RULES OF COMBAT:

1. 15 post each limit, if you wish to have this amount reduced, get in touch with me.

2. Each player is allowed to make one introductary post.

3. Mark which number post you posted at the end of your posts.

4. Deathblows allowed, play to win, play for keeps, whatever. But the character will be regenerated after the fight.

5. YOU KNOW WHAT THE JUDGES WANT, read their screenings, no whining because of the judges decisision, you know what they are looking for in each fight.

6. Judges shall give their scores out of 10, highest totaled player wins.

7. Every character that's not participating in battle may be observing the match and may post whatever they like IN CHARACTER during fights as long as they do not interfear with the combat.

8. There is an audience of bumbling idiots, sure what the hell.

9. I DO NOT want matches taking more than a week to finish, I will put on more than 1 at a time if need be. Which I am, 2 at a time for now.
-------


Choice of Arena by our Judge, Jeff: Water Arena-a stone circle with various rivets and bevels allowing for pools and streams of water to freely dance across. It is surrounded with shallow water in a large ring, and beyond that a deep chamber of water surrounds the area. Stone edifices carved in the likeness of dragons (of course) spew waterfalls.

First post choice as a result of a coin toss: James, chooses to let Matt post first.



One thrists for revenge, the other for power. Begin!

((P-1))

The trickling melody of the water was enchanting, pulling Von into the arena in an almost hypnotic state. For once, his troubled mind became placid just as the water around him. He stumbled over the cracks in the arena lubberly, letting his entire body fall unbalanced. As he began to anchor himself to the stone, the realization of what his situation truly was occured to him.
Von unblanketed a scowl and ripped open his eyelids.
"Son of a bitch." He groaned, shaking his hands restlessly.
He begged the water to lull his mind once again, yet nothing of the genre happened. He began to feel the uncontrollable galling sensations in the pit of his stomach, something he was very acquainted with.
His eyes scanned the arena, finding himself pleased with the surroundings but not for the reason he was there. The glued frown only became larger, seeming to cover his enitre face at times. The expression wasn't a new one, it seemed Von had never completely glad, sometimes not at all.
He closed his eyes and reassured himself he could handle whatever came his way, but of course this was not enough to convince him.
"Well, better get it over with." Von grumbled, waiting for his opponent impatiently.

((Post-1))

T`qual ascended from the air, creating a splash as he landed within the drenched arena. Water that had landed on his leather boots and pants beaded and rolled off harmlessly, and ripples were generated from both where the beaded water fell and where T`qual awkward footing shifted his center of balance. As if this factor did not aggrivate him enough, the pitter-patter of water against stone; the splash of waterfalls pouring from the dragonic edifices; every drop rolling over a rivet or bevel.... these sounds were beggining to drive the Lamian mad. "Augh! These accursed sorroundings, how I wish I could silence them forever!"

Patience. Do not let emotion overcome you, for it shall be your undoing. Focus on the task at hand; the one called Von approaches.

And so, Miaylsma was indeed correct; the young warrior of the sun entered the aquatic arena, cursing barbarically. The impetuousness of youth. "So, you wish for this fight to commence? I've had many opponents wish for the sweet release of death, but never in this fashion. So be it, but not before I drain you dry!"

T`qual advanced forward a step, thrusting forward his right palm in the motion; his left hand swiveled around his back to rest upon the vials attached to his belt. An incantation flowed from his lips in the fluent tongue of Grecerian, and a dull crimson aura surrounded his hand. The fist began to clench, nearly completing the spell that threatend to draw every drop of blood from Von's body directly through his pores.

((P-2))

Von glared skeptically at his opponent, grinning maniacly and revealing his grey-coated smile. The mysterious aura coming from T'qual enticed him. Though under his playful-like exterior, he was aware nothing good would come from the secretive being's actions.
With the desire to end the match shortly, he leapt foward and straight into critical distance of his opponent. Drawing the gathered energy within him, he brought out a pleasurable warm aura that did a gracious amount more then refresh him.

--

"Nothing good comes from fighting. I doubt you understand it Von, but I know this lesson better then most." She paused, forcing the tears back underneath her eyelids. "I wish you understood, but you have the beliefs of your father."
Von did not bother to listen to her. It had been one of the countless times she explained it to him. He departed from his mother, leaving her in the mess she usually remained in.
"Bullshit. Always was and always will be."

--

His arm grew luminous, becoming a torch of radiating heat. He swung it upward towards T'qual's heart and outstretched his fingers. Begging for the sensation of burning flesh being clasped within his grasp.
Yet the other hand pulled out from what had seemed the shadows. It's palm was ignited as well, but with a more erratic moving demeanor.
Both arms darted foward for different vital areas, Von already felt victorious.


((Uh, yeah, that middle part was a flashback if you didn't know.))

((Post-2))

It was apparent that Von would not so easily allow for his blood to be taken, as his brilliantly shining arm hurdled upon his person. T`qual quickly fizzled his Blood Draw manuver and dispelled the aura around his hand, only to notice the blinding light surrounding Von's outstrected hand drawing ever closer in a reckless and cocky display. The sheer luminescence of the solar energy blinded him slightly, and T`qual's attempt to dodge was not fully sucessful; the blow dealt to his left side left a significant hole in his chest which smoldered with the stench of burning flesh and severing one of the leather bands bound on his chest. The first blow sent him the opposite direction of the second blow Von had planned, which would most likely have landed in his lower abdomen. A burst of steam accompanied the smoke as the wound was greeted with the shallow water filling the rocky arena, causing even greater pain.

One of the granite vials attached to his belt clattered from his belt to the far edge of the arena and fell into the deep chamber surrounding the shallow arena, sparking an idea. T`qual brought himself quickly to his feet with a loud grunt and ran quickly as possible for the outer edges of the area and dove in head-first. A burst of air bubbles obstructed his view momentarily and the sound of circulating currents filled his ears. Soon the vial was in plain view and within the grasp of T`qual's right hand; with his left, and the accompanyment of a second incantation which became increasingly more difficult to complete with the lack of air below the surface, spheres of a pale green light formed before his palm: these were infact high concentrations of a powerful neural toxin, and were released directly into the water just as T`qual exited to the surface with a great exhalation. He would now have to wait for the next move of his opponent before much else could be done; not only would this allow T`qual to rest from his recent, but to set up a contingency plan. Even diluted by the sheer concentration of the water, the mere taste of any of the tainted water would cause Von some severe damage.

((P-3))


Von gleamed, savoring the horrid aroma of T'qual's burning flesh. He allowed his aura to die down in order to conserve the plentiful amount he had left. It did not take him long to accumulate an adequate plan, nor did it take him long to unseal it.
Using a careful approach this time around, Von side-stepped towards T'qual. With his opponent being wounded, Von discovered himself with a more lenient list of strategies.
"How do you like the feel of your skin becoming ash?" He sung, feeling pleased with himself.
"Well let us see how you enjoy your skin being severed!"
Von ripped his mother's dagger out from it's snug position within his belt. After moving in to a certain point, he only had to leap fowards to reach T'qual's wound. He sliced the blade foward in such a reckless manner that only the tip of the blade sliced along the already lacerated skin.
He was aware it would be a painful attack, yet never enough to immobilize his opponent with the new injury given.
He brought the blade backwards, hoping to re-cut the past attempt to a greater extent.

((Post-3))

T`qual watched in disgust as Von eyed his injury and calculated his next attack. Just what he wanted to happen. This time, the dagger sheathed at his side was drawn and with uncanny speed his prior wound was reopened by the tip of the blade, now producing a trickly of dark red blood which stained the water at his feet. Seems Von had more in store than false bravado. The pain was now more intsense, but T`qual had to fight through this; he couldn't give up this opportunity. He quickly spun to grasp Von's right arm with his own, clamping down with a vice-like grip. The look on his face represented far more than just his anger. "Insolent little whelp! I should have finished you long ago!!"

Silence! Your anger; cease this pathetic display right now.

Miyalsma's order could not diminish the persecution in T`qual's eyes. He quickly changed his grasp on the child and took hold of his wrist with his left hand, hoping to release Von's grasp on that dagger. His right latched to Von's neck, and the same Blood Draw incantation was uttered, though at a much slower place; this had to work, for as it was, the bleeding would not slow or stop anytime soon. He wanted Von's blood--no, he needed it.

((P-4))

"Get the heck off me!" Von screamed frantically, trying to hassle out from T'qual's grasp. He felt his throat begin to close from the fright of death alone. Tears gathered under Von's eyelids as he whispered what was meant to be a holler.
"Let go."
His vision began to blur, and his dizziness allowed the world around him to fall lop-sided. What would have been wails were brought out in small gasps, as Von began to break down. Beads of tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping down his nose and only making matters worse by allowing an itch to break out.
"Let.." Von gave up, restricitng the waste of energy.
He wanted to see his mother. He wanted to see his smog-filled waste-of-a-town. He wanted to see everything he gave up to come here, and die a painful death at the beginning of his life. He wanted . . to stop himself from making a mistake.
"Let...me..GO!"
He released a large amount of solar energy from within him in a panic. The sudden burst of energy created a forceful explosion, throwing Von backwards and out of T'qual's grasp. Gasping for air, he tumbled onto the floor and found himself with limited energy. Only enough to allow him to rise to his knees..

((Post-4))

Von's struggles; his pain; his agony; the tears streaming from his eyes; oh! how this brought the Lamian pleasure! The child crumbled within his grasp, each breath becoming more staggered than the one before, and weaker with each attempt. Finally, T`qual had the upper-hand in this power struggle. A chuckle rose from deep within his throat, which rose in volume to an estatic roar complimented by the estatic and disturbing joy lighting his face. The Blood Draw spell neared completion, and the aura around his right hand deepened.

But Von would not give in so easily. Somehow releasing quite a loud scream, he turned his entire body into a catalyst through which a tremendous amount of energy flowed. The blast protruded outward in an enourmous radius, catching T`qual totally by suprise. The blow was not so much direct as it was concussive, the the solar light that quickly engulfed their bodies sent the two warriors flying; while Von landed in relative safety in the shallow water all around them, T`qual was sent into one of the dragon statues which produced waterfalls. The impact nearly decimated the entire statue any only made his prior injuries worse. T`qual lay there in a smoldering pile, splattered by his own blood, barely able to remain conscious among the pile of rubble and debris threatening to be is final resting place. His eyes would finally open, and once the blur of incredible pain faded from his vision he viewed what he believed to be a Godsend: several small globules of blood - Von's blood - suspended themselves at the site of aftermath!

With faint movements of his right hand, the blood was coaxed to his position and into the lidless vial that hung loosely in his left; he then rolled onto his back to force himself to consume the vial's new contents. The fluid still dripping from his mouth, it only took mere seconds for the enchanted blood to have its effects. T`qual's whole body pulsed in rhythmic fashion, bolting his eyes open and affixing his face into an appearance of shock. Another pulse; a shock of pain bolted though his chest, and the blooding from the side of his chest slowly quelled itself. Yet another pulse; his body's muscles and tendons contracted and stretched to the point of lesion as his whole body reconstructed itself. His bleeding finally haulted; his limbs straightened and strengthened from their appalling state; the pain finally began to subside. However, there was no way to tell how much time had passed. T`qual would need to get back on the offensive, which meant he could no longer underestimate his opponent. He still ached, but T`qual could slowly bring himself to to his feet and step away from the rubble beneath him. To see a broken man rise as such; he was quite a spectacle.

Slowly yet surely, T`qual shuffled towards Von. The poor child was literally on his knees.... perfect. Emotions would serve no one now. T`qual's vacant eyes beheld his opponent in his weakness and without an ounce of remorse, aimed his left hand at his head. One single bolt; that was all it would take....

((P-5))


Von rose his head, lifting his vision towards the face of death. His stomach plummeted and his anxiety surged. He pleaded for another chance within his mind, begging for a clean slate. The globs of tears streamed farther down his neck, drenching the collar of his shirt with the salty liquid.
"No.." He mumbled, falling onto his palms for support of his weakened body.
The left hand of his reaper floated before him, moments away from demolishing the miniscule amounts of life left within him. He made an attempt to scream, with hopes of uplifting his fury. His mouth unearthed a raspy squeal that immediatly died down into a heavy wheeze.
Von tried to extract the solar energy left in the depths of where it had been stored, though he did not have the strength to haul it out. Aside from that, he did not have enough of it to deliver any significant damage. Not enough to save his life anyway.
Then he saw it. Glimmering brightly off the reflection of the water, his dagger. It had meant nothing to him in the past, it was nothing more then a means of harming the enemy. It had never appeared to him as a savior, a beacon of what could be his last shot.
He concentrated, drawing out the weak telekinesis locked within him. Von could feel the ability, he could see the weight of the object, see how much will power it would take to lift. It seemed impossible, but it was all that was left for him.
The dagger began to quiver, lifting several inches into the air and then dipping back down. There were no more then seconds left. His eyes shut, embracing a farther risk from the one that was already weighing down upon him. Throbbing with agony caused by exhaustion, Von lifted the dagger into the air.
It had never been so heavy. Why did it become such a burden?
The dagger floating into his feeble grasp. He struggled to clasp the handle further, and lift his arm upwards.
He felt the soft sensation of erosion, as he dug the blade into his opponent's palm and grinded it further downward. In the direction of his wrist's veins.

((Post-5))

T`qual's confidence swelled along with the pale green aura surrounding his left hand. Even while he spoke in ancient tongue, his lips could not help but grimace from his satisfaction. This little whelp had caused him such great pains; never would he have expected Von to have such control over his power, especially at such a young age. But this no longer mattered, for it was over....

A slight clatter; the ripple of the water below his feet. He took no notice of either, for sheer anticipation blinded him to what he did not wish to see. He was even blind to the glimmer of Von's dagger in the sun, as it rose in his hand and was swung directly at T`qual's palm. In the tip of the dagger dug, deeper the blade crawled, louder did T`qual's cry grow. Stunned by the sheer pain of the incident, he stumbled backwards awkwardly and tripped over the fresh debris. Needless to say, the combination of events interrupted his Poison Bolt spell, causing it to backfire and instead poison its caster. The poison quickly flowed through his veins, and by the time it reached T`qual's heart, he was sent into a convulsive shock. Only mere seconds were allowed for a reaction time before the toxins reached his brain. Quickly, his right hand jerked over and accidentally impacted the hilt of Von's dagger due to overcompensation. The fingers felt frantically along the details of the hilt, then grasped it firmly and tugged as hard as possible, casuing the dagger to leave its resting and tuble uselessly over T`qual's side and leaving a slight trail of blood. The wounded palm then swiveled over to his agape mouth, and with a slight gurgling suction was applied to the area of infection. Several seconds of this discusting act finally proved success: leaning his head slightly to the side, T`qual regurgitated a thick black discharge into the water encompassing him. He was not yet out of danger, however, for the bleeding of his palm contined unencumbered, and minute traces of his own poison still wreaked havoc on his circulatory system, which was nothing to say of the rest of his body.

T`qual's movement was incredibly unstable and awkward, as was his first action when he reached his feet. Sickened to the point of nausea, he could no longer hold his stomach, and so vomited a mixture of the black sludge that plagued him as well as.... other things.

((Whoo, 777 post.... Lucky 7's!))

((P-6))


Von stared at the sludge trickling from T'qual's mouth. A disgusting sight, but Von could not have felt more content after witnessing it. He had not forseen such a reaction, but it only built up upon his raising confidence. Although the dagger was far out of his reach, Von still found hopes of victory.

'I'm going to end this.'

He struggled to pull to his feet, but after a draining attempt, he found himself erect.. to an extent. Slumped over with great exhaustion, Von heaved laboriously and tugged his body towards his opponent.
In hopes of a lucky strike, he swung his fists wildly, pleading to come in contact. The left fist struck the vomit-dressed mouth of T'qual, and the back fist of his right arm followed, only skimming the skin around it. He swung once more, brushing over the chest of his enemy. Finding his arms in sudden distress from overstrain, Von screamed and retreated backwards in a daze. In his entire life he had never had a cramp of such magnitude.
Could he truly almost be depleted of all energy, aside from solar?
It had never seemed possible until this day...

((Post-6))

Still gagging and retching, T`qual was in no condition to even attempt dodging Von's attacks as he swung his fists wildly. The first punch landed; it connected with the right side of his face, contourting his neck and dispersing spit in the general direction in which the fist would fly. The punch was exactly what he needed; while it was in its own way formidable, it more so served the purpose to shock him away from the paralytic hold his own poison held over him. And so, several minutes after the poison first infected his system, T`qual finally took a deep inhalation as he staggered backwards, this time uninhibited. The second punch merely brushed his chest before Von's extreme fatigue set in, causing his sudden retreat. Fortune finally smiled upon T`qual...

Pathetic!! How have you yet to finish off this little whelp?! I refuse to have your failure stand as a representation of my might. Your retribution for your appaling performance as of now will be severe; every moment the child remains alive will unveil dimensions of pain unfathomable to your body and mind! Go, now!!

The orders booming in his head instilled much fear within T`qual.... failure was nothing he was familiar with, and certainly nothing he wished to become accustomed to. Not only that, but Miaylsma's words triggered a sense of self-hatred and a desire for redemption for his past shortcomings. The combination of events spurned a longing for his former self; how he acted in his homeworld of Sylvillia. With a sickening crack, T`qual's neck snapped back into position to reveal an entirely new facade, totally different from the one worn through the majority of the fight. No longer fearing pain or injury, he realized there was no more room for liberties; no time to take opportunity for granted. Hurdling his blood-drenched left hand directly into Von's face, he clasped tightly and took hold of the boy's neck with his free arm. Very little struggle was displayed as the limp body was dragged to the edges of the arena, where T`qual would speak to him one last time:

"Z'abr du almilto final, per fere vi'o nadie."*

Faltering not once, Von's body was thrust at the deep body of water ans his vead swiftly submereged, supressing his torso with his foot. To ensure the water was still tainted enough with poison, T`qual attempted to fire another Poison Bolt into the water, yet at the utterance of his hoarse incantation, no spell came to fruition. His hand was much too damaged to control the flow of mana.... so be it. Nothing could save Von now, and his task will have been completed.

* ((Ancient Grecerian for, "Savor your last breath, for you shall live no more."))

((P-7))

His mind and body had become numb, bringing him nowhere but allowing death to come to him. His fogged vision stared into the eyes of T'qual, no longer pleading for mercy. No longer requesting the life that he ruined by himself. There was nothing left to do but accept the circumstances.
"Yes." The fading boy whispered, as his face became surrounded with murky water.
The stinging sensations traveled from his pupils to the back of his skull. He did not attempt or for that matter intend to break free. The pain was to overwhelming, to such an extent that he did not have the will to gasp for air.
The jade shadows surrounding him grew darker, and his eyelids began to descend..

"Mother?" He asked, staring into an abyss blankly. "Mother?" He asked again, now with desire in his voice.
A hand reached down to him, and Von softly took hold of it's gentle grasp.
"Mother?"
"Let go." She replyed with a loving yet firm manner.

Von's eyes burst open. He was not gone yet, but now it was all he wished for.

((Post-7))

The struggles of his foe were few and far between, but this was no cause for relent. T`qual's glance was fixed on every single strain, every twitch, any sign of movment that could embody an attempt to break from T`qual's clutches. But there were none. It seemed odd that he would perish so easily, so readily...

A slight spasm of Von's head caused T`qual's efforts to double; no mistakes would be made. Every single bead of water that danced above the surface was within his view, as they descended back to earth and cast ripples in each direction; the water was now a myriad of action, which dulled over time untill the water became truly motionless, as did Von...

Lowering his foot, T`qual dragged his vanquished foe's body from the water and laid him on the stone by his side upon his back. His complexion was so pale; his eyes and mouth aghast; struggle was wrought within his muscles.... the look the the freshly deceased. T`qual's job was now completed, save for one final factor...

Several feet away Von's dagger lay, stained with T`qual's blood; hovering over the cadaver, he made a small incision in Von's neck with one of the few clean edges of the blade. Using the vial he previously contained the boy's blood in, a second sample was taken; only enough of what his Lord required, nothing more. A sign of admiration, if you will. Matting his right thumb against the incision, the hemorrhaging was ceased, and the dagger was returned to Von's lifeless grip. So it was done. T`qual then collapsed right at his standing, lulled into slumber....

Over....it was finally....over.

This is done. Von is dead. Vote!

Well let me say that was an excellent match for the both of you. Very well written, I think this is what Bates wanted when he created this tournament. Ok here goes. In the end both Von and T`qual were very well written and I look forward to each of there next matches.

Matt: Matt you did very well. You took damage really good, and you wrote very well and gave explicit details. Your character clearly fought hard against a foe that he knew little to nothing about. While your character may have been at a disadvantage, you didn't let it slow you down at all. For all this, I award you a 9.5.

James: While I will admit James that you surprised me. Having never RPed with you or read any of your works, I was blown away with the great quality. You not only took damage well, you dished it out and showed a large amount of detail. The thoughts that your character was having throughout the entire fight were a nice bonus along with making up the whole language of your character. This was a very close fight, I changed my mind on the scores a few times, but I feel that James deserves this. I give you a 10.

Good job guys, and please continue to post like this. I want to see what happens to both of your characters.

Ouch, give and take fighting, little stratagy, autohit after autohit after autohit. Well written, but the actual dueling left a bad taste in my mouth. Nevertheles, I am judging only on damage delt and the conditions the fighters were in at the end of a battle. While Von seemed to deal more damage overall it is hard for me to award more points to a character who ended up dead, so the final score is.

Hokage: 7.5
Al Kaholic: 8

Despite my votes, I hope to see Hokage win this one, I liked his posts more and Al was autohitting like mad.

*Hits gavel three times*

Natalie's Judgement:

Well uh...looks like we have a tie.

Ok, to break this tie I got another two judges to vote, I dismissed all numerical values for this and used the original judges highest scored player as their decisions.

Jeff: James
Fezzod: James
Natalie: Matt
Pat: Matt
Tom: James

Winner, James. I will refrain from using someone involved in the tournament in the next tie breaker (Jess vs. Sean).