Watchtower & HALO Unification Tournament - Now Open to Everyone

[Morty]

Watchtower & HALO Unification Tournament

In a largely agricultural area of Outside, the tournament hosted by Watchtower and HALO has begun. The event is meant to be a show of the two organization's cooperation as they prepare to merge together. It's open to all participants.

Layout:

The area is a fenced-off circle. Inside the fence there are three arenas and a number of tents with various facilities.


Arena I: A multi-layered arena divided into several rings, this one serves as a place for the regular duels or melees between participants to occur. It's surrounded with vantage points for spectators.
Arena II: A larger area covered by a domed cage. This is where participants will battle various beasts, monsters and machines provided by the organizers.
Arena III: A relatively simple, open ring. It's the non-combat arena, made with the purpose of being easily equipped with whatever is necessary at the moment. This is the place for non-martial contests of skill.
Medical tent: Obviously enough, this is the place where injuries are tended to.
Refreshment tent: Doesn't really need explaining.
Command tent: Where Watchtower and HALO leaders confer and oversee the whole event.


Rules:


A character can announce that they're looking for a challenge. They can determine whom they would like to fight or leave it open. Issues of power level and power source will be decided individually.
No lethal bouts. The victory conditions are determined by the combatants, but nobody dies.
In case of fighting against monsters, anyone can approach Arena II and request a fight. Likewise, should the beast win the bout, it will not go for the kill or cause too serious damage.
Troublemakers will be evicted.

[Recaiden]

A lumbering, four-armed humanoid is here helping, carrying materials and clearing an area for the tournament's main arena. He is wearing a featureless reflective mask (http://www.dudeiwantthat.com/style/costumes/no-face-mask-9703.jpg), and has a halo of light shining around his bald head, perhaps to announce his former affiliation.

[Aric Kale]

Marcus, the Scots-Roman praetorian cohort, made it here as well, possibly with Wenomir. He's dressed in his glowing red armor, and his skin seems to have taken on a silvery sheen. Hmm, I wonder where that came from...
Another contender has arrived for the tournament, one Clara Tovell, via orange portal. She's accompanied by three little dragons all flying around her head.

[Morty]

Wenomir himself is standing on the hill's slope, overseeing the works. Or, well, more or less overseeing. He's not exactly qualified in any way, so he's mostly telling people where things should go. Currently, he's trying to make a list of what sort of areas the tournament complex should contain. There's a heavy-set man in a linen shirt and wide-brimmed hat standing next to him, who seems to share some vague family resemblance. He seems to be directing some of the workers, who seem to have come from neighbouring villages.

[Lost_Deep]

A woman with green hair and a green dress walks into the area. She's curious, looking at the situation, but staying out of the way.

((Open for interaction))

[UncleWolf]

People might notice a slightly short man meandering towards the Tournament's area. He carries a mandolin on his back, wears a pair of old worn brown leather boots, pants of similar wear, a rope for a belt, and a longsleeved white shirt that flutters slightly in the wind. The bard chews his tongue for a moment at the sight of all the construction equipment but instead of talking to anyone he simply fixes his beaten leather cap steps over to a tree where he leaves his instrument and his shirt, folding it neatly under the mandolin so it doesn't rest on the ground itself.

Now shirtless, Conor tips his hat to Wenomir and makes his way to all the planks, grabbing nails, a hammer, and a hand saw on the way. When he gets there he begins to work and sing, a crystal clear voice rising in the air.


The farmer`s heart with joy is filled (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhLW50EPU8U)
When his crops are good and sound;
But who can feel the wild delight
Of the sailor homeward bound?
For three long years have passed away
Since we left freedom's shore,
Our long-felt wish has come at last
And we're homeward bound once more.

Conor's singing serves as a measure for his own pace as he saws and hammers and despite what's going to be hard work his voice doesn't waver an inch. Overall his pace, while fast, is steady and can be heard well above the sound of his carpentry.


To where the sky's as clear as the maiden's eye
Who longs for our return,
To the land where milk and honey flows
And liberty it was born.
So fill our sails with the favoring gales,
And with shipmates all around
We`ll give three cheers for our starry flag
And the Jamestown homeward bound.

Even with the hot sun beating down on his pale whip-scarred back, Conor keeps up his work and within minutes it's easy to see that he's building one of the sets of bleachers that would allow people to rest somewhat comfortably. Always he sings while he works. Sometimes his songs are sad (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8MzxLD9B4I), while other times they are a little happier. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIcwFKrTus) Most of the time however his songs are work songs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpLYKkfw_D8). Nonetheless, his singing never stops and is there for all to enjoy. It'll take him the better part of an hour, but he'll get the first set of bleachers up before working on the next.

Oddly, the wind swirls around him gently even when it touches nothing else, as if the air itself wishes to hear him sing.

If he finishes he second set of bleachers without interruption he'll go to a clear spot between them and begin pacing off a giant circle, dragging his heel in the ground to mark the edges of the fighting arena. All without a single drink or break or even a rest from his singing.

[Lord Magtok]

Is that Magtok, Commander of HALO, napping under a tree? Ugh, yes, I'm pretty sure it's him. What a lazy bum, couldn't he have found a better time and place to be nodding off? How can he even sleep with all that noise in the distance? :smallyuk:

[Morty]

And now...


Watchtower & HALO Unification Tournament

In a largely agricultural area of Outside, the tournament hosted by Watchtower and HALO has begun. The event is meant to be a show of the two organization's cooperation as they prepare to merge together.

Layout:

The area is a fenced-off circle. Inside the fence there are three arenas and a number of tents with various facilities.


Arena I: A multi-layered arena divided into several rings, this one serves as a place for the regular duels or melees between participants to occur. It's surrounded with vantage points for spectators.
Arena II: A larger area covered by a domed cage. This is where participants will battle various beasts, monsters and machines provided by the organizers.
Arena III: A relatively simple, open ring. It's the non-combat arena, made with the purpose of being easily equipped with whatever is necessary at the moment. This is the place for non-martial contests of skill.
Medical tent: Obviously enough, this is the place where injuries are tended to.
Refreshment tent: Doesn't really need explaining.
Command tent: Where Watchtower and HALO leaders confer and oversee the whole event.


Rules:


A character can announce that they're looking for a challenge. They can determine whom they would like to fight or leave it open. Issues of power level and power source will be decided individually.
No lethal bouts. The victory conditions are determined by the combatants, but nobody dies.
In case of fighting against monsters, anyone can approach Arena II and request a fight. Likewise, should the beast win the bout, it will not go for the kill or cause too serious damage.
Troublemakers will be evicted.


The tournament has begun. Everyone is free to come and participate.

[Recaiden]

The 4-armed man approaches Arena II.
"Alright. Let's see just what they've found."
He requests something to fight of the arena's overseer(?). Should be good to have some excitement after all that dull construction.

[Taet]

The Ladychild Ykysa asks for a magic overseer of Arena III. The little sapphire golem. I have a better word now. She is a homunculus. She shows the Ring of Green to the magic overseer and asks can the 3/day limit can be turned off and the making real items from the ring be turned off too? Just while she is in the arena ring? "I do not have my own magic to give. But I may be can make an illusion duel."

Old Fashioned Illusion Duel

Change your form or make an illusion
Defeat the other person's last illusion
Ask for a judge after a week OOC
Or stop the fight and say I cannot defeat that
Ykysa's extra rule says use just one color
She picks green and loses the first turn

[Earl of Purple]

Arena I Challenger!

An ogre approaches, wearing a pair of trousers made from the fur of something black with red stripes and very shaggy hair and a pair of heavy metal gauntlets. The ogre has red skin, dark purple eyes and no hair, and is approximately three metres tall and nearly as wide. "Who thinks they can beat me, huh?" The gauntlets glow with enchantments that will soften any blows that land, making them far less lethal than they should be.

Arena I

Nearby stand an aasimar with gold skin, silver hair and glowing white eyes. She's wearing black full-plate armour under a red tabard emblazoned with a white double-headed centipede. She's leaning against a silver-plated spear and holding a full helm under her arm. Next to her stands a large Orsimer in greenish, ridged and slightly spiky banded mail in his native style, with a warhammer slung over his shoulder. The warhammer is made from the bone of something very large, with leather wrapped around a bit carved into a handle.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Prior to the Tournament]

KR walked around each of the arenas, wielding a thin staff of pressed ash. Following her were a small cohort of shades, vaguely humanoid beings seemingly cut out of two-dimensional shadow. Each of the shades held open a heavy tome, from which KR read off an endless series of complicated runes and sigils, etching them out in circular patterns around the perimeter of each arena with the point of her staff. With each rune etched, a faint shimmer started to form around the arena, revealing the powerful binding and warding spells that were starting to take hold around each circle.

No matter what kind of weird shenanigans took place in the day's duels, the wards would keep the onlookers safe from harm.

[Tournament]

KR is at Arena II, wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and her usual coat. She's rather glad that the weather's gotten a lot warmer in the past few weeks. She was starting to think that winter would never be over. Mage that she is, it's likely that she's providing at least some of the monsters that challengers will be facing in the form of exotic summons and creatures from other planes. Not to mention whatever robotic terrors she's managed to cook up in her spare time.

[Four Armed Man]

KR has just the thing prepared for him. When he enters the arena he'll see a trio of dog-like apparitions on the other side. They're translucent and glowing bright white, with fuzzy, electric edges and sparking eyes and mouths. The dogs walk forward slowly, the two outer ones moving sideways into flanking positions.

[Hattish Thing]

Before the Combat, Medic's Tent:

Shoyler has shown up to volunteer for medical assistance! As a cleric, he thought perhaps he could offer his healing to the public. He... wasn't sure how exactly to go about the volunteering however, and as such awkwardly looks about the tournament for someone that looks to be in charge.


Arena 1: Ogre

Trucido Amare has arrived, looking appropriately military dressed in his black and red Mandalorian Sith armor, his long and flowing white coat covering the suit somewhat and keeping the Sith warm. Hidden beneath the coat and hanging at the Sith Lord's belt, his two beautifully crafted lightsabers, Scorpio and Black Lotus thud quietly against the crimson plated armor. The blades had been 'dulled' for today's duels, made to be unable to slice or sever organic substances. However... that didn't stop the blades from sending jolts of excruciating pain through an enemy. He looks quite impressive, really. Darth Calamity moves forward, the armor shining in the sunlight, the unique crest of the Ignitis Academy proudly branded on the chestpiece. He walks into the arena to stand across from the ogre, looking over the large beast, his heavy boots causing dirt to fly about as he walks. Smirking at the much larger foe, he responds to the ogre's challenge calmly with a short and reserved response. I do. He smiles one more time, his metallic teeth reflecting in the sun. Normally the Sith had a certain fondness for theatrics, but it seems that Darth Calamity is more focused upon the actual combat today. The Sith hadn't had a decent battle since.... not since Garn Kubo, now that he thought about it.

This would be fun...

http://i1051.photobucket.com/albums/s440/Singingnoodle/DarthCalamityReboot.png

[FireFox]

HALO Captains Samantha and Hector arrive. Sam is dressed in casual jeans and a white t-shirt. She has a big gun on her right thigh, a smaller gun on her left hip, and a simple pack on her back. Hector, on the other hand, is in a gray suit (http://bamfstyle.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/collateral-shades-tie.jpg) with a gray tie and cool shades. He doesn't appear to be armed, unless you're actively looking for his concealed IWB holster.

[Earl of Purple]

Arena I- Ogre vs. Sith!

The ogre, Hungerfist Steelgut, smiles at his opponent. "Whoever gets KO'd first loses sound good to you?" He gets into a classic boxing guard as he speaks; I don't actually know anything of boxing, but it's the one where he's hiding behind his fists.

[Ionbound]

Arena I

Therlynn shows up, and eyes the aasimat for a moment before saying, "You up for a fight? Or are you just spectating?" as she shifts her weight from foot, slightly antsy.

[Hattish Thing]

Arena I- Ogre vs. Sith!

The ogre, Hungerfist Steelgut, smiles at his opponent. "Whoever gets KO'd first loses sound good to you?" He gets into a classic boxing guard as he speaks; I don't actually know anything of boxing, but it's the one where he's hiding behind his fists.

Trucido nods slowly, not bothering to reply vocally to the lumbering beast. He bows slightly, a sign of respect among adversaries, before reaching to his belt and activating the intricately designed blades. He raises his arms to the sides before assuming some soft of offensive position, activating the blades as he moves about in place. Dim purple and vibrant red shine against his face, the lights reflecting off his metal fangs. There's no way he could overpower the monster with what strength he had, for though he was quite strong for a human, the ogre was automatically far out of his league there. No... He'd have to knockout the brute with speed and accuracy. A hilt to the neck, a flurry of systematic blows to the temple.... He'd go for pressure points. The Sith breathes in deeply, feeling the environment around him. Then... he starts rushing towards the beast before jumping high into the air, the force guiding his leap. Trucido aims to land on the ogres head and bring his lightsabers down as he descends. This won't penetrate or wound the ogre, due to the dulling of his blades, but should the attack hit the poor ogre, the beast might find his body suddenly jolted with burning pain from the attack.

[Earl of Purple]

Arena I- Ogre vs. Sith!

Hungerfist raises his arms up, not to block Trucido's blow, but to turn his downwards momentum into upwards momentum with a double-fisted punch. Ordinarily, the blow would crack ribs, but the enchantment on the gloves should prevent serious injury.

[Aric Kale]

Aena I

Marcus spectates the battle, wanting to join in the next bout of combat. He has blunted his weapons and promises to not use lethal energy with his Destructive Runes.
This wouldn't be a fair fight, he could tell just by looking at the contestants...

[Arkhosia]

Misaka enters, clad in her usual Tokiwadai School Uniform of a short-sleeved white dress shirt, a beige sweater vest, and a mid-thigh long tan skirt. The 15 year old girl with chestnut-colored shoulder-length hair and brown eyes looks around, and proclaims to everyone:
My name is Misaka, and I am looking for a challenge!

[Zefir]

Medical tent

Mia has taken place here. With her came some medical tools. She knows that magical healing is much better suited, but sometimes it's good to be prepared. Who knows, maybe some of the people can't be healed by magic alone or don't want it.
After all, she didn't ask for or was asked, she just knows how she can help best.

Arena II

And another person will be here, after the first fight (assuming we don't need to wait for fights to be over) Tovpir, the giant stone scorpion will appear here. He can either be seen as participant or as a monster to beat.

[Duck999]

Sica enters. He approaches Arena III, and observes anything going on there. He himself just warms up outside of it.

[Morty]

[Command Tent]

Wenomir can be seen here, speaking with two young lads, in their teens, by the look of it. One of them has short black hair, while the other one's is dark blond, and tied back in a way reminiscent of the warrior's.

[Arena I]

Thariza Brighthorn from HALO stands in the centre of one of the rings.

"As a member of HALO, I can fight anyone who needs challenge," she announces.

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Marcus answers Thariza's call, step forward boldly, glad to be rid of injury. I am the Last Praetorian, Marcus Hostilius Regulus, and as a WATCHman, I can beat anyone who offers a challenge. He has his gladius strapped to his side, spear in hand, and his shield on his left arm. The young cohort will look over his opponent, trying to gauge her strengths and weaknesses.

[Hattish Thing]

Arena I- Ogre vs. Sith!

Hungerfist raises his arms up, not to block Trucido's blow, but to turn his downwards momentum into upwards momentum with a double-fisted punch. Ordinarily, the blow would crack ribs, but the enchantment on the gloves should prevent serious injury.

The Sith looks down as Hungerfist's punch rises up to greet him, already planning an acrobatic response to the attack. As the fists rise up to knock him into the air, Trucido moves forward midair using the force to guide him. Should he succeed, he'll push his legs against the side of the upcoming punch, flipping against the troll's fists and landing back on the ground. Darth Calamity frowns now, gazing up at his enemy. It was clear that going near the monstrous creature would be... hazardous to his health. Instead, Calamity throws a lightsaber at the troll, meaning for the blade to fly right past Hungerfist's head, possibly convincing the troll that The Sith's attack had missed... Only to have the crimson bladed weapon fly right back, aiming to slice the back of the beasts head, seriously burning the troll.

[ThirdEmperor]

Refreshment Tent

A group of four is loitering here, watching the people heading for the arenas. They wear chainmail, and pinned over their hearts, the badge of the Silver Knights; A shield radiating a stylized sunburst, twin griffins encircling a fort etched upon it's face. The clear leader of the group is a man of fiery red hair, with a face somewhat like a bulldog, his nose broken back and his jaw widely blunt.

The rest are a pack of boys barely up to his chin, shaven heads and gawkish looks that scream of nerves. They barely look to be used to the armor they wear, much less the blades that sit at their belts, and there's no mistaking any of them for real warriors. One has to wonder what they think they're doing here.

[Morty]

Arena I

Marcus answers Thariza's call, step forward boldly, glad to be rid of injury. I am the Last Praetorian, Marcus Hostilius Regulus, and as a WATCHman, I can beat anyone who offers a challenge. He has his gladius strapped to his side, spear in hand, and his shield on his left arm. The young cohort will look over his opponent, trying to gauge her strengths and weaknesses.

Thariza, for the record, looks like this:

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss47/Michals901/Thariza.jpg

She's hefting a heavy, flanged mace in one hand and has a battered old shield with a gear painting on the other. She appears heavy set, strong and hardy, but not very quick.

"Alright, then, step into the ring. We fight until one of yields, through whatever means we have available."

[Aric Kale]

Thariza, for the record, looks like this:

http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/ss47/Michals901/Thariza.jpg

She's hefting a heavy, flanged mace in one hand and has a battered old shield with a gear painting on the other. She appears heavy set, strong and hardy, but not very quick.

"Alright, then, step into the ring. We fight until one of yields, through whatever means we have available."

That's quite the figure.
Marcus will start by bowing, before raising his large, sturdy shield to cover his torso and midsection. Those terms sound agreeable. Would you prefer that I abstain from using magic? He asks the question as he takes a step towards her, the tip of his spear glowing fiercely. He is surprisingly agile when fighting solo, but years of training in a regiment has given him a preference for standing his ground and sharing blows.

[Morty]

[Arena I]

"You use your magic, I'll use mine," Thariza says, as she raises her shield and swings her mace back and forth, with her arm slightly raised. Indeed, her weapon and shield begin to slightly glow with a blue light.

[FireFox]

[Command Tent]

Sam and Hector make their way here. The redheaded soldier grins when she sees Wenomir, but hangs back to wait for him to finish talking to the youths.

[Aric Kale]

[Arena I]

"You use your magic, I'll use mine," Thariza says, as she raises her shield and swings her mace back and forth, with her arm slightly raised. Indeed, her weapon and shield begin to slightly glow with a blue light.

Well in that his spear fires a small beam of red energy at Thariza's torso. If it strikes, it should do no more than cause some amount of pain, though she looks tough enough to shrug it off. case. This will be fun. He remains stationary, taking a defensive position as he continues to shoot his destructive energy. He's only firing at a rate of one per every five seconds, so Thariza shouldn't feel too hard pressed.

[Morty]

[Command Tent]

Wenomir turns around when he spots Sam and smiles as well. The boys fall silent and look at the HALO member curiously. "Good to see you back on your feet," he says. "Welcome to the tournament. Those two are my nephews, Ziemowit and Bartosz. Boys, this is Samantha Goswell, a HALO member and an old acquaintance of mine."

[Arena I]

When Marcus fires the first ray, Thariza hunkers down on her knees and thrusts her shield forward. It causes a transparent, bluish force field to shimmer to extend outwards and deflect the ray back at its source.

[Aric Kale]

[Arena I]

When Marcus fires the first ray, Thariza hunkers down on her knees and thrusts her shield forward. It causes a transparent, bluish force field to shimmer to extend outwards and deflect the ray back at its source.

Arena I

The red beam barrage ends abruptly as Marcus uses his own shield to block the attack, the Runes of Protection creating a second layer around the reinforced wood shield. At last, someone with abilities which behave similarly to my own, even if they differ in source. He slashes his spear in a diagonal line going down from right to left. This creates an arc of the same painful energy which flies towards Thariza's stomach and legs.

[Morty]

[Arena I]

Thariza actually steps forward towards the energy arc, this time sending her mace to meet it. The weapon glows with the same blue light, which is more intense this time, and the impact creates a shockwave that'll try to push Marcus back. The Charr doesn't respond to his comment - seems she becomes very concentrated when she fights, even in a friendly duel.

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Total focus is an attribute that Marcus can respect, and he'll honor it by taking the match just as seriously. When the shockwave hits, no damage is done, but Marcus does take a step backwards, thrusting his spear at Thariza in order to keep her back. No energy is forthcoming; he wants to see how aggressive his opponent could be.

[Arkhosia]

Later On by Arena I

Misaka is boredly flipping an arcade coin, catching it, and flipping it, and catching it, and flipping it....
Her right hand is holding aloft a sign reading in bright red "Looking for a Challenger"

And another point in time @ Arena I to prevent self RP:

Caelynn strides in, smiling with eagerness.
Anyone looking for a fight? I'm convey ready!

[Ionbound]

Refreshment Tent

A group of four is loitering here, watching the people heading for the arenas. They wear chainmail, and pinned over their hearts, the badge of the Silver Knights; A shield radiating a stylized sunburst, twin griffins encircling a fort etched upon it's face. The clear leader of the group is a man of fiery red hair, with a face somewhat like a bulldog, his nose broken back and his jaw widely blunt.

The rest are a pack of boys barely up to his chin, shaven heads and gawkish looks that scream of nerves. They barely look to be used to the armor they wear, much less the blades that sit at their belts, and there's no mistaking any of them for real warriors. One has to wonder what they think they're doing here.

Therlynn is at the refreshment tent as well. When she notices the knights, she mutters, more or less under her breath, "Oh wonderful, the racist torturers are out in force today." Of course, if the knights are paying attention, they'll be able to hear her...She's not that subtle. .

[Morty]

Arena I

Total focus is an attribute that Marcus can respect, and he'll honor it by taking the match just as seriously. When the shockwave hits, no damage is done, but Marcus does take a step backwards, thrusting his spear at Thariza in order to keep her back. No energy is forthcoming; he wants to see how aggressive his opponent could be.

Thariza doesn't press the attack, instead circling Marcus slowly with her shield raised and her mace poised for a strike.

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Marcus pivots in place, keeping his place in the arena as Thariza circles him. Since he is not in the center of the ring, she'll likely start to near him, and if she does he will lunge forward and attempt to stab her with his blunted spear.
Should his adversary keep her distance, he'll attempt to throw the spear just behind her and swiftly draw his gladius, the red energy around his blade pulsing violently.

[ThirdEmperor]

Refreshment Tent

The red-haired man shoots her a glance, even as his lackeys move to draw steel. An upheld hand gives them the signal to stop though, the commander setting down his glass, turning to Therlynn with a smile full of scorn.

"Oh yea, they've let in dogs and all. Terrible place, ey?" Taking a hors d'oeuvre, he wolfs down the cube of cheese and chews the toothpick. "I'd offer you somethin' to eat, wolf, but I'm 'fraid they don't serve human flesh here."

[Ionbound]

Refreshment Tent

The red-haired man shoots her a glance, even as his lackeys move to draw steel. An upheld hand gives them the signal to stop though, the commander setting down his glass, turning to Therlynn with a smile full of scorn.

"Oh yea, they've let in dogs and all. Terrible place, ey?" Taking a hors d'oeuvre, he wolfs down the cube of cheese and chews the toothpick. "I'd offer you somethin' to eat, wolf, but I'm 'fraid they don't serve human flesh here."

Therlynn merely smirks and says, "Yes, yes...Really, you don't know what you're missing. Hate really makes you people taste so much more...more. Really, it does. I have a friend who says it's something to do with the chemicals the body releases. So do keep it up...It'll make the after-fight feast much better if you attack me."

[Morty]

Arena I

Marcus pivots in place, keeping his place in the arena as Thariza circles him. Since he is not in the center of the ring, she'll likely start to near him, and if she does he will lunge forward and attempt to stab her with his blunted spear.
Should his adversary keep her distance, he'll attempt to throw the spear just behind her and swiftly draw his gladius, the red energy around his blade pulsing violently.

Thariza puts her shield in the way of the spear, and tries to push it aside. Should she succeed, she'll try to close the distance and strike at Marcus' head. If the hit connects, it will be noticeable, but harmless.

[Aric Kale]

Thariza puts her shield in the way of the spear, and tries to push it aside. Should she succeed, she'll try to close the distance and strike at Marcus' head. If the hit connects, it will be noticeable, but harmless.

Arena I

The spear is easily shoved awry as the tigerwoman rushes him. Marcus raises his own shield to block the attack just a moment too slow. Luckily, all of his armor has Runes of Protection on it, causing Thariza's mace to bounce against it as if striking steel, without damaging his helm. In response, Marcus will attempt to stab Thariza in the gut, which could leave quite a bruise if it connects.

[Earl of Purple]

Arena 1

As the lightsabre flies past his head, Hungerfist reaches up to bat it away instinctively. If it works or not, he ignores it, so it burns the back of his head when it comes back and he grunts. The ogre smiles, approaching cautiously and preparing to launch a very fast punch at Trucido's head.

[Arkhosia]

Med Tent

A woman strides up to the Med Tent, clad in a slightly unusual outfit (http://amazingjapan.eu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Attack-on-Titan-Annie.png). She looks to be 18, and has an athletic physique, with tanned Caucasian skin, a prosthetic left foreleg, and a slightly attractive form. 3D Maneuver Gear (http://cosplaywho.com/media/wysiwyg/3d-maneuver-gear-2.jpg) hangs from her sides.

[Zefir]

Med Tent
((Outfit link doesn't work.))

Mia is there and since the combats have juststarted, there isn't much to do.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She looks over the woman, but can't see any wounds yet so she seems to wonder why this person is here.

[Arkhosia]

Med Tent
((Outfit link doesn't work.))

Mia is there and since the combats have juststarted, there isn't much to do.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She looks over the woman, but can't see any wounds yet so she seems to wonder why this person is here.

((It's the usual AoT uniform))
Um, you wouldn't happen to know if there's any gas around here would you?

[Zefir]

Med Tent

Mia tilts her head and looks confused.

"Eh, I don't think you can find that here. maybe it's somewhere else. I don't know this area very well."

[Arkhosia]

Med Tent

Mia tilts her head and looks confused.

"Eh, I don't think you can find that here. maybe it's somewhere else. I don't know this area very well."

Damn. My Maneuver Gear's out.
She replies.

[Taet]

Karen shows a mover where to move the hand truck and a very big cardboard box. She tips him and opens up the box with a pocket sized box cutter. Soon she unpacks and builds a moveable shrine to the gods of luck. There is a counter full of shelves and small statues. There is a comfy seat for behind the counter. There are taller sticks to hang lucky charms and papers on. On top there is a flip number board (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_flap_display) that looks like a forex with the luck percentage rates for every deity for the same amount of gold or mana or blood or chi or time. The numbers on the board change every second.

[Zefir]

Damn. My Maneuver Gear's out.
She replies.
Med Tent
"Your Maneuver Gear?" Mia asks still confused. She got no idea what this woman means with it.

[Arkhosia]

Med Tent
"Your Maneuver Gear?" Mia asks still confused. She got no idea what this woman means with it.

Katherine rashes an eyebrow, then remembers that not everyone knows about it.
Yes. See these block-like things, and the tanks, and the apparatus on my back? These are parts of my The Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear, also called Vertical Maneuvering Equipment, is a set of gear developed by humans that allows great mobility when facing the Titans in combat. It's basically a set of two grappling hooks with swords which we can detach and replace the blades of, and tanks of gas here are used to propel us through the air to aid our movements via releasing compressed air as well as powering the grappling hooks.
She explains, showing every part as she speaks of it.

[Zefir]

Med Tent

Mia nods and listens. She understands more then the woman might think due to her high technological knowledge.

"I see, but still I don't know where you could get some gas here. Might I ask why you don't use electicity? Most parts seem to be able to work this way , too."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arena II]

If Tovpir wants, he can face the astral hounds described in post #12, since Recaiden seems to have dropped out of that scene (and even if he hasn't, it doesn't matter, there can be multiple packs of hounds or something).

[Elsewhere]

Challenger!

A tall, handsome red-haired tiefling is totally present and looking for a fight. He's dressed in a considerably less spare outfit than his usual garb. In addition to his usual heavy, clockwork looking gauntlets, he's wearing a dark padded coat with a breastplate and gorget, and armored boots. In addition to his usual array of daggers, he also has a pair of swords wrapped up in bundles - a larger cross-hilted longsword, and a much narrower, more modern smallsword.

Kal hangs around the outskirts of the tournament for now. As far as he's aware, he's still publicly aligned with AMEN, which may not draw too warm a welcome from the assorted HALOites and Watchmen, even if personally he's starting to think of casting off from what he sees as a diseased and dying group.

[Arkhosia]

[Arena II]

If Tovpir wants, he can face the astral hounds described in post #12, since Recaiden seems to have dropped out of that scene (and even if he hasn't, it doesn't matter, there can be multiple packs of hounds or something).

[Elsewhere]

Challenger!

A tall, handsome red-haired tiefling is totally present and looking for a fight. He's dressed in a considerably less spare outfit than his usual garb. In addition to his usual heavy, clockwork looking gauntlets, he's wearing a dark padded coat with a breastplate and gorget, and armored boots. In addition to his usual array of daggers, he also has a pair of swords wrapped up in bundles - a larger cross-hilted longsword, and a much narrower, more modern smallsword.

Kal hangs around the outskirts of the tournament for now. As far as he's aware, he's still publicly aligned with AMEN, which may not draw too warm a welcome from the assorted HALOites and Watchmen, even if personally he's starting to think of casting off from what he sees as a diseased and dying group.

Misaka walks up to him.
"hey, you looking for a sparring partner too?H

[Morty]

Arena I

The spear is easily shoved awry as the tigerwoman rushes him. Marcus raises his own shield to block the attack just a moment too slow. Luckily, all of his armor has Runes of Protection on it, causing Thariza's mace to bounce against it as if striking steel, without damaging his helm. In response, Marcus will attempt to stab Thariza in the gut, which could leave quite a bruise if it connects.

Thariza is hit in the gut, but as the spear connects, she's surrounded by a blue glow and Marcus might feel his own strike, albeit weaker than the original one. At the same time, Thariza makes another attack, this time an upwards swing at his elbow.

[Arkhosia]

Med Tent

Mia nods and listens. She understands more then the woman might think due to her high technological knowledge.

"I see, but still I don't know where you could get some gas here. Might I ask why you don't use electicity? Most parts seem to be able to work this way , too."

Katherine looks at her quizzically.
What's Electricity?
Huh.
Gess that explains it

[Ashen Lilies]

Kal gives Misaka a quick glance.
"Yeah.... not in the habit of sparring with... tiny... schoolgirls..."

[Arkhosia]

Kal gives Misaka a quick glance.
"Yeah.... not in the habit of sparring with... tiny... schoolgirls..."

I can hold my own! You're looking at a Level 4 Electron Manipulator! I can probably beat you without breaking a sweat!
Misaka replies, sparks dancing across her left hand and a confident grin on her face.

[Aric Kale]

Thariza is hit in the gut, but as the spear connects, she's surrounded by a blue glow and Marcus might feel his own strike, albeit weaker than the original one. At the same time, Thariza makes another attack, this time an upwards swing at his elbow.

Arena I

Ouch, empathy strikes are never fun to deal with. Marcus grunts as he feels a bit of the damage he just inflicted on Thariza, barely able to counter with his shield in time. The Runes allow him to keep his balance, but he won't manage an attack of his own. Instead, he backpedals several feet, dropping the spear and drawing his gladius.

[Ashen Lilies]

"I'm a guy with a bunch of pieces of sharp metal. Still no." Kal frowns. If the girl's abilities were anything at all like magic, the fight would be terribly one-sided. And Kal didn't want to be the one hitting a helpless schoolgirl repeatedly with a sword in front of a bunch of do-gooders.

[Hattish Thing]

Arena 1

As the lightsabre flies past his head, Hungerfist reaches up to bat it away instinctively. If it works or not, he ignores it, so it burns the back of his head when it comes back and he grunts. The ogre smiles, approaching cautiously and preparing to launch a very fast punch at Trucido's head.

Darth Calamity growls in anger as his lightsaber appears to barely even injure the beast. He was so used to the idea that even a single strike of his magnificent blades was fatal. The blade eventually flies back to him, but Trucido doesn't even bother to grab the hilt of his finely built blade. He's a bit preoccupied with the ogre's powerful offense. He scowls as the fist flies towards him, knowing full well that a single blow from the monster to his head would knock him out in seconds. However... Trucido relied on other things than simply his blades... As the ogre's fist swings close to him, Trucido aims his now open right hand at Hungerfist's hand, attempting to use the force to hold the punch at bay, while simultaneously having the power he wields crush the fist... attempting to not only keep the monster at bay, but to break it's hand's bones. He grunts out a brief exclamation as he uses his power. Size... Ugh.... Matters not to a Sith. You are but an ant in the view of The Force...

[Arkhosia]

"I'm a guy with a bunch of pieces of sharp metal. Still no." Kal frowns. If the girl's abilities were anything at all like magic, the fight would be terribly one-sided. And Kal didn't want to be the one hitting a helpless schoolgirl repeatedly with a sword in front of a bunch of do-gooders.
Misaka smiles.
And I'm a girl who launches metal objects at three times the speed of sound.
She replies confidently

[Earl of Purple]

Arena I

The ogre grimaces in pain when its punch is stopped, but ogre bones are much thicker and denser than human bones; they don't break easily, and ogres have less pain receptors than a human built on a similar scale. That said, they are breaking- just not quickly. Hungerfist keeps the metal-plated hand where it is, as his other one lashes out at a similar speed. The ogre is hoping that Trucido's attention is focussed on the hand he's already stopped and doesn't notice the new one aimed at his head.

[Ashen Lilies]

Kal blinks.
"Cool. I automatically lose. Well done. Go away."

[Zefir]

[Arena II]

If Tovpir wants, he can face the astral hounds described in post #12, since Recaiden seems to have dropped out of that scene (and even if he hasn't, it doesn't matter, there can be multiple packs of hounds or something).


[Arena II]
Tovpir is ready. as said he either fights PC's or Monster. Since people don't kill here, he should be fine. Still he is a more defensive type due to be of Stone. He will wait for the hounds to at least come closer
((Recaiden said he can't post often right now so I think he just didn't got the time))




Katherine looks at her quizzically.
What's Electricity?
Huh.
Gess that explains it

Med Tent

Mia is siletn for amoment.

"Well, You ever watched a storm? The lightnings coming from the clouds are the most known kind of electricity, in their rawr form. With it we are able to run light and machines like him." She points at MDM behind her who currently is pushing some boxes around.

[Arkhosia]

Kal blinks.
"Cool. I automatically lose. Well done. Go away."

Fine. *sigh*.
Misaka leaves!
A short while later, Kal may be approached by Katherine, a 17 year old girl with dhort red hair, brown eyes, a muscular form, and Caucasian tanned skin clad in an unusual outfit (http://img.mangastream.com/cdn/manga/76/2136/46.jpg).
you wouldn't be up for a sparring match would you?

[Arena II]
Tovpir is ready. as said he either fights PC's or Monster. Since people don't kill here, he should be fine. Still he is a more defensive type due to be of Stone. He will wait for the hounds to at least come closer
((Recaiden said he can't post often right now so I think he just didn't got the time))



Med Tent

Mia is siletn for amoment.

"Well, You ever watched a storm? The lightnings coming from the clouds are the most known kind of electricity, in their rawr form. With it we are able to run light and machines like him." She points at MDM behind her who currently is pushing some boxes around.

Oh! Neat!
I'll have to look into that sometime.
She replies

[Morty]

Arena I

Ouch, empathy strikes are never fun to deal with. Marcus grunts as he feels a bit of the damage he just inflicted on Thariza, barely able to counter with his shield in time. The Runes allow him to keep his balance, but he won't manage an attack of his own. Instead, he backpedals several feet, dropping the spear and drawing his gladius.

Thariza's assault has been stopped for now. She backs away, looking for a hole in Marcus' defences.

[ThirdEmperor]

Refreshments Tent

"If you're out for a fight, just say." The knight taps a finger against the saber on his belt, all pretense of mock-pleasantly gone as Therlynn describes her eating habits. "But I'm no wild animal. I won't cut you down here."

[Ionbound]

Refreshment Tent

Therlynn grins wildly, with a gleam in her eye, and she says, "Well, then. It would be a shame to waste these fine facilities, would it not? Shall we adjourn to Arena I and do this officially?"

[Arkhosia]

Refreshment Tent

Therlynn grins wildly, with a gleam in her eye, and she says, "Well, then. It would be a shame to waste these fine facilities, would it not? Shall we adjourn to Arena I and do this officially?"

Suddenly...
Hey!
A man clad in leather armor worn over a blue sweater and black leggings with leather boots, a sylphlike figure, and insectoid wings sprouting from his back, enters. A quiver of arrows hangs from his waist and a bow is on his back. He has unruly red hair and a wolfish face.
You think they allow two on two fights here, hon?

[ThirdEmperor]

[Refreshments Tent]

"Don't know and can't care." The knight brushes the sylph aside as he pushes his way out the tent, barely sparing a second glance for him nor Lynn. "This's personal." His entourage of squires are soon to follow as he heads for the arena, grabbing treats off the table as they leave.

[Ionbound]

[Refreshment Tent]

Therlynn kisses Eyros on the cheek and says, "Sorry, love. This one's personal...I want to do this myself." With that, she jogs to the Arena to meet the Knight and decide the conditions.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arena II]

The hounds seem to be quite patient for the moment. They advance slowly, sizing up stone scorpion and flanking him, but not pouncing immediately.

[Kal]

Kal shrugs.
"I don't know. Can you instantly blow up my head with a supersonic projectile you propelled with your mind?"
Kal may or may not be starting to think that coming to this tournament was a bad idea.

[Arkhosia]

[Arena II]

The hounds seem to be quite patient for the moment. They advance slowly, sizing up stone scorpion and flanking him, but not pouncing immediately.

[Kal]

Kal shrugs.
"I don't know. Can you instantly blow up my head with a supersonic projectile you propelled with your mind?"
Kal may or may not be starting to think that coming to this tournament was a bad idea.
Uh... nope. Katherine Surgius, member of the 104th Recruit Legion.
Katherine puts her right fist over her heart and he left arm behind her back, standing up straight. Her 3d maneuver gear hangs from her hips with her kenn blades sheathed.
I'm a swordfighter, actually.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Kal]

"That works for me." Kal smiles slightly and hefts his two swords. Of course he's not going to use them both at once. They're just his two different options.
"Shall we move to the arena?"

[Arkhosia]

[Kal]

"That works for me." Kal smiles slightly and hefts his two swords. Of course he's not going to use them both at once. They're just his two different options.
"Shall we move to the arena?"

The girl nods.
Sure!
Katherine draws her kenn, and walks with him to the arena.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arena I]

Kal walks towards the arena, examining Katherine's swords. When they get there, he'll pull off his right gauntlet, and then remove the right sleeve of his coat, which appears to be attached by clasps at the shoulder. When he's done, his entire right arm is bare, revealing his well-developed muscles. His left arm is still fully covered.

He places his gauntlet and sleeve on the ground by the longsword, and picks up the rapier, which he draws. It's well crafted, with a protective basket hilt and slim, meter-long blade, but also completely plain and very new looking. Not an heirloom or long-used weapon by any means. It's also razor sharp, which Kal notes grimly as he swishes it experimentally. He'll have to be careful and restrain himself to only the lightest of touches.

"Shall we go to first blood?" He says, stepping to the side of the arena.

[Arkhosia]

[Arena I]

Kal walks towards the arena, examining Katherine's swords. When they get there, he'll pull off his right gauntlet, and then remove the right sleeve of his coat, which appears to be attached by clasps at the shoulder. When he's done, his entire right arm is bare, revealing his well-developed muscles. His left arm is still fully covered.

He places his gauntlet and sleeve on the ground by the longsword, and picks up the rapier, which he draws. It's well crafted, with a protective basket hilt and slim, meter-long blade, but also completely plain and very new looking. Not an heirloom or long-used weapon by any means. It's also razor sharp, which Kal notes grimly as he swishes it experimentally. He'll have to be careful and restrain himself to only the lightest of touches.

"Shall we go to first blood?" He says, stepping to the side of the arena.

Sounds good. Mind if I dual wield?
Katherine asks, stepping to the other side.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Arena]

"Go ahead."
Kal stands in a defensive position, holding his rapier with his right hand in front of him.

[Arkhosia]

[Arena]

"Go ahead."
Kal stands in a defensive position, holding his rapier with his right hand in front of him.

As soon as he holds up the blade, Katherine rushes at him, left facing him.
She leaps and slashes down at him with her two blades, aiming to hit the arm, and land behind him.

[Aric Kale]

Thariza's assault has been stopped for now. She backs away, looking for a hole in Marcus' defences.

Marcus decides to press forward with his own aggressive approach, stabbing the air with his blade and sending red bolts of energy at Thariza, trying to keep her off kilter.

[5a Violista]

[Watching the match of swords between Kal and Katherine]

Conrack, another person whose name starts with a hard K sound, is here and watches the match. Why, yes, he's been here at the tournament the whole time. Obviously.

Even though he recently lost his weapons at AMEN, he...might have new ones. I don't know. Maybe.

He looks like a man with a wolf's head for his head, and he has a lot of scars, and he wears a cape. He's also pretty retired, so grey hair exists, too.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

The knight draws his sword and casts the scabbard aside as they step onto the sand of the arena, flicking the silvered blade through the air in a quick arc that brings him into fencer's stance. He has a good form, one quite evidently well-practiced, but perhaps a bit mismatched to the actual weapon; A curved French brisquet, not the sort of saber typically used for the quick, light strikes of a fencing style.

"Here's how. You'll stay a human, and use a blade for our fight." The man barks, glancing to where his followers gather in the stands. Coin passes between them, with words indecipherable at this distance, and the knight smirks." "But I'll let you choose. Do we fight to first blood, or 'till someone begs for mercy?"

[Ashen Lilies]

As soon as he holds up the blade, Katherine rushes at him, left facing him.
She leaps and slashes down at him with her two blades, aiming to hit the arm, and land behind him.

[Arena I]

Kal steps forward, dodging the blow neatly has he spins to face Katherine. He moves with practiced poise and precision, though his handling of the sword is slightly awkward, as if rusty. He thrusts neatly at Katherine, aiming to land a light tap with the razor sharp tip of his blade on her collarbone.

[Zefir]

Oh! Neat!
I'll have to look into that sometime.
She replies

Med Tent

"I can just assume your from a low tech world when electricity is unkown to you. I can tell you that people have made good use of it and the normal life got much more easier that way. Since your tool runs on gas, I belive you will need to upgrade it or build something totally new to get access to our energy source."


[Arena II]

The hounds seem to be quite patient for the moment. They advance slowly, sizing up stone scorpion and flanking him, but not pouncing immediately.

[Kal]

Kal shrugs.
"I don't know. Can you instantly blow up my head with a supersonic projectile you propelled with your mind?"
Kal may or may not be starting to think that coming to this tournament was a bad idea.

[Arena II]

Tovpir is nit realy willing to let them both flank him so he moves backwards, closer to the edge of the rings. His string is up, pointing from one enemy to the the other while he looks between them. He will wait until either they attack or one of them get's close enougth for Tovpir to lunge forward and hit them with the string.

[Ionbound]

[Arena - Therlynn]

The knight draws his sword and casts the scabbard aside as they step onto the sand of the arena, flicking the silvered blade through the air in a quick arc that brings him into fencer's stance. He has a good form, one quite evidently well-practiced, but perhaps a bit mismatched to the actual weapon; A curved French brisquet, not the sort of saber typically used for the quick, light strikes of a fencing style.

"Here's how. You'll stay a human, and use a blade for our fight." The man barks, glancing to where his followers gather in the stands. Coin passes between them, with words indecipherable at this distance, and the knight smirks." "But I'll let you choose. Do we fight to first blood, or 'till someone begs for mercy?"

[Arena - Therlynn]

Therlynn gives him a Look, and says, "Why would I agree to losing my main fighting styles? Here's what we're going to do: Until one of us begs for mercy, no other restrictions. If you can't beat a werewolf using her full power, go complain to Hannod or whatever his name was. I'm sure he'll be very pleased to hear one of his followers can't deal with his main prey."

[Arkhosia]

((Thinking up reply for you Zefir))


[Arena I]

Kal steps forward, dodging the blow neatly has he spins to face Katherine. He moves with practiced poise and precision, though his handling of the sword is slightly awkward, as if rusty. He thrusts neatly at Katherine, aiming to land a light tap with the razor sharp tip of his blade on her collarbone.

Katherine brings a blade up to block, and swings the other to lightly cut his arm.

[happyturtle]

Arena I

Decker is in the crowd, to cheer on Kal. Her hair and horns haven't grown back, so she's wearing a poorly fitting wig. Go Kal! :smallbiggrin:

http://imageshack.us/a/img62/38/ohif.png (http://tektek.org/av/1132784)

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena- Therlynn]

The knight's stance slackens, glaring back at Therlynn in exasperation.
"And I won't play with a dog who bites, when I can't kill." Hardly a fair fight, that. "You'll fight like a human does. Or you walk away without your revenge."

[Ionbound]

[Arena- Therlynn]

The knight's stance slackens, glaring back at Therlynn in exasperation.
"And I won't play with a dog who bites, when I can't kill." Hardly a fair fight, that. "You'll fight like a human does. Or you walk away without your revenge."

Therlynn smirks confidently and says, "There is no pride in killing a a caged beast. If you want to be able to walk away with this with any amount of accomplishment, you'll let me use my full power. However, if you're worried about being bitten, don't. Why would I give something like this to a sniveling coward like you? You wouldn't be able to stay sane, anyways."

[Morty]

Marcus decides to press forward with his own aggressive approach, stabbing the air with his blade and sending red bolts of energy at Thariza, trying to keep her off kilter.

Thariza thrusts her shield forward, the energy bolts smashing into it. She begins advancing, if slowly. Her mace glows with bright light.

[Aric Kale]

Thariza thrusts her shield forward, the energy bolts smashing into it. She begins advancing, if slowly. Her mace glows with bright light.

Marcus presses forward, matching her pace. He holds his shield up, hampering his vision and mobility but granting greater defense. You are quite the skilled opponent. He says, trying to circle around so that Thariza is between his spear and himself.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena- Therlynn]

"Oh, won't you just shut it. 'M sick of you whining about a fight on fair ground." Letting his stance collapse entirely and his blade trail to the ground, the knight rubs his nose in agitation. Who would've thought the creatures of the night would be so whiny. "I won't play. All I want is an even fight. You want your revenge, learn to lift a blade. Or, let everyone see what a coward you are, afraid to fight without your tricks."

It's not just his lot watching, after all. The stands are packed with people come to see some blood. Needless to say, they're getting a little confused at the lack of fighting right now. And it doesn't take long for confusion to start turning into annoyance.

[Ionbound]

[Arena-Therlynn]

Therlynn smirks and says, "Oh, but isn't that the point of a Tournament, for us to test our strength against each other on fair ground?" She sighs, and then swiftly extends her blade and swings it at the man's leg as she says, "But if you insist."

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

The knight's back to form before Lynn can close the arena, and his footwork is so light he practically seems to flow around her strike as he steps back. "You're easy to read, wolf. Already knew you didn't have honor."

With a flick of his wrist he takes a quick swipe, aiming to cut a shallow mark high across her shoulder while her blade is still low before dancing back again, wanting to sting at her pride more than her flesh. There's a grin on his face, the smug bastard. "Here I'd thought you'd be more. Heard you and yours killed a few of mine."

[Ashen Lilies]

((Thinking up reply for you Zefir))



Katherine brings a blade up to block, and swings the other to lightly cut his arm.

[Arena I]

Kal pulls his arm back, narrowly avoiding the cut, then adopts a defensive posture. Katherine will have to make the next move again.

[Morty]

[Arena I]


Marcus presses forward, matching her pace. He holds his shield up, hampering his vision and mobility but granting greater defense. You are quite the skilled opponent. He says, trying to circle around so that Thariza is between his spear and himself.

"Thanks," Thariza responds. "You're not bad yourself."

As she speaks, she stops and smashes her mace into the ground. It results in a symbol, blazing with white light, that might hamper Marcus' vision and burn him slightly.

[Ionbound]

Arena-Therlynn

Since she can't go up, Therlynn continues her downwards momentum, taking herself into a low duck under his swing and then swinging into a low leg-swipe, trying to knock his legs out from under him.

[Arkhosia]

[Arena I]

Kal pulls his arm back, narrowly avoiding the cut, then adopts a defensive posture. Katherine will have to make the next move again.

Katherineswings her blades at him, at the last second moving the left one and attempting to poke him in the arm or stomach (whichever's closer)

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

Already on the retreat, the knight is barely clipped by her kick. He stumbles, but does not fall, quickly regaining his poise as he backs towards the wall. "Thought we were having a sword fight. You're bad at this."

[Ionbound]

[Arena - Therlynn]

Therlynn laughs at this as she skip-charges and thrusts at the knight as she says, "The body is a weapon. The sword is merely an extension of it. If you do not recognize that, you will lose."

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

The knight flings himself aside at the last moment, and Therlynn's charge will lead the point of her blade against the wall instead. She could try to pull aside and save her weapon from cracking or breaking entire, but the knight turns into a wide chop at her back, and she'd be hard pressed to avoid both.

[Ionbound]

Arena - Therlynn

Therlynn is in a tough spot, that's for sure. She can't lose her weapon on the wall, and she can't just take a nasty sword slash to a back, either. So, in the space of a moment, she comes up with a plan. She ducks under the swing, and shrinks her sword back into it's cylinder form as she kicks off of the wall to stop her momentum. However, this complex maneuver doesn't give her enough time to mount a counterattack, so she just springs up and into a defensive posture.

[Aric Kale]

[Arena I]



"Thanks," Thariza responds. "You're not bad yourself."

As she speaks, she stops and smashes her mace into the ground. It results in a symbol, blazing with white light, that might hamper Marcus' vision and burn him slightly.

Arena I

Marcus would respond, but sudden loss of sight distracts him slightly. Not daring to perform a counterattack, he crouches down behind his shield, protecting his whole body as he waits to recover. If the symbol actually causes damage, his Healing Runes will work on mending him.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

She'll be lucky if she has time for even that. Sensing advantage, the knight forgoes his cautious dance to wade in while his opponent is still regaining her footing, bringing the saber down in both hands for a furious downwards chop.

[Ionbound]

[Arena - Therlynn]

Therlynn, left with no other choice, grits her teeth as she catches the blade in her left hand in the saddle on the thumb and index finger. She cries out, but tries to force the blade back and extend the sword to bring it around and cut into the knight's side.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

The knight grins, twisting his grip to force the curve of the silvered blade into the joint of Lynn's hand with all the strength he has. He makes a grab himself, catching her strike at the wrist and shoving it aside so it scrapes along the the side of his mail rather than breaking the rings, and tribes to press his way forward on her, get in too close for her to make use of the longsword. He's a strong man, although still only human.

[Ionbound]

[Arena - Therlynn]

Therlynn bares her teeth at the knight in pain at the swords twist, but tries to take advantage of knight's effort and suddenly pulls her hand away from the sword as she steps out of what she thinks the swing will be. If it gets lower enough, she'll raise her foot and try to stomp on the blade and disarm the knight, saying, "That's enough of that, I think."

[FireFox]

[Command Tent]

Wenomir turns around when he spots Sam and smiles as well. The boys fall silent and look at the HALO member curiously. "Good to see you back on your feet," he says. "Welcome to the tournament. Those two are my nephews, Ziemowit and Bartosz. Boys, this is Samantha Goswell, a HALO member and an old acquaintance of mine."

It's good to meet you two. And this is Hector, another HALO captain. The silver-haired man politely smiles and nods in greeting. So what all do you have going on here?

[McBish]

Amelia Jones walks into the tournment looking around smiling. She had been to the last tournment and was disapointed when it had ended after only one round. So she enjoys the more relaxed setting of this tournment. She wanders among the arena's watching the fights that are happening and keeping an eye out for anyone looking for a challanger. She is dressed in her tight fitting leather armor. It looks like several tough leather straps wrapped around her body. The whole thing desinged to let her move freely in a fight. It would be easy to mistake her for an unarmed fighter since she doesn't carry any weapons. But she is keeping an eye open for other swordsmen around.

((Interaction Wanted-Fight or not))

[Morty]

Arena I

Marcus would respond, but sudden loss of sight distracts him slightly. Not daring to perform a counterattack, he crouches down behind his shield, protecting his whole body as he waits to recover. If the symbol actually causes damage, his Healing Runes will work on mending him.

Thariza attempts to press her advantage, battering at his shield to try and break his guard.


It's good to meet you two. And this is Hector, another HALO captain. The silver-haired man politely smiles and nods in greeting. So what all do you have going on here?

"We've got three kinds of arenas," Wenomir says. "Duel arenas, monster fights and non-combat challenges... although the last one doesn't seem to be used. At any rate, I've been thinking of putting on a show. I and a HALO member would fight some big, nasty summoned thing. A show of cooperation and all that."

The two boys hang back, silent. They seem a bit intimidated, and they were somewhat in awe of their uncle to begin with.

[FireFox]

[Command Tent]

I wouldn't mind a marksmanship competition. Or I could get the rest of my team in here and do a little demo in that third arena... Sam muses to herself.
Then Hector speaks up. What are you looking for, in a companion for your show?

[Morty]

[Command Tent]

"A strong, high-ranking HALO member with combat experience," Wenomir says. "No preferences beyond that."

[Aric Kale]

Amelia Jones walks into the tournment looking around smiling. She had been to the last tournment and was disapointed when it had ended after only one round. So she enjoys the more relaxed setting of this tournment. She wanders among the arena's watching the fights that are happening and keeping an eye out for anyone looking for a challanger. She is dressed in her tight fitting leather armor. It looks like several tough leather straps wrapped around her body. The whole thing desinged to let her move freely in a fight. It would be easy to mistake her for an unarmed fighter since she doesn't carry any weapons. But she is keeping an eye open for other swordsmen around.

((Interaction Wanted-Fight or not))

Vynris is here, armed with a unique pistol on either leg, his sword on his left hip, and his beskar shield on his left arm. Honestly, he should be leaning with all of the items he has on the left side. He walks over to Amelia, having nothing better to do, his face rugged and worn, his eyes betraying either eccentricity or madness. Hello there! You look awfully unprepared for such a gathering. Are you planning to lay it on the stones with but a set of knuckles?
Oh, I suppose I should mention that he's wearing a grey shirt with torn sleeves, a black sleeveless vest, black cargo pants, and a white bandana keeping his mess of dark hair out of his eyes. Amelia may recognize his blade as resembling a cinquedea, the main difference being in length, as his sword is slightly over three feet long, starting at around four inches wide at the crossguard.


Thariza attempts to press her advantage, battering at his shield to try and break his guard.

Arena I

He falls back down on his rump, removing the shield from his arm and rolling backwards as the mace strikes hard against the rune-marked wood. Assuming he can see by now, Marcus will again try to catch Thariza between his spear and himself. Without his shield he can move much faster, at the cost of defense, so he should be able to out maneuver his much larger opponent. If he succeeds in circling her, he'll point his gladius at her chest, the blade glowing a fierce red, and mentally activate the runes on his spear (laying in the ground) to create a connecting beam of painful red energy, possibly breaking past her own defenses. If that doesn't work, he'll quickly run out of options.

[Morty]

[Arena I]

Thariza is taken by surprise. She followed Marcus as he retreated, but she didn't expect him to pull off such a trick. The beam goes through her and she stops, yelling in pain. She goes down to one knee.

[McBish]

Amelia grins and holds a hand up infront of her. A sword made of solid light appears in her hand. "I am lucky enough to always have my favored weapons close at hand." She explains before letting go of the sword and letting it fade away into nothingness. "I'm not even sure if I really want to fight here anyways." She is sort of releuctant. Fighting is her only source of income at the moment, and taking on a fight for free probably isn't going to help her in any real way. Still she does like a good challange.

[Fan]

[In front of Arena One]

Hayden walks in, carrying a sign in one hand, and a chair in the other, staking it into whatever appropriate ground he can find before taking a seat, smiling a wry arrogant smirk as he surveys the contest before him. The sign beside him stating simply "Taking all comers." his coat cast away and the nature of who they'd been fighting quite clear, the dull pulsing reactor core in his chest and the armored nature of his body that seemed to whirr with every breath the hero from the future took, all pointing to him at least being slightly mechanical, a fact that he hoped would ward of anyone that wasn't enough of a challenge to test the mettle of a hero like him.

However, big names and top powers would need something better than your ordinary chaffe, and thus.. perhaps a little showmanship was in order.

Standing on the chair, his arms forming an upward cross as he called out to the attendees and potential challengers.

"THE LEGENDARY HERO HAS ARRIVED! Hayden Bofloy, the Cyborg of the future. The ultimate merge of man and machine, and the hero of tomorrow has decided to grace any and all challengers who think that they can test their mettle against the ideal hero of the future! A man who has bested armies, who lives to mock recklessness, and doesn't know the meaning of holding back seeks a challenger to test his mettle against. So, do any of you bozos think you have what it takes?!"

[Arkhosia]

Hayden

Sophia, the woman I currently have an avatar of, walks up to Hayden with amusement in her eyes.
I may, but it depends. Can the arena hold something giant-sized?

[Zefir]

((Ark I just assume you got no intressed in continue the scene with Mia))

[Medical Tent] -> [Arena 1]

Mia and another robot that isn't MDM head out to the arena. They won't interfer into the fight right now, but they are ready to give first Aid and carry the person to the MedTent in case it's needed.

[Aric Kale]

[Arena I]

Thariza is taken by surprise. She followed Marcus as he retreated, but she didn't expect him to pull off such a trick. The beam goes through her and she stops, yelling in pain. She goes down to one knee.

Arena I

Marcus readies his blade for another attack, though this would just be from the sword itself, the mental triggering of a rune seems to have drained some of his energy. As sweat begins to bead up on his forehead, he offers Thariza a chance to end the duel now. HALOite Thariza, you have fought admirably, but I believe we can both agree that I have taken the field today. Yield now an rest. He speaks confidently, with just a slight hint of his natural Scottish burr invading his accent.


Amelia grins and holds a hand up infront of her. A sword made of solid light appears in her hand. "I am lucky enough to always have my favored weapons close at hand." She explains before letting go of the sword and letting it fade away into nothingness. "I'm not even sure if I really want to fight here anyways." She is sort of releuctant. Fighting is her only source of income at the moment, and taking on a fight for free probably isn't going to help her in any real way. Still she does like a good challange.

Vynris laughs, impressed with her armament, Hahaha! Come, come, we'll make a wager. Say, 100 [some recognized form of currency] to the winner? Sound fair? His sword carries veins of a rare materiel which allows him to give his own blade a thin laser-layer, so he isn't particularly concerned by her hardlight weaponry. Naturally, I'll forgo my frost and laser pistols...the shield too, if you like. He offers, indicating the guns with his free hand.

[Fan]

Hayden

Sophia, the woman I currently have an avatar of, walks up to Hayden with amusement in her eyes.
I may, but it depends. Can the arena hold something giant-sized?

"Provided you only grow vertically so much, but keep in mind challenger. that just because you get larger doesn't mean your arena will. As sure I am that I could best a person the size of a planet, a ring out is a ring out."

Hayden says with a boisterous laugh, dazzling artificial white teeth flashing a smile as he continues.

"Make yourself as big or small as you wish. Nothing can escape the grasp of true justice, and in a battle between warriors. Victory goes to those with courage!"

[Arkhosia]

((Ark I just assume you got no intressed in continue the scene with Mia))

[Medical Tent] -> [Arena 1]

Mia and another robot that isn't MDM head out to the arena. They won't interfer into the fight right now, but they are ready to give first Aid and carry the person to the MedTent in case it's needed.


"Provided you only grow vertically so much, but keep in mind challenger. that just because you get larger doesn't mean your arena will. As sure I am that I could best a person the size of a planet, a ring out is a ring out."

Hayden says with a boisterous laugh, dazzling artificial white teeth flashing a smile as he continues.

"Make yourself as big or small as you wish. Nothing can escape the grasp of true justice, and in a battle between warriors. Victory goes to those with courage!"

Sophia smiles mischievously
Alright, let's spar then!

- - - Updated - - -

((sorry, no inspiration))

[McBish]

Vynris laughs, impressed with her armament, Hahaha! Come, come, we'll make a wager. Say, 100 [some recognized form of currency] to the winner? Sound fair? His sword carries veins of a rare materiel which allows him to give his own blade a thin laser-layer, so he isn't particularly concerned by her hardlight weaponry. Naturally, I'll forgo my frost and laser pistols...the shield too, if you like. He offers, indicating the guns with his free hand.

Amelia thinks about it juggling a few numbers in her head. We'll say gold coin, Amelia's favorite currancy. 100 coin would put a pretty big dent in her savings. No actually it would wipe it out. Then again if she wins she could easily double her money. "Alright that sounds fair enough. Keep your shield I will try to make sure you need it." She says with an easy grin. She is tempted to let him keep his guns as well, but since she now has her savings on the line she isn't going to give him any advantages.

[Morty]

[Arena I]

Thariza nods wearily.

"I wasn't expecting such a trick. I yield."

[Aric Kale]

Amelia thinks about it juggling a few numbers in her head. We'll say gold coin, Amelia's favorite currancy. 100 coin would put a pretty big dent in her savings. No actually it would wipe it out. Then again if she wins she could easily double her money. "Alright that sounds fair enough. Keep your shield I will try to make sure you need it." She says with an easy grin. She is tempted to let him keep his guns as well, but since she now has her savings on the line she isn't going to give him any advantages.

Then haiku your face to my blade! He calls, jogging into the nearest unoccupied arena. He sheds his pistols aside, leaving them in a secure location before drawing his sword. At the flick of his thumb, the weapon glows green, humming with energy. Make sure you don't break your weapons on it. This shield can take a beating. He chuckles as he bangs his exten-quedea against the beskar shield.

[Arena I]

Thariza nods wearily.

"I wasn't expecting such a trick. I yield."

Arena I

The red glow dulls significantly as the legionnaire sheaths his blade and offers her a hand up. Twas well fought. I did not expect you to have such strong defenses

[FireFox]

[Command Tent]

"A strong, high-ranking HALO member with combat experience," Wenomir says. "No preferences beyond that."

I reckon I fit that description better than most. You want a reference or some bona fides as to my skill? It's hard to tell how serious he is, with that easy-going grin.

[Morty]

[Arena I]

"Defence is what I do," Thariza says, getting up with Marcus's help. "I'm a defender, not an assault troop. And it was a good fight."

[Command Tent]

Wenomir shrugs.

"I think I can take your word for it. Let's see if KR or Cessie can conjure something suitably impressive."

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Ah, see, I am an assault troop of sorts. Regardless, it will be an honor to fight by your side. With that, unless stopped, he'll gather up his things and leave to observe the rest of the Tournament.

[FireFox]

[Command Tent]

Hector gives Sam his IWB holster with his H&K USP45. He keeps his sunglasses and tie on and then follows Wenomir to the two magic women.

[McBish]

Then haiku your face to my blade! He calls, jogging into the nearest unoccupied arena. He sheds his pistols aside, leaving them in a secure location before drawing his sword. At the flick of his thumb, the weapon glows green, humming with energy. Make sure you don't break your weapons on it. This shield can take a beating. He chuckles as he bangs his exten-quedea against the beskar shield.


Amelia climbs into the arena after him. She looks like she is trying to figure out what he meant with that first phrase. She considers how she could make a short poem with her face and his blade. She doesn't like any of the possibilities that come to mind.

Still she figures this could be an interesting fight. Beyond his laser pistols and his glowing sword this guy seems like he could be squirrely. She stretches out a little bit before striking up a fighting stance. She summons up a blade in both hands one held out in front of her pointing at him, the other behind her back pointing up to the sky.

"Ready when you are."

[Aric Kale]

Amelia climbs into the arena after him. She looks like she is trying to figure out what he meant with that first phrase. She considers how she could make a short poem with her face and his blade. She doesn't like any of the possibilities that come to mind.

Still she figures this could be an interesting fight. Beyond his laser pistols and his glowing sword this guy seems like he could be squirrely. She stretches out a little bit before striking up a fighting stance. She summons up a blade in both hands one held out in front of her pointing at him, the other behind her back pointing up to the sky.

"Ready when you are."

Squirrely? Whatever could you mean? I assure you, Vynris is comple--Til the life juice weeps...never mind.

He notes her position and raises his shield to cover his torso and jaw, stepping forward. He holds his sword in a vertical line beside his sword. He seems poised to strike, his muscles taut with excitement.

[McBish]

Amelia grins liking the cut of this guys jib. She nods agreeing to his terms taking it to mean first blood. Never one to keep the crowd waiting she skips forward light on her feet. Her sword striking up high, chopping downwards at his head. Her other sword stays behind her back if all goes to plan.

[Aric Kale]

Amelia grins liking the cut of this guys jib. She nods agreeing to his terms taking it to mean first blood. Never one to keep the crowd waiting she skips forward light on her feet. Her sword striking up high, chopping downwards at his head. Her other sword stays behind her back if all goes to plan.

Arena 1

Vynris counters the attack with his shield, raising it above his head to block the impending blow. While her side is exposed, he quickly slashes at her ribs with his blade, pulling back at the last minute, just to see how she responds. If able, he'll then leap backwards.

[McBish]

Arena 1

Amelia is quick to show off one of her favorite tricks. In the air where his sword is traveling through she summons up a solid bar of light to block the blow. She then will spin around away from the sword. Her other sword coming out and slashing low. Her second sword strikes from above again this time aiming for the arm holding the stopped sword.

[Aric Kale]

Arena 1

You're stirring quite the storm in my tranquil seas! Vynris spins in the opposite direction, pivoting away from the bar of light to block her next blow. This time his shield drops low as he swings it out to guard his legs as his sword counters the downward strike at his head. Unfortunately, he's in no position to make his own attack...

[McBish]

Arena 1


You're stirring quite the storm in my tranquil seas! Vynris spins in the opposite direction, pivoting away from the bar of light to block her next blow. This time his shield drops low as he swings it out to guard his legs as his sword counters the downward strike at his head. Unfortunately, he's in no position to make his own attack...

Amelia is reaching for her attacks at the moment. She isn't going to be able to bring her swords around if she wants to keep her momentum. So she kicks out at Vynris's shield hoping to knock him off balance or maybe even knock his shield out of the way for her next attacks. "Really, never felt calmer myself."

[5a Violista]

Conrack is...still here, watching the matches. Clapping when appropriate and cheering, too.

...

If anyone wants to fight against a werewolf-retired mercenary-guy, then go ahead and talk to him. Preferably something thematically appropriate.

[Aric Kale]

Arena 1



Amelia is reaching for her attacks at the moment. She isn't going to be able to bring her swords around if she wants to keep her momentum. So she kicks out at Vynris's shield hoping to knock him off balance or maybe even knock his shield out of the way for her next attacks. "Really, never felt calmer myself."

Bravo to you, then. He quips, grunting as his shield is struck, knocking him back apace. He slashes blindly with his sword, likely aiming for her torso, hoping the length of his sword would be enough to keep her at bay. My shield is made from an idea, and you can't break ideas! Vynris Valavingee shouts as he tries to regain his footing.

[Ionbound]

Conrack is...still here, watching the matches. Clapping when appropriate and cheering, too.

...

If anyone wants to fight against a werewolf-retired mercenary-guy, then go ahead and talk to him. Preferably something thematically appropriate.

Therlynn strolls up to him and smiles, saying, "Oh. I didn't realize there was another werewolf here. Nice to meet you."

[Fan]

"Alright then, I believe as the challenger you get to pick which of the arenas we use."


Hayden says gesturing around towards those available, clearly confident enough that he didn't care which she choose, though he knew that she wouldn't be able to pick one with a roof or any of the underground arena's so he'd be able to use his flight anyway it went, barring some insane underwater matchup.

[Arkhosia]

"Alright then, I believe as the challenger you get to pick which of the arenas we use."


Hayden says gesturing around towards those available, clearly confident enough that he didn't care which she choose, though he knew that she wouldn't be able to pick one with a roof or any of the underground arena's so he'd be able to use his flight anyway it went, barring some insane underwater matchup.

Sophia grins, picking the top one.
I regenerate, so don't hold back.
How about I lose if I'm brought to my knees, you pose if I manage to grab you?
She proposes to him as they arrive

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA II]

At some point, a teenage-looking girl (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?154882-Nexus-Character-Directory&p=16431503&viewfull=1#post16431503) in filthy clothing appears near the fenced-off area, apparently just passing by. The sounds of battle pique her interest, though, and she deviates from her planned course, looking in from outside the fence and trying to figure out what's happening. She eventually decides to investigate more closely and enters the tournament grounds, where she learns about the event and the rules regarding the different arenas. Fighting against one of the sponsored opponents sounds like fun, so she requests entrance to Arena II and, assuming that she's allowed to contend, strolls happily into the domed area.

"OK...let's try Hard Mode for starters," she'll say to herself, and her smile will become more of a confident smirk as she prepares to face her foe. Whoever this girl is, she's no stranger to combat, despite her fragile appearance.

((Quick question: does Arena II have grass turf, bare dirt, or some other kind of floor? It's relevant to the character's combat abilities, I swear.))

[McBish]

[Arena 1]


Bravo to you, then. He quips, grunting as his shield is struck, knocking him back apace. He slashes blindly with his sword, likely aiming for her torso, hoping the length of his sword would be enough to keep her at bay. My shield is made from an idea, and you can't break ideas! Vynris Valavingee shouts as he tries to regain his footing.

She arches her back away from the attack so the blade is short of cutting her torso. One of her swords comes in behind his sword to help push it away as it goes past her. "Sure you can, you just need stronger ideas." And thankfully all her weapons are ideas. She dances forward attacking his shield hoping to keep him on the defense.

[Aric Kale]

[Arena 1]



She arches her back away from the attack so the blade is short of cutting her torso. One of her swords comes in behind his sword to help push it away as it goes past her. "Sure you can, you just need stronger ideas." And thankfully all her weapons are ideas. She dances forward attacking his shield hoping to keep him on the defense.

Arena I

Only if you can first shatter my resolve... Vynris boldly declares as the tip of his blade kisses the dirt, singeing the soil beneath it. Again he can't hope to succeed with a counterattack...so he'll try it anyways. By flicking his wrist to the side, he attempts to bash Amelia's light blades aside and slam into her with his shield.

[McBish]

[Arena 1]

Amelia daces back giving them both a little breathing room. She doubts she can actually break his shield, and getting around it is going to be a problem. So she is going to try another trick. It will depend on Vynris' actions. She hopes that he charges forward to attack her. If he does she will summon up another bar of light, this time placed to cause him to trip as he charges. Of course if he doesn't charge her plan probably won't work.

[Fan]

Sophia grins, picking the top one.
I regenerate, so don't hold back.
How about I lose if I'm brought to my knees, you pose if I manage to grab you?
She proposes to him as they arrive

"I'm afraid I don't quite get the wager. Could you explain? Terms of winning and losing? Anything to be classified as "cheating"?"

Hayden says raising an eyebrow, that sentence was a little difficult to parse, perhaps it was just him being from the future.

[Arkhosia]

"I'm afraid I don't quite get the wager. Could you explain? Terms of winning and losing? Anything to be classified as "cheating"?"

Hayden says raising an eyebrow, that sentence was a little difficult to parse, perhaps it was just him being from the future.

Sophia smiles.
If you manage to topple me, you win. If I manage to grab you, I win. I do have a larger form, remember?
Cheating is moving out of the arena or going too high to be out of my grasp. I cannot change form more than once. That sound good?

[5a Violista]

Therlynn strolls up to him and smiles, saying, "Oh. I didn't realize there was another werewolf here. Nice to meet you."

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Conrack turns his attention from the match, towards Therlynn.
For the sake of simplicity, I'll just repeat his description: he has several scars, is quite old enough to be retired (he is; or, he was), he's wearing a cape, has a sword at his waist, is wearing really cool leather boots, and his head is that of a wolf's. He also has a shirt, but it's very loose.
Also, pants. Can't forget those.

He smiles. "I'm from WATCHTOWER. I haven't seen you around, so I suppose you're from HALO?" he guesses.

He looks back at the match. "There's quite a lot of capable fighters here, on both sides."

[Aric Kale]

[Arena 1]

Amelia daces back giving them both a little breathing room. She doubts she can actually break his shield, and getting around it is going to be a problem. So she is going to try another trick. It will depend on Vynris' actions. She hopes that he charges forward to attack her. If he does she will summon up another bar of light, this time placed to cause him to trip as he charges. Of course if he doesn't charge her plan probably won't work.

Arena I

Vynris doesn't charge so much as he leaps forward, cleaving in a wide arc from ground to sky. Naturally, there's quite a bit of force behind the blow should it connect...not that it's likely to, considering the bar of light that just caused him to flip in midair and faceplant...ouch. He takes a knee, but his shield is still at his side, not in any proper position to block an attack.

[McBish]

Arena I

Amelia tries to finish this quickly then. She dashes forward and hopefully past Vynris. The sword on her far side from him tries to cut him on his shoulder near the neck as she tries to run past him. Those in the crowd may notice that for a split second she summoned up runners blocks under her feet to give her extra traction to really put a burst of speed on this attack.

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Amelia tries to finish this quickly then. She dashes forward and hopefully past Vynris. The sword on her far side from him tries to cut him on his shoulder near the neck as she tries to run past him. Those in the crowd may notice that for a split second she summoned up runners blocks under her feet to give her extra traction to really put a burst of speed on this attack.

Arena I

Vynris knows he's finished. He could pull out some last ditch effort to win, but it wasn't worth the coin...he could afford the loss. The soldier attempts to make eye contact with Amelia and wink before the blade takes his shoulder, slicing it open and allowing blood to pour forth. Well done...he congratulates, wrapping his bandana around his wound...you're playing for keeps. Here. He reaches into one of his big side pockets and tosses her a pouch with a little over 100 gold coins. You fought well, you'll do these Orgs proud, should you join them.

[McBish]

Arena I

Amelia grins letting her swords disappear as soon as her blow lands. "Thanks." She says catching the coins in the air and tossing the pouch up and down in her hand. The clinking of the coins confirming to Amelia's ear if they are gold.

She steps forward as he is bandaging himself. "Here let me take care of that." She quickly ties the pouch to her armor. And if he lets her she will raise up a hand to put on the wound. Assuming all this happens a golden light will come from her hand and heal the cut.

"I've never been much of a joiner. But I do appreciate he gold." She says loudly enough for anyone watching to hear as well.

[Aric Kale]

Arena I

Vynris accepts the healing hand, leaving his bandana there, for the moment. Haha, I understand. I serve Emperor Laboosh, but he knows me well enough to put me in Special Forces...anyways, twas a fantastic fight. The coin was well-earned. He offers her a hand to shake before joining the crowd.

[McBish]

Arena I>>Joining the Crowd

Amelia grins as she heads out of the arena. A thought strikes her and she scans the crowd watching for any familiar faces. The 100 gold on her waist feels good, but she figure it could also make her a target. Still she figures she is safer here then most of her normal hang out. She figure that what seems like a large chunk of her coin to her might seem tiny to some of the people here.

[Ionbound]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Conrack turns his attention from the match, towards Therlynn.
For the sake of simplicity, I'll just repeat his description: he has several scars, is quite old enough to be retired (he is; or, he was), he's wearing a cape, has a sword at his waist, is wearing really cool leather boots, and his head is that of a wolf's. He also has a shirt, but it's very loose.
Also, pants. Can't forget those.

He smiles. "I'm from WATCHTOWER. I haven't seen you around, so I suppose you're from HALO?" he guesses.

He looks back at the match. "There's quite a lot of capable fighters here, on both sides."

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Therlynn nods and replies, "Indeed, on both counts. I suppose it's a testament to your skills that you're able to walk around as a wolfman without being accosted by that self-righteous group of werewolf hunters that have been running around."

[5a Violista]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

"Actually," Conrack admits, "I haven't seen or run into them. Or maybe you're right and they just keep to themselves when I'm around." He's still watching the match that's going on. He's good at multitasking like that; he can watch and listen at the same time. He can also watch and talk at the same time.

It would, in fact, be very cool to meet werewolf hunters. Conrack probably wouldn't think so, but...anyway.

"Have you run into them? Were they much of a problem?"

[Ionbound]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Therlynn nods and says, "Twice. Once just after I infected someone because she asked me to and I felt sorry for her, and once here. The first time they captured and tortured me until a friend of mine saved me, and here, I don't know because of how time works here. So, yeah. They're pretty nasty pieces of work."

[5a Violista]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

"That's unfortunate," replies Conrack - although he doesn't see any reason why someone would want to be a werewolf.

"So," he says, finally turning his attention away from the match, and looking at Therlynn. "Have you been in any matches yet?"

[Ionbound]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Therlynn nods and says, "The one, against the hunters...I don't suppose you're looking for a fight?"

[5a Violista]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Conrack nods: "You know, I'd like one; I haven't had a friendly assault for a while."

That's a yes.

[Ionbound]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Therlynn nods, and replies, "In that case, after you." She gestures to the stairs to a fight sign up and parameters kiosk.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

As the two gets down to the arena they can see the person in charge of the summoning is already there waiting for them. But it's not Cessie standing there, it's Arik.
While Hector probably isn't familiar with the tall raven-haired man standing there Wenomir has at least meet Cessie's older brother a few times. Unlike Cessie he hasn't adapted his clothing one bit, still wearing a robe after all these years in a black coloration. "Ah, two challengers appear. My sister asked if I could help with the summoning and I couldn't think of a reason to say no. Been too long time since I visited this place." He smiles at the two but his demeanor and tone is cold and detached. "So what challenge am I supposed to give you two? Ces wasn't too clear on the rules for these... trials."

[Morty]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

"We need a challenging fight that'll make for a good spectacle," Wenomir says. His tone is polite but not too warm. He's only met Arik once or twice, but he's not too fond of him. "Since we're both rather powerful, it needs to be scaled accordingly."

[5a Violista]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Conrack was going to say "Ladies First" but that is, in fact, only chivalrous in certain situations; one of those is not, in fact, when you are about to fight her.

He nods, and goes to the stairs to sign up.

Then, he signs up?

[ImpSyndrome]

[OUTSIDE ARENA II -> OUTSIDE ARENA III]

Let's back up a few minutes.

Sasha was going to ask to participate in a fight with a sponsored opponent in Arena II. Of course, she failed to notice that two bigger and much-more-powerful-looking guests had been waiting for their turn for some time already. She took too long to enter the domed area herself, so these two made it in there first, where the foe arranged for them had just arrived as well. The dust yokai was a bit disappointed, but they did get there first, so it would've been rude to cut ahead of them.

To curb her disappointment, Sasha wanders over to the neglected third arena and notices that it doesn't seem to have the same battle-ready fortifications as the other two. Guessing that it's likely used for other purposes, she looks inside for a moment and, after noting its expansive size, decides that she'd much rather play a game than fight a monster. She puts on a big grin and turns to the rest of the tournament grounds before shouting, "Who wants to play Bullet Tag?!"

((Partly because I got bored of waiting but mostly because it dawned on me how weak Sasha is compared to most of the other combatants. She'd be much better suited to a non-combat game instead...and before anyone asks, the bullets involved in this game of Bullet Tag will be represented by non-solid lights instead of actual shots, so it's technically just Reverse Keep-Away, which should count as a non-combat game.))

[Ionbound]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Therlynn smiles as she signs up, and then asks Conrack, "Wolf form only, until someone cries uncle sound good for you?"

[5a Violista]

[Conversation of the Werewolves]

Conrack nods. "Deal."

[...]
Time passes, until the arena is free.

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Conrack is in the arena now. Before doing any werewolf-change, though, he does a couple things: He undoes his cape and lets it fall to the ground. He removes his sword and tosses it onto the cape so it doesn't blow away. Then...a knife, too. It gets tossed over to the cape.

Then, he takes off his shirt and boots. Leaves his pants on, obviously. Can't go destroying all his shirts, can he? That's one of the biggest expenses for wolves: buying replacement clothing. "Sorry for the wait. Ready now," he says. He does not transform yet, though. This is one of the times when "ladies first" is the correct thing to do.

[Ionbound]

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Therlynn grins as she watches Conrack...Strip, for lack of a better word. She nods, and says, "See, I have an advantage here...For some reason, I get my clothes back after each shift. Probably some innate magic or something." With that, she shifts, and, more for the crowd's benefit than anything else, let's out a howl. However, out of respect, she waits for Conrack to change before attacking.

((Magic Pants FTW!))

[5a Violista]

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Conrack cups his two hands together, and it looks like a cyan flame appears between them. The flame spreads up his skin and across his body, and...then, the "flame" turns into fur and he grows larger.

By the time he's completely transformed, he's around three times as large as he was as a regular person, his previously-wolf head looks more monstrous than wolflike, and he's only partially covered in fur. He has quite long arms and legs. He's also really hunched over, but still on two feet. He roars.

He looks more like monster with a wolf motif than a wolflike man or a manlike wolf. Wearing pants, of course; they're still on him.

They're more like Hulk Pants than Magic Pants.


Since Therlynn was waiting for him to transform, she has time to launch an attack first.

[Ionbound]

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Therlynn grins and roars back at Conrack as she charges him, trying to knock him over, and bring a claw around for a vicious swipe at his flank.

((If Conrack has regeneration, this could go on for a while...))

[5a Violista]

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Regeneration? Of course not. That's silly. There's nothing around to eat.

He's hit by her charge, and goes down. But, as he's going down, he wraps his arms around and tries to dig his claws into her back, so he can pull her down with him.

He gets hit on the side. The cut is deep, and begins bleeding. He doesn't flinch from it, though.

[Ionbound]

[Battle of the Werewolves]

Therlynn growls as Conrack's claws sink into her back, but carries her charge. Once Conrack is tackled, she attempts to return the claw to her back while she also tries to sink her teeth into the other werewolf's shoulder and throat.

[ThirdEmperor]

[Arena - Therlynn]

Therlynn bares her teeth at the knight in pain at the swords twist, but tries to take advantage of knight's effort and suddenly pulls her hand away from the sword as she steps out of what she thinks the swing will be. If it gets lower enough, she'll raise her foot and try to stomp on the blade and disarm the knight, saying, "That's enough of that, I think."

It's an undignified scuffle at this distance as she drives his blade into the ground and stomps it out his grasp, and the knight's hand tightens around her wrist in response. He makes to extend her sword arm and twist viciously, trying to force Lynn to drop her own weapon, and kicking a steel-toed boot towards the back of her leg.

[Ionbound]

It's an undignified scuffle at this distance as she drives his blade into the ground and stomps it out his grasp, and the knight's hand tightens around her wrist in response. He makes to extend her sword arm and twist viciously, trying to force Lynn to drop her own weapon, and kicking a steel-toed boot towards the back of her leg.

Therlynn loses her sword in the scuffle, but manages to to block the kick by catching his shin with her foot as it swings. She then grins and says, "Good old brawling...Fun." With that, she pulls her arm that is held, trying to hold it taut, and then brings her uninjured hand around in an attempt to break the knight's arm.

[5a Violista]

[Battle o' th'Werewolves]

Conrack's mouth bites back at Therlynn's. That's actually one of the best defenses, in his opinion, against getting bitten in the jugular. By biting back at the mouth, the only place he can get bitten in is in the face, which (although bloodier) is much less damaging.

His claws-paws-whatever pull out of her back, as he tries to throw Therlynn over to the side and roll...so he's no longer on the bottom, but on the top. Wolves instinctively see being on the ground, stomach-up as showing weakness.

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA III -> ARENA II (for real this time)]

Several seconds of silence pass as Sasha's exclamation fades into obscurity, drowned out by the ambient chatter among the crowd and the sounds of raging battles. Now she's getting a bit angry; it's one thing if people don't want to play her game, but they could at least say something instead of outright ignoring her. Don't they get that she's more than the teenage girl that she appears to be? Well, there's only one thing to do now: if they don't think she's worth their time, then she needs to go prove them wrong. She stomps her way back to Arena II and waits for the three men from earlier to finish their bout, determined to get her own time in the spotlight this time.

Once they've left, the dust yokai enters the domed area and makes sure that no one else is inside before preparing for a fight of her very own. She reaches into a pocket of her clothes, retrieves a large pouch of random, finely-ground detritus, and scatters its contents onto the ground around her. As Sasha pockets the empty pouch, a puff of smoke across the ring signals the arrival of an opponent. Before the cloud dissipates and the foe emerges, the yokai girl starts to hover a few inches off the ground and begins to radiate a thin silver aura. "I'll show you not to take me lightly," she mutters. "No one underestimates a yokai and walks away unscathed...Let's see how they like me on Lunatic Mode."

((I'll wait until tomorrow noon (GMT-6) in case Shadowcaller wants to set up an enemy for Sasha to fight. If there's no response by then, I'll make something up and continue in exposition.))

[Ionbound]

[Battle o' th'Werewolves]

Conrack's mouth bites back at Therlynn's. That's actually one of the best defenses, in his opinion, against getting bitten in the jugular. By biting back at the mouth, the only place he can get bitten in is in the face, which (although bloodier) is much less damaging.

His claws-paws-whatever pull out of her back, as he tries to throw Therlynn over to the side and roll...so he's no longer on the bottom, but on the top. Wolves instinctively see being on the ground, stomach-up as showing weakness.

Therlynn tries to lock her jaws with his when he bites at her, and then, if she successful, tries to maintain the lock and carry the momentum of the roll to end up on top, and then claws at Conrack's chest.

[5a Violista]

[Werewolf Battle]

Jaws are now locked, and Conrack's stuck on the bottom again. He gets scratched again at his chest. Chest wounds are painful. Actually, they aren't. Not with the number of times he's gotten them already (judging by how many scars he has there). But they're easy to get.

A growling sound comes from the back of his throat. Well, since he's down again...time to use those claws. He swipes up at her upper arms/shoulders.

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA II: A New Challenger Is Approaching!]

From the cloud of smoke in Arena II emerges a strange being composed of what seems to be a dense mass of ectoplasmic matter. It takes the form of a fully-grown human woman, but its eyes glow with an eerie pale-white light, and it exudes a commanding aura about it. Sasha seems to recognize the form taken by the spectral being, and she stares at the thing, utterly vexed. "Chi...Chiaki...? It can't be...! Chiaki-san, how did you survive...?!"

There's little time for chit-chat, though, as the spirit starts firing bullets in every direction, bouncing them off the dome overhead to angle shots at random. Sasha is forced to take to the air with great celerity, weaving around the bullets and grazing the ones that get too close. It takes several seconds for her to regain her composure and find an opening between waves of shots, but once she does, she immediately launches a counterattack, firing streams of her own bullets at her foe. The first few make contact and cause the spirit to recoil, but the rest are absorbed by a magic barrier that suddenly appears in front of it. The ghost glares menacingly with those glowing, intimidating eyes as more hostile shots pass through the barrier and aim for Sasha, forcing her to flee once more.

(This is not good,) the yokai thinks to herself while dodging assorted bullets. (Chiaki-san was always one of the best magicians in Other-Gensokyo...Even at Lunatic level, I'm no match for her. I can't let her leave this arena, though; if she does, there's no telling what horrible things she'll do to the innocent people here...What am I going to do? If it wasn't for that shield, I might stand a chance, but...Oh no!)

Sasha can't even finish devising a plan before the spirit somehow produces a paper talisman. The Japanese characters written on its surface read "Kinetic Sign [Running With The Devil]"; these symbols glow brightly against a sudden darkness that engulfs the background as the Spell Card's effect activates...

((Gotta go for now, but I'll continue the expository battle later. Anyone can feel free to spectate, but please don't try to interfere; this is going to serve as the setup for ReitaiSide's first major incident. Besides, Sasha will be able to survive and win on her own, and she'd rather take care of this matter herself anyway.

[Ionbound]

[Werewolf Battle]

Therlynn is scratched, and yips in pain, breaking the lock as she viciously claws at Conrack's belly in vengeance!

[5a Violista]

[Werewolf Battle]

Yes! Mouth released.

Conrack is viciously clawed. It's rather sad.

Now, time to throw into the next stage of his plan: throw her off so he can get back up. He curls up his legs in order to press them against Therlynn's waist. After moving them, he kicks as hard as he can, in order to throw(kick) her away from him.

[Ionbound]

[Werewolf Battle]

Therlynn is kicked! She flies off of Conrack, but manages to land on all four and growls, but doesn't leap, instead circling the other werewolf, looking for an opening.

[5a Violista]

[Werewolf Battle]

Conrack gets up and turns to continue facing Therlynn, even as she goes around.

Shoot; he's bleeding quite a bit, and the conditions of the match were werewolf-form only...He starts his shift back to Human (well, human with a wolf's head...) form. (His fur turns into a cape of wolf pelt.) His stomach is still bleeding, along with his sides, but now there's not fur to get in the way of it.

He raises his hands in the universal "I surrender" position: in front of him with his palms facing Therlynn. "I give," he says.

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA II: Who Ya Gonna Call?]

The darkness that suddenly blotted out the background of the domed arena is just as suddenly illuminated by hundreds upon hundreds of spherical bullets, forming a glowing wall behind the menacing spirit. With a single gesture, the spirit launches its attack, and dozens of bullets speed forth from the wall, aimed directly at Sasha. The yokai girl whimpers slightly at the overwhelming sight before diving out of the way of the initial volley and preparing to graze the next one. Over the next thirty seconds or so, the battleground becomes a blur of rocketing lights and sharp flits of movement as she somehow maneuvers around the shots. At some point, though, she fails to evade the barrage in time, and the bullets pierce her fragile figure...or do they?

Just for a moment, it seems as though Sasha has met her end. Suddenly, though, her body explodes into a cloud of ash, which swirls around the ground a bit before composing itself into a humanoid shape again. It glows a bit before Sasha leaps forward from it, completely unharmed, and launches herself at the specter. Taken aback by the gambit, it fails to throw up its barrier in time, and she manages to slip into close range. It throws the entire wall of bullets at her in desperation, but the clever dust yokai is too close at this point; she reaches out and grabs the enemy Spell Card, negating its magic and causing the bullets to disappear. What's more, her other hand is free to gather up some of the dust on the arena floor, and after condensing it into a mockery of some spiked knuckles, she strikes the corporeal spirit with a nasty punch, sending it crashing into the side of the dome.

A few seconds pass as the spirit recovers from the attack; the strange darkness around them lifts, and Sasha pockets the Spell Card she just acquired and lets her collection of dust settle, planning to gather it up again if she needs it. Her enemy produces an eerie moan as it regains its composure and prepares another attack. Instead of forming a new pattern, however, it immediately draws forth another Spell Card and activates its effect. As the Japanese symbols on its surface glow brightly, Sasha recognizes it as a magic spell that she's actually seen in action before: "Sonic Wave [Thunderstruck]". Sure enough, the area around the dome darkens once more, and as the spirit snaps its fingers, a sound with form and force similar to a lightning strike explode throughout the area, nearly deafening Sasha and pushing her back against the opposite wall with terrible force, threatening to crush her...

((Bonus points if you see the pattern I'm making with ghost!Chiaki's Spell Cards.))

[Ionbound]

[Werewolf Battle]

Therlynn shifts back to human form and says, "Alright. I accept your surrender...Well fought. I had a good time. You alright?"

[Lost_Deep]

Approaching Arena One

Someone approaches arena one. She is wearing a black outfit, leather armor from the looks of it. Sturdy boots, leather gloves, long sleeves and a high collar... overall, not an inch of her skin is showing. Her hair is long and brunette, tied back into a ponytail. On her face is a porcelain maiden mask, which hides her face. Overall, there is no way to tell who she is.

There is something more unusual here: anyone looking here will have trouble seeing what she really looks like. They will instead see someone beautiful; whatever they think of as beautiful. She'll have the same outfit, the mask, the proper colors... but whatever feminine body type and body language the viewer thinks of as beautiful, they will see.

This isn't what's really going on, of course. It's actually an illusion, but a very good one. The woman herself isn't all that beautiful, and her body language is eccentric. She walks up to Arena I, curious.

"It's always embarrassing to arrive somewhere late. Ho hum, let us see if they're still taking entries."

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA II: ONE GOOD SPELL DESERVES ANOTHER]

Sasha struggles to pry herself away from the wall as another sonic burst shoves her back at the next snap of the ghost's fingers. At this rate, though, the pure force of each blast of sound threatens to flatten the yokai girl unless she intervenes somehow.

This is when the gloves really come off.

Before the spirit can utilize its spell's effect a third time, the dust yokai pulls a Spell Card of her own from her pocket and summons her own magical might into it, making it glow brightly against the darkness behind her enemy. She declares the spell's name, "Dust Sign [Dirty Bomb]," and launches a volley of large bullets forward with various trajectories. Their speed slows to a crawl near the middle of the arena, where they explode into a multitude of smaller bullets that zip around every which way. The hostile spirit is unable to stop all of the bullets with its shield and ends up taking several minor hits, but what really helps Sasha is a stray shot that rips through its Spell Card, ending its effect and eliminating another of the foe's abilities.

Now the spirit seems genuinely angry. It draws a small spherical shield around itself and charges forward at high speed, apparently planning to ram into Sasha. She manages to get away in time, but as soon as the enemy stops, it fires off a wave of bullets in Sasha's direction before rushing her again. The technique is similar to one of her own spells, but it still takes focus and speed for the dust yokai to graze between the spread of shots while still steering clear of the weaponized shield. She manages to stay one step ahead for a good sixty seconds, although she soon starts to get frustrated, wondering if that barrier would ever disappear.

As if on cue, the shield around the specter shimmers and explodes into a dense wave of light bullets all its own. Sasha's Spell Card is fortunately still active for a few seconds longer, so she makes good use of it, wiping out a good portion of the bullets with her bombs and detonating them quickly to keep the pressure on her foe. Once the magic effect ends, she pockets the expended card and prepares for the next attack. If she can just keep up this pace, she may yet be able to outlast the powerful spirit...

[FireFox]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

As the two gets down to the arena they can see the person in charge of the summoning is already there waiting for them. But it's not Cessie standing there, it's Arik.
While Hector probably isn't familiar with the tall raven-haired man standing there Wenomir has at least meet Cessie's older brother a few times. Unlike Cessie he hasn't adapted his clothing one bit, still wearing a robe after all these years in a black coloration. "Ah, two challengers appear. My sister asked if I could help with the summoning and I couldn't think of a reason to say no. Been too long time since I visited this place." He smiles at the two but his demeanor and tone is cold and detached. "So what challenge am I supposed to give you two? Ces wasn't too clear on the rules for these... trials."


[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

"We need a challenging fight that'll make for a good spectacle," Wenomir says. His tone is polite but not too warm. He's only met Arik once or twice, but he's not too fond of him. "Since we're both rather powerful, it needs to be scaled accordingly."

Hector nods in agreement. Something big and tough, at least. But not too powerful that we'd either need all day or cheap tricks to beat. The goal is one of showmanship, not lethality. A bound elder god would be a bit too much. Anything weaker than that should be fine.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

"I have something in mind already." Arik replies, giving Hector an glance. Elder god? Hmph. "I don't know anything about showmanship but I believe this will suffice. I hope you don't mind getting wet."

In the other end of the arena what appears to just be an enormous blob of water forms and then starts to pour into the arena, stopping as the remaining blob has formed into a pillar with a large puddle of water around it. "You may start, unless you're waiting for it to attack first." He wasn't lying, this thing isn't very impressive-looking at all.

[Morty]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir steps into the arena, holding his sword above him in a roof guard. He's not fooled by the water elemental's unassuming appearance.

[FireFox]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

I don't think he likes you very much. The silver-haired man tells Wenomir. He thinks that a giant water elemental would be easily capable of drowning a warrior in full armor, but he's hoping to be surprised to see how Wenomir will live up to his reputation. I can see you're not very talkative. No need to discuss teamwork tactics or plan anything out, huh? Well that's fine, we're both professionals. He takes off his sunglasses and starts walking along the circumference of the arena, unarmed and waving to the audience with a lazy smile.

[Zefir]

[Approching the Tournament]

Coming from a afar are two new people. Arkant and one of his minions known as gastank man.
Arkant is a tall men. He wears a armles grey robe, covering his torso and feet. His shoulder seem to grow something like scales, which appear very sharp and head down half his arms. Tatoos , showing off arcane symbols cover his lower arms and his hands appear normal.
The other man is a bit smaller then arkant, but he appears more bulky, maybe it's die to the big gas tanks on his back which are big enougth to carryy people inside. The gasmask he is wearing is connected to the tanks on his back.

"You can go for Arena I. The medicine I gave you should allow you to fight without the tanks for a while. I will watch, just to make sure nothing happens." Arkant says.

The other man nods and heads to [Arena I] where he might encounter the lady with the illusion on her.

[ImpSyndrome]

[ARENA II: WITCHY WOMAN]

There's a lull in the action as the spirit hovers near the dome above the arena and stares down at Sasha. Its face appears contorted, as if in anger or scornful scrutiny. Odd, though, considering that such details did not appear previously...Is its physical form growing clearer and more defined as the fight drags on? The thought occurs to the dust yokai, but she's not in the right mindset to ruminate on it just now; she's focused entirely on survival and, past that, victory.

The spirit draws out a third Spell Card, this one bearing characters written in navy-blue ink (as opposed to traditional red ink), and the darkness that appeared with the other two spells is replaced by a star-studded canvas reminiscent of an image of deep space. A disturbingly calm and gentle voice can somehow be heard reciting the name of the magic spell, "Unity [No One Together]", and the symbols burn brightly upon the talisman slip.

Almost immediately, Sasha is surrounded by a gyroscopic swarm of bullets, varying in size and color. The prismatic whirlwind of lethality hovers no further than five feet from the girl, and after a few seconds, a few shots break out of the swarm and aim for her. She frantically grazes the small volley but barely has any time to prepare before another wave of shots, firing only a few bullets each from at least two angles at a time, launches toward her. This continues for another twenty seconds or so, speeding up with every barrage, until one of the attacks finally hits home and knocks her into the wall revolving around her. The resulting impact expels her upward and out of the spell's radius, propelling her with such force that she crashes against the dome overhead (possibly hard enough to fracture it) before falling face-first to the ground below.

Several seconds pass as Sasha fights to stay conscious; she's been lucky to avoid any damage so far, but now that she's been hit, her frailty is plain to see. Another hit will likely finish her, and both she and her foe know it. At first, she expects the spirit to use its magic again, but curiously enough, it deactivates the Spell Card and hides it away, letting their normal surroundings return to focus. The yokai girl rises to one knee in the sudden calm and looks up at her enemy, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. Tension presides for a few more moments before the specter's expression softens somewhat, and it starts to back away toward the ceiling of the arena. "That's enough," it whispers. "I have what I need now. No point in more senseless violence."

Shocked by the familiar sound of its voice, Sasha stammers, "Chi...Chiaki-san! It is you! But how...? Sanji-kun told everyone that you were dead...What are you doing here, anyway?"

"He's not wrong: I am dead. Only my spirit lives, along with a fraction of my magic. I seek to reclaim my powers and restore my body. Then I can get revenge on that treacherous, two-faced vermin."

"Revenge? Why can't you leave Sanji-kun alone?! He didn't do any-"

"Sanji...? That magma-brained lizard can rot, for all I care. My vendetta is with someone else...or do you mean to tell me that you don't know about it?"

"Know about what...?"

The spirit laughs cynically and responds, "My, how cold...She's even left her dearest Sasha in the dark. Don't you worry, sweet-heart; I'll put that horrible trickster in her place soon enough."

There's a flash of light, and the spirit of Noraware Chiaki disappears just as suddenly as it arrived. Sasha takes a minute or two to digest everything that was just said, but none of it makes much sense. Eventually, she arrives at the conclusion that the spirit's presence is the most important thing to take away from the fight, and she rushes out of the arena and away from the tournament grounds, racing home to ReitaiSide to inform her friends of the potential threat...

((This wasn't really as fun as I'd hoped it would be in exposition, so I decided to cut it short and set the stage for the incident.))

[Lost_Deep]

Outside Arena I

The woman in the mask notices the man in the mask, and waves. "Hello, hello," she says casually. The mask hides her face, but her voice seems to imply that she doesn't care about the man's somewhat intimidating appearance.

[Aric Kale]

Observing Arena II

Okami is here, blending in amongst the crowds in his natural state as a wolf. His mottled brown and white pelt isn't exactly well suited for camouflage in this particular area, but he was hoping to slip in as one of the "summoned creatures" that the contenders would be able to fight.
Originally he was going to help that dusty creature in arena I, but it soon became apparent that aiding her would not be an option with the way that place was sealed.
No matter, the Wolf is here. The Sage is ready.

[Shadowcaller]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir steps into the arena, holding his sword above him in a roof guard. He's not fooled by the water elemental's unassuming appearance.


[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

I don't think he likes you very much. The silver-haired man tells Wenomir. He thinks that a giant water elemental would be easily capable of drowning a warrior in full armor, but he's hoping to be surprised to see how Wenomir will live up to his reputation. I can see you're not very talkative. No need to discuss teamwork tactics or plan anything out, huh? Well that's fine, we're both professionals. He takes off his sunglasses and starts walking along the circumference of the arena, unarmed and waving to the audience with a lazy smile.

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Arik takes a seat in a nearby chair and let's out a quiet sigh as the crowd cheers. Such simple entertainment.

The water pillar sways as if it were a snake as the two approach, suddenly flinging two balls of water, one at Wenomir and one at Hector, by breaking off parts of it's own "body". The blobs are actually aimed to land right in front of them, but it's likely hard to discern that.

[Zefir]

Outside Arena I

The woman in the mask notices the man in the mask, and waves. "Hello, hello," she says casually. The mask hides her face, but her voice seems to imply that she doesn't care about the man's somewhat intimidating appearance.

Outside Arena I

The man mit the gas mask may be intimidating for her, but with thoose tanks on his back he should appear a bit less flexible in his movement.

"Hello." comes the voice from under the gasmask. It sounds a bit smoky.
"What terms should we go for?" he asks and stops sudendly. He looks at Arkant and then nods. Then looks back.

[Morty]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir stands motionless and does not flinch as the ball of water heads towards him. Once it lands, he rushes forward, becoming a blur as he crosses the distance between him and his opponent, and performs two lightning-fast cuts.

[Lost_Deep]

Outside Arena I

"Well, I was expecting a bit of banter first, but I can work with that." The beautiful woman places her hands on her hips. "I think we should step into the arena first before thinking of what the terms would be, see what they have available. If you really want to jump straight to the action, though, what kinds of terms would you like?" She turns to head into the Arena as she speaks.

[Zefir]

Outside Arena I

"Well, I was expecting a bit of banter first, but I can work with that." The beautiful woman places her hands on her hips. "I think we should step into the arena first before thinking of what the terms would be, see what they have available. If you really want to jump straight to the action, though, what kinds of terms would you like?" She turns to head into the Arena as she speaks.

Arena I

"Why wasting time." he replies, obviously not in the mood to fall for the womans beauty "If we discuss it befor, one of us might not want to go. Also I assume they don't offer more then the place and enchantment."

He makes a short break.

"For now we might drop illusions so we both know what we got to deal with?"

It's not him who can notice the illusion or even say there is one, but his master Arkant is a caster and not a weak one. He is very good in detecting such things that manipulate the mind and he told it the gasman via thelephati.

[Lost_Deep]

Arena I

"I can't, I'm afraid. It's a pity, really, but what can you do?" the woman steps into Arena I. "But really, any preferences? I have an idea if you don't."

[Zefir]

Arena I

"I don't use wepaons, but otherwise I got no idea myself. The normal KO terms may be ok."

[Lost_Deep]

Arena I

"Well, I don't want anyone to get really hurt. Knockouts take a while to recover from. How about a knockdown? Fully prone, not on hands or knees. Pressing your hands under you counts as a knockdown, they have to be holding you up, at least partially, to save you. Sounds good? Any loopholes?"

[FireFox]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Arik takes a seat in a nearby chair and let's out a quiet sigh as the crowd cheers. Such simple entertainment.

The water pillar sways as if it were a snake as the two approach, suddenly flinging two balls of water, one at Wenomir and one at Hector, by breaking off parts of it's own "body". The blobs are actually aimed to land right in front of them, but it's likely hard to discern that.


[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir stands motionless and does not flinch as the ball of water heads towards him. Once it lands, he rushes forward, becoming a blur as he crosses the distance between him and his opponent, and performs two lightning-fast cuts.

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Hector changes direction before the water hits, so that he's left standing between the two puddles when Wenomir charges forward. He adjusts his tie, shoots his cuffs, and prepares to watch the Watchman's back.

[Zefir]

Arena I

"Well, I don't want anyone to get really hurt. Knockouts take a while to recover from. How about a knockdown? Fully prone, not on hands or knees. Pressing your hands under you counts as a knockdown, they have to be holding you up, at least partially, to save you. Sounds good? Any loopholes?"

Arena I

((Sorry for the delay, but I don't get the last one with the hands.))

"From what I understand you want, it's like a boxfight, just with feet as well, right?"

[Lost_Deep]

Arena I

"Not sure what a boxfight is," The woman admits. "Just nonlethal force, in melee, you could use a training sword if you wanted, and whoever falls down loses. This," she falls down, catching herself with her arms, landing in a push-up position, "Does not count. This," She lets herself down so that her chest is on the ground, "Counts. This," She rolls over onto her side, holding herself up with one arm, "Does not count. This," She shifts so that she's lying on her side, holding her head up casually, "Counts, because my arm is not supporting the weight of my torso. Make sense?"

[Zefir]

Arena I

"That sounds... complicated. And I don't use a weapon so I'm fine without it. Can't we just for for the normal pass out rules?" The man answer. Maybe he is more a fighter. Also ge guess with the gasstanks on his back it migth be hard to get him down on his chest.

[Lost_Deep]

Arena I

"I don't want to risk breaking any bones. I'm not sure how well my physiology lends itself to healing magic, so I need to be cautious about what I do. Suffice to say I'm an... unusual creature." She shrugs. "I'm getting the feeling ths you want to use some powers?"

[Zefir]

Arena I

"I assume we don't fit for a fight then. I don't have 'powers'. I just know that I got strength. If you fear of braking bones I'm really not an opponent for you." The man replies and heads to the exit of the ring.

[Lost_Deep]

Arena I

The woman shrugs. "Allrighty, then." She heads for a different exit.

[Zefir]

Outside Arena I

Teh man stops short after he left the arena and sist down. The tanks he carry serve as backrest for him.

Somwhere

Arkant is walking around the area looking over the several fights that happen and the people in charge. He got no goal so he just walks around.

Open For Interaction OFI

[Shadowcaller]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Hector changes direction before the water hits, so that he's left standing between the two puddles when Wenomir charges forward. He adjusts his tie, shoots his cuffs, and prepares to watch the Watchman's back.


[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir stands motionless and does not flinch as the ball of water heads towards him. Once it lands, he rushes forward, becoming a blur as he crosses the distance between him and his opponent, and performs two lightning-fast cuts.

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

As Wenomir charges the puddle of water before him acts if a huge rock was just dropped in the, creating a huge splash, the water is only splashed in his direction. If he's hit... well, he's gonna be wet as the wet dog he is. /Arik. :smalltongue:
However this has an additional effect, should he be splashed, as the water instantly freezes into ice once it's over him. This might be somewhat inconvenient for the charging Watchman, even more so as the elemental suddenly charges at him, morphing into a huge wave which comes crashing down at the warrior.

[Morty]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Wenomir suddenly comes to a halt when the water splashes in his direction, and jumps, performing a sideways somersault and lands safely away while the water crashes past him. He instantly lashes out and sends two adamantine daggers in the direction of the attacking elemental.

[FireFox]

[Arena II - Wenomir and Hector]

Well that wasn't how the man calling himself Hector expected that to go. He magically expands his senses to keep an "eye" on the two puddles while he focuses on the elemental. It's change into the form of a large wave presents him with a few opportunities.

Ocean surface waves, as generated and affected by winds, are a stochastic process. It's a relatively easy matter for anyone with a measure of magic to influence a whole series of them. A divine spellcaster can play with the physics and hydrodynamics involved to alter their generation, growth, propagation and decay. An arcane spellcaster can draw upon power that would make a probability theorist foam at the mouth and make something that should be random (the height, duration, and shape of subsequent waves) whatever they want it to be.

None of that applies here, of course, because we're talking about a single wave and not a whole series. Also, it's a magically animated fluid body summoned from the elemental plane of water. No wind or geological effects are in play. Hector, however, has fair cause to believe that the water elemental is still affected by other natural forces, governed by laws of physics. If it has to rush towards a warrior and turn into a breaking wave to harm him, then it stands to reason that the thing has to play by certain rules. Hector doesn't. The silver-haired man casts a spell to make the law of gravity go somewhere else and let him do what he wants for a short bit. This should make the wave unable to fall on Wenomir. Or, if the elemental is able to go against gravitational pull to hit someone, the force of that impact may be lessened.

[Beans]

Is that Magtok, Commander of HALO, napping under a tree? Ugh, yes, I'm pretty sure it's him. What a lazy bum, couldn't he have found a better time and place to be nodding off? How can he even sleep with all that noise in the distance? :smallyuk:
[MagTree]
Carrie, Second-In-Command of HALO, stands awkwardly by her boss as he snoozes. Leaning on a cane, the scrawny young woman wonders whether she's even allowed to wake him up. She's pretty sure they're supposed to, like... go in... eventually...

Crap.

[Lord Magtok]

MagTree

Another Magtok descends from the tree, his head poking out upside-down from the foliage, as he surveys the area with a spyglass. He's on his feet a moment later, frowning at the tournament grounds.

"Alright, decoy Mag is in position, and my absurd Tobias impersonation is done. Let's go meet with Watch."

[Beans]

MagTree

Another Magtok descends from the tree, his head poking out upside-down from the foliage, as he surveys the area with a spyglass. He's on his feet a moment later, frowning at the tournament grounds.

"Alright, decoy Mag is in position, and my absurd Tobias impersonation is done. Let's go meet with Watch."

Carrie meeps in surprise, alarmed by her boss. She feels like this is going to happen a lot.
... Yeah, okay, let's... let's do that. The fez is tucked under her arm like a soldier's helmet.

[Morty]

[MagTree]

Wenomir goes to meet Magtok and Carrie when he sees them.

"You're here. Good. Now we can get this whole thing over with."

[Lord Magtok]

MagTree

"Wenomir, Carrie. Carrie, Wenomir." Magtok half-heartedly throws out there as he follows along, getting the general sense that Wenomir would much rather be anywhere else but here, and talking to someone who isn't Magtok.

[Beans]

[Magtree]
Carrie smiles weakly at the scar-riddled man, though she sports a few of her own. Hi, nice to meet you and... stuff...
She limps along next to Magtok.

[Morty]

[MagTree] ==> [Meeting Spot]

Wenomir leads Magtok and Carrie to where, hopefully, the other Watchtower leaders are waiting.

[Shadowcaller]

[Meeting Spot]

Cessie the sorceress is here, she has been rather busy lately with the pregnancy and the children. Yet she seem to have taken the time to be here at least. "Are we waiting for anyone else?" She asks as Wenomir arrives. Hopefully DC is there too.

[Darkcomet]

[Meeting Spot]

DC does not arrive.

That said.

Please tell me why there is any reason I should meet with him. While I won't block the...plan, what could possibly be gained from the two of us meeting aside from some fresh new injuries? Oh, hey Wenomir, bet you're getting tired of this voice in your head already.

[Morty]

[Meeting Spot]

"Give me a second, everyone," Wenomir says, and thinks back:

"Because the merger won't work without the two of you meeting and getting over your conflict. And it's the best thing for Watchtower and HALO right now. We're supposed to do what it takes; dealing with Magtok qualifies. Butting heads with him hasn't done us any good in a long while. Besides, if he does try something, better that it be in a position where you can counter him than if he were to do it as the sole leader of HALO."

[Darkcomet]

[Meeting Spot Brains]

As I said, I'm not going to block the plan, but there is nothing good that can possibly come of my personally meeting with him. He's convinced either I or someone I supply bombed him, even before his alignment with the cat. I still think something had to be done about that, for the record. The point being, how do you expect me of all people to solve a problem that doesn't involve either science or violence, Wenomir? I'm no diplomat. I solve problems by blasting them or simply advancing past them, or both, depending on which gun I'm using at the time.

My presence will only make the existing tensions far worse, given Magtok and the other HALO member who was probably the cat's friend or something. Incidentally, tell someone there to take a scanner to Magtok. He might be using a brainwashed double instead of an actual clone again. There's that repressed anger so characteristic to DC talking about much of anything, although it's more subdued than it used to be.

For the most part, he's very matter-of-fact about it.

[Morty]

[Meeting Spot Brains]

Wenomir sighs inwardly.

"You are blocking the plan, DC, because it won't work if you just growl at Magtok from a distance. Finalizing the merger while you stay away from him will be nothing but burying our face in the sand. Those tensions, as you say, need to be dealt with, one way or the other. And since Magtok claims to be a good guy now, let's see him prove it by dealing with you honestly."

[Darkcomet]

[Meeting Spot]

There is a noticeable pause before the ever-annoying headvoice starts again. ...Fine.

Someone has to bring the scanner.

Then DC is there, with no fanfare whatsoever, in his business attire. There's also something in his right hand, and he has a pistol visibly holstered at his side.

"It's a scanner, before someone starts shooting," he coldly states, raising it towards Magtok and pushing buttons. The scanner in question is there to verify that this is in fact a cyborg and not a shapeshifted double.

[Lord Magtok]

Meeting Spot

"Rest assured, DC, if someone does open fire on this little gathering, it's not going to be me or any of mine." Magtok shoots a glance towards the arenas, idly wondering how strong the shielding is, and precisely how miniscule the odds are of stray laser fire getting flung at them.

"So like we agreed, here I am, and here's Carrie, my new second-in-command. That's our half of the leadership council established. Has Watch come to a consensus as to who is and isn't being promoted to the same level?" Magtok (who is, in fact, the cyborg himself and not a double) takes care not to imply that anyone would be getting demoted over this. The Watch half of this seems tense enough as is, with all those grumbly scowls likely masking tremendous instability in their ranks. Not knowing about the recent attack on their base, nor the robot assailants with an uncanny resemblance to Magbots, he can only assume it's due to politics as usual.

[Beans]

[Meeting Spot]
Carrie is a bit startled by DC's sudden appearance; she's quiet for now, looking the others over and remembering Tobias's advice. If the scanner detects such things, it'll find she's carrying nothing more dangerous than the cane she's leaning on---just a scrawny girl with vulturine wings and elbow-length gloves. She's dressed in slacks and a waistcoat, boyishly enough.

[Morty]

[Meeting Spot]

"Not a real consensus," Wenomir says. "But I decided to step down myself. I've never been much of a leader and it makes things easier by narrowing them down."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Meeting Spot]

"Excuse me."

That's a brief rustling, followed by Kr seemingly materializing out of thin air, adjusting her collar. Down at the arenas, she was dressed in a tshirt and shorts, but now shes dressed a little more formally, in a dress shirt and trousers and a tie.

[Darkcomet]

[Meeting Spot]

"I don't intend to step down," DC says, lowering the scanner. He doesn't seem very interested in saying much else, for fairly obvious reasons. Except, evidently, in Magtok's head. I see you actually sent a clone this time! Or at least an actual cyborg. On that note, if you're going to try to stick to the straight and narrow, it might alleviate some concerns if you turned over any of those brainwashed doubles left for rehabilitation. Between my psychic abilities and well-paid therapists, I'm sure I could handle it.

Wenomir seems willing to try to believe you're attempting to take the straight-and-narrow path here. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't made that clear.

What I ask is that you prove it.

[Ashen Lilies]

[Meeting Spot]

Kr says nothing for the moment, instead looking towards Cessie. Seems she intends to be the last to speak. Cunning, that one.

[Beans]

[Meeting Spot]
Carrie looks from DC to Mag and back, waiting for something to happen. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit nervous about this whole thing, especially with what she heard from Tobias.

[Shadowcaller]

[Meeting Spot]

"Neither do I." Cessie says. "At least not in the near future. In the meantime we should discuss how this merger will actually work. I mean, we have barely even been in each others bases, with the exception of Magtok of course."

[Lord Magtok]

Meeting Spot

Magtok nods, and then wordlessly reaches into his robe, pulls out something shiny and crinkled, and places it atop his head. It looks to be a tinfoil hat, carefully sculpted to resemble a beret. Some Magbot somewhere probably spent hours to sculpt that thing exactly right.

"There's nothing you're saying that needs to be kept secret, DC. Yes, I'll mail you the decoys, yes, this is me, and no, I'm not going to pull an angel out of my hat and miraculously prove myself totally and perfectly redeemed, and incapable of ever doing anything wrong ever again. There's nothing I can do or say that will eliminate all doubt."

He holds out his arms, as if he were standing outside a club, expecting a bouncer to pat him down for weapons before letting him go any further. "You're all welcome to search HALO from top to bottom for signs of some criminal conspiracy. You won't find anything, because no such conspiracy exists."

[Ashen Lilies]

[Meeting Spot]

"I can probably create some sort of portal network between our bases for easier transportation." Says Kr.
"While I also will not step up to be part of the new leadership, I'll accept some sort of custodial role for the mountain base and all its equipment, since I'm currently the only one who knows the full details of all the spells running the place, and how to maintain them. If you think it's appropriate, I can look at the underwater base and air base as well. Some merging of our infrastructure and facilities might be a good first step."

[Morty]

[Meeting Spot]

Wenomir rubs his forehead. In a way, it's going easier than it could, he supposes.

"I imagine that settles the question of leadership, then," he says. "Which leaves us with the issue of integrating our infrastructure, like KR said, and resolving the... conflicts between DC and Magtok."

[Darkcomet]

[Meeting Spot]

DC stares at Magtok intently, probably wondering if there's another trick or something. "It's a start." Then he clears his throat to address the others present. "As for infrastructure, while the bases themselves are not typically my area, I do handle a great deal of tech and funding. I'd rather leave Evolution Industries under my control, if that's at all relevant to this discussion."

EI and its money being one of the major reasons the guy has such a claim on a seat of leadership. One gets the impression he likes having a say in how his money gets used.

"As for Magtok and I, don't expect us to start negotiating corporate mergers or some insane plan like that, but we've managed not to kill each other thus far. I have every intention of keeping an eye on him, as we all should, but if I was killing people for stupidity regarding that cat I'd have to go slaughter every GLoG member present at various points in time, then shoot myself. And you don't see me doing that. That said, I do not regret my decision to act against the blatant, repeated apocalypse threat, and I think we know that difference in outlook might lead to some command disagreements in the future."

Blink blink.

That was barely angry at all. Who is this guy?

[Lord Magtok]

Meeting Spot

Magtok does his best not to show any sign of surprise when it's revealed that HALO has an airbase. Raptor Christ, Magtok, don't you know anything about the people you're leading?! He also keeps a straight face with regards to everything DC has to say, considering the conflicts with DC to more or less be over now, and the psion not worth his time and aggravation. He comes this close to making some crude remark about merging and that DC isn't anywhere near cute enough for his tastes, but thinks better of it. We're supposed to be on our best behavior right now, after all.

"If Wenomir and KR can send me the number of their couples therapist, I'm sure everything between us can be worked out in a few weeks or so."

HEY! I JUST SAID BEST BEHAVIOR, DAMMIT!

[Shadowcaller]

[Meeting Spot]

If the situation hadn't been so serious Cessie would have found Magtok's paranoia amusing. Then again, was Magtok's paranoia anything compared to DC's paranoia? "I doubt things will ever be perfect between us, no couple therapist in the world could work out your and DC's couplet issues Magtok." Was that an attempt to a joke? "So let's not aim for such lofty goals right away. Instead I'm going to ask you right now, does anyone here have any experience with leading military? Because I can personally admit that I have none even after all these years. I'm an enchanter, summoner and eldritch specialist with experience in bureaucracy and planning." Believe it or not but Watch did have a lot of paperwork. "So that's what I can give as a leader but I think we as soon as possible need to find someone who can make us HALO and Watch work together in the field properly."

[Morty]

[Meeting Spot]

"The next time you say that, Magtok, we'll settle this on the duelling field," Wenomir says. Hard to tell if he's joking or not. "Anyhow, making sure our members all work together will take a while, but we're always going to be more loosely organized than Remnant or Irregulars or whatever other army. I can volunteer to be a staff officer, at least as far as the fortress is concerned. I'm not a politician or bureaucrat, but I'm not bad at directing lower-ranking members and I'm the closest thing here to career military. HALO has quite a few professional soldiers as well.

[Beans]

[Meeting Spot]
Carrie would prefer DC not know she found Mag's little jibe funny.
Luckily, her smile is hidden by the very real wince at her boss's joke, or rather at the expected reception.