Division 3: Sok vs. Silence Sei

[Ther]

This match-up will last until 8 P.M. E.S.T. on 2/23/07. Remember, if you finish your battle early, I can score you early - and finishing early is a good, good thing always.

Best of luck!

[Silence Sei]

The state of Althanas was war.

Alerar and Raiaera were about to destroy one another, which was no surprise to anybody. After all, the two countries went together like two felines with their tails tied together. There was always hatred among the bonds that kept Alerar and Raiaera together. It was just a matter of time before someone exposed said hatred in the people of both countries. Eventually the two would either be completly leveled by the other, or some savior would come and bring peace to both lands before a crisis even began. So was the way of Althanas.

The citadel was under attack by a group known as the Illicit Entrepreneurs. This was also not a surprise to anybody. How many years had people gone to the citadel only for the whole place to be attacked by something or somebody? These entreprenuers were just following in the footsteps of either religious zealots or money craving warmongers. The citadel would always be attacked. So was the way of Althanas.

The demons of Haidia suffered a great loss in their own home, which was once again not a surprise to anybody. The demons were then starting to make a name for themselves within Dheathain after their shameful defeat. So many people wanted demons completed eradicated for the things just a few of their kind did. Somebody finally took up the reigns on the mission of destroying demonkind, and began a brutal yet impressive assault. It was not fair that all demons should be blamed for the misdeeds of a few, but so was the way of Althanas.

The surprise came when Corone lost most of it's leaders. The power hungry were quick to step up and claim their prizes that they so thought belonged to them. The people were upset and took measures that some would deem as inappropriate for the circumstances. The politicians responded to the inappropriateness in kind by declaring martial law. This ignited the fire under more people, and before anyone could become the voice of reason Corone was in an all out civil war.

This is where Sei's story starts, or rather continues. After being proclaimed as a 'Hero' by the Radasanth people for so long, it was only natural that Sei Orlouge would be recruited onto a side of this dispute. Sei was a vigilante who always did what was right, a master of strategy, and most importantly, a faithful Radasanth patriot. Sei had to pick a side and use his power and intellect to end this petty squabble within the great country of Corone, right?

Wrong. The problem with this was that the mighty Sei Orlouge (after a serious of unfortunate events) went missing. There had been quiet rumors that he had abandonned his people, or simply went back to his mystic homeland. None of the rumors had any substance, and Sei Orlouge's name appeared again recently, on the registration to the Althanasversary Tournament. Whispers came from crowds about what Sei would do or say at his appearence. People were rallied in support of the 'Protector of Radasanth'. It was one of the few moments the people in Corone were calm, and at ease with their politicians. It is from that where Sei's motivation to enter such an awful thing like an arms tournament comes from.

So there, in the middle of what could most readily be described as a former hillside, two figures stood. There were hills ranging from small to large everywhere around the figures, tall grass literring what would be the first round battlefield for Sei Orlouge. The smell of sulfur filled the nostrils of both figures, and the sounds of rustling in the tall grasses that were sporadically placed everywhere filled their ears. Silently the male figure stood while the female one began to talk. "Papa, we're going to win this tournament. When we do, we're going to be able to tell all of Corone that fighting is meaningless! More importantly, it'll make -me- a celeberity, and then we'll have the life of luxury!"

The girl continued to rant to the second, smaller figure, but he did not hear her. He did not hear the wind blow, and the sounds of suspcious moving within the grass began to be drowned out after a while. All Sei Orlouge could hear was the sound of peace and quiet, a life he wanted for Anita Orlouge, a life he once had, and a life that would soon be restored to Corone. Whenever a crisis came, a savior would stand up and divert it with his power. Sei thought he was Corones savior from itself. So was the way of Althanas...

[Sok]

The second contestant for this fight was far less grand, and so far he'd had little to do with much in the way of national conflict.

He was simply a man, from a small and isolated community in the mountains of Salvar, who had set out to make his way in the wider world out of obligation to his sister. Before this tournament he had been between jobs, the last one having been a simply repairing a chicken coop, and before that he'd had to find a shepherd’s lost lamb -- both of which had been about a month ago, and had proven little enough reward. So there were tough times for a while.

But then things began looking up, for Sokket at least. The youngest son of the household he was staying with was a captain of their local militia, and had decided to try his luck by entering this tournament. However, he got into an accident with an ox cart about a week before he would have left. The physician said it wasn't anything serious, but he wasn't going to be able to travel far for some time, so the family was kind enough to let someone else take the tournament position, as long as they got recompense from whatever winnings were earned.

Things began looking down again though when Sok discovered who his first match-up was -- the mighty “Silence” Sei Orlouge, Protector of Radasanth. He’d not heard much about Sei beforehand; people don’t talk about legends much in their day to day lives. Since he had arrived though, not only did the tales of his opponent’s ability become clear, so did who the crowd was in favor of. Great, nothing like having the mob against you from the get go.

Not only did Sokket now doubt he could win, he doubted he necessarily wanted to. However, he wouldn’t go out without a fight.

As he squeezed through the crowd though, he noticed something odd. The closer he got to the actual battleground, the less enthusiastic the crowd seemed. The ones at the very inner edge seemed actually disappointed as they whispered anxiously, though they still looked somewhat askance at Sokket as he dodged his way through the throng. It wasn’t until he was through the crowd and had hiked half way up to the top of the leveled hill that served as an arena that he realized why. His competition was… not who he expected. Is one of them seriously supposed to be the mighty hero Silence Sei?, he thought as he approached the peak. The arena was old, rounded cobblestones made up a square shape, but they were rounded with time not purpose, and the same long grass that covered the hill grew out in spurts between them. In contrast, the only other male up there was very… young.

At first Sokket had thought the taller of the two figures that had crested the hill was Sei, it would have made the most sense, but the taller of the two was female, and that Sei definitely wasn’t. Of course Sei also isn’t supposed to be a kid, so I guess I luck out.

Exhaling a sigh of relief, Sok twirled his spear and smacked the butt on the stone floor to release some of the tension he’d built up. It didn’t particularly work, but it did calm some of his nervous energy. There was still an opponent after all, even if it wasn’t Silence Sei, so he didn’t want to totally relax. He also wasn’t completely calm because while the woman was the older of the two, he had a feeling the kid was more important than one might immediately assume, maybe it was the odd look on the orange haired lad’s face. He had a feeling they were both formidable, even if neither of them was Sei.

Well, he would take all social precautions. Taking a position near the center of the rough square he bowed politely from the waist to both figures.

“I take it Sei couldn’t make it for some reason? Is one of you filling in for him?”

[Silence Sei]

Soon, the crowd began to clear, and the murmurs began to stop.Sei's opponent had arrived. He was a very tall man compared to Sei or Anita, his brown curly hair seemed almost as if it were a lifeform of it's own it was so perfect. His weapon was a spear, and combined with the use of his long limbs, this was not looking like a good match-up for the 'Protector of Radasanth'. Sei closed his eyes to say a little prayer as his opponent spoke, probably to introduce himself. It was common courtesy to introduce oneself before battle on any country in Althanas, and today would be no exception.

Except no introduction came from the opponent, only a question. His question was ignorant and presumptious as he asked if one of the two before him were Sei's 'replacement'. While Sei took the question in stride (he had become accustomed to people no longer beliving he was the Radasanth Protector), Anita took a less tactful approach to the situation. "What the heck are you talking about?! Sei Orlouge stands before you!" The girl made a 'ta-da' motion to show off her smaller father.

"Anita is correct sir," A voice inserted itself within Sokket's head, "Thanks to fate, I have been given a second chance as a youth. I hope you are not too appauled at the notion of fighting a child sir. Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am the 'Protector of Radasanth', Sei Orlouge. I wish you the best of luck in this fight. May the best man win." "By the best man he means himself!" Anita stepped out of place and blurted out towards Sokket.

Sei sighed and closed his eyes again, removing the bladed rings at each of his sides. The jaded hillsides began to move at a faster pace. The winds were starting to kick up it seemed, and the people cheered for it. "The tournament starts now, and you're going down! I don't care how cute you are!" Anita shouted as the crowd once again cheered for her trash-talking. Sei merely glaced at his daughter to shut her up. This battle was not supposed to be about fame, it was supposed to be about Corone.

Papa, we are going to be the winner of this round so easily. Anita thought, knowing her father owuld catch it. "There are no winners or losers in fights Anita. There is only the one with more ambition than the other. Let's see if Corone's ambition is stronger than my opponents." With that, Sei took the intitave.

The boy jetted forward towards this opponent. His speed was that of a wild animal as he rushed towards Sokket without mercy. The look in the youth's eyes was determined, but fate had other plans for the child. As Sei was about ten feet from Sokket, a geyser of fire erupted from the shielding grass. Sei's eyes widened as he ducked to the left, the hot magman clipping his left shoulder and forcing the youth to hit the ground at Sokket's feet.

The crowd had grown silent with awe. Both because of Sei's speed, and the unfortunate hit of fire to his limb. The boy laid there almost helpless, clenching his teeth and holding his shoulder in an attempt to put out some of the embers trying to start a fire on the boy's clothes. Anita's was horrified as her father was now at the mercy to the taller, range-advantaged male before him. Sei stood up and looked to Sokket. Corone survived after all it had been through, Sei would survive for Corone.

For the good of Corone, for the good of Corone, for the good of Corone Sei thought this to himself as he tried to null out the pain, taking a defensive stance to counter his opponents attack (if one was coming). Yet no matter how hard her tried, dried magma on his shoulder and azure liquid constantly pouring from his arm was going to make this a rather short battle. Especially if another fire geyser hit him.

[Sok]

Sokket had apparently made one too many assumptions, and he cursed himself as he glowered at the girl. What was she doing up here anyways? Whatever the case, she’s annoying. He was sorry he had said anything now, and he tried to convey that through his mind to the youth, he didn’t want to say anything that the aggravating girl could respond to. He hadn’t meant anything by the question, Sok himself was a replacement, but it wasn’t a point he cared to expound in her presence.

If he was a bit more world-weary a traveler he might still doubt the kid’s claims, but the mere act of telepathy was enough to prove the formidability of his opponent, and he would respect that until proven he shouldn’t. He wasn’t terribly experienced with magic, but he recognized the power of it. He got over the fact that someone had spoken directly into his mind relatively quickly, but it made him worry less about whether he wanted to win and more if he could, again. True, either the details of Sei’s exploits were exaggerated or something had happened to him to cause his current state. He mentioned a rebirth or something, so it would make sense. Sok now worried, though, that if Sei could speak into other people’s heads, he could also read their innermost thoughts … and that would bode poorly for whoever he was fighting.

“May the best man win” Sok had been told through ephemeral thought, May the best man win indeed, he replied just to himself and to Sei, if the orange haired lad could hear it. The annoying girl had also said something, but Sok had already decided she wouldn’t be saying anything else important and tuned out her voice. He was probably more intimidated now than he had been before meeting his opposition in the flesh, even after discovering that the kid only came up to his chest. It was actually probably the most intimidated he had ever been, except for that time against the Blazen Dragon. He felt a pang of regret as he remembered how that had turned out, and diverted his thoughts back on course. He would refuse to lose this time. The choices we make forge the destinies of ourselves and others, I wont desert this path my sister has set for me.

Sokket gripped his spear with both hands and readied himself as his opponent took the signature chakrams from his waist. The wind was picking up and rustled through Sok’s hair, he was glad that his bandana not only to hid his ears, but held his hair out of his face. The crowd seemed to be growing agitated as the wind itself, but that was that girls fault again. Why did she keep saying words? Oh thank you, exuberant one. I really needed them all worked up like this. She was really starting to get on his nerves, her ending statement “…care how cute you are!” rang in his ears and caused the heat to rise to them, no matter how hard he tried to ignore her. He grit his teeth, ...I didn’t need that either.

All in all he hardly had time to set himself when Sei charged. The lad was fast, faster than some game that Sok had taken down. However, the taller man wasn’t exactly unused to combat situations and managed to be ready just in time—

Or at least he would have been, had Sei gotten the opportunity to attack. When the smaller fighter was only a couple meters away a geyser erupted just under him with a molten red fluid, like a gooey liquid fire it seemed to sear and eat away at cloth and flesh alike. On one level Sok intellectually understood that there may very well be some magic on the arena in the form of traps, likely to keep the fight from being too boring if it was one-sided… but on the other hand it wasn’t exactly a fair fight if his opponent could hardly manage to stand after being attacked by the arena itself!

Mind racing Sokket glanced around the arena for some sort of official, perhaps so that he could postpone or even forfeit if he had to, so that his opponent could get some sort of medical attention. There was nothing though, only himself, the annoying girl and his opponent, and the murmuring crowd – their shock quickly giving way to excited whispers, the beasts. Sok had discovered a cold and cruel world Outside, but that didn’t help the kid in front of him right now.

Sok also intellectually understood that if this was the mighty Sei like he now presumed, he would probably be able to manage something on his own. On the other hand, all he saw in front of him was a kid, maybe seven or eight years younger than himself, and that kid was grimacing in pain and barely managing to hold himself in a defensive position. Is he crazy? Sok found himself thinking Does he honestly still expect me to attack? The strange substance had coalesced into a stone-like material on the boy’s shoulder, and there appeared to be some sort of blue liquid leaking from the steaming wounds.

It was the heat of the moment, Sokket understood that many warriors would attack right now, but it was an utterly alien concept to him, that simply winning was that important to someone. He thought of his sister again, he didn’t really need this tournament after all… he could find some other way to fulfill his obligation to her. Maybe the tournament thing wasn’t his style anyways, he didn’t really consider himself a warrior.

His mind couldn’t settle on any one thing though, he had to act, he had to postpone. He spoke, “Hey, uh, should we postpone? Are you going to be fine like that?” Stupid! Of course he isn’t going to be fine! But we probably can’t postpone either… oh light, what should I do…

[Silence Sei]

All the experience, training, and life lessons that Sei Orlouge had learned up to this point had become meaningless in a matter of seconds. There was nothing the 'youth' could do from being attacked. He had fallen victim to a trap he should have at the very least suspected to be within the arena and now he was going to pay for it. The youth's chakram (as he could only use one, his left arm now lame) was raised half way bewtween his chest and his face. The boy was attempting to protect any vitals that Sokket might hit with his next attack, an attack which never saw the light of day.

Instead of feeling the cold hit of defeat, he heard Sokket's soft words speak to him once more. He was asking if the match should be postpone for the time being. Sei smiled as he looked up at his opposition and shook his head. Sei was a warrior, a strategist, and a hero to many. If he were to give up so easily now it would be as if Corone itself were giving up and giving in to all of it's meaningless struggles. "I wish it were simply that easy sir. I, however, have to press on no matter what condition I may be in. I would, however, request permission for my daughter to merge in with the crowd behind you. As long as she is with many, she is safe."

Leave it to a father to always be thinking about his child, no matter his shape. However Anita was not one to go along with Sei's plans like she was one of his soldiers to command. "I'm not leaving you at his mercy, Papa!" Anita shouted as she ran towards the two, Sei turning around to the sound of her voice. "Anita! Stop!" Sei shouted to no answer as the girl rushed forward trying to get to her father. As she ran, she was quickly taken to the ground, however, now camoflauged within the tall grass. If Sokket were to notice, he would see that Sei was no longer visible as well. The father had used all the speed he had left to stop his daughter from endangering herself.

Suddenly several more fire geysers began to erupt, destroying the grasslands around them more and more. As the fires began to calm once again, a blur of color darted towards Sokket. This blur of illumination was none other than Sei, holding Anita with his good arm as the girl protested and hit her father upon his back. The mute quickly made it to the crowd where he set his daughter down at and dashed back to his battle. It was time to really fight, and Sei would now have to use the greatest weapon in his arsenal; his own mind.

Sei was now once again in front of Sokket, eyeing him up and down once more. "I apologize for that little distraction, sir." Sei said as he took a deep breath. His blue blood was strating to dry up on his arm, but the mute had not even realized that his mouth was now dripping the same azure blood from his lips. Anita gasped as she watched her father fall upon his butt, barely manging to hold his own head up. The mute barely stood up once again and grabbed his chakram tight. He slung his right arm in an arc motion, an attempt to take out Sokket's shin.

However, the slash was sloppy and slow, not at all like Sei's typical style. The mute was stumbling and coughing from time to time. It was very possible that the first geryser had hit something vital, but that was not stopping Sei. Despite how hurt he now was, how exhausted he felt, he pressed on. He would see this fight through until somebody was no longer standing. This put the crowd in an uproar for the youth, even if they didn't believe he was Sei Orlouge. As Sei's vision began to go blurry, he tried to focus and see if his slash had found a mark, or if Sokket had easily dodged the attack.

[Sok]

Sok did manage to easily jump back and dodge the blow, but only just, and he was forced to sloppily change that movement into a sidestep when he heard another geyser exploding just behind where he’d been standing. He caught himself using the butt of his spear though, and clumsily recovered to face the youth again. While Sei’s move had been heavily broadcasted and lacked any real finesse, Sok hadn’t really been expecting much in the way of attack at that moment, given both the state of his adversary and all the other hazardous events going on. What kind of tournament is this supposed to be anyways? Some trial of arms! It seemed less a competition than a blood-sport to see who could manage to stay alive the longest, he was actually surprised he hadn’t been hit yet, perhaps he was lucky. Sok’s ire was raising towards the event organizers, and for once he didn’t try to damper it.

That anger probably came across in his expression as he protested to Sei.

“This is madness! What could be so bloody well important about this mockery of a tournament that you’re willing to go this far!?” He was impressed that someone of Sei’s stature could dash around hauling an entire other person like that, considering the state of Sei’s wounds, but Sok was seriously getting worried. He had accepted that death and injury could occur in a tournament such as this before hand, but he wanted no part in one that treated them both so cheaply! Sok continued, “If you’re not bloody well going to hold off and get this mess straightened out, I’ll just forfeit if it matters that much!”

Suddenly he found he’d made his decision without even thinking about it, but he wasn’t dissatisfied with it either. There were countless other ways for a person to make their place in the world, he didn't need this one, he wouldn't dirty his hands just to try to win. It wouldn’t go over well with the audience probably, but they probably didn’t even hear his ranting as the geysers were erupting more frequently now, though their pattern was fairly random and they were at a distance as often as they were close. They definitely weren’t a natural phenomenon, he would have to try and see what he could dig up on the issue, if he got out of this in one piece. Just because he said he would be willing to give up, didn't mean that fate would let him.

[Silence Sei]

Sei’s unintentional telegraphed attacked was easily predicted and dodged with ease. Sokket was apparently getting angry with the mute but all Sei heard was loud rubbish. The mute’s hearing was now starting to go the ay of his eyesight. Sei knew if he did not finish this match soon, he would be dead before long. As a result, the telepath began to frantically swing his sole chakram while moving forward. His hope was to hit his opponent with at least one move as the double-vision of Sokket became quadruple-vision. However, Sei did hear one part of his opponent’s rage filled speech.

“….What could be so bloody well important…..”

Sei tried to focus his eyes as he kept pressing on, using what he could to send a message into his opponent’s mind. “This battle is not just mine. I must win for Corone. I’m the Hero of Radasanth, so I must stop Corone’s in-fighting and unite the people once more…. If my reign here in the tournament is to end now, promise me you will be the generation that surpasses me and unites the country that I love….please…” Sei’s plea was passionate, and not without it’s merits, but the mute was now fighting a battle he could not win. Everybody saw it.

That is why by Sei’s next swing, a small hand grabbed the mystic’s wrist to stop his sloth-like onslaught. Anita stood in front of her father with tears in her eyes. “Papa,” she said, “you -have- lost. You lost before you even attacked. Everyone else here can see that, why can’t you?!” Anita’s words began to bring blue, bloody tears down Sei’s cheeks. “You must give up and seek medical attention now Papa. If you don’t, you’re going to die. I love Corone just as much as you do Papa, but it’s not worth losing you! Please!”

Seconds after Anita’s begging, Sei dropped his weapon and fell to his knees. He could do no more. Even with injuries, he had fought as hard as he could for a cause he believed in. Anita began a sigh of relief as she turned to Sokket, a small smile on her face as she began to wipe away tears. “We-We’re gonna consider this a draw, ok? It wasn’t fair that Papa got hurt before he even attacked, and you’re willing to give up just on that alone. I like you, Mister. You might make me a good husband one day, what was your name again?”

At Anita’s husband comment Sei fell face first to the ground. While it was a very humorous gesture, no laughs came from the crowd. Instead, a single clap began from somewhere within the audience. That single clap became dozens, and eventually, the whole crowd was acknowledging that the telepath had done his best for them.

((A strange but good fight, sir. I believe we both can finish this up in two posts each. I am not ashamed to lose to you.))

[Sok]

Sokket had never held any profound affiliation to one nation or another, when he had first come Outside he’d actually been somewhat shocked and confused to note that his people apparently lived within a place called Salvar. However, as the telepath’s words touched his mind, an act he thought he would quickly get far too used to, he was oddly moved.

Perhaps within the thoughts came a projection of the emotion and earnestness behind them, or perhaps something in the spirit of his gesture merely echoed within the altruism buried not quite deep enough in Sokket’s heart. Dreams of glory uniting the nation once again surfed through his thoughts, and he was swayed. Perhaps he would finish this fight and pick up the mantel cast down by Sei himself.

But then the girl interjected and reality for Sokket snapped back into place, even should all come to pass ideally, the mantle was not Sokket’s to take, he was an outsider by not only nature, but choice. And while it would definitely be along the lines of his familial obligation, it wasn’t along the lines with his own code of ethics. Perhaps if he had somehow beaten Sei in a fair fight it would have worked, but the fact that he hadn’t he knew would weigh heavily on his mind. Releasing a relieved sigh, he leaned heavily against the butt of his spear. Ah well, I don’t particularly want to be a hero anyways.

Even the thought of it made him embarrassed when the girl started speaking praise to him. But he was just glad that Sei would be able to receive some healing now. Sokket looked down at the glove on his right hand, its mate lost to the inferno of the dragon. A glove capable of receiving and bestowing the enchantment of magic, he felt a pang of regret that he’d never gotten it a charge of healing magic, it would make this mess they’d found themselves in much easier. But things would probably still turn out well.

As the applause died away, he suddenly realized that nobody was saying anything, and he was being looked at. People were waiting on him to respond? He could feel the heat rise to his ears as he blushed, and he quickly he cleared his throat to do so, he was going to try to ignore the marriage comment.

“Aah… I am called Sokket Dachenan, Miss. Umm... honestly though, I think I’d feel more comfortable taking a loss. If this arena wasn’t rigged, I would no doubt be a lot more worse for wear.”

Feeling completely self-conscious, Sokket grasped around mentally for something to distract himself with, and of course Sei was still lying there, bleeding. The taller man look around the surrounding crowd with a sharp eye, no-one had moved much lately, but they seemed to be safe from the geysers at the moment. He found his anger wasn’t completely gone yet “Hey, what’s with you people? Isn’t anyone going to go get a physician, a nurse, a healer, anything?”

It was a start, a few people from the rear looked surprised and ran off. Sokket shook his head, maybe he'd just missed something but it seemed odd that out of everybody nobody had thought to help with Sei's condition. Maybe these people did need to be saved, from themselves.

"For the rest of us, we better try to get away from this area soon. We have no way of knowing when and where the discharges will start again."

((sorry, took longer to respond than I’d meant to, life seems to conspire to keep me away from the computer when I least want it to. Thank you though, it was a good match, I would not be sorry to lose to you either(although that more goes without saying)))

[Max Dirks]

Sei, I think you tried to make this battle too epic. The end all be all battle might produce an excellent climax (because most end all be all battles ARE the climax of a story), but I'm not sure that Sei's goals and the actions of this battle would warrant such a mindset. Anita also seemed younger. She is an integral part of your story. What does she think of her father's current situation? Does it trouble her. Is she acting too big for her britches because she wants to protect Sei or does she truly believe the same way as he does? Speaking of which, your strength was the curiosity you created with Sei's situation. What happened? Why is he young? It left me hungry for more. Nice job.

Sok, you're a very good writer. It is nice to see an average joe character join a tournament. One connection I had trouble making with your character was when Sokket had an internal "battle" whether to attack Sei or not. It seemed likely, after reading your introduction, that he probably would not have attacked from the onset. You are a very reactionary player. It works well with a descriptive styling, but for future battles, I want you to try to set the stage a bit more. Doing so, and being descriptive will certainly win you some points.

Continuity, Pacing, Dialouge, Persona, Mechanics and Clarity goes to Sok.

Setting, Action, Technique and Wildcard goes to Sei.

Sok advances to Round Two!