan he needed a bit more speed to kill the white haired man easily.

Everlast wasnt worried about this man here it was the other two he was worried about he didn't want to fight both of them making them team on him it was the only flaw in his plans the aftermath of killing the white haired man but this wasnt going to be a problem atleast if Everlast had anything to say about it.

"Poor man looks like your dead" Everlast said as he saw the feet of the white haired man go past him. Everlast then got up and went for a stabbing move to the back of the man's neck.

[Lady Blackwell]

Max was amazed at the speed of this man one minute he was just in close enough for slashing range next hes on the ground sliding to go behind him. In a heartbeat Max's instincts took over as he tried to rush his hand done to send his magic through his fingers into this guys head area paralyzing him ending the fight.

This was not expected the man had moved too fast which made Max touch his own leg sending the magic sprawling through his fingers into his leg paralyzing him dropping max to one knee.

"I guess your right i am dead i cant move my leg buy that doesnt mean anything in the long run." Max said as he felt cold hard steel puncture the back of his neck and the next thing he knew he was on the ground blackness coming in fast.

[Komosatuo]

The ninja's feet had not even come to a complete rest when the strange elf woman lashed out with a counter to his counter. Her leg extended rapidly back, trying to take the ninja in the stomach; only because he was wound like a tight spring did he save himself from loosing his breath, and he head, as he soon found out. He would also thank whatever god was watching over him that day that he had placed his knives in just the right positions.

The foot closed swiftly towards his stomach and the ninja inhaled sharply, drawing his stomach in as tight as he could, knotting the muscles and bending over slightly at the waist. Time slowed, and the foot stopped not a hairs breadth short of his stomach but he found he had no time to sigh with relief. The woman spun on her left foot, her blades following in her tight arch, one high, the other low. He winced and reached out with his arms, trying to deflect the blades with his small throwing knives before they could reach his flesh.

The blade in his right, held up in a stabbing position, caught the lowest blade just shy of the top of his hand and he clenched his arm, absorbing the impact as the blade slid easily off its sharp edge. The blades tip whisked harmlessly past his flesh but he had already placed that blade out of his mind, instead gritting his teeth as he reached to meet the second blade.

The blade in his left hand, held in a downward position so he could stab down with it, presented a different, more complex problem than with his left. Because his right had been facing up it made for far better leverage, letting him choose where the blade went or did not go. But, because his left was facing down, it made his grip weaker, giving him less leverage, less control. The most he could hope for in his counter strike, was a deflection away from his vital organs. His blade met her with a screech and a spark, then he gasped as the blade slid with a prolonged screech, its path diverted from his neck and or head, but instead now striving for his chest. The tip of the blade was sharp, slicing easily through the thin cloth that was his suit, opening an thin slice in his leather vest. He felt a sharp sting as the blade swept past his body, just below his left hip bone.

He stepped back after what seemed a life time of hanging suspended, his arms still flying forward through the air towards blades that were no longer there, and his breath came out in a heavy whoosh. He stumbled back a few more steps, his mind resuming standard motion and he clutched as his now bleeding stomach. The cut was shallow, but it stung, almost as bad as the first, still throbbing on the same side.

He growled. A flicker of movement off to his right caught his eye and he turned his head slightly, just in time to see a man shove a sword point through the neck of the man that had first attacked him. So, one is dead. So be it! The growl turned to a snarl and he whipped his head back around, his right arm snapping up from his waist. He loosened the grip on the knife just slightly and the blade spun in his wrist and he snapped his fingers closed. He breathed a mental sigh of relief when his fingers closed around the metal hilt of the blade; it lasted for only an instant and then the blade was snapped down with the rest of his arm. He released the blade just short of it being perpendicular with the chest of the elf girl and the blade was sent spinning almost faster than the eye could comprehend, straight towards her un-wounded shoulder. He didn't wait for his arm to finish falling down before he twisted on the ball of his left foot, wincing for a moment in pain as his wounds stretched, breaking the clotting that had only just formed. He lifted his right foot from where it had been sitting and planted it in front of him, pushing off it and then lifting his left again; running now, as fast as he could start, straight towards the third man.

While he's distracted, quickly!

His right arm, thrown behind him when he first sprinted away from the elf girl, served as a balance as he threw underhanded with his left, which was still tucked against his stomach. The blade flew sideways, spinning through the air, creating a thumping whistle as it flew, only slightly slower than the first, aimed at the mans body, with no real target intended. Both his blades away the ninja threw his body weight to his left, using his throwing arms momentum to carry him over, and then he was running as fast as he could, straight towards the middle of the arena.

An open area such as this reduces the chances of an ambush, leaves me a place to run, should things get a little to hectic. He estimated he would make center in less than eight seconds.

[MiaKane]

She had felt no contact from her boot, and as she had spun, her first blade was moved from rending his flesh, whilst out of his own fault her second blade caressed his skin, drawing a long mark across his body. Within a move he leapt away, sending one of his knives spinning towards her right shoulder. From the poise she was in there was no time to try and dodge so she seized, her muscles tightened and just as the blade was going to make contact, her foot collided with a rock in the floor, causing her to stumble forward and fall as the knife flew harmlessly over her.

What?

Mia didn’t feel any pain where the blade should have connected, even though her knees were a little tender from connecting with the sand. She watched as her opponent ran off towards one of the other combatants who had just dealt a deathblow. Taking the moment of peace she rolled over onto her back and laughed a little at the sheer luck of clumsiness.

What dumb luck I have some days.

She sat up and stood, composing herself before taking the moments of time she had to think.

[Everlast]

((sorry for delay you two but if you hadn’t heard me and my friends only source of posting over the last few weeks(christmas break) fried and word generates errors that disables me from posting at home. For now))

There was no peace here no peace at all. As Everlast withdrew his sword from the man’s neck he had just killed he started to sprint to the left to get atop a pillar to let the other two people fight. There was no honor in interfering and putting one person at a disadvantage. One man had stopped fighting and instantly came to Everlast he didn’t have a chance to start sprinting when he saw the blades swirling at him, they made a noise like his heartbeat a low thumping noise.

“You bastard I was letting you fight the other man in an honorable fight and now you choose to fight me instead? Bad choice” These words seem to fall on deaf ears as the man started sprinting towards the middle of the arena.

During his ranting he had forgot all about the blades. He moved at the last second as one hit his left arm just nicking his muscle and spurting out blood as the other one just missed his right leg.

“Wow what a skilled man he could of killed me their” Everlast thought as he got up and removed his cloak removing some drag from his movement allowing him to move a bit faster.

“Now you attack me when I gave you a chance to fight the other man, now you must die as well with this man hear at my feet. A quick death is the most honorable one to die.”

Everlast removed the man’s sword and put his own sword in its sheath. He started wielding the other man’s swords.

“Very nice blades not as equally balanced as I like but still nice swords.” Everlast said out loud as he started weaving in and out of the pillars to the normal human eye he would be a blur without his cape and hopefully this man won’t see him as currently he was not looking at him.

“You shall die a short and painless death.”

“Hey man running you might want your blades I don’t fight an unarmed man.” Everlast yelled as he threw the blades a few feet ahead of the man hopefully just missing him.

((Yet again sorry for the delay))

[Komosatuo]

It took him less time to reach the center than he had initially thought; it seemed that when a man was running not from one armed individual, but two, he ran a tid bit faster than he usually did. Of course that was only part of the reason, the rest was the cheering crowd; adrenaline flowed through his veins like an avalanche, he had never felt so alive in his life. Which was how he 'knew' that the man he had absent mindedly attacked on his way towards the center was closing fast behind him. Something else was there too, but he couldn't say what. He shifted his left foot and spun smartly on his toes, bringing himself in full view of the man running carelessly towards him, as well as the wildly thrown blades spinning towards him.

His body tensed and he reacted more out of raw instinct than calm and rational thought. As his left foot was being used to pivot himself in a circle his right wasn't in any position to push him backwards or even touch the ground. Instead it tensed and he used it as a balance so that he could push off on the toes of his left foot, propelling him about a foot backwards and slightly to the left. In mid air he was able to regain control of his right leg and used it as his plant foot, tensing his left leg in turn and using it in much the same way he used his right and, jumped again. The blades hit the dirt in a small explosion of dust and small rocks, each sliding a few feet on their sides before coming to rest only a few inches behind the spot where he had initially been standing. The ninja came to rest a few more feet from this and planted both his feet about shoulder width apart, fists clenched at his sides and his eyes narrowed to glare.

"You say you're an honorable person swordsman," he spat into the dirt beneath his feet. "But you would disgrace your opponents blades, as well as your opponent, by hurling them back at him like they were trash? You know nothing of honor, and for that offense, [i]I[/i,] will kill you slowly."

Inhaling deeply, pausing as his lungs filled to their maximum, gathering as much life giving oxygen into his blood stream, the ninja counted slowly to ten before exhaling with a laugh. The laugh turned into a yell as he was suddenly moving forward, sprinting as fast as he could go, closing the distance between him and this new opponent in about half the time it took a man to blink ten times in rapid succession. A few feet from his opponent he jumped into the air, spinning around like a cork screw, right foot reaching out to kick the man in the chest, his hands reaching back to pull his sword from its sheath. He sailed smoothly over the top of the mans head, as of yet unawares as to whether his attack had hit the man or not, and succeeded in pulling his sword completely from his sheath. The silvery steel made a pale blur as the sword rose to a high arch above his head and he spun, slashing down at the mans back even as he landed smoothly on his left foot and right knee.

[Everlast]

((mia u can catch up after one of us dies (cough Komo cough))

Everlast saw the man kick at his chest which landed and sent him flying backwards. the man then continued to jump up and unsheathe another blade.

How many blades does this man have? Everlast thought as he unsheathed his only sword and got ready for a battle.

"This may surprise you to know but i can see every move you make. i dont know how but i can and i think i may actually start trying."

Everlast said as he rose to his feet and started running to the man. at the last moment before he was in slashing range he quickly planted his left foot as it hit the ground and pushed off with that sending him to the mans right side. everlast then continued to stop on his right foot and push off sending him behind the man.

while in the process of going behind the man Everlast spun to his right and went for a slashing maneuver to the mans right side. he continued his spin and once he was looking at the man's back he planted his right foot again to stop his spinning as he made a stabbing motion for the mans lower back upper but area.

((sorry for short post but im tired and need to sleep))

[Komosatuo]

See my attacks? The ninja paused, his stance shifting as he straightened a little, eyes widening slightly in confusion. How can this man do as he says? The ninja, however much he wished to stop for a moment and ponder this new found information, was allowed little time to think, as the man quickly regained his footing and imediately lauched himself into a head long charge towards the ninja.

Instinct and years of training kicked in and the ninja reassumed his defensive stance, ready for the onslaught that the man was surely going to unleash. It quickly became apparent that this thought was far from the mans mind, as instead of slashing at the ninja when the man drew close enough to perform the said action, the man leapt to the ninjas right and away from any slashing techniques. At least, so far as the untrained or ignorant eye was concerned, and the ninja was neither untrained, nor ignorant. Even as the man shifted his footing and leapt to the right of the ninja, the black clad assassin anticipated the mans attack and spun to meet it.

The sound of metal striking metal as the ninja spun deftly on his planted left foot filled the arena as a most gratifying sound. At least, it would have filled it, if the crowd had not been roaring so loud. Any other time the ninja would have thought this would have hindered him, as he preferred to work in quiet and peaceful situations, but now that he was in it, he could see the benefits. The crowds roar placed upon him an increased awareness of his surroundings and goings on, an adrenaline boost of untold proportions. Could this be what the man was speaking of? The thought was distant and so quiet the ninja almost didn't hear it, but when the man planted himself firmly in front of the ninja and lunged forward with a stab at his waist, he almost wished he had heard. It was almost as if the man had known he would deflect his first attack, leaving him open for a second, faster and more deadly attack into his exposed center. Only years of training and unheard of reflexes saved the ninja from being impaled, and that was only the half of it. The rest could be proudly awarded to the leather jerkin the ninja wore beneath his one piece, which caught the blade in its protective grasp and saved the ninja from even so much as a deep cut. Still, he felt the steel slide along his flesh, cold and sharp, and he wondered what it would have felt like had it slid into his gut. That thought too, was distant and almost unheard, but this time, the ninja didn't waste time wondering, this time, he reacted.

His hand came away from his sword hilt, which was still at his side from when he deflected the mans first attack, and balled into a fist to strike. Using the mans forward momentum against him, as well as using his own by taking a single step forward, the ninja launched an vicious attack towards the mans exposed face and nose with the knuckles of his balled fist. Punching, in the Horachi’Lykn culture, was considered a grave offense upon the recipient as well as the one gifting the punch as punching could break bone and flesh. Where as a slap, which was the most common form of hitting in the Horachi’Lykn culture, only stung and possibly cut skin, should the nails on the gifting hand be long enough. As such, the ninja’s punch was poorly aimed and had mediocre power, but at this close proximity, along with the two forward moving bodies, it should land with at least painful, if not bone breaking effects.

The crowds roar seemed to intensify as the ninja’s hand closed towards the mans face, and the adrenaline pumping through the ninjas veins pulsed and quivered as the shouts filled his ears and drove him forward.

[Everlast]

Shlurk!

there was a sound as the man's fist collided with everlast's face sending him spinning sideways. If Everlast had planted his balance a bit better he wouldnt of so much slid on the ground as moved his head from the impact.

With a grunt of loss of stamina Everlast got up and spat out blood and a few loss teeth. With a smirk he said.

"Looks like im not fighting a complete wimp after all."

Everlast had spotted the man's other blades laying on the ground. "Hmm this may give me the upper hand." Reaching back Everlast tore of some of his hankee he had in his back pocket and quickly made it into a long cloth type thing with notes every few inches. he then continued to tie the end to the one sword and picked up the otherone while sheathing his own. Memories were flooding back to him memories from a past life.

"Yes i will use that" Everlast said unconciously as he started swinging the one blade around and around in a spinning motion. once the blade got up to speed he launched it straight towards the left side his assailant and threw the other one at the other side. Then everlast made a fist and hung that back behind him as he ran as fast as he could towards his opponent.

whether the man had tried to dodge the blades that were aimed for either side of him he would get hit and if he didnt move a full power punch from Everlast would be quite sufficient to end this fight quicker then normal. Max got within arms reach and with all his speed and strength and even all of his weight behind this punch he aimed for the right of the cut he had made only a few minutes before hand. if he hit he would of pushed more blood out of the wound injuring the man and also sending the mand flying back a bit with so much force.

Everlast then got his feet onto the ground regained his balance after several seconds of staggering and backpeddled away. if the man came right at this moment Everlast wouldnt be able to maneuver at the peek of his abilities.

(( for clarification i threw two blades one with a big piece of cloth behind it and just another one one was aimed for the left of his mid section and the other was aimed for the right of his middle section. for trapping the man so i could lay in a punch. again feel free to 'dodge' all three however unlucky it is and slash at my guy its all up to you))

[Komosatuo]

The ninja smirked when he saw the man spit blood and a few loose teeth from his mouth. He must have had bad oral hygiene if he lost teeth this easily, or perhaps it was because the ninja had really hit him that hard. His fist hurt, but the ninja only guessed that this was because he had never hit something as hard as a humans jaw before. Either way he had scored a victory this time, more than fulfilling his revenge for cutting him earlier. The man was regaining his balance after the punch so the ninja backed up a few steps, allowing some distance to form between the two of them.

The man was in a bad way, and from what the ninja had seen so far, wasn't fast enough to get himself out of it. He further proved the fact when he pulled a long strip of pale, cream colored cloth from his pocket and twisted it into a slender, short section of rope. Then he retrieve the first mans discarded blade and began fastening the blade to its hilt. The idea of creating a sling like device immediately came to mind to the ninja and he shifted his stance, ready to duck if he was right.

He was.

As soon as the man finished tying the slender piece of cloth to the sword hilt he began to swing it over his head. The blade made a pale gray blur in the bright blue of the sky over head and the ninja squinted his eyes against the light of the sun. Perhaps this wasn't such a good thing after all; he shifted his stance again and shifted a little to the right. The sun faded slightly from view and he could see the blade a little more clearly once more.

Only, there was no blade spinning in the mans hand. The ninjas eyes widened in surprise and his eyes frantically searched for the blade. A pale blur whizzed past him and then something tugged at his right side. He grunted in pain as a second blade, the one without the cloth tied to it and one he hadn't seen before, dug deep into his right side, sliding along one of the two edges for the entire length of the blade before bursting free of his flesh in a light spray of red mist. He screamed then, a shrill cry that filled the air in the arena and nearly drowned out the shouting of the crowd around him. Half way through his cry something else slammed into his side with enough force to knock the wind from his lungs. A fist, and right into his new wounds.

The ninja gagged on his tongue and stumbled back, making choking sounds in his throat and spinning away from the now falling man. He stumbled for a few more feet before stopping and clutching at his side with his free hand. His hand found blood and he fingered the cut, assessing its severity and judging its depth. It was perhaps a centimeter thick and just below where his leather jerkin stopped. Foul luck. It was bleeding steadily, but it wasn't fatal. It would however, slow him down. Okay Komosatuo, I think it's time we stop playing games and finish this before you go and get yourself killed.

Indeed, that was one experience he did not wish to have to go through.

The ninja took a deep breath then, inhaling the arena air until his lungs could no more, and let it out slowly. It seemed to help with the pain. He straightened then and removed his hand from his side and placed it to grip the bottom half of his sword hilt. He then turned around and faced the man with the blade held up in front of him, steady and placed in such away that when looking straight at it, you would only see his face. Try that shit with me again fool, and your final breath will come before you can count to three.

The crowd began to scream and roar again, their silence brought on by the fact that one of the two remaining fighters had been wounded.

[Everlast]

Everlast stood waiting the next move, he was tired and realized there was still an opponent after this, that thought made him more tired.

"Even if you or I Win we still have Another Fighter to deal with." Everlast said trying to throw his opponents focus off, as he closed his eyes and felt something snap!

Everlast's Appearance started Changing, his hair grew longer, and a cleft in his chin formed, as his muscles bulged and he eyes started glowing a faint blue as he made a hard grip on his swor. and stared a penetrating glance at his opponent.

"Well whether or not u Die or i Die i will not go down without a Fight!" Everlast said as he moved faster then before (1.5x) towards his opponent and attempted a knee to the chest as he was about to hit his opponent in the back of the head with his sword hilt.

Everlast started maniacly laughing as he cracked earth below his feet and a see thru blue light shone up from the cracks as he put his sword to his side.

[AdventWings]

Judgment! As this is an incompleted battle, you won't be getting anything special. However, I'm not going to take away too many points.

Bandit Brother

Story
Continuity - 4
Setting - 4
Pacing - 3
Writing Style
Mechanics - 3
Technique - 4
Clarity - 3
Character
Dialogue - 3
Action - 3
Persona - 5
Miscellaneous
Wild Card - 5
FINAL SCORE – 37!

Komosatuo
Story
Continuity - 7
Setting - 6
Pacing - 5
Writing Style
Mechanics - 7
Technique - 6
Clarity - 7
Character
Dialogue - 7
Action - 7
Persona - 6
Miscellaneous
Wild Card - 6
FINAL SCORE – 64!

MiaKane
Story
Continuity - 6
Setting - 5
Pacing - 6
Writing Style
Mechanics - 6
Technique - 6
Clarity - 7
Character
Dialogue - 6
Action - 7
Persona - 6
Miscellaneous
Wild Card - 6
FINAL SCORE – 61!

Everlast
Story
Continuity - 3
Setting - 3
Pacing - 4
Writing Style
Mechanics - 3
Technique - 3
Clarity - 4
Character
Dialogue - 4
Action - 4
Persona - 3
Miscellaneous
Wild Card - 4
FINAL SCORE – 35!

The winner is Komosatuo!

Bandit Brother receives 550 EXP and 150 GP
Komosatuo receives 1200 EXP and 550 GP
MiaKane receives 650 EXP and 150 GP
Everlast receives 550 EXP and 150 GP

Sorry for the long wait! And don't forget to collect your weapons before you go.

[Witchblade]

EXP and GP added!