Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Tue Dec 24, 2013 12:10 am

He had been mid-stride, prepared to finish what he started and launch himself a second time into the air before the hellish mermaid could get her act together and recover from the blow he'd dealt her. What Talos didn't expect was to turn and see the water-devil grab her own loosely hanging arm and rip it off. His eyes went wide with horror, and as the act of self-maiming caught up with his brain, his body gave way at the gruesome sight. Stumbling in his stride, Talos fell to his knees near the edge of the arena and promptly lost his lunch over the edge, his hand maintaining a white-knuckle grip on the hilt of his sword. He couldn't look at her or the stump, sickened by her action and the horrible sound of tearing flesh. "Ariold save me…" he mumbled weakly under his breath, heaving deep breaths and splashed a handful of salty water into his face, as if that could erase the image of the mer-devil tearing off her own arm from his memory.

Staggering to his feet, Talos took an unsteady step backward away from the edge, feeling like he was going to retch again when he saw the human looking arm at the bottom of the clear ocean, leaking a dark cloud of blood into the crystal water. "Telai, strike this creature with your arrows-" He prayed under his breath "-so that I don't have to get near that she-devil again." When no divine arrows came from the sky, Talos made a frustrated sound under his breath and took another step away from the edge of the platform to the relative safety of the inch-deep water covering it, his stomach still lurching from the nasty shock. If only he hadn't lost his bow in the water, it would be a simple matter of putting an arrow in that woman's face. Alas, he had no such luck.

Holding his sword straight out with only the slightest quiver in his stance, Talos challenged the water lady and finally summonsed the steadiness of stomach to look her in the face. "Next time I'll get your neck!"

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Tue Dec 24, 2013 1:31 am

Jackdaww noticed the change of pace very quickly, and took a similar pose to Armeno, with his left hand hovering beside his right, ready to take the sword if he needed to defend against one of these new, more aggressive attacks. He also quickened his pace, leaving less time between attacks, so as to prevent Armeno finding an opening. The water would be better than lying face down on the pillar had been, but even so, Jackdaww wanted to remain upright and fighting for as long as possible. Jackdaww’s hits were focused along the lowline, aimed for Armeno’s waist and underarms, just on the offchance that he would slip into the trap of forgetting to defend below sword level. In a straight sword fight though, the two seemed fairly evenly matched. The edge of the pillar was close, but Jackdaww increased his offense to match Armeno’s to keep himself from getting pushed any closer to it.

---

Eliza couldn’t help grinning when she saw Talos’ reaction to her little display. She was genuinely frightened by the human form the dead flesh had taken at the bottom of the artificial ocean, but nowhere near as frightened as the Avian was. “Oh you’ll get my neck, will you? I’m not ssssssure I believe you.” She let the deliberate hiss slip back into her voice, relishing the fear she had reduced her opponent to. Not that he was any less dangerous, mind, but her Sylph form found it very difficult to focus on threats for very long. It was a really big problem when it came to fighting, really. That was why she usually kept her other skin on for as long as possible.

“Still don’t fancy a ssssswim then?” She cackled, twisting her body around so that her long, slender feet sprayed water at Talos. Maybe if she could wet his wings enough, he’d stop flying about long enough for her to grab him… yes, that would be just perfect. Her injured foot from where she had been stabbed between the toes looked disgusting as it flicked out of the water briefly, but at this stage her various minor injuries could only add to the macabre image of herself she was painting for her opponents.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Mon Dec 30, 2013 11:14 pm

Now that he'd finally got the measure of the fight, Armeno was able to keep up his defence without too much difficulty. Jackdaww kept attacking from below, obviously hoping to take him off-guard, but it wasn't exactly like that was a new trick.
However, if Jackdaww wasn't having much success, nor was Armeno. Even when he pressed the attack, the man seemed to be able to keep up. Obviously some kind of change in tactics was needed. It was no mean feat to change fighting style completely- after all, there was a reason it was considered to be like a signature of each person- but it was easy enough to include a few unexpected moves. Without warning, Armeno took a neat step back before stabbing his sword forwards in a lunge. Unless Jackdaww had some seriously fancy feet, the only way to dodge that was backwards- into the water.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Wed Jan 01, 2014 11:53 pm

As soon as Armeno stepped back, Jackdaww had a fair idea what he was playing at, but there was nothing he could do to stop Armeno’s trick. The increased aggression and pae meant that Jackdaww couldn’t pull his attack short in time to sidestep the attack, and for all his light weight gave him speed, his footwork wasn't quite neat enough to risk anything else. He knew where he had to dodge immediately, even though he didn’t like it.

He didn’t wait for Armeno’s sword to get dangerously close; instead he twisted backwards and jumped, in a backwards dive towards the water. Jumping as soon as he regained his balance from his previous attack meant that he could twist around as he moved, and he attempted a swipe under Armeno’s extended arm before he hit the water.

The force of the water wasn’t huge, and he only spent a few moment underneath it before his hollow structure found its way above the water level. When he resurfaced, he looked like he was lying back and enjoying himself, jut floating half-above the surface. He quickly pulled himself upwards so he was waist deep, treading water, and tried to pick out a spot to leave the artificial ocean. Armeno was effectively guarding the pillar he had left, and the ones adjacent were too close for him to safely climb out without risking attack, so he started paddling messily towards one a little further away, hoping he could get back on dry land before too long.

Last edited by Aero on Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:59 pm; edited 1 time in total

"Of course I don't want to go for a swim!" Talos yelled at the mermaid, losing his composure completely as evidenced by his voice ascending a couple of pitches. Involuntarily he glanced at her stump again and his empty stomach heaved once more at the sight. Gods, he was going to die like this. He could keep flying back and forth over the water trying to take pot shots at the water demon with his sword all day and never land a critical hit that would end the match. Most people would have withdrawn after losing their arm, but then again, most people weren't water demons.

The water splashed on his wings concerned him very little, and he gave a small contemptuous shake to remove the excess water. If he were all feathers, perhaps he'd be a little more concerned, but his leathery wings were quite a bit more resistant to the effects of water. It was the first time he'd ever thanked his misshapen birthright for anything.

Now soaking up to his ankles, Talos had a choice. He could sit standing on his little pillar for however long it took the water demon to get bored and go after him. As nice as that sounded, it would also take forever, and who knew if the border guards would start throwing nasty spells at them or perhaps even the water monster herself could summon some power to catch him unawares. He did not like the idea of dying a watery death that was magic-induced. The third option was tossing his third opponent into the water and hoping that the man called a surrender before the water-harpy could eviscerate him. Only one opponent in this three-way match needed to be disqualified for them to move on.

But glancing at the man and considering the option made Talos sick in another way. Could he really push a man to his death to save his own skin? To his own surprise, he couldn't come away with a clear answer. He didn't know this stranger, but what he did know was that ten thousand gold was at stake as well as his own life and he certainly had no intention of dying or losing.

The jeering from the crowd seemed suddenly intensified in their little bubble, and Talos' mind was made for him. This wasn't going to be his last fight because of sympathies for a stranger.

Taking a few running steps, the avian snapped out his wings and flapped hard, picking up speed. The boy on the other pillar shot him a confused look, uncomprehending what was about to happen. Only a second before the collision did the boy understand, lifting his sword in a meager defense before the crack of Talos' shoulder against the boy's chest that sent him flying into the water. All of Talos' momentum was lost in that attack and he fell to the ground on his knees, trembling with the knowledge of what he'd just done. "Ariold spare me..."

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Fri Jan 17, 2014 7:24 pm

Finally, finally, one of Armeno’s attacks had had some effect. He leapt backwards as Jackdaww tried a last attack before he fell, knocking the man’s blade aside with his own to make sure it couldn’t land. The pillar was far enough out of the water that he couldn’t reach down to attack the man as he swam; that didn’t matter, though. Taking a step back and keeping a wary eye on Jack, Armeno held his sword at the ready and waited a moment to see what Jack would do next.

Wisely, the man didn’t choose to climb back out onto the same pillar, but instead swam doggedly for another which he must have found more promising for whatever reason. All the same, that prudence wasn’t necessarily going to save him. Keeping a close eye in case he tried any tricks, Armeno sheathed his sword in a swift motion before taking his bow from where it was slung across his back. It was constructed for durability rather than perfect function- after all, he wasn’t a good enough shooter to do a flawless bow justice, and it had plenty of abuse to take from all his activity as a swordsman. He checked it over briefly for damage- none was obvious before nocking an arrow, taking a moment to steady his aim, and letting fly a decent shot at Jackdaww’s back. Hopefully it wouldn’t cause a fatal wound if it hit; the healers employed here were certainly skilled.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Fri Jan 17, 2014 11:06 pm

Jackdaww was getting close to the pillar he was aiming for, although his swimming wasn’t exactly he tidiest thing. There was a noise from behind him, and before he knew what was happening, an arrow struck the water inches from his cheek. Well, that got him moving faster. It had all been going so well, and he had completely forgotten about Armeno’s bow and arrows. How the HELL was he supposed to defend against a ranged weapon? He reached the pillar, and clawed at the slick, wet marble painfully slowly, every moment aware that he was likely to find an arrow through some part of his body or another. He only hoped that Armeno would be kind enough not to aim for a kill-shot. Jackdaww didn’t really want to get killed, even if ten thousand gold was at stake.

Miraculously he managed to get onto the pillar, but then he was stuck. Armeno had a bow, and Jackdaw had… a sword, still in its sheath, and one shoe. The worst thing was this was a pretty usual situation for him to get into – once he was out of his depth fighting-wise, his normal deficiencies kicked in, and he was left clueless and shoeless. He gingerly took a step forward, jumping for the next pillar against all reason. He was vaguely hoping to reach the same pillar again, because he couldn’t get shot at if he was within stabbing distance, right? That, however, seemed exceptionally unlikely at this stage.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Tue Feb 04, 2014 6:15 pm

Eliza smirked at Talos, his discomfort plain to see. She was so ready to take him down that she had very nearly forgotten she had another opponent. However, the human boy hadn’t done anything to threaten her for a while, so she wasn’t too worried.

She reached up to try to grab Talos as he flew past, before realising he wasn’t aiming for her. There was a splash behind her, and before she knew it, Dmitri was in the water. Only one of them had to ose this battle for them to proceed, so Eliza singled out the boy in the water in seconds. On land she was fragile and clumsy, but she was in her element here. The water seemed to merge with her form, and she tore through it without stirring the surface, diving down to catch the struggling boy. Her human form may still have had some sympathy for the young boy, but her human form wasn’t in control anymore.

She surfaced with a wide, bloody grin, locking her gaze with Talos’. The water was slowly turning red around her, and the wide cuts on her fragile skin were slowly beginning to seal up as the natural blood magic from her prey surged through her system. She would need a healer, and badly too, but the wounds were no longer a threat to her life. She slid out of the water onto the nearest pillar, and began to dry out. She quickly switched back into her human shape.

The arm was still gone, and the wounds she had transferred over to that form were gushing water, but her feed would restore her strength enough to reach the healing tent. She looked perfectly ordinary aside from that, her skin back to its original hue. “I hope you’re looking forward to the next round, Bird-boy. I know I am…” she said softly, smiling wickedly as more of the water around her pillar turned red.

((PP assumed accepted since Jula isn't about))

DMITRI HAS LOST THIS FIGHT!
TALOS and ELIZA will be proceeding to the next round ^^

Last edited by Artemis on Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

Armeno shook his head slightly as his arrow sliced neatly into the water, not even touching Jackdaww. Well, archery had never been his strong point, and he was aiming at a target which was moving unpredictably with the waves, after all. He took a moment to roll out his shoulders and flex his fingers as his opponent floundered onto a pillar- no point shooting while he was slipping off it every second- before taking aim again and loosing another arrow out over the water.

He didn’t want to turn the man into a pincushion- though he wasn’t sure he’d manage anyway- so he took a moment to see the arrow fly behind Jack as he abruptly leapt onto another pillar. Determined not to let him reach the same pillar again, Armeno nocked another arrow and left less pause this time, shooting more instinctively as he got back into the feel of his bow. He doubted all the jumping about had done the equipment any good, perhaps that was what was throwing him off- but then, they did say that a bad workman blamed his tools. Likely, he just wasn’t shooting too well- even in eighty years, you couldn’t master everything. He’d focused a lot more on unarmed or close range fighting, as well as fitness and agility. Ranged weapons had just never appealed to him in the same way. In fact, though he was quite embarrassed to admit it now, he’d scorned archery somewhat in his youth- he’d considered it feeble that the bow had to do the work of actually making the arrow fly. A sword, he had thought smugly, was just like a sharpened extension of your arm- it was still all down to your strength and speed. Well, he was certainly glad for that compulsory bow practice now- it might have taken him a while to learn but he knew full well now that a sword couldn’t fix everything. Far from it.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Thu Feb 06, 2014 9:44 am

Armeno didn’t shoot at him until Jackdaww was back on the pillar at least. Good, he hadn’t exactly wanted to be shot down while he was clawing feebly at the column of marble. However once he was upright, the shots resumed. One missed him outright, and another nicked the fabric of his sleeve, leaving a wide rip, but no wound underneath. He managed to jump t the next pillar, before a third shot found its mark. His right arm, just below the shoulder, screamed at him as the arrow embedded itself, his vaguely white shirt reddening. He gritted his teeth and unsheathed his sword with his left arm, his right hanging uselessly by his side, and made his way a little closer. There was still no sense in getting killed, but Jackdaww was blinded by his thoughts of bravery and grandeur, and couldn’t help but try to re-join the fight. Realistically, another good hit would be his limit though. He hated arrows. The fight had been going so much better when it was just simple swordcraft.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Mon Feb 10, 2014 9:31 pm

As the third arrow once again failed to leave any significant mark on Jackdaww, Armeno swore in irritation, shaking his head. There was still space between them, even if Jackdaww had managed to bridge the gap by another pillar, but he didn’t much feel like letting him get too close again.

For all that, though, there were advantages to the man coming closer. This time, when he nocked another arrow and drew the string back, his target was considerably larger- enough larger that an arrow finally stuck. He was pleased with the shot- it rendered Jackdaww’s sword arm useless, but it wasn’t likely to be fatal. Unfortunately, though, it didn’t seem as if it was going to put a halt to the fight. Frowning now, Armeno took aim again, more carefully this time- he had time, he’d like to see his opponent casually hop from pillar to pillar with that wound- and let another arrow fly, aimed for the left shoulder this time. If he could take out both arms, well, the rest would just be a matter of forcing a surrender.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:25 pm

Jackdaww barely had his sword out of its sheath when the next arrow whistled towards him. He was quick and agile, sure, but there was no way he could dodge arrows from that distance – especially not since he had already taken one sizeable wound. Fire tore through his left shoulder, matching that in his right bicep, and his arms felt suddenly leaden. The left was a little better than the right due to where the arrow had hit, so he kept his grip on his blade, but he didn’t much fancy hopping closer to that bow. He hoped that his opponent didn’t want him dead – they were both swordsmen of honour so he couldn’t imagine why he would. That thought in mind, he forced himself to jump to the next pillar again. He stumbled as he landed on it, blinking against the pain in both arms, but he had taken far worse wounds than this. He was fighting a losing battle, he was sure of that, but he wasn’t ready to surrender quite yet.

He was only one pillar away from Armeno again now, so he sucked in a breath quickly, before launching himself from the column. He twisted as best he could in the air so his feet were out in front of him, aiming his single boot for Armeno’s legs. Hopefully the man couldn’t shoot him if he lost his balance. However, knowing Jackdaww’s luck, he would miss and slide off the pillar completely.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Mon Feb 17, 2014 5:21 pm

It looked like Jackdaww’s left arm was still functional to some extent, but he’d definitely taken another hit, and that had to have some impact on his fighting. Armeno reached for another arrow, wondering where to aim this time, before realising that Jackdaww was still on the move despite everything. Well, as long as he didn’t waste time…

Armeno pulled the bowstring back once more, only to realise that his opponent was still advancing, leaping out over the water with scarcely a moment to catch his breath. Even as he jumped, he swung his legs round before him, clearly aiming to kick the elf. Armeno was left with no choice, no time to put his bow away; dropping the weapons, he threw himself aside, wincing slightly as his bow clattered against the stone and the arrow rolled off into the water. Now wasn’t the moment to worry about that, though; he stumbled slightly on the landing of his impromptu jump, forced to take an extra pace towards the edge to keep his balance. He’d lost time there; he couldn’t give Jackdaww the chance to get up and stab him in the back.Without hesitating, he drew his sword again in an explosive turn, sweeping his blade in a low and powerful arc to catch the man whether he was standing or on the ground.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Sat Mar 01, 2014 8:15 pm

Jackdaww considered it a small victory when the bow clattered to the ground – he considered the bow his most likely cause of death or injury now – but the counterattack came faster than he expected. He was on his back as he slid, and it was all he could do to throw up his sword to stop Armeno’s blow splitting him in two. Even when, his opponents blade stopped inches from his face, perilously close.

Jackdaww’s arms were killing him – the jarring of the blades colliding has sent a shockwave through both arrow-pricked biceps, which were now throbbing at twice their previous rate. Now wasn’t time to worry about them, so Jackdaww pushed upwards with his left hand (the one now holding his sword), and tried to slide down across the pillar under Armeno’s blade. At least he was soaking wet from his little dip earlier, so it was easy to slide across the smooth, damp surface. Now he just had to hope that there was no other blade trained on him as he struggled the limbo under Armeno’s sword, pulling his knees underneath himself to stand.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Thu May 22, 2014 6:53 pm

Armeno could scarcely believe it when Jack managed to block his attack again- was this man really fully human as he appeared, or did he perhaps have some kind of elvish or otherwise magically-infused lineage? Either that, or he had some of the best training Armeno had ever seen outside the Isle Triad. Whatever the cause, Jackdaww had been putting up much more resistance than Armeno had expected. With a muttered curse, he abruptly withdrew his sword from the wrestling with Jackdaww- perhaps that would throw him off balance- and turned it in a swift circle in the air, hoping to cut Jackdaww in the side as the blade looped round from underneath, within the other man’s sword. He seemed to be scooting along the floor; Armeno took a hasty hop backwards to compensate, but he wasn’t sure if it would be enough. A flash of fear gripped him that he might decapitate the man; that would be deeply unfortunate, in what could quite easily be a non-fatal fight. Gritting his teeth, he kept the blade’s momentum up and waited for a split second which seemed to last much longer to see what would happen.

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Thu May 22, 2014 9:07 pm

Jackdaww was weakening. He had put up a fair fight, but the elf was stronger; better trained, and Jackdaww knew he was bested. Still, he fought. He struggled upright, but Armeno attacked before he could fully reach his feet. He dropped his arm, hoping to catch the blow, but Armeno was already within his range. He deflected it - as the elf slipped it may have done real damage if he had not, but the blade slashed the inside of his arm, and bit into his side. The wound was not deep, but his body was on fire. He grunted and fell to one knee, resting his weight on the hilt of his sword. He was stubborn, and he wanted nothing better than to leap to his feet and roar back into the fight...

But he could not. He was going to get himself killed that was. He could barely lift his sword, as slender and light as it was, so he lowered his head in a universal gesture of submission. "I yield, I yield! Enough..." He raised a hand to the linesmen, and sat back on his heels. There was a red smear on the white marble where he had crawled across is, and a few dark drops has splattered by his knee for him newest wound. He believed his opponent a gentleman, and hoped that this would be the end of their fight. It would be a pleasure to spar against Armeno again, one day, when they had both regained their strength.

Jackdaww has LOST this round, Armeno wins!

Subject: Re: Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Non-Dragons Wed Jun 18, 2014 3:18 pm

The Terrain

Welcome to the semi-finals! Our contestants have braved the icy wastes and the dangerous oceans. What will our mages have in store for our brave competitors this round? Well ladies and gentlemen, we will keep you in suspense no longer! Welcome to the Cage Match Arena! You'll notice that our two fighting groups each have their own cages, suspended by chains above the sandy arena. Previously, our competitors have had the ability to use the terrain and open spaces to their advantage. Now, they have to play in tight quarters. This is sure to be an intense round of battling! Each cage is a thirteen foot square. Not allowing for a whole lot of maneuverability for our contestants. They'll have to beware of the footing as well. Get too far into one corner or the other, and that cage will start tipping! Everyone, place your bets, and lets get ready to rumble!

Semi-Final Matchups!
NPC A vs. Armeno
Talos vs. Eliza

» Grande Tourney of Kaionar :: Dragons
» Grand Tourney! Fight for the Purse!
» (T4, Kaionar) Like Herding Cats (18th Board)
» Snazzy post-tourney times [Kat/Rogue/North]
» The Dragons Have disappeared.