The Gods Do Not Play At Dice ((Closed to Zook))

[Karuka]

The sun shown high over the city of Radasanth, and as she entered it, the woman had to look upon it admiringly. She was a simple sort of girl -- born and raised in Ireland just as Charlemagne was coming into power. It had been an eventful time on the continent, but something she'd only seen in her brief visit to an Fhriang. But this...this was glorious beyond anything she'd ever seen. The buildings reached into the sky, and right in her field of vision there was a giant stepped pyramid like her father had diagrammed for her when she was little. She grinned and looked down at the pendant she held in her hand. Its pull was leading STRAIGHT to that building...exactly like one she'd always wanted to see.

Someone yelled at her to get moving, and she startled, moving forward. She looked somewhat ashamed -- she'd been caught unaware again. The man chucked a coin at her contemptuously, and the girl frowned. Sure, she wasn't much to look at, but she wasn't a beggar, either.

'Tis ay th' rags.

She was dressed in a very battered set of clothes -- a stained gray tunic which didn't cover her arms and ended far too early, above her navel, and a pair of pants which came to her hips and ended in shredded tatters shortly below her knees.

The girl had spent a good deal of winter with a new adoptive family up in the mountains further north -- a kind kitsune and her two children -- but hadn't taken any new clothes. She didn't want to be any more trouble than she'd already been, but she knew the first place to go if she was ever in trouble. She'd come to think of little Chiyo and Ryo as siblings, and Doji Ki as a mother. She'd gladly die for any of them, but she couldn't stay for too long...something about the kitsune beginning to feed off her soul for too long. But the morning she had left, the pendulum had started swinging again, where it had refused to do so ever since she'd arrived in Corone...so it had been time to go.

I a'ready miss 'em, tho'.

She sighed softly and tucked some dark red hair behind her ear with a honey-toned hand. A grin spread across her pomegranate-colored lips, and sky-blue eyes with a golden halo and an almost-white rim sparkled merrily. There was a reason she was here.

She let her feet guide her on to the great ziggurat, and reflected back to that morning. At the beginning of every morning, she typically did a rune reading -- however many felt right at the time. That morning it had been two runes -- Peorth and Wyrd. A gamble with destiny...or a gamble that was destined. One of the two.

She walked right into the ziggurat unimpeded, which she thought rather odd. There were several doors to choose from, and she took a deep breath, closing her eyes and letting the pendulum swing. It chose a door, the second from the left, and she approached it, placing her hand on it.

At that moment, as if from no-where, someone appeared beside her, a monk of some sort, and she jumped back, startled. "Err...hallo. I'm Karuka."

The man looked at her a moment. "Why have you come here?" he inquired of her.

"Well...I follow th' pendulum, where e'er i' leads me."

"And it led you here?"

Karuka shifted her stance awkwardly. Sometimes the pendulum took her places without considering that other people had prerogatives in places. "Ay, i' did. Is there a problem wi' tha'? If there's a problem, I'll ay leave."

The monk shook his head. "No. Enter freely. No one is in there yet, but you'll probably have an opponent by the end of the day."

The red-head blinked in surprise. "Opponen'?"

"Indeed. This IS the Citadel. People battle here. Good luck, and don't worry about injuring someone or getting injured...we can fix everything, from weapons to people." With that, the man turned and walked away, seeming to vanish, at least, from the dumbfounded girl's perspective.

She looked down at her pendulum. "I dinna ay' wish t' figh' anyone!" But the pendulum swung insistently to the room. "Bu'..."

The pendulum did not listen to her complaints, and eventually she gave up trying to convince it to swing another way, and crossed through the door.

The little arena was pleasant enough. It was a large stone circle with a few pillars at the edges, and the pillars had rose vines trailing up them. Forgetting, temporarily, that she'd have to fight some stranger she had no ire against, she rushed over to one to admire the flowers, taking one and weaving it into her hair while looking at the sky. Clouds hung thick and heavy in the sky, great puffy white ones that wouldn't give rain.

Despite the fact that she would be fighting without reason, Karuka couldn't help but smile. Coul' y' ay ask fer a day more beautiful?

TRANSLATIONS

>>>It's definitely the rags.<<<

>>>I already miss them, though.<<<

"Well, I follow the pendulum, where ever it leads me."

"I don't want to fight anyone!"

"But...!"

>>>Could you ask for a more beautiful day?<<<

[Zook Murnig]

It had been a long walk. Five days. A long walk indeed, and all the way from Tel'Han in the Comb Mountains.

Why? It seemed silly when he got there at last, but he wanted another fight. Caduceus had had his Charms battle with his old colleague Atzar Kellon. On the way to Radasanth, he had faced off against a vampire, nearly being turned himself. He probably would have been, too, except this particular bloodsucker seemed to be inexperienced and foolish, relishing his new powers more than he used them effectively.

So, yes, it seemed silly. He'd gotten his fight, but it just wasn't enough. The magician needed to know what he was capable of when he didn't hold back.

And now, here he was, standing in weathered and dirty robes before the great arena from which so many tales sprang.

The Citadel.

The gargoyles at every tiny corner all seemed to guard the place with their intense ferocity. Stone columns framed the majestic entryway. And dwarfed between them strode the Qaballistic magician, Caduceus Grimaldi.

It wasn't long before he found one of the famed Ai'Bron monks.

"Excuse me, sir," he began, getting the aescetic's attention. "I am here for a battle. Are there any available at the moment?"

"Ah, yes," responded the monk. "I just left a young woman who went through that door, seeking a fight." He pointed towards the portal second from the left. "Barely understood her, though. Strange girl..." he mumbled as he wandered off.

The magician was just about to turn back to the monk to ask about this girl, when he discovered the priest had disappeared into the crowd again. May as well go for it, he decided, approaching the oaken door and turning the cold brass knob.

As he stepped through the portal, he realized that the stories he'd heard were not exaggerated about the powerful magic used in the Citadel.

A grassy plain stretched out before him, with a clear sunny sky, save for a few pleasant clouds. The only thing that stood out from the scene was the stone circle, resembling the blotched beauty of white marble, surrounded by similar columns, and a teenaged girl standing among the pillars, her back to him.

Her hair was a deep blood red, falling gracefully about her shoulders, but her skin was a golden brown, exoticly alluring. And those curves! The young man had never seen a woman with such a beautiful figure.

He felt his cheeks warm as he realized how physically attractive she was, for someone he'd only just seen for the first time, and not even seen her face.

Despite her beauty, however, her clothes were in tatters. Certainly not befitting such a graceful form.

This should prove interesting, he thought.

[Karuka]

Karuka had completely forgotten about the battle and fallen completely idle, just enjoying the beauty of the day and the joy of being close to such beauty. As a Druid, close to nature felt close to home, and she had the best time to just be at peace with it when she was alone and not worrying about someone attacking...or any other thing. She could have spent hours like that, but something caught her attention and made her look back the direction from which she had come.

Standing not thirty feet away from her was a man in long brown robes. He had longer hair than she did, brown like the elm tree's under-bark, and interesting storm-blue eyes. He wasn't much taller than she was...and though pale, he was flushed red as though with fever.

That'll nae do.

She walked over to him, a swift, fluid sort of motion, and put one of her hands on her forehead and her other hand on his. She didn't consider that he'd come here to fight her -- she'd forgotten about the fight completely -- and she wasn't about to let someone who needed medical care just walk around sick.

"Hallo, I'm Karuka. Are y' feelin' all righ'? Y' look a wee bi' feverish."

She kept her hand on his forehead for a moment, thinking, before shrugging and stepping back.

"Y' dinna ay feel feverish, bu' yer quite flushed."

Translations

>>>That won't do<<<

"Hello, I'm Karuka. Are you feeling all right? You look a little feverish."


"You don't feel feverish, but you're quite flushed."

[Zook Murnig]

If Caduceus had found her attractive before, that was nothing. As she turned, he caught a glimpse of those full, pomegranate-colored lips, the high cheekbones, and her delicate facial features.

She was nothing short of gorgeous.

As she approached, his heart quickened. Those eyes...so blue...so very blue... And yet, as if to imitate the sky above, the blue of her eyes was tinted at the edges with radiant gold, lightening into pure white at the edge of the iris. Truly enchanting...

The magician could barely understand her words, though after a second or two it became clear that she was merely concerned for his well-being. In that span of time it took for understanding to take place, she had already reached him, and had her palm against his brow.

Such soft skin...not completely helpless, though...just a hint of roughness...almost a tease...

His cheeks grew warmer still as she kept her hand on his head. He couldn't move, so shocked was he by everything about her. He could barely stammer out a couple of half-syllables, mostly amounting to, "M-m-me, C-c-c-cad-d-d-du..."

And after that most embarrassing display, he grew redder still, and could not bring himself to close his gaping jaw. What a fool he felt, falling for her so quickly. But he couldn't help it.

She was beautiful, after all.

[Karuka]

Karuka listened to the little few semi-words that the man had stammered out, and found that it took her a bit to understand what he was saying.

I thou' 'twere ay har' t' un'erstan' ME.

She grinned, though -- his red wasn't from illness...it was simply from embarrassment. She'd seen girls blush like that when talking to the man they had their eye on ... oh. Well, that was a wee bit flattering, but they'd only just met.

"Well, Cah'duh, 'tis good t' meetcha...but if yer ay afraid o' strangers, 'tisnae a worry. I dinna bite. I'm ay completely harmless, fer th' mos' part."

She placed one arm across her stomach, and rested her elbow in the hand, before resting her chin on her other hand.

"Now, I know I'm ay here fer some reason...an' there's obviously a purpose t' bein' here, or y'd nae be here yersel'..." A frown crossed her face briefly as she thought...and then it came to her. "Oh...y' came here t' figh' me, did y' nae?"

She grinned somewhat ruefully. "I'm nae any good t' figh'...I really dinna ay' like i'...bu' if y' came dead set on fightin', I s'pose we coul' try."

Translations


>>>I thought it was hard to understand ME.<<<

"Well, Cadu, it's good to meet you...but if you're afraid of strangers, it's not a problem. I don't bite. I'm COMPLETELY harmless, for the most part."

"Now, I know I'm here for SOME reason...and there's obviously a purpose to being here, or you'd not be here yourself..."

"Oh...you came here to fight me, didn't you?"

"I'm not any good to fight...I really don't like it...but if you came dead set on fighting, I suppose we could try."

[Zook Murnig]

Despite his incredible embarrassment, Caduceus found the beauty's voice and accent oddly comforting. Warm. Endearing, even, though it was hard to understand.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat. "I-I meant to say, my name is Caduceus. C-Caduceus Grimaldi."

"As for a fight...Yes, I did come here looking for one, but I don't think I could fight you..." The magician floundered for a moment, searching for some legitimate reason other than his attraction. "It just wouldn't be right to hurt a lady," he said at last, his ears turning red.

In an attempt to cover for his unease, he stepped past the girl, his boots tapping softly against the marble as he crossed between two of the columns. "Perhaps," he ventured a thought, "the monks could conjure a monster of some sort for us. Something tough, but beatable."

Challenging, but not too strong...

"A bugbear!" he exclaimed a minute later. "One of those oversized goblins should prove a nice challenge, but it won't kill us immediately."

[Karuka]

For a minute, nothing happened as the man continued to stare at her, and Karuka looked around at the still perfectly serene day (rather than look at him looking at her, because then she'd likely turn red, as well).

Odd...th' las' fight I got int', th' other guy was more'n eager t' attack me, an' more'n happy t' try an' kill me. An' now this 'un comes an' he's lookin' fer a battle...an' he dinna wish t' fight me a' 'tall. I canna say I un'erstan'.

Cadeceus walked past her without tensing up to attack, and off of the grass to come into the circle. He'd been talking about something...a monster to fight.

I'd ay rather nae t' fight anythin' wi'ou' a reason....

"A bugbear!" he exclaimed suddenly, and looked around as if he expected something to appear.

Karuka waited a moment, but when nothing happened, she stepped toward him.

"Cah'duh'kuss? Wha' 'tis a --"

She was abruptly cut off by an ominous rumble from the earth, and up rose a great statue of a hulking beast with floppy ears, glaring eyes, a tiny nose, and prominent fangs. Its great claws were empty, but the muscle in the arms behind them would probably make them deadly weapons.

I dinna ay like this...

With a sudden CRACK, the statue came to life and glowered at the two humans in the great white circle. Its breaths sounded heavily over the field, and it gathered itself up and lunged.

I dinna ay like this a' 'tall.

The red-head stood there, blinking, quite unsure of what was happening, but her left hand was rising to her mouth and her right was fumbling through runes. A sharp pain in her thumb and the coppery taste of blood in her mouth brought her back, and she glanced at the rune she'd drawn.

Hagall. Did it HAVE to be Hagall?

"Cah'duh, watch ou' fer yer head," she called out, smearing the rune with blood and starting to whisper a prayer in Gaelic as the bear-beast drew ever closer.

Caillech, god of weather,
I call down your Hagall to strike upon my enemy.

It was a quick prayer, and the clouds deigned to spit out a few hundred ice balls about the size of the end of her thumb.

Well, THA' dinna ay work a' 'tall.

TRANSLATIONS
>>>Odd...the last fight I got into, the other guy was more than eager to attack me, and more than happy to try and kill me. And now this one comes and he's looking for a battle...and he doesn't wish to fight me at all. I can't say I understand.<<<

>>>I'd rather not fight anything without a reason....[/i]

"Caduceus? What is a --"

>>>I don't like this...<<<

>>>I don't like this at all.<<<

"Cade, watch out for your head,"

>>>Well, THAT didn't work at all.<<<

[Zook Murnig]

Caduceus' eyes grew wide and his jaw became lax as the bugbear appeared out of the marble of the circle. The beast was ugly, but that was to be expected. After all, it was nothing more than an overgrown goblin. Still, it was intimidating, corded muscles laced with pulsating veins, spittle dripping from its protruding fangs, and fists clenching and unclenching in obvious rage, razor sharp claws becoming apparent with each opening.

It's bigger than I had thought. Uglier, too, he thought. At least it's unarmed. Yes, that was one thing they had in their favor. Surely, it couldn't do much damage without a weapon.

That was where he was wrong. The beast lunged for Karuka, bloodlust clearly driving its simple mind.

The girl had shouted something he didn't hear -- and likely wouldn't have understood until too late anyway -- and bit her thumb, rubbing the blood against some sort of talisman she had drawn from her hip-pouch.

Suddenly, small orbs of ice began to fall from storm clouds that seemed to have appeared only moments before. Magic! the magician realized. It struck him, then, that the redhead had been warning him of the spell she was about to cast. Struck him like dozen the frozen pellets raining down on him. They hurt, that was for sure, but not terribly. They were only tiny balls, after all, and most of them had lost their momentum in his robes.

The bugbear seemed similarly nonplussed by the attack, most of the hailstones bouncing off its thick hide, though a few hit soft spots. The beast continued its charge, however, bearing down on Karuka.

Ain Soph, aid me in this fight.

"Apas," he called quietly. A brief image filled his mind of a dark ocean, and he with each breath the cold water pouring in, filling his entire being. His hands worked quickly, forming a cross from brow to heart, right to left shoulder. "Elohim Tzabaoth!" he intoned at the top of his lungs, feeling the divine name vibrate throughout him, forcing the Water energies he had gathered out. Mentally, he focused them around the great beast's feet, hoping to hinder its charge.

[Karuka]

The beast stumbled as the flesh of its feet were frozen, and roaring angrily, it turned to charge at the man who had shouted at it.

This canna ay en' well.

Karuka's hand flashed down to the pouch at her hip, dropping the bloodied Hagall among its brethren and drawing another.

This time was a better draw -- her favorite spell, Sigel. She smeared that with blood too, and began her prayer.

Thor, god of the thunders,
Mighty right arm of Odin,
Emblem of victory,
Grant me SIGEL over the foul beast that would kill me.

Karuka looked at the beast, and electricity sparked through the clouds, jumping from one to another, toward a central point. The skies rumbled angrily for a moment, and the bolt to come seemed to flash across her blue eyes in the instant before a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky to envelope the bugbear.

It cried out angrily as it was fried, and once more changed it's direction of attack, now charging Karuka again.

The little Druidess dug her heels in, dropping Sigel into her pouch. She didn't want to pull out her last decent combat spell yet...not yet. So she had to be ready to move out of the way.

[Zook Murnig]

Even as Karuka's lightning struck the beast, Caduceus was already pulling the Vayu, Fire energy, from his astral surroundings. He imagined himself in the pits of Hell, surrounded by the hottest flames imaginable, smaller embers sparking within him with each breath he took. When he had saturated his being with the energies, he spoke the divine name, "Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh Tzabaoth."

The words vibrated his very soul, shaking the fires of the astral plane into the material, where they would be channeled through the magician's palms into a blast of flame.

The firebolt shot through the air, arcing almost imperceptibly downward, though remaining on course for the bugbear. As it struck, the spell exploded in a burst of fiery energy, throwing the beast to the ground with a loud thud. Charred flesh showed where parts of its clothing had been burned off from both the electricity and the flames.

A groan escaped the goblinoid's mouth as it slumped for a moment, then tried to lift itself back up.

Surely, it can't go on much longer, thought the Qaballist.

[Karuka]

I've ay got only aon GOOD spell lef' t' me, thought Karuka, watching the lightning and fire strike the beast. Although it fell, she knew it would be coming back after them...like a boar. Boars were awful to try and hunt, because it wasn't over until the boar or entire hunting party was dead.

What now, Danaan?

She fumbled through her rune pouch, seeking out that one last useful spell, and dropping Sigel back in with the rest. Peorth...no, no good. Mann. Why did it give her that?

The beast raised itself and looked at the robed figure off to his side, and the distracted one nearer to him. Deciding that Karuka looked the better target, it began charging her again.

'Tisnae good, give me somethin' I can USE!

Jara, that wasn't going to help. Hagall -- she'd already used that spell. Othel. Othel didn't DO anything.

C'mon c'mon c'mon...

Rad. She couldn't do anything with -- and then she looked up, watching as the creature lifted its huge paw to swipe at her. The shock of seeing her attacker so close caused her to hesitate just one moment before her feet started trying to run, but that one moment was too late, and the beast slapped her right across her left side, sending her flying.

Karuka felt her arm break, along with a rib, and the sharp pain flashed through her head like a lance of light, followed by a swift blackness. As the blackness receded, the ground was rushing at her. She managed, somehow, to turn, to land on her back, but that knocked the wind out of her, and she lay there, stunned.

'Twould ay be th' reason fer Rad...meant t' move.

She could feel the beast shaking the earth as it lumbered toward her to finish her off -- they'd injured it badly, it had been moving much more easily before. It wouldn't be good to just lie there and let the creature smash her internal organs into so much haggis, but her body wasn't responding to her commands yet.

TRANSLATIONS

>>>I've only got one GOOD spell left to me.<<<

>>>Good gods, what now?<<<

>>>That's not good, give me something I can USE!<<<

>>>That would be the reason for Rad...it meant move.<<<

[Zook Murnig]

Caduceus watched in shock as Karuka was thrown down by the great beast. She fell a few feet away from one of the pillars, and the bugbear seemed to be closing in for the kill. Think, Caduceus! THINK!

His mind raced, going through his options trying to find the best way to fell this overgrown goblin, once and for all. Another fireball would only enrage it, and ice would only slow it a little. Those were his only real offensive spells.

Then it dawned upon him.

"Vayu," he called, pulling in the Air energy. He imagined himself flying high in the sky, soft clouds floating around him. He felt lighter with each breath as swirling winds filled his form.

Snapping back into reality, he vibrated "Shaddai El Chai." He felt the winds pick up around him, and he swung his arms dramatically, and needlessly, towards the bugbear.

The blast of wind hit the beast, throwing it against a marble pillar. The pillar tipped over as the goblin's skull struck with a sickening CRACK. Hulking muscles relaxed and a last groan escaped the fanged maw as it slumped to the ground mere feet from the redheaded lass.

[Karuka]

The beast had almost reached her when whipping winds threw it into one of the pillars.

A sickening crunch sounded as the creature's head slammed into the white limestone, although she wasn't sure if that was from its head or the cracking stone. Her view was still filled with sky and clouds.

There was a loud WHUMP sound as the pillar collapsed, taking the beast with it, and Karuka flinched. Though more than half her body-length away, it had still collapsed too close for her comfort.

As the poor beast, summoned only to fight and be killed, let out its last breath, Karuka flexed her legs and her good arm. They were responding now, so she'd landed more or less correctly.

Pro'lly more LESS, bu'...

The slender redhead planted her right arm on the ground and sat up, grunting. Tha' hurts ay a great deal. Beorc canna fix broken bones, an' th' res' isnae much o' a pro'lem. that cheery thought to aid her, she stood back up, balancing back on her feet. She felt the twinge in her side as her ribs, all of them on one side either bruised, fractured, or (with the case of that one) broken, protested the action.

"I' looks like y' pro'lly woulda won th' fight if y'd fought me, instead o' th' beast there," she said with a strained grin, holding her broken arm close to her body.

Caduceus smiled at her. "Oh, I don't know about that," he said, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't have so good a throwing arm." He began steering her out of the arena.

"Let's get the Ai Bron monks to patch you up, and then we can go."

The Qaballistic magician paused a moment. To leave now would mean to part, probably to never see each other again, and that would be a pity.

"So, Karuka...have you ever been to the Comb Mountains?"

TRANSLATIONS

>>>Probably more LESS, but...<<<

>>>That hurts a lot. Beorc can't fix broken bones, and the rest isn't much of a problem.<<<

"It looks like you probably would have won the fight if you had fought me, instead of the beast there."

FOR THE JUDGE

Spells cast by Karuka have been formatted from their original version. They have been formatted to fit this language. In other words...I didn't feel like looking them up in Gaelic, slowly and painfully, and then re-translating them back into English.

Also, bunnies made in this post were approved by Zook, so that this thing could get finished. After more than a month.

[Atzar]

GENERAL: This battle wasn’t (quite) the standard “Nice to meet you, time to die” that Citadel battles usually are. For that, I commend the two of you. Now… points:

Karuka Tida

Continuity: You had an interesting reason for being in the Citadel, although it lacked a bit of finesse. It needed a touch of completion. A mention of the pendulum at the end (“still pointing the right way”, or whatever) would have tied this category off nicely. 6

Setting: You did well with general description, while Zook handled the interaction. The two of you would have scored well here had this been a quest. Unfortunately, this is a battle. As much as I love collaboration, you still need to cover everything yourself to get a good score here. 4

Pacing: Don’t repeat Zook’s words and actions in your posts. I felt like I was on a Stairmaster – take a step up, get back down, take a step up again, repeat. It really hurts the flow of the thread. Don’t be afraid to bunny a little more in your posts to avoid this disjointed feeling. 4


Dialogue: This was solid. The accent helps you here, especially by sparking originality into the occasional obvious thought or comment. These comments were present in both you and Zook’s writing, but they weren’t as noticeable from you as they were from your counterpart. 6

Action: The overarching story was somewhat unique, but the moves were not. You both have a slew of spells, and the idea of magic is to be flexible and interesting. I didn’t feel like either of you came close to the potential of the magic you’ve given yourselves. Go crazy, do something with Hagall that I wouldn’t expect. Have you seen Home Alone? Maybe your bugbear slips on the hailstones, marbles-on-the-floor style. I’d just like something more than the “I hit you with this, I hit you with this” that this fight proved to be. 3

Persona: I didn’t see the classic, chipper Karuka that I’m used to seeing. After the first post or two, her personality seemed a little flat to me. She turned into a fighting machine, as people always seem to want to do. Emotions don’t disappear at the first sign of conflict; your task here is to find a way to keep this emotion alive while simultaneously keeping that the mood of battle present in the quest. 4


Mechanics: I saw quite a few little errors from you. None was really world-ending, although the fact that the third word of the thread (it should be ‘shone’, not ‘shown) was a typo kind of set a bad precedent for you. 6

Technique: Your style was effective. There was nothing really noteworthy here. 5

Clarity: You’re really getting better with that accent of yours. A good accent needs to add character to the… character… while remaining easily readable. I felt like this was a lot closer to that goal than it has been in the past. 7


Wild Card – 5





Zook Murnig

Continuity: It was a bland premise for battle from you. Continuity isn’t necessarily about talking about your character’s recent history so much as it’s about explaining to me when and why this story is taking place. If I know where Cade came from, why he’s there, and (to a lesser extent) what happens next, then you’ve done your job here. 4

Setting: I like the environment interaction, but I didn’t like the lack of description when the battle started. Remember that the environment doesn’t disappear around you when the fireworks start flying. It would add some meat to your posts. 4

Pacing: Ditto Karuka’s comment, perhaps to an even greater extent. 4


Dialogue: I felt like your dialogue was pretty wooden. Caduceus stated or thought the obvious a lot, and I didn’t really feel like any creativity went into his dialogue. 5

Action: Same as Karuka’s comment again. 3

Persona: Zook has a case of Atzar Syndrome: he doesn’t really have his own defined personality yet. That being said, your “smitten with Karuka” thing was well-played and gave a third dimension to your character. 5


Mechanics: Solid spelling, but you overuse commas. Reread your posts to get rid of run-ons. It would have helped the battle become a lot smoother from your end. 6

Technique: Like Karuka… Nothing noteworthy here. 5

Clarity: It was clear enough from your end. You didn’t really have a tricky accent to deal with, though. 7


Wild Card: 5

Final Score:

Karuka Tida: 50
Zook Murnig: 48

Karuka Tida wins!

Karuka Tida gains 750 exp.
Zook Murnig gains 225 exp.

[Cyrus the virus]

EXP added!