Stop me. ((Open battle))

[Yari Rafanas]

“Bandit!”

Black leather boots pounded against a torn-up dirt road.

“Thief! Catch him!”

They crossed a worn, wooden bridge that covered deadly rapids below. Their owner, a scruffy young man garbed in a black cloak and dark armor, stopped and turned to look at his pursuers – Corone’s Armed Forces. The men scrambled across the bridge, some of them fumbling with bits of armor or their weapons, others still wiping breakfast from their mouth in a very disgruntled manner. All of them, however, were hell-bent on stopping this brigand from stealing their outpost’s supplies.

As admirable as their effort was, Yari Rafanas didn’t think much of it. He dropped the large sack he had been holding over his shoulder and waved both of his arms in the direction of the guards. Intense magics shimmered beneath the bridge, exploding violently around the supports, sending splinters and nails flying every which way imagined. Wood crumbled, and the men succumbed to gravity’s harsh rule, swept away by the fierce waters below.

With the bridge out and the armed forces drowning in their armor, the road to Concordia would easily be traveled. The thief turned around, his sharp blue eyes widening slightly when he saw another being just feet away from him. He calmed himself, his arrogant grin the only feature not concealed by his dark hood.

What was one more obstacle?

((Battle Open to 2 enemies who want to play hero. 2 on 1 preferred, though it can be free for all if you must. Minimum level of 1 required. Also, this battle is outside the Citadel. Enough with the rules! Fight!))

[Zephyriah]

The more time I spent out here in the Coronian wilderness the lonelier I became. Never did I think that those words would spew out of my mouth, since I’ve always been one that’d never minded a life of solitude. However, I found myself incrementally taking back that statement the more time passed. But a warrior like me had to expect a life of loneliness and embrace it for it prevented the burden of emotional ties to loved ones from taking root. Enemies with the sole passion and desire to rip anything and everything good from ones possession could not do so without a way to manipulate an individual via emotion. Father used to drill that lesson into my head when I was but a young boy making sure that if I couldn’t suppress all emotional attachments to friends or family, then I would be better off dead. I never wanted to admit it to him, but every time he said that it downright terrified me. Indeed I, the infamous Zephyriah….terrified by the mere words of his father! As humorous as it may be, it most certainly was the truth. I loved father, mother, and the paladins that’d trained me at that stage of my life. The last thing I wanted to do was suppress any memories of them at any time; even in battle. I’d tried the method during a few training sessions, but I remember failing miserably time after time. Father would grow frustrated, but he’d never let his fury get the best of him.

“Don’t worry about it son,” he’d say, putting his arm around me. “With time, you’ll be a great paladin, worthy to protect our beloved City of Rune.”

Good old poppa. He always had as much confidence in me as I had in myself. But in that particular area, there was a ‘chink in the armor’ and I was too weak and too ashamed to show it. It didn’t matter how hard I tried, how hard I trained, relationships mattered all too much to me. Father never gave up on me though. He had people who went through similar mental and emotional trials talk to me in order to help me overcome this great weakness of mine. Yet in the end their motivating stories were never able to cure me of my ‘illness’.

It’s strange but, it’s been so long since I was like that. In fact, prior to walking down these worn dirt roads, the memory hadn’t even played back the clips in my mind. What was in high circulation were all the dramatic events of my life from my first act of murder to the countless atrocities I’d committed after that. “Heh, I suppose I’ve overcome that problem of old father,” I chuckled. “Seems destroying all close relationships was the key to turning into a cold hearted killer.”

There rested a problem in me that always reared its hideous head when pressing my cold blade to the neck of a helpless person. The words ‘worthless’ and ‘insignificant’ would project from my mouth and into their ears right before I ended their life. For a great while I believed that the lives of those that fell by my blade were indeed worthless and less significant than mine. But for some odd reason, I found myself questioning such logic. Those people had simpler lives that were entailed with people that deeply cared about them. Memories were linked between those people and their loved ones; life long ones at that. Yet without mercy, I severed those ties so that they could never be connected again. These blood stained hands of mine heartlessly left denizens of various towns and cities with nothing but fond recollections of their beloved deceased. Faces full of tears was what I’d grown accustomed to overtime, but their pain could never be as deep as mine for at least they had good memories of their loved ones. What resided in my heart was nothing but deep rooted sorrow covered by a thick layer of haughtiness and pride. But it was empty. It was all empty. Those people I’ve killed had something that I could never take from them.

From where I was within this section of Concordia, I recalled yet another old, formerly suppressed memory of my father and I walking through these parts to other towns and cities. This used to be a routine thing between him and I; father and son. Blades would be dulled and worn, so he’d take his boy to numerous places to find the best blacksmiths to make or repair our weaponry. “If I’m not mistaken, there is a bridge nearby.”
Ah, the bridge. From what seemed to be the most memorable aspect of this memory, the bridge that provided safe passage across the rapids was a long strip of connected wood that served as the spot in which father and I would admire the scenic view of our surroundings. No words, just silence. Conversation was not needed for this bonding between us. In fact, this occasion always seemed to bring us closer and closer together.

“It’d be good to see the old bridge once again. It’s been such a long time. I wonder if it…….” But I was left speechless. Upon further travel, I’d come to the bridge of my memories only to see it a far cry from its former glory. It was in shambles! Smoldering wood broken up by a most recent explosion. Several men on the opposite side of the bridge screamed towards a man with a large sack slumped over his shoulder, calling him all sorts of obscene things. However, what stuck out to me was something that one of the fellows said for it pertained to the bridge and how this new occurrence would make life extremely hard for merchants and all other citizens of Concordia.

Finding myself staring dead into the eyes of the obvious culprit, I realized just how agitated I had become. The bridge that’d once kept my relationship with father strong had been destroyed as suddenly as I’ve destroyed many of my relationships with loved ones in the past.

“A mere thief peasant,” I scowled, spitting towards the footwear of this human man. “It’s quite apparent considering the fact that you’re dishonorably fleeing from those that you stole from. Coward. All thieves are cowards. You all steal because you lack the strength to get anything on your own. But luckily for you, I will help you to break your habit even if it costs you your own blood.”

[Yari Rafanas]

“Wrong already, hero.” Yari spit his reply in much the same manner as his accuser. “I have the strength, and that is why I can take what I want.”

The bandit gently lifted his hood, the sun illuminating a messy head of hair and an almost regal headband resting over the sharpest set of eyes this side of Salvar. His cloak had rolled over his shoulders, revealing not only the youth’s intricate custom leather armor, but also the trio of daggers strapped to his thighs and right boot. In no way did Yari expect to be recognized, but he did not want the creature before him to think for a moment that he was unarmed or just some petty pickpocket. What Zephyriah had confronted was the greatest bandit in all of Althanas. It was time to inform him of that.

“So, out of my way!”

Rafanas fell to a kneeling position, his fingers tracing the hilt of his iron membership dagger tied to his boot for only a millisecond before it was tugged from its resting place and sent tumbling through the air towards the hybrid hero. It was a violent, poorly executed throw, meant only to distract as Yari leaped backwards and put some distance between his self and his attacker.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and it’ll kill this bastard.

With a fair amount of space to move and with his opponent already forced into a defensive position, Taydrius had a gut feeling that this encounter would be over in only a few minutes. Then he and his appropriated supplies would be on their way.

[Zephyriah]

*Yawn.* Truly it was the response I had to stereotypical thieves with their child’s play weapons that should've been passed off as nothing but mere toys. This foolish bandit did not veer away from the norm, for out of his secret boot compartment he launched a dagger my way, surely hoping that it would catch me off guard and take up residence in my chest. Boring. Did all Althanian ruffians learn their trade from the same instructor? In the past, my encounters with Seth Dahlios the Hex mage had gotten me well prepared for dagger throws since it was always the method in which he would attack me by. Some had scathed me, but most of the time they were either evaded or deflected. In this case though, I decided that I’d get this fellow’s hopes up by letting the dagger come dangerous close to hitting me. However, with it being several feet away from me, I swiftly pulled my blade out of its scabbard and batted the knife away.

“Like playing an old game of stickball,” I grinned, still holding form. “Don’t you agree petty thief?” My nonchalant tone and semi-playful antics were all designed to irritate and frustrate the bandit so as to throw him off guard and blind him to my underlying strength. Father had always done that when battling, and back when I was but a young boy, he’d urged me to adopt his methods. He’d say, “Zephyriah, you’re greatest weapon is the element of surprise. You can be as strong as you want to be, but if you’re opponent is aware of your strength, then strategies could be created to hamper, or nullify your advantages.” Father was exceptional at knowing and understanding the finer points in battle and he’d done a fine job of passing his knowledge down to his son.

With such insight, I found it rather simple to analyze the enemy in front of me. “Obviously, he’s a long distance attacker. By the light weapons that he has at his disposal, it would’ve made more sense on his part to charge at me head on. Sure my great sword is wide, long, and intimidating, but he should’ve assumed that I wouldn’t have been able to swing it very fast. Then again....... it WAS smart of him to not take that chance since he would’ve definitely gotten his head chopped off.”

My analysis had to be tested. So without further delay, I sped towards the bandit with “Nothing” still in hand, slashing at him horizontally, fully expecting him receive a life threatening wound.

[Yari Rafanas]

No luck.

With his attack deflected with minimal effort and his opponent now advancing at a rapid rate, Rafanas prepared for anything. Eyes never left the form of his attacker, a demon elf of some sort, red skin, carrying an incredible weapon—a beautiful weapon. He had no time to think it over, as it was already aiming to rend him in two. The bandit king ducked and rolled forward, the adamantine blade killing only the air inches above his head as he tumbled deftly. Momentum carried his form a few feet behind the blood-red elf, and he was already posed for a counter attack.

That sword.

Yari Rafanas had only known one man to ever wield such an impressive and rare type of weapon. An Adamantine broadsword was such a treasure to be had, only the most self-absorbed and powerful men on Althanas were said to carry them—men like Kade Lien (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?p=9963#post9963), the drunken samurai and old friend of the bandit youth. Seeing the sword brought back old memories and pains buried deep down, but they were quickly replaced by intense feelings of greed.

I want it.

The games were done. Rafanas stepped forward, staying close so that the length of the sword could not be used to the elf’s advantage. His hands flared up with golden light and swirling magics. Charged and ready, Yari threw his plundering palms towards Zephyriah in a one-two combo aimed at the elf’s chest. If either hand connected with anything, the thief’s magic would be released in the form of a blinding, disorienting light and loose gold would be lifted from wherever it lay buried on his target’s form.

[Reiko]

It was like the good old days before Inari was born. Kit smiled reassuringly at the captain that held his face distraught with eyes not leaving the bridge. “Come on, just pay be and I’ll bring him in.”

The man’s face looked at Kit and the kitsune had to hold a giggle, as the look was utterly ridiculous under the shiny helmet with a single red feather in a hat. “Don’t play games with me girl! That man killed my men and destroyed the bridge. You can’t catch him.” He looked to the ground. “I won’t put you in danger, young miss.”

Kit shook her head, he didn’t understand, she has a child to think of and while making just enough to live on providing little magic shows with fox magic was all nice and fine but it didn’t leave much fun money for two girls that didn’t have much money and Kit was a ronin and entertainment just wasn’t in her blood. She was a warrior. “You don’t have to pay me until I get him.” Kit thought about getting a pay in advance but the thief was getting away and no time to truly put on her charms, crude there wasn’t really any time to debate getting paid. “Just let me show you and them we’ll discuss payment.” Kit finished as she turned towards the river; it was running quick and deep, fatal to the poor men that fell.

At least I don’t have to worry about getting Inari across. Kadenzaa smiled as she jumped to the nearest rock to make a graceful landing, not an easy jump at four feet and landing on higher ground.

“Wow milady, I knew you cat people were nimble but not that much.” The captain seemed to have another silly gawking, a little more humorous since it lacked the sorrow of moments earlier.

Kit couldn’t help but put a haughty smile on her face before she jumped again to the next stone then the next and finally the last… one was covered in algae, forcing Kit to slip and land painfully on her belly, as her legs and tails soaked themselves in the water, a sandal was carried by the current, her sandal had come loose!

But there was worse, the rogue who was making an escape had caught a nasty hazard, another fighter wanting to bring him in to justice. “Hey! He’s Mine!” Kit yelled as she carefully brought herself up and leaped to shore. Removing her other geta so she could run with even steps. Damn why’d she have to lose her footwear on something like this, well one geta wasn’t worth anything now So Kit decided to use it in her opening attack. While running towards the fierce melee the fox girl hurled her sandal at one of the combatants, not caring which on it hit, she needed to be the one to catch the thief, not likely the red skinned barbarian was one to share. With the lone sandal in the air, Kit drew her wakizashi and tanto, to join the fray after her footwear caused whatever chaos it could.

[Zephyriah]

It was not astonishing to me that the thief had nimbleness in his possession. The horizontal sword slash that I’d used to attempt to cleave the bridge destroyer in two had been dodged by him, but how he evaded me was not surprising. All those who came up against my wrath and could not face me head to head either dove to the side, hopped back, or rolled underneath depending on the way I’d attack them. This fool was no different, and by his quick transition into some sort of a counterattack, I knew that he thought that he had an opening.

“You idiot, do you really think that…..WHAT THE!?” I screamed, as I saw the man’s fist illuminating an eerie golden color. With haste sought to serve me a double fist attack towards my chest, but I deftly rolled to the left avoiding what certainly would’ve been a devastating blow. He’d managed to knock my scarf from around my neck, but that a loss of an article of clothing was a small price to pay for an unfamiliar attack from the enemy. Indeed though, what did was very hypocritical of me, seeing how I look down upon those that cannot confront me in a straightforward manner. However, in some instances, evasion is of great necessity!

“That was close thief. Seems that your bag of tricks is plentiful,” I chuckled, in yet another attempt to frustrate the bandit. But, the area had started becoming brighter and brighter with each rapidly passing moment. I didn’t understand what was going on, but knew it had something to do with those glowing fists of the adversary. “Argh….too…bright!” Surely, this had been the surprise behind the attack, for the thief’s plan was to blind and attack me while I suffered from this handicap. Well I would not stand for it! In no way would I be left open for whatever he planned next!

Before the entire area became too radiant, I took note of where the enemy’s position was. Then, kneeling down with “Nothing” firmly gripped in both hands, my body began glowing white, blending in with the already illuminated atmosphere. “Let’s see what tricks you have after this!” Seeping into the ground, I traveled to the position in which I remembered the thief being before illumination, and then with great fury, I sprung up from beneath the soil in a pillar of light, hoping he'd still be there and that I could catch him off guard and have him succumb to the wrath of my blade.

((Yari, the technique, “I’m Coming” was used here.))

[Yari Rafanas]

The bandit king gripped nothing but sweaty cloth and intense disappointment between his fingers, snarling at his elusive target. His magic flickered and flashed after making contact with the scarf, producing swirls of golden light that cut away at the shadows nearby, outlining the thief’s darkly-garbed body and creating a menacing contrast. His sharp blue eyes sought out his true target, the bloody elf demon. Knelt at the ready, emitting his own intense light, the warrior would pay.

*Thunk*

What?!

A wooden shoe smacked Rafanas in the back of his head, and he instinctively twisted around. And in the split second, Yari wondered just how his situation had gone from a skirmish with irritating interloper to an incredibly risky and life-threatening battle that included a little girl with swords. Things were getting too sticky. His body tensed up at the notion, earth trembling, and every nerve in his legs suddenly screamed at him to act—to get away. Move, move, move, move!

An explosion of power enveloped the battleground, ground shattering and light blinding, seen from a mile away. Yari’s own magic had died out, replaced by Zephyriah’s own severe skills. The pillar of talent and determination would have—should have—nearly consumed the escaping thief.

Hope the girl didn’t get caught in that.

Thirty feet away, Rafanas looked over the chaotic blast, that arrogant smirk of his stretching across his scruffy face as if he was already victorious. His cloak had been shredded by his foe’s adamantine sword, leaving it in tatters around the youthful thief’s shoulders, but in its place was something far more beneficial: A dozen tiny balls made out of malevolent light orbited his form, swirling and twirling, distorting the air around them as if they were some incredible force not meant to be controlled by man. With a flick of his wrists, Yari sent the orbs flying and peppered the grounds where Zephyriah and Kit stood.

((Skills: Backhanded Burst, Leaden Light))

[Reiko]

Kit smiled at her small victory of having her geta hit the thief’s head; she still could throw accurately but all it did was give her presence away. All fine of coarse, not like Kit was the kind to attack from behind, the sandal throwing being an exception.

The interesting thing about the sandal offensive hitting the thief was it showed how good a fighter he could be. Most rogues would have had a moment’s distraction and against a fierce opponent as the red skinned elf, he would have been dead if he let the distraction come. To say that the thief was still alive and not chopped down was really something. But the odd elf seemed to be doing something else than attacking… probably magic.

Kadenzaa kept going forward, no rush but then the thief decided that a best place for a tail was between the legs and darted off like a scarred rabbit at a speed that she could not match.

“Kami damn…” Kit muttered as a monolith of light erupted form the ground, Zephyriah’s sorcery had send the girl a jump backwards as she landed on her tails only to leap up. “Hey watch it!” Kit yelled as she quickly jumped to her feet. “Now he’s getting away.”

Off the thief ran like a cowardly… thief, a thief that had no care for honor though he had some magic and decided to give a present to the pursuers. Several magical marbles of unknown power though Kit knew that they would not be pleasant if hit her. She stopped the chase and went evasive run out of the target. It wasn’t easy to dodge all the projectiles that were loosely aimed in her direction but still one little flip out of the way would get her safe from the magic, but while it was impressive, Kit could feel a tingling on her leg as the magic went through her kimono. That’s all, not even a little burning! Kit found herself landing with a thud instead of her usual grace. Her body wasn’t moving as fast as her mind. Ack there’s no way I’ll catch him like this.

Kadenzaa wished her daughter was here; Inari was a decent shot and could probably shoot the thief before he got out of range. The vixen shook her head and started to run in the general direction but slower than normal and enough to notice. All this work seemed to be going nowhere and not a thing to show for it except the girl was barefoot and would have to waste money on replacing the geta.

There had to be something she could do, something to slow the thief down, fox magic could do something, maybe with some luck her firestorm spell could slow the rogue, he couldn’t easily run like a mad rabbit if he was covered in burns. Kit conjured the burning leaf and threw it as far as she could, hoping to the kami that the whirlwind of fiery leaves would engulf the thief in its beautiful and deadly dance.

[Zephyriah]

Upon ascending in a magnificent pillar of light, there most certainly should’ve been a trail of blood present on my blade. My attack was the perfect counter to the thief’s attempt to blind me by illuminating the terrain! But how in the world did he evade me!? Truly there was much more to this fellow than what met the eye. Another plan had to be concocted in order to approach this enigmatic, powerful thief in a way that would inflict damage on him. This would’ve been relatively simple, considering the fact that I knew the man was not a powerful as I was. However, a foolish girl had arrived on the scene from out of nowhere, screaming “Hey watch it!” and “He’s getting away!” Just exactly who or what she was had been an immediate mental question that I posed, but her timely emergence and her behavior provided me the answer.

“Ah, and accomplice,” I grinned, knowing of the many tricks that thieves had at their disposal. “Clearly she’s posing as someone wishing to catch the magic using thief, but in actuality, she’s trying to create a diversion that will enable her partner to flee without paying for what he’d done to me and father’s bridge!” As crafty as they were, in no way could I let them know that I was on to their rouse. Both individuals were weaker than I, but if the blue eyed bandit had this many tricks, the girl surely had some of her own as well.

Having created distance between us, I saw that sly grin crawl upon the bandit’s face once. “He’s up to something.” My sword was tightly clutched with the rest of my body in a defensive stance, ready to counter anything the thief had sought to do. Glancing at my surroundings, I saw that nothing was out of the ordinary and that the adversary sought not to utilize deception as his tool this time. Instead, he went for a more direct approach when using his magic, for numerous balls of light were created and shot towards the fox girl and I. Normally, I would’ve tried to deflect them, but the properties of these orbs were unknown which left me desiring to not take any chances. Instead, I dove behind the nearest tree as fast as I could. They flew by me like buzzing bees on a mission to sting those that’d attacked their hive. I thought I could survive the assault, but two of them had grazed my left arm. The impact caused me to pull my arms closer in, but soon after the feeling of heaviness plagued the left arm.

“Argh, not this again…..” I groaned, recalling the time in which the hex mage Seth Dahlios used a similar technique specifically designed to hamper my maneuverability. The tingle and the heaviness were all too familiar. Yet something was began the occur! This feeling spread from my arm to the rest of my body within moments, sending this weighty sensation all throughout.

Father warned me a very long time ago about mages. He repeatedly told me that those adept in their craft were by far more dangerous than any warrior of the same level due to the fact that they had many uncanny abilities. I never believed him since at such a young age, I’d never encountered such strong mages. The first challenging altercation I had against a powerful mage was when Dahlios and I went head to head. Yet since I handily defeated him, I saw no cause for concern……..until now.

“Bringing this guy down is going to take everything I have,” Pushing upward to a standing position, I grunted at the effort that it took. “But that is something that I will do. For the bridge. For father.”

There was a saying that always stuck in my head with regard to bandits: Thick as thieves. If such a saying were true, then despite the rouse that the fox girl and the blue eyed bandit were scripting, if something were unfortunate were to happen to either one of them, the other would come back for their partner and provide protection and aid. The only way to truly test it was to put the fox girl in a perilous position that would force the bandit to respond. So, while still hidden behind a tree, I transformed and looked at the female chasing the thief out of the corner of my eye. Then upon opening my mouth, I let out a fiery beam aimed at the back of the fox lady, before concealing myself yet again behind the tree so as to allow enough time for this weighty feeling to wear off.

“Surely, I'll bring this game they’re playing to an end.”

[Yari Rafanas]

Time weighed down on Kit and Zephyriah, laughing alongside its wielder, the powerful bandit king. Swelling with arrogance, he practically laughed out loud at the fiery leaf thrown at his feet and the escaping devil drow. If it weren’t for his desire to see this fight through to the end and the possibility of owning that amazing sword, he would have grabbed the bag of stolen goods and left by now. They couldn’t catch him. They wouldn’t.

“Oh come on,” Yari chuckled, sidestepping the burning foliage thrown by Reiko.

A line of fire surprised Rafanas, circling around him and instantly shooting upwards. Flames and leaves spiraled and curved towards the blue sky, scratching and burning at the parts of his body not covered in protective leather. The young king threw his arms around his head and bent his knees, struggling to focus and making sure he did not lose anything important. He burned in the center of the magic, the skin on his arms peeling, and his arrogance melting away. It was replaced by an anger he had not felt in a while—a powerful emotion that raged as strongly as the fiery cyclone that was consuming him.

He would not be caged.

Exploding from the storm came Rafanas, legendary blades held out to his side and his form ducked low in a surprisingly quick sprint. The Shark Daggers themselves were not searing like the prevalida studs on his armor, but instead, steam rose off their mythril curves, the magical properties of the weapons keeping them cool. These knives would be the tools used to end this silly chase. Now, only one question remained for the young King of Thieves: Did the girl deserve to die today, over the bag of goods, over her playing hero?

Yari would let time decide, leaping forward with both weapons outstretched and ready to dig skillfully into her body. Unfortunately, in his fit of anger, the bandit did not see the beam of molten light shooting at Reiko from the opposite direction.

[Reiko]

It was about time for Kit to do something right, her bad luck had to have ended soon f she wished to catch the thief and it did. The burning tempest had ensnared the thief; surely the buns would slow him down enough for the fox girl to catch up even on bare feet.

Even better the thief while summoning the will to ignore the pain long enough to escape the spell, he did not continue fleeing but coming forward in an angry attack. Kit set her swords ready in a simple and effective defensive stance. She could probably win in a strait fight for while knives and daggers were great weapons for concealing and surprising the opponent, they weren’t the best for a strait forward assault, especially against a skilled swordswoman.

But what of the other guy, surely he wouldn’t simply leave the thief in the reiko girl’s lone responsibility. The red elf fought viciously with the rogue and didn’t seem like the one that would just give up because a three tails joined the hunt. Maybe he had no faith in the girl and was just waiting for the thief to win and then jump in to fight the tired bandit after she was done or just steel the glory and money.

Then Kit’s ears perked backward, the sound of magic flame was not from her magic it was from behind as well. Kit learned too late as she felt burning force pound in her shoulder and sent her falling face first into the damp soil.

The pain seared in her back was too much for the girl to stay quiet and she yelped whimpered and screamed. Once again the magic kimono saved her life though it might end if the bandit took the opportunity. No she wouldn’t give that chance; she could still fight a little. Kit rolled on her back with a exhale of hot pined breath though clenched teeth while her blade kept a defensive position, ready to take any offense that came her way. The backstabber! Once she got her second wind she’d make him pay. No warrior should ever be so low as to strike a potential ally in the back like that.

[Zephyriah]

Beam Burst had been successful for it struck the target’s shoulder, leaving her in a world of pain. Was she out of commission though? It was too hard to determine that with her lying on her back in the manner that she was. Thieves were all too crafty and if one thought that they were dead and foolishly got too close, then they’d soon become the victim of yet another of the thief’s tricks. I would be no such fool and would not get within striking distance of those two partners until I deemed it safe to do so. But I had to admit that the temptation was indeed strong. As a youngster in training, father used to tell me to “finish the job”, meaning that if an opponent was down, then it was my duty to make sure that he/she stayed down. The logic behind that was so that acts of revenge were brought to a minimum; the last thing a warrior needed was someone who he didn’t finish off coming back years later to claim the life of his attacker.

“She hasn’t moved yet. I know that I could dash towards her and jam my sword right through her abdomen before she could even think to do anything,” I confidently thought, visualizing the act. However, I didn’t quite know what the bridge destroyer was thinking. Perhaps he knew that at some point I would try and attack his partner, and as a way to fool me, would act as if he had no kind of relationship with her at all. “Well, if that be the case, there is only one way to find out!”

Raising my hands, I created a ring of fire, watching as it burned and spun with fury that no doubt matched my indignation. Commanding it to go toward the fox woman, I had it hover ten feet over her ominously. Then, upon bringing my hands down, the ring of fire descended with all intention of burning the bridge destroyer’s accomplice to a crisp.

[Yari Rafanas]

The dashing brigand directed his daggers away from the three-tailed female, aborting his attack at the last second possible and using his strong legs to kick up off the ground. He flipped deftly over her form, his sharp blue eyes enthralled with the violent splash of flame that buried into her back and sent her rolling in pain. She hit the ground face first as his feet planted softly in the soil behind her before momentum carried him into a graceful tumble.

He skidded his slender form to a halt, crouching low and gazing threateningly at the girl. Even while writhing in pain and gripping her swords so strongly, she was an exotic, intense creature, with a foreign beauty and a power Yari had yet to encounter in a warrior. She had been adamant in trying to stop him—so determined, in fact, that seeing her snarl in his direction seemed to intensify the pain brought forth from the searing hot burns that covered his arms. But despite all this, she was defeated. The blood elf still stalked from the trees.

“Should’ve stayed out of my way,” Yari growled, his trademark smirk managing to crack through his vengeful visage.

The bandit king turned just as the fires fell from the sky and descended upon the battle-torn road where the reiko lay. He abandoned his fallen foe to the flames of the red drow and ran forward into the woods where the blood-paladin attacked from a distance.

“Hero!” he yelled, calling for Zephyriah, “Time to stop me for good!”

With that, the rebellious royal broke through the foliage and entered the forest battleground, where he was at home—where his enemy would be buried.

[Reiko]

I’m Sorry Inari. I was foolish. Kit apologized in her mind to her daughter for what she did. Wounded and on her back while surrounded by enemies was not looking good to the vixen, for at this rate the young fox girl’s mother was going to leave her an orphan.

The pain in Kit’s shoulder kept it’s angry vice with the girl, making her lethargic in hopes of appeasing the burn. But the blue gray sky wouldn’t stay and went red. More fire magic, courtesy of an elfin backstabber. Any thoughts about giving up and retreating when things quieted down and she got used to the wound enough to move because right now it is time to move or die.

A ring of fire was dropping down like a bomb hoping to fully cook the fox mother. But Kit moved, ignoring the pain of the burn as it made her lungs pant fire. The muscles moved quickly as she got up and ran, letting the fire crash behind her the heat paining the vixen even more. Too close, Can’t that jerk give a girl a break. Kit felt dizzy but better that she was standing, the burn continued to pain the girl but she at least had some safety in the fact that the treacherous elf and the hot headed rogue were once again .

Escape? I probably should. Kit thought as she turned the other direction, it was too close and what would happen to Inari if Kit died here. But… Zephyriah had caused so much damage to her and what if he ran into Inari, she was close by and if he met her or what about someone else, he might attack them too out of the blue. Heck he might have been the one to instigate the fight with Yari even if he didn’t steal anything. The elf was dangerous.

They both had to be dealt with.

Kit had to be sneaky, no more honor and bushido for these two, they did not deserve it. Zephyriah had betrayed Kit’s trust, though it was premature and Yari was a thief and well, he was a thief. Kit slinked into the after the fighters, hoping they were too busy to notice she was up and alive. Surprise was going to be her best weapon with fox magic being her ammunition.

Using some underbrush as cover from the dueling men, Kit sat down since it was easier on her hurt body and placed out her katana and wakizashi. With that she played brought out her Ronin’s flute and put the instrument to her lips. The haunting Tune would echo through the forest, Kit hoped that they would ignore the music until it was two late and the blades were protruding from their bodies. The swords started to Dance as Kit played her magical song, lungs not very happy with the extra work but they did so anyways. With that she sent the blades to do their dirty work: to stab the two fighting men in the back. They both wanted her blood for interfering but she was going to have theirs for the harm they did and so she could safely return to her daughter. Not like she could get away if the fight ended quickly.

[Zephyriah]

Watching the fox woman evade the ring of fire was similar to watching a helpless mouse hopelessly scurry around in a snake's container, for she did all she could to avoid receiving death from me, not realizing that it was inevitable for her. It was all over as far as she and her accomplice were concerned. I had them both in my clutches and they were surely unaware of the mayhem that I would soon bring. The only remaining question though was at what time would I bring about this destruction. If it were too soon, then I'd run the risk of sabotaging my own plans, yet if done at just the right time, vengeance would surely be mine. "Just for you father," I pondered, grinning as I envisioned standing over the dead bodies of my adversaries. "The bridge was our landmark.....the only thing that would always connect us. The death of these thieves would be the only thing that would suffice."

I'd poked my head passed the thick tree trunk that I'd been hiding behind all this time in order to see where my enemies where now located. It was tough attacking from this position while at the same time trying to conceal myself simply because it did not allow for constant surveillance of my foes. However, it was certainly a necessity because the bandit's spell had been affecting me. Luckily, it'd just about worn off, for the heaviness of my limbs was nearly gone.

And just in the nick of time.

With taunting words, the hooded fool sprung forth from thick brush, some twenty feet north of my position. It was intriguing to me that with all of his opportunities to escape, especially having slowed me down, the blue-eyed ruffian chose to remain in the battlefield. His reasons though were obvious, and the tests I'd been conducting all battle only proved what I'd thought all along. "Deep inside of him, he burns with hatred towards me. Heh, witnessing his partner injured is too unbearable for him."

The bandit continued moving towards me, but I remained still, feigning as though his spell still had a grip on me. "Don't worry thief! Surely, I'll be stopping you for good!" He had no idea what was coming! In all of his arrogance, he was blinded to the grim fate that was soon to fall upon his head. "Just a little closer......." Anxiousness was building quickly in me, so much so that my grin turned into a wide smile. However, my reality was shattered as an unexpected event had transpired. A sword, coming from out of nowhere had shot through my right shoulder, impaling me to the tree that'd served as concealment. The shock of all of this had initially had me delirious, not fully comprehending how this could've happened. But the smell that came equipped with the sword belonged to none other than the fox woman. The aroma was pleasing though.....almost too pleasing. It reminded me of the smell that some flowers emanated at funerals; a fragrance that was said to soothe the deceased and provide them added comfort when passing on to the next life. "No! No! No!" I hollered, discarding the images of my demise, flooding my mind. "It won't end like this!!" Blood was fleeing from my wound quite fast. Normally an injury like such could've been patched up and bandaged effortlessly, but I couldn't move from this unfortunate position, since the blade had stabbed completely through my shoulder, and into the tree. Still, I had mobility of my left arm which thankfully would be all I needed to end this battle.

Raising it in the air, albeit with great effort, I grinned yet again. "This is where it all comes......to an end......thief! You and your accomplice......might think you've won, but...... that is so far from the......truth. That bridge bonded father and I, and you.......destroyed it! Your deed won't go unpunished. I promise you....that." And then, with a snap of the fingers, the burnt imprint in the ground from the descension of the ring of fire that'd been previously used to attack the fox female had detonated, engulfing a great portion of the forest which served as our battlefield, in an explosion. Surely there was no way for me to evade the roaring fulmination, but if my sacrifice is what would be needed to destroy the adversaries, then it would all be well worth it.

"For you......dad."

((Alright y'all, this is my last post of the battle. I enjoyed this battle thread greatly!))

[Letho]

General Notes: First off, while I will judge this as a battle, I'm not going to make three separate rubrics for each of you. This battle was rather short, practically without a conclusion and since all three of you seemed to be lacking in the same departments (namely introduction, setting, rising action, climax), I think it's best to give some general advice. The scores are still separate, RED for Yari, BLUE for Zephyriah and GREEN for Reiko.


INTRODUCTION – 5/7/5

This wasn't bad for a random battle, but it still lacked some basic components. Yari, you left me wondering about a lot. What is your character even doing there, where there really was, why was he stealing the stuff from the Corone Armed Forces? What you basically said in your opening post was that Yari was a thief and he stole. And that's about it. Zeph, your character's link with the bridge helped you here, and your introduction, said through the recollection of his father, gave a good idea about your character. Reiko, even though you joined rather late, you managed to find a good sensible reason to join the pursuit. But once again, the lack of setting made me wonder just why were all three characters here in the first place. Even if you’re wandering through the scenery, you must be doing so for a reason, even if reason is boredom.

SETTING - 5/5/5

I have to say that this was done rather poorly. When it started with the destruction of the bridge, I hoped that there would be more setting involved, but from that point on there was practically no setting involved. Zeph dived behind the tree... Where did the tree come from? I didn’t know that there was a forest beside the road until the last post. I got you all the same score here because neither of you put a special effort to describe and use the setting. It was basically a flat plate on which you fought.

STRATEGY - 7/6/7

The fact that Yari stuck to ranged combat and his tricks was a good example of using your abilities in sync with your character, the running away to the forest included. However, I expected the effects of Reiko’s Firestorm to affect him more. I mean, his skin was peeling off, for Christ sakes! Zeph, my biggest beef with you was the fact that you attacked Reiko, never even thinking that she might NOT be Yari’s ally. Sure, you explained it, but after she cast a spell on Yari, nearly burning him alive, you still attacked her. Other then that, your strategy and estimation of the opponents was done fairly well, but at times you fail to acknowledge what happens on the battlefield, Reiko’s entrance for example. Reiko, I liked the sandal attack. Unexpected and a good chance at distraction. However, you joined rather late and with attacks coming from both sides, you didn’t have too much of a chance. Kudos for the flute attack, keeping Kit’s wounded ass out of close combat.

WRITING STYLE - 7/7/5

Yari, though your writing is very clean and fluid, you seem uninspired at times, your post being somewhat lackluster and bland. Sometimes you do a good job with your brevity, but sometimes you left me wondering just what happened, not paying too much attention to details. Zeph, though I’m not a fan of first person perspective, you do a good job with it. However, sometimes I think you get carried away with it. Because first person enables the description of emotions and thoughts in a more personal manner, you tend to do too much of it at moments when the magic projectiles buzz around your head. It kills the momentum of the moment. Reiko, despite typos that happen to you here and there (they generally get missed by spellchecker), your writing is easy to follow and pleasant to read. I would like you to try to add some diversity into it though, maybe a metaphor or two here and there that would freshen up your writing even further.

RISING ACTION - 5/5,5/5

This started of strong, but didn’t really go nowhere but downhill from there. I thought that with Zeph being pissed of at Yari, his anger would drive him forward almost carelessly, but it didn’t. When Reiko joined, I though it would lift the tensions, but again, it failed to do so. In the heat of the battle I failed to feel the drive of your characters that makes them want to win. It was mostly just battling, with some significance at the beginning and at the very end.

DIALOGUE - 6/6,5/6

There was barely any, and though battles aren’t usually rich with dialogue, I’m giving Zeph half a point more here because he had some good inner monologue. However, the lack of dialogue here hurt a lot. If there was some, there could be some clarification who is on whose side. Zeph started off good with some trashtalk, but from that point on it’s just swinging swords and spells around from all three of you.

CLIMAX - 5/6/6

I had a hard time to actually pinpoint where the climax really was and that’s always bad for a thread. For Yari, I guess it was breaking from the firestorm, for Zeph the climax was too close to the conclusion (though it still showed some real emotions about the destruction of the bridge), and with Reiko it was her desperation for disappointing Inari. Climax is supposed to show the true significance of the thread, the very gist of what the whole battle was about, and I think it was lacking severely here.

CHARACTER - 6/7/6

Zeph’s link with the bridge and the memory of his father really stood out here. Still, I found certain details inconsistent. Zephyriah charges at Yari like mad, angry because of the destruction of the bridge, and yet when Yari tosses his knife at him, her responds with a nonchalant *Yawn*?! It didn’t make sense to me. It’s one thing to explain the weakness of the attack, but try no to do it by jumping out of character. With Yari I felt that there wasn’t enough character. A could of arrogant smirks, some words and that was it. If I didn’t read the profile, I could hardly say he was an infamous bandit. Reiko did OK here, especially when Kit started to realize that losing might tear her away from her daughter, but I would like to see more of her emotions in a battle.

CONCLUSION - 0/0/0

None to speak off. Zeph, you did post something as opposed to rest, but I think it wasn’t a real conclusion so I put a couple of extra points in the Wild Card instead.

WILD CARD - 4/6/4

Because both of you bailed out and Zeph tried to wrap up as best he could, he gets some extra points.


TOTAL SCORE - 50/55/49

Zephyriah is the winner!!! Congratulations.

Note on the exp: The Battle EXP is currently being revised and reconsidered, but I will try to use it here. However, because this wasn’t finished, I’m docking some EXP.

Zephyriah gets 2000 EXP and 50 GP
Yari Rafanas gets 500 EXP and 50 GP
Reiko gets 450 EXP and 50 GP

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

EXP and GP added!
Zephyriah levels up!