Tournament Semi-Final: Age vs. Youth

August 18, 2008, 3:33 PM

Combatants - Jacob Wylliam King and Ravona Denton (Danny the Cat vs. Drachnon)

Arena: Tournament Coliseum Ruins

Desolation was the only term that could summarize this land.

The coliseum had been a large one, a strong one, one that they assumed could last an eternity. But that was in the days of old, without mass war and suffering. Now the sandstone walls crumbled, and the very coliseum itself carried a look of decay. Creatures had long since abandoned any attempts at food or drink that they could garner from this structure: it was desolate.

The structure itself was eliptical, stretching for half a mile long and a third of a mile wide. Destroyed sandstone benches riddled the stands, the woodwork having long been eaten away by insects. A high wall separated the stands and the arena itself.

Inside the arena was a littering of skeletons from almost every conceivable family of animal life. There were canine, feline, equestrian, primate, and many other kinds that could not be described, mutilated as they were. The sand blew over them, but even after centuries, they had not been fully covered, and the milky-white bone stood out fiercely against the sandy ground.

A flash of darkness erupted in the sky, and three figures appeared out of thin air. The first to crash to the ground was a red Dragon, only slightly larger than human sized and powerfully built. The second was a woman, thin and very magelike. The final figure was a floating woman, garbed entirely in black with pale skin.

Voice smooth as quicksilver, the woman spoke. "Two more to be tested, but one to fall. You have been chosen as the victors in your previous fight; whether or not your skills are great shall be decided by this match."

"You have been instructed as to why you are here. Your strength is great, and now we must test you against others of great strength."

"Win, and you carry on to the next round, the final round. Lose, and you will be returned to your world; if you die, you shall be reborn and made to live out your life again."

"You will find yourselves healed to your original vitality, both in energy stores and vitality. We must have you at your best if you are to give us a good performance."

"Powers of earth and darkness are amplified to twice their power here. Use this advantage wisely."

"Remember, your victory could ensure the safety or destruction of our worlds. Bear this in mind as you fight for what you believe in."

In a flash of darkness and the sound of a whirlpool, the woman vanished, leaving the two combatants to decide their fates.

August 19, 2008, 9:55 PM

Ravona walked through the halls of Jorths mansion, though the word mansion didn't really do the building any justice, it was more like a palace. An very empty palace, since besides herself and the master together with his familiar there were no living beings. Only a score of magical entities that kept the building clean formed the remainder of occupants of Jorths home.

Ravona looked outside through the crystal windows, the sun shone down on the tranquil gardens while a couple of birds were bathing in the fountain in the center. However in the distance some dark clouds were gathering.
Master seems to be upset about something. Ravona thought to herself. When suddenly her masters familiar cat jumped out in front of her. Ravona didn't flinch or show any signs of surprise, with a straight back and all politeness she could muster Ravona asked:
“Sjimmie, is there something you need of me?” Truthfully Ravona couldn't stand her masters cat, the creature always seemed to have a flair of arrogance about him even though he was only a familiar. Still being her masters familiar and therefore her masters most trusted friend it would not benefit her to rub him the wrong way.
“Ravona, Jorth requests your presence in his chambers.” Even though the cat didn't even reach her knees she felt like he was looking down on her.
“Very well” Ravona said “I'll shall see him now.” And with that she walked towards her masters chamber. Ravona wondered if it had anything to do with what was upsetting master. Well she would find out soon enough.

Ravona knocked on the doors leading to her masters chamber and without sound or warning the doors opened themselves. Master was sitting in his chair with his hands folded on his desk. In his eyes a blue light burned, a sign he was using magic right now, then again Jorth seemed to use magic all the time.
“Come in Ravona, my apprentice.” Jorth gestured slightly with his hand.
'Apprentice' It seemed like she was here as his student, and what would happen next would be part of her training. As Ravona stepped into the room she become aware that there was something wrong, it was as if the room was... different.
The measurements don't seem to add up, and I can feel how magic is pulsing through the air, strong yet subtle. An illusion? No, it's different it's like space is warped hiding something on the right of the desk.
The more Ravona studied the magic as she entered the more she realized that it wasn't her masters work. Someone or something else was here with them hiding himself inside the room be bending space to his will. Though suspicious Ravona decided not to pursue the matter. There was no way master was not aware of what was happening and if he allowed it then there was no reason for her to doubt him.
“You requested my presence?” Ravona asked.
“Yes, there is a matter I'd like you to take care off. I think it will be excellent training for you.” Jorth leaned back in his chair and continued.
“A certain entity seems set on having several of it's universe's 'heroes' fight each other under the pretense of a tournament. Once they're done they'll use the life force of the fallen to activate a Dominion spell. I don't think I need to explain the rest.”
“You want me to go?” Ravona questioned. “Don't you have servants capable of destroying all of them in a single blow?”
“Like I said it will be good training to you, besides you don't have to kill them, in fact it would be better if they lived, either defeat them or make them surrender until you reach the finale. After that the ringleader should show itself and I'll take over for you.”

Ravona was certain there were several things that he was not telling her but she could tell now was not the time to be questioning him. “Very well.” Ravona said “I'll participate in this tournament for you.”
“Excellent, just wait outside the mansion barriers and you'll be teleported to your first battle by them.” Ravona turned around and started walking towards the door.
“Ow before I forget, take this.” Jorth said. Ravona turned around and caught the object Jorth threw at her. It was a small piece of wood with several runes inscribed. Ravona was familiar with any of them nor did she have any idea what the item would do. “Don't worry about what it is” he continued “just keep it with you.”
Ravona pocketed the item and after a final bow at the chamber door she headed outside awaiting the portal to the battle ground.

Meanwhile inside Jorth's study:
“I assume you're content with this?” Jorth spoke.
A cloaked woman appeared next to Jorth's desk. “I don't like being made out as a bad guy. But this will be fine.” She spoke.
“Good. Of course I don't think I need to explain to you that under no circumstances Ravona may be killed, unlike your other participants resurrecting her won't be as easy. Then again I don't believe that she'll be killed that easily. You may go now.”
Jorth waved his hand and the cloaked woman was forcefully send away from this world.

Ravona reached the barrier and went outside, for a few minutes nothing happened however then a bright light engulfed her and she was send away. Next thing Ravona knew she was inside a forest of some sort there were others her, a hooded woman floating above a fountain and a man laying on the other side of the clearing. She didn't get any time to peacefully observe them as with the first breath of air she took her lungs felt like they were burning. Ravona clutched her chest and rolled over the ground with her eyes wide open in pain. This world had a completely different composition of air then the previous one and though not lethal the sudden change were a heavy strain on her lungs.
After recovering the woman explained the tournament to them.
Apparently they were supposed to be resurrected in the event that one of them died, and this would somehow lead to choosing the warrior who would lead the forces of this universe against the forces of evil.

Ravona got onto her feet and saw her opponent do the same. The man looked around him for a bit and then at Ravona all in a way that made Ravona wonder if this man was really a fighter, his stance seemed to suggest otherwise. Perhaps he was a magic user.

The man then spoke:
“Hey girly, I don't know about you but I didn't sign up for this. Besides I have no interest in girls who aren't legal. So a bit you adieu.” And with that the man disappeared. Some sort of dimensional shift as far as Ravona could tell. Ravona guessed that meant that she was the winner and sat down on the edge of the fountain using her hands to drink some water, while waiting for her next match.

About 15 minutes later Ravona was teleported once more but this time she was ready. Landing on her feet Ravona found herself inside what looked like an old and ruined coliseum. Carefully taking small breaths to let her lungs adjust Ravona observed her surroundings so more. The arena floor was littered with skeletons of what seem to be small animals, as Ravona replaced her feet while turning around the bones crumbled under her feet.
Finally she saw what she had been looking for, a woman was floating in the air just like in the last battle.
With an almost alluring voice she spoke:
"Two more to be tested, but one to fall. You have been chosen as the victors in your previous fight; whether or not your skills are great shall be decided by this match."

"You have been instructed as to why you are here. Your strength is great, and now we must test you against others of great strength."

"Win, and you carry on to the next round, the final round. Lose, and you will be returned to your world; if you die, you shall be reborn and made to live out your life again."

"You will find yourselves healed to your original vitality, both in energy stores and vitality. We must have you at your best if you are to give us a good performance."

"Powers of earth and darkness are amplified to twice their power here. Use this advantage wisely."

"Remember, your victory could ensure the safety or destruction of our worlds. Bear this in mind as you fight for what you believe in."
After that the woman disappeared.

Nice speech. Ravona thought to herself. Apparently she was telling the truth about darkness magic being doubled since Ravona could feel that darkness magic would be more powerful here.
Come to think of it she also said something about nature magic being more powerful on the previous field. I hadn't paid much attention to it since I couldn't confirm it and assumed it was a lie. Perhaps I should be careful with this guy. He might be able to use darkness magic or stone magic.

And then she looked at what her opponent seemed to be. The scaled creature would seem like a dragon to any others eyes but Ravona was not that easily fooled. Even without seeing the odd patterns in his aura Ravona who had seen real dragons could tell that this was an fake.
Real dragons had an almost majestic presence around them inspiring fear in their enemies and courage in their allies. However this thing seemed to be completely void of such things.
Though relieved that she didn't have to fight a real dragon Ravona wasn't willing to let her guard down. This one still got through the first round and probably hadn't lucked out like she had.

Feeling uncomfortable in the heat Ravona cast an adept spell on herself to protect her from the environment. Ravona waited for her opponent to get back on his feet without showing any hostility. When he finally stood Ravona casted a spell to translate her speech into a more universal language though her planewalker blood allowed her to interpret any language it didn't translate her own speech and she had no idea if her opponent had similar abilities:
“Greetings, my name is Ravona Denton. May I inquire yours?”

August 20, 2008, 12:19 AM

Jake was about to deal the final blow when, all of a sudden, he was pulled into a vortex. Not two seconds later, he landed with a thud on the ground. He stood up quickly, staring upwards. A woman floated above them, garnered in flowing black robes. Her voice carved through the air like a keen blade as she addressed Jake and the other opponent who had arrived.

"You have been instructed as to why you are here. Your strength is great, and now we must test you against others of great strength."

"Win, and you carry on to the next round, the final round. Lose, and you will be returned to your world; if you die, you shall be reborn and made to live out your life again."

"You will find yourselves healed to your original vitality, both in energy stores and vitality. We must have you at your best if you are to give us a good performance."

"Powers of earth and darkness are amplified to twice their power here. Use this advantage wisely."

"Remember, your victory could ensure the safety or destruction of our worlds. Bear this in mind as you fight for what you believe in."

As the previous figure had, she was enveloped in a flash of darkness, and Jake's ears filled with a sucking sound as she and the darkness vanished. Jake cursed, though he wasn't fool enough to go after the woman as he did with the last figure.

“Greetings, my name is Ravona Denton. May I inquire yours?” Jake looked to the origin of the voice.

Standing on the opposite end of the sandy earth was a woman, thin and pale, but with a hint of beauty. She wasn't powerfully built, but Jake was not going to make the same mistake of underestimating his foe as he did before.

"I'm Jake," he replied. He cast a weather eye on his surroundings. It was a coliseum-like structure, very old. He grimaced at the sight of all manner of skeletons protruding from the sand. "Gross," he muttered. Raising his voice slightly, he called out to the woman. "Look, I'm not going to just fight like I did last time. The guy I fought against was right; you shouldn't always just take things for granted." He cast an eye around the place. "You think there's another way of getting out of here?"

August 22, 2008, 4:03 PM

"I'm Jake," The dragon replied to Ravona's question. Jake, a rather short designation for oneself, either he lacked the courtesy to give his full name or lacked a longer name. On the other hand perhaps the world where he came from simply lacked the custom of introducing oneself with his or her full name on first meetings.
Though possibly impolite Jake didn't seem hostile so far which was good, perhaps Ravona could convince him to give up and continue with her task. "Look, I'm not going to just fight like I did last time. The guy I fought against was right; you shouldn't always just take things for granted." Jake said while glancing over his suroundings. "You think there's another way of getting out of here?"

A way out? Ravona had lacked to try an escape herself so far since it would conflict with her present objective. It seems like the fighters themselves have some doubts about this tournament. That should make things easier...
Ravona turned her head a little and said: “My previous opponent escaped through a dimensional shift. Seemed to have worked for him at least. If you can do something similar I suggest you'd try it.”
Ravona slowly walked in a wide circle around Jake. “What are you anyways? You look like a dragon at first sight but you're not really one are you? Shapeshifter perhaps?” A shape shifter was a logical option, they could easily take on the appearance of a dragon but didn't get any of their inherent abilities.

OOC:
Sorry it's a bit short but I don't have much to work with.

EDIT:
BTW this is actually drach posting at Frenzy's house. Didn't feel like changing accounts

August 25, 2008, 12:48 AM

Jake let out a wry chuckle. "A shapeshifter? Well, I guess you could say that." A blaze of golden fire erupted around Jake. When the flames cleared, he was standing in his human form.

Jake's black sweater was loose around his body, and a white shirt could be seen underneath it. His tinted hair gleamed in the sunlight, and his tan face smiled wryly at who was to be his opponent. Despite the obvious bagginess of Jake's clothing, his posture allowed some of his muscular features to show.

He was a fifteen-year-old human boy.

"Wow, it's hot," Jake said. He took off the sweater and tossed it across the field. It landed ten feet away, despite the resistance it met with the air. Jake's muscles were very well-defined, and his forearms looked as though they were hard as brick.

Jake stared into the sky. After a few moments, he looked down and sighed. Staring hard at his opponent, he said, "Alright, we might as well do this. Even if we wanted to, we probably couldn't get out of here." Suddenly, his focus shifted. Jake's eyes hardened and he flexed his muscles readily, getting into a defensive stance. His left arm raised up, outstretched with the palm facing upward, slightly bent upwards at the elbow. His right arm came back with the back of the hand running parallel to his face (which remained staring at Ravona). His left leg stretched outwards, completely straight. He leaned on his right leg, bending it at the knee with the foot running perpendicular to the body.

"Alright," Jake called, his eyes fierce, "Come on!"

August 25, 2008, 1:45 PM

"A shapeshifter? Well, I guess you could say that." Jake said before suddenly becoming engulfed in a golden fire slightly removing the dragonkin from sight before leaving what looked like a young human brat. After a closer look Ravona noticed some slight facial features that suggested mixed blood, all things considered Ravona estimated that these were his dragon lineage.

The more Ravona looked at him the more she felt that he was more then he appeared, of course this was besides the fact that he was in this tournament at such a seemingly young age, had the circumstances been different Ravona would have enjoyed studying him a bit more beyond his combat potential but this was neither the time nor place for such things.

"Wow, it's hot." Jake took off the baggy sweater, with a dragon head imprinted upon it, and tossed it away showing a well trained warriors body. Ravona's eyes followed the piece of clothing for a moment, the fabric seemed different from the ones she knew, it wasn't magical though so Ravona cared little more for it. Jake himself seemed to take his time to look at the sky before sighing.
"Alright, we might as well do this. Even if we wanted to, we probably couldn't get out of here." Then Jake he suddenly went into a fighting pose, placing his arms and legs in all sorts of probably impressive positions, which would probably be really impressive if only Ravona had any knowledge on martial arts. A martial artist then. Best keep my distance then.
"Alright," Jake called, while giving Ravona a wild stare, "Come on!"
He's thinks I'm going to attack him? But I might as well give him something to keep him busy while I study his strengths and weaknesses for a bit.

Ravona scratched her head a bit formulating her strategy and then decided. “Well if you insist on fighting then I guess I have little choice. Still I don't think you completely understand the situation.” For those who could see magic Ravona would be surrounded by a feint blue light as she was lifted from the ground. Ravona made a few movements with her arms. Several black arms sprung from Ravona's body reaching into the ground carving lines, whilst crushing the bones of the , first a large circle and then working inward, within 3 seconds the summoning circle was completed.
“Since you seem practice martial arts I'll be lenient and give you an opponent more of your liking. If you can't defeat him then there is no meaning for continuing this fight anyways. Ack'thar Bathol by your name I summon you!”
The circle light up and a humanoid figure appeared. The daemonic brute was slightly bigger then most human men, around two meters, with 4 thick arms and horns on the side his head. Ack'thar roared as Ravona forced him under her control.

Ravona had little difficulty in taking control of the daemon, brutes were easy to manipulate even for daemon standards, still there was a limit to her control over the daemon. It was impossible for her to control the brutes exact movements but then again there was no real need to the brute was more then capable in fighting. Ravona had specifically chosen Ack'thar for several reasons. Firstly she wanted to see how strong Jake really was, Ack'thar wasn't to quick on his feet but his four fists were quick and his arms were strong. Also though Ravona was not knowledgeable on martial arts she figured that it wasn't likely that Jake had much experience in fighting things other then normal humanoids. Judging from how Jake would go about dealing with an opponent he wasn't used to Ravona could have some grasp on how well Jake adapted to unknown situations.

Before giving Ack'thar the order to attack Ravona waved her hand and an invisible sphere of telekinetic energy formed around her while she drifted away from the battle field to not get caught up in the battle.
“Attack Ack'thar.” The spoken command was unnecessary since Ravona could just as well send the commands through telepathy, but it would be best if her opponent wasn't aware of such details.
Ack'thar suddenly rushed out of the circle towards Jake. However just before reaching Jake Ack'thar stopped just out of reach of Jake's arms and attacked with his superior reach. His upper right arm made a fist and tried to punch in the face whilst his lower left used the right as a diversion to make a grab at Jake's right arm. His other two arms made a cross in front of him to shield him from attacks at Jake striking height.

OOC:
You specified in your post first that Jake's left arm is raised up and then once more that it's parallel to Jake's face. Shouldn't one be his right arm?

August 25, 2008, 2:12 PM

((OOC: Yeah, it should. Bad boy, I am

))

Jake's eyes widened with shock. His opponent had summoned some sort of creature, one she called "Ack'thar". While he was by no means frightened, he was hardly one to underestimate the creature. Its very appearance was demonic, horrific to the last limb. Before Ravona called the creature to attack, Jake's shock wore off and he sniggered; who knew, he might actually get a challenge.

With a call from its master, the demon rushed at Jake. Jake, in anticipation of such an attack, rolled to the left. He leapt up from his position and flipped in mid-air, landing on his feet and facing the demon.

"Come on," he chuckled, "Total melee? That's so old hat..." Jake crouched and jumped into the air. With a roar, he slammed into the ground, using the terrain to his advantage. He jerked his hands upwards, raising two spires from the earth. With a jerk of his hands, the spires exploded into several tiny shards. However, instead of falling everywhere, Jake sacrificed a fifth of his energy and kept them aloft. He thrust his hands forward, sending the Shard Storm towards the demon.

As he finished, he thrust his hands forward again, sending a beam of golden energy through the whistling shards and straight for his opponent. Nearly a third of his energy had been sacrificed in less that a minute, but that was alright; the demon didn't seem to be too fast, and even if it managed to dodge the blast itself, there was still the Shard Storm to worry about...