NLBFT 12: The First Round Beckons

[The Willful Wanderer]

This might be what we call 'revision'...

An air oppressive enwreathed the city, a stifling, beating heat that sought to strike down any and all moving things. Such weather often visited places of this Mediterranean clime, this dry heat lessened only by the faintest of breezes from the nearby sea. People all throughout the city of Neska milled about only slowly, sparsely populating the streets with betoga’d and loosely robed figures. It was a hot, summery day, one of the sort set aside for lazing about, and doing no work. Indeed, for the post part, those living in the city were lucky enough to be nobles or merchants of some repute- for the slaves and servants could not be said to live nearly so much as to merely exist. The sunlight beating down was tyrannical in its severity, the air was dry to the point of parching, and the crowd...

The roar of the crowd was deafening to one come unprepared.

The coliseum was old. No, the coliseum was more than just ‘old’. The caryatids holding up what ceiling there was were extraordinarily thin, fragile things carved from the remains of elder statues, themselves modeled out of the remnants of still larger columns formed from what had remained of a once-solid wall of granite blocks. The sheer weathering of time and damage had worn any detail away after each new ruination, to the point where all was like as made anew each time it was recarved. This coliseum was positively ancient.

Hundreds of people, perhaps even a few thousand, lounged and milled about the marble benches set upon the stands of the building, one that might well be older than humanity itself- or this version of humanity. Their motions reflected the mood of the day, belligerence brought on by heat only to be muted to a dull state of annoyance by its own propagator. This was no day for heavy activity, so the most any could do was shout- and shout they did.

A man remained in the center of the arena floor, his massive axe still buried in the ribcage of an opponent. Blood marred him much as it did the hard-packed and scorching dirt of the stage he stood upon, in splotches and streaks. Though he bore his share of wounds, this gladiator had triumphed over his opponent, at a great price in blood and sweat. Sweat especially, the weather causing him to teeter on his feet as what skin was not bloodied or dirtied glistened faintly.

Slowly, dumbly, left in a haze by the weather, he glanced one way. Then, he glanced the other. Finally, too tired to take any revel in his victory or the cheers of the crowd, he simply turned and stumped off towards the gate from which he had issued. The gladiator pens were no lush accomodations, but they were nearly ten meters below ground level, and would be so much cooler than the arid environs out here...

He would not have asked for any greater reward.

As cheers fell upon the deaf ears of the most recent victor, the nobles stirred in their boxes, waving servants too and fro with gestures so vague as to nearly be unintelligible. Some trembled slightly in apprehension as they attempted to properly interperet their masters’ whims, slaves used to only the worst of treatment.

But it was not with them that the nobles were dissatisfied, that the merchants were irritated. This is all great fun. They believed, And the common rabble certainly like it. But it’s just more of the same. Let us see something different. Something of interest.

So they desired and, perhaps moreso than they thought, so would they recieve.

Duul Dorne stood patiently as he waited for the cheering to die down. He had ruled the city-state for some years now, and found it much to his liking to oversee the fights. Perhaps on the surface, it was a good way to placate the people of the port city, and it served well to distract sailors and mercenaries so as to avoid unnecessary loss of commerce. To him, though, it was a statement of power. That he could choose who might fight whom. His whim could well decide who might live, and who might die- all those in the coliseum, be they slave or true gladiator, were under his fist.

Rather lardly, the opulently-garbed man clutched lightly at his paunch and pulled a belt up in a sign of amusement. Of course, the nobles and merchants were tiring of the same fare each day as the last. They’d not expect much more- perhaps a few fights with exotic animals, or a battle with three or more sides. These each were usually enough to draw the neccessary attention, a sort of everyday novelty that was easy to achieve. He’d a treat today, though, one that perhaps the pitifully manipulatable folk of his city would appreciate. The trouble he’d had to acquire this particular element, they had better. Still, it wasn’t as though he didn’t derive his own enjoyment from this sort of thing.

“My people!” He pompously declared as the cheering died down some. “Such things as we have seen so far this day, they are wonderous! Warriors born, dueling to the death for your pleasure! But surely, you wish to see more such!”

Ignoring the corpse-haulers dragging out the losers of the last match, much of the cheering citizenry rose to its feet to shout in affirmation. Sailors from the port the city held made the most noise, belligerence born from long hours spent in cramped quarters spurring them on to greater volume and vehemence. The mercenaries in the stands were most calm about it, most adjusted one might say. Lives spent in combat left little room for excitement over the conflicts of others- but it was something to do, yes. Something that perhaps might occasionally provide an opportunity- more than once, this very coliseum had held free-challenge matches, where anyone might descend to the floor to face a gladiator for the chance to earn a bit of extra coin.

As the sun beat down, slowly drying the smears of vitae-clogged mud scattered about the dusty dirt of the arena floor, Duul Dorne sweated- but he didn’t mind. After all... he was in control.

“Then I bring you more! From a far land, my men have captured a savage warrior, who fights like unto a wild beast! But there is still more to this- and I should let you see, should I not? Do you wish to know of this most rare treasure?”

The sound was once more astounding.

“Then let not your eyes cloud your mind, for there is little here that is as it seems! I bring to you.... The Savage!”

***********************

This was not to her liking. No, this was not good at all.

Fallen Star, she thought to herself, Why could you not listen to the Elders?

She was a Herd Runner- her life’s work, her purpose, was to stay with the bison. Live alongside them, for the good of herd and tribe both. Oh, she had learned well enough. A deft mind allowed her to easily take in what she needed to know. Very perceptive, she had caught on to some problems, some predators, before even her aging tutor Three Bison Running had noticed them. Her work had been good, her life sometimes difficult- but it was fulfilling. Still, her curiosity, her need to learn more, and quickly.... that she could never stifle. Three Bison had so often scolded her for it, his voice tense.

“You must stay with the bison.” He had told her, “It is a great honor and privilege to help guide a herd, and that should be where all your focus lies. Events outside of this may seem important, but remember that your standing surpasses tribe- it is to you to ensure that the bison are respected and that they continue to live here. Time and enough for your own self when that is secure.”

And indeed, like a mouse too far afield when the falcon came calling, her curiosity had made her prey. Prey instead of guardian- what a great turnabout! She would learn from this, though. She would learn much from this.

She might only hope that she would be able to put it to use back on the plains.

She might only hope she would find a way to return to the plains.

Rousing herself from her thinking, her meditation, the stout woman lifted a hand, left index finger rubbing slightly at the scar. Oh, she’d her share of healed wounds. About her arms mostly, though one rode the length of her right thigh. This, though...

It had been only a few moons since her capture by the shining men. Beyond her to say what they garbed themselves in, but it was loud, it caught the eye, and she’d seen nothing quite so hard as it short of the cliffs, below where the dirt gave way. Still- a few moons was long enough for the wound to close.

The line of the scar ran from above her thin eyebrow, down through the hardened mass of tissue where her eye had been, half of the way down from there to the corner of her mouth. So much pain it had held, when she first took the wound, that it alone had nearly been enough to incapacitate her.

A pole smacked against the heavy wooden cage she sat in, rattling the structure ever-so-slightly. Oh, she could probably break out of it now, but what would be the point? The fact was, the cage was more symbolic than anything else. It meant she was owned, kept. Not free.

As it grated to think about, she turned her attention to the man who had rattled her cage. The door stood open, and his spear pointed towards the open hall leading to the room. Tilting her head slightly, she listened to him speak, though she could not have told what it was he was actually saying. The languages here were... very different, and nobody had been going to any effort to really teach her.

Her moccasins padded lightly against the stone floor as she emerged from the cage, the other prisoners watching her warily. One in particular stayed well clear, the large man’s flattened nose flaring slightly at the nostrils in rememberance. For her part, though Fallen Star ignored him, walking calmly down the hallway.

She could not escape.... yet. So, she would do as they said.

**************************

The sun sheared into her eyes and sough to sear her skin as Fallen Star emerged onto the ‘stage’ of the arena, though she paid it little heed. Of much more importance was how very loud it was. Shielding her eyes with her left hand, the rough leather of her fingerless glove scraping gently against her forehead, the foreign woman looked about.

So many here to watch her fight.... and so excited over it. This made no sense at all to her, and the short woman shivered slightly. It did not help matters that she was left feeling exposed, devoid of her cloak and leggings. She drew herself up to her full height, her runner’s loincloth hanging to even with her calves, and resisted the urge to adjust the bandeau covering her breasts. Her bob of dark indigo hair, cut to chin length at the front and scarce more than a few centimeters towards the back, hung naturally with a part down the middle and staying well clear of her face. Like her clothing, her hair was simple, practical, with a minimum of decoration involved.

The fat man shouted loudest, so he was where her attention turned. His seat was a good eight meters above the arena floor- no way to reach it. A shame, as she’d like somewhat to meet him in the arena, if she had no choice about fighting or not. Fallen Star usually was not belligerent at all, but the man’s attitude seemed to be screaming out to be deflated. That, and he seemed to be nominally in charge- if there was someone she might force to free her, it would probably be him. Why such a corpulent, obviously incapable person was beyond her, but then these people here were all quite completely out of their minds.

Still, she stood there and waited, watching without any idea as he called out for a challenger. The one who answered would not be an owned or hired gladiator, but rather someone from the stands.

Unknowing and uncomprehending, the tribal woman stood silently, hands fisted at her sides.

[X-3]

The Lightning Bear ceased its cleaning. Cleaning would have to come after a meal. He'd just get filthy after the meal, anyway. Why not just turn two cleaning sessions into one?

The Lightning Bear sat comfortably, waiting for breakfast to be delivered. This one looked to be a good start to a day. Hopefully it would be meatier than those scrawny soldiers.

The Bear's fur glowed a warm, golden color for a split second, before an enormous amount of electricity blasted off the animal's coat, in the direction of a charging Bobby. Quickly, he leaped out of the way, just barely avoiding the electricity! Unfortunately, his landing craft was not so...fortunate.

The electricity trailed off to where Bobby had landed: up in the mountains. It seemed almost alive, as its glowing form cackled and twisted. It exploded upon the craft, creating a shocking sight, as the electricity grasped the ship and tossed it into the air. Boulders toppled from their home upon their mountains into the surrounding area. The heavily damaged ship sailed in the sky, until it plummeted and crashed into a town, too close to the mountain for it's own good. The boulders also joined in the horror, smashing into the town, toppling over house after house. The town's former beauty had been crushed in a matter of seconds.

Bobby could help but watch this horrible sight. As he gazed upon the destruction the single bear had caused, the aforementioned animal charged at him on all fours, moving at an incredible speed. It's fangs clamped around Bobby's left arm, and electricity spread through his body, as blood gushed from his new wound. The Lightning Bear released it's grip, before smacking it's target with it's deadly paw, knocking him off to the ground.

The Bear stood over Bobby, as it heavily grunted, waiting for him to make his move. This bear liked to play with it's food. It made it taste even more delicious when it was all through and done.

[Mushi]

Bobby looked the bear dead in the eyes, the pain of his wound causing him to smile wider.

"BEAR!" He shouted, before launching himself athletically upwards, kicking the bear in the jaw. That wasn't the best idea, seeing as this was a lightning bear, his right side seemed to sag a bit as he ran away from the bear, who shook its mighty head and soon came roaring after him. Bobby's clumsy run was no match for the bear's incredible speed, and soon the Lightning Bear was upon him again. Just as the bear was going to lunge upon him, he suddenly leapt, and with a seemingly unfounded grace he landed with a loud THUD a few yards behind the suprised creature.

However, his landing didn't stay at a simple "thud". All around him the earth seemed to be quivering. His smile seeming to widen, he slowly began to... sing?

"Ring around the rosies, pockets full of posies..." His wiry muscles began to coil, his heavy boots seeming to activate "Ashes, ashes..." he leapt a good six feet in the air. "We all fall..." He landed feet first, "DOWN!"

The ground began to to shake violently, making it nearly impossible to keep a firm footing upon it. "Down! Down down down down down!" He leapt again, in small hops at each "down". Each jump strengthened the already violent earthquake. Cracks opened around Bobby, who was laughing like a madman. Above the sound of crackling earth, the bear could be heard roaring as it tried to keep its balance, to which Bobby replied,

"BEAR!"

[Phenom]

Alright, let's fire up this showdown Kirbyboy, I'll edit in my battlefiled selection later on tonight and you can do the honours of first entrance.

[LOOT]

Hold on, Erdawn, did you want me to make the first post or were you?

[Erdawn Il Deus]

His sandalled feet made little noise against the lichen-blotched brick of the pyramid, scuffing slightly as he wound his way through curtains of moss, grown fat overtop the crumbling effigies of a long-dead wizard. Mortar lay piled discardedly where it had toppled, and from unpatterned holes and wounds necroded into the stone blinked the coloured shapes of creeper-vines and flowers. Insects fluttered disturbed like dust motes and settled back into the overgrowth as he passed, their crickets and hums almost inaudible. The stairway cut into the structure's side was a smaller sibling to the enormous blocks which made up the polypheme trapezoid, and as he neared the top the memories came back to him gently, strikingly, like photographs unrolled beneath the embers of a dying fire. The peak of the megalith was a single, trapezoidal block, large enough in dimension to be a small courtyard, the centre of the roof caved into the pyramid's interior chambre.

Now and then he passed into this realm, which was now called the Golden Land but to him would always be the Dark World. He was its sentry, his flesh bronzed from the years of travel, tatooed in the fashion of the true Knights of Hyrule, artefacts of warfare hanging off his person. His clothing; old, intricate rune-mail robed beneath a cloak and tunic of shifting earth-colours. A kite-shield polished like moon-pearl and shining a milky cream under the sky hung heavily overtop his pack.

Link sat on the edge of a crumbling wall, low to the ground, chewing a piece of straw. He was alone under a sky of ochre which tinted the sea and rivers molten gold across the landscape beneath the Cyclopean shadow of Death Mountain, the hollowed Tower of Ganon standing to the sky like a crone's crooked index finger in the sunlight. He had hunted to extinction or nearly to extinction the hordes which remained here, single-handedly removed the molblin tribes and their chieftains and hunted the last of the lynelim to the deepest crevasses of the mountain-side. But still, he felt uneasy. His left hand, rough and heavy-veined, trembled even laid across his knee. He couldn't quite remember when it had started doing that. It was as natural to him now as the grey which whiskered into the blonde-brown of his hair.

It was almost time for him to return to Hyrule; another tour through this realm and a look into the mirror. But he did not want to leave its prairies or its thinking forests just yet.

[Apiary Tazy]

The man turned to the Dragon. He didn't seem to be too much of a problem, just a regular Dragon like any other. The man turns to Inferno and says "Fight me."

"What?!" says Inferno.

"Fight for your life." Says the strange man.

".....now why would I just fight some guy who appears on a dead planet like this?" Says Inferno.

"Because I'll kill you if you don't." says the man

Inferno didn't even get a chance to respond before the man jumps towards him. the man's legs wrap around Inferno's Neck and before he knows it, he is sent to the ground.

"I am not exactly a "fan" of the planet Earth.....but, I am also a fast learner. I have extensive knowledge of many of the Martial Arts on that planet, as well as on Mercury.....so prepare yourself!"

Inferno shoves the man off of him, and is able to get back on his feet. Then the Dragon attempts to punch the creature, but the man bends back to avoid the punch, leaving Inferno in a confused state. The man comes back, giving Inferno a painful headbutt. Inferno grabs his head in pain and turns his back from this man. Suddenly the man says.....

"The name is Nichi.....now fight me with all your strength!"

[LOOT]

Not far from the location of Link was another fighter. His attention was not on the giant pyramid, however, but rather the water. As an Alliance Marine, he had spent many years among the oceans. This world's waterways certainly had him interested. His green eyes bounced back at him from what appeared to be murky waters, his white hair as detailed in the water as in the air. His scar... memories of how he obtained the scar over his right eye rushed into his head. Not one of his smarter moments, sadly. Regardless of this past mistake, the Marine stood erect as he analyzed the surrounding area.

"I've never seen such an odd world before. The atmosphere just seems poisonous," he muttered to himself as his eyes darted across the lands, spying a shop surrounded by cyclopes. "Even my power over iron eres seems to be weakened." Senel took a look at his hand, protected and enforced by Mythril Arms. As Senel attempted to channel power into his hand, his gaze suddenly caught a figure. A figure at the top of the Pyramid of Power. The fist fighter was soon dashing to the mountainous structure.

As he closed in on the location, Senel focused his eyes on the lone being at the top. It didn't look like a monster, seeing as most of the beings around were either man-eating plants, Cyclopes, or unfortunate souls that were transformed into trees. A surge of joy rushed into Senel's heart, as he longed to find somebody who wasn't a thief or monster. He could finally leave this forsaken land return to his own land. After all, Shirley was waiting. The girl who he called his sister.

"Wait!" Senel suddenly whispered to himself. Wait, indeed. Those ears are not normal! Could that be... a Goblin? Senel's fists were clenched in rage. Dammit! And here I thought I was finally going to leave this place! In full fury, Senel kept charging, determined to find out who this being is. His feet finally reached the stairs, although they slowed him down in just the least bit. Higher, higher, sweat dripping down his anger-bent face.

Link was startled at the noise of the running. In a rush of adrenaline, the young lad came to the stairs to see what was going on. His eyes spotted the Marine rushing upwards to the top. Not knowing what reason anyone else would have for scaling the Pyramid of Power, he leaned forward in order to hear any reason tossed out by the fighter.

Senel gasped. He's going to launch a wind attack? Is he a wind eren? The Marine snapped his right arm to his side, quickly gathering power into his fist. He was only thirty feet away, the distance needed! "Demon Fist!" the Marine yelled as he brought his arm up in an uppercut fashion. What followed was a fast shockwave of energy directed at Link.

OoC: Re-written. I did the first attack, but I want to see how you react to it first to see just how well you utilize Link.

[Lycrios]

Kyen’s tongue shied back quickly into his mouth as the hulking beast came into sight, it’s mass a grotesque perversion of what should be. The putrid smell which oozed from it’s mouth was enough to make him gag, but years had made his will strong enough to ignore such simple bodily reactions. All eyes fixed the mammoth’s foul mouth and he very nearly snarled. It was easily half again as tall as he was, which proved quite intimidating with the addition of it’s vile odor and gaping mouth full of dangerous looking teeth. His mouth seemed nothing close to inviting and he made a mental note to stay away from it. His trained eyes sought quickly for any spot which seemed a weak point, yet no obvious weakness* could be seen on the oily black skin.

The sound of the thing invaded his ears as it lunged forward, even the sound of it’s moving muscles had a sickly ambiance to it. He dug his feet into the paving stone and leaped nearer, avoiding the claw easily, yet he rolled quickly as two more dug into the ground where he had been. He spun and rolled, ducked and dodged as claws darted, slashed, and ripped the earth around it apart. A miscalculation brought him face to face with a claw. All eyes widened briefly as his staff spun and shot up to push away the deadly strike. A shower of blue sparks twirled and danced in the air, illuminating the mist around them. Kyen felt the air move past his head as he rolled out in between two buildings narrow alley.

Just as he had thought, not only was this thing surprisingly fast for it’s bulk but it was also quite strong. It was by sheer will that he had been able to force the claw away from him. He panted slightly as he ran a hand over his staff. Intact. It never ceased to amaze him the punishment this weapon could take. He only had a time to pause as the beast tore into the tiny alleyway. He ran circling the building hoping to catch the thing off guard, yet when he turned the corner, he barely caught himself as the claw dove before him. It would have surely skewered him if he had taken another step. He swung down with force on Gingal’s limb. Sparks shot out on impact as the staff collided with the creature, bringing forth a pained howl which washed satisfaction through Kyen. So it could feel pain, could it? It would have it’s full share of it soon enough.

Kyen used the staff to flip himself over the clawed limb, landing gracefully before the creature, dodging again out of the way of a frantic claw. It also knew rage. Useful. It hardly slowed in it’s offense, forcing Kyen to fall back. Hit and run wouldn’t work for long, he needed something more. The air rippled around him as he spun to face the beast. Kyen’s features blurred, shifted, and then split. Two more of himself stepped out from where he had stood, then joined by two more. Five robbed creatures, all carrying the staff and each tail swaying perfectly in sync, gave pause to the behemoth before them. In a combined roar, the creatures leaped with surprising speed and agility, staffs twirling.

[Inferno Dragon]

OOC: so we're on mars? interesting, it must be pretty soon after the planet died.

Inferno quickly turned to his new foe, a second tail, a monkey's tail, extended from the base of his dragonic tail and wrapped around his waist. As hie stood there facing his foe, the man facing him realized something, Inferno resembled a saiyan warrior, with a few exceptions like the orange skin, the crimson dragon wings on his back, the dragon tail at the base of his spine, the crimson horns on his head, the scarlet spiky hair, his amber eyes, and his dragonc feet.

Inferno: well, if you want a fight I'd be more than willing to help with that. But just so you know, the old name of this dead world is Terra Raya, fourth planet from the star solaris right?

Nichi: you mean Mars? yeah.

Inferno: good. too bad this place went to hell, it was paradise back in the day.

Inferno's fists ignite with dragon fire, the flames swirling around his fists as he smirked at his opponent.

Inferno: let's go!

Inferno rushed at Nichi and as inferno tried to punch him again, but nichi dodged it like the last time, bending back to avoid the punch. Inferno saw it comming this time and quickly spun around, sweeping Nichi's legs out from under him with his dragonic tail. The blue skined man fell flat on his back before recieving a blazing punch to the gut. Inferno leapt back and began charging a ball of dragonfire energy in his hands.

Inferno: dragonfire blaze!

Inferno thrust his hand out in front of him just as his foe wasgetting up. A beam of dragonfire energy sped towards its target, streams of dragonfire swirled around the beam causing the beam and flames to super-heat the air around them. Nichi tried to quickly decide on a course of action as the beam rapidly approached him...

[X-3]

The Lightning Bear struggled to stay on it's paws, as the Earth ripped open under the feet of the two fighters. The bear leapt high in the air, as the wind crashed against it's bloodied coat. Electricity ran through it's sharp, crimson-painted fangs. It blasted from the sky towards Bobby, who finished his little jumping session just in time to avoid the bear's fangs.

The bear fangs crunched into a unearthed piece of the ground. The bear hungrily ripped it from it's place in the earth and began to chew it down, until it had completely swallowed it. Bobby watched, almost dazed by the bear's hunger. A familiar glow suddenly reappeared in the bear's coat.

The bear opened it's jaws, and a bolt of lightning jolted out and struck into Bobby's stomach, making him topple over upon the splintered earth. As he scrapped against the many pieces, opening new wounds, the bear's grunts filled the air. It almost seemed as if the animal were laughing at him. Laughing at his pain...

[Erdawn Il Deus]

L, PMs.

[Phenom]

Ok Kirbyboy, I'm a man who likes to keep it simple. exotic location for our 'field. Good old fashioned abandoned steel-sided warehouse overlooking a moonlit pier. The warehouse is laced with all types of conveyor belts, unused cast iron beams, old-school elevators used to lift thing to different levels (of which there are three plus the rooftop). This is just the kind of place mobs and politicians would choose to "exchange briefcases" but tonight it's the stage of a bloodbath. I await your entry my good man.

[Wyborn]

The Time Warrior waited in a city that was dead. He waited until the sun fell, until the moon rose, until the stars came out and the insects sang in the still pools of the strip. The lights should have come on but didn't, whatever automatic systems serving to activate them at a certain time apparently failing, and not a soul to turn them on.

It was dark in Las Vegas for the first time in memory.

It occurred to Acradius that, in spite of everything, he might have heard wrong – not that he had gotten his location wrong, but that he might have gotten the wrong day, and there would be no one here in this place for days or years. For a moment, in the darkness and the quiet, his mind turned to entropic forces, and he wondered how long it would take a city like Las Vegas to fall apart when left alone.

The streetlights came on at the end of the avenue on which he was standing, the casinos and hotels remaining dark but the walkway flickering to life, one spot at a time. A man was walking down the middle of the road, and Acradius saw him before he was close enough to be seen.

He was tall and his shadow was long, the hat on his head throwing his face into shadow except for his mouth, lips peeled back in a smile that cut the night in half. His dress was formal, his slacks clean-pressed, his shirt spotless, his red vest a dealer's, his hat a singer's, the scarf hanging lazily over his shoulder a mobster's. He was humming as he walked, was humming as he came upon Acradius, and when he stopped and smiled the Time Warrior knew he was looking into the face of the devil.

“Welcome,” said he, throwing his arms out and gesturing to the strip, his eyes glowing pink and blue and a cancerous green fluorescence pouring from his mouth, “to my city. I see you've come to set up shop – or have you?”

He leaped back and up, his legs catching the top of an overhanging light pole so that he swung on it until he hung upside down, folding his arms on his chest and craning his neck back until he looked at this interloper dead in the face.

“Have you come to partake? To see the lights, to fight the fights, to so live out your endless nights?” He dropped, landing on his feet, his whole body pivoting around his head as if it were being held in place in the air. “Many come here for such, to hear men of talent and meet women of no virtue – to throw away money for the ring of a bell and the laugh of a friend, pretty lights, the finest booze in the world.”

Another movement, not actually taking a step but somehow standing in the middle of the street. “Is this what you are here for?”

He threw out his arms and all at once Las Vegas exploded into light, neon hookers twitching their thighs beneath cardboard cowboys holding paper bottles of bourbon. the ringing of slot machines joined in the fabulous cacophony of mechanical bands and screaming women and laughing children, running water flooding out onto the pavement in crystalline rivulets carrying cigar butts and puke and piss and the wasted abortion of unfulfilled dreams. The man smiled amidst this chaos, looked to be laughing though he made no sound, and when he spoke his voice was detached from his frame.

“Have you come to partake of this modern Sodom, this glorious Gomorrah, to slate your thirsts on the best and the worst that all of man has to offer?”

His face tilted, the shadow of his hat falling across his eyes, but the neon glow was visible there and that sickly light was still between his teeth.

“And if not, why don't you just leave? There's business to be done.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[video]3X9cH0wdOJY[/video]

A song, for mood's sake.

[KirbyBoy2000]

Ooc: Hope you don’t mind me changing the battlefield up some; mostly I’m just adding a bit more to the outside so I can envision it better. It shouldn’t change much to the battle though, everything you put down is still there and it will be about the same.


The old harbor once was thriving with activity, but now just another forgotten part of the nearby city. It used to be important enough; ships would come and go, pick something up from one of the many warehouses across it and then be off to wherever. Nothing’s in it now. The warehouses are all empty, or in the least empty of anything worthwhile and not a single one of the lights along its concrete foundation is still working.

Running down the harbor a young man in a brown jacket begins to slow down, eventually stopping in front of one of the warehouses to catch his breath. He sits down on a wooden crate and wipes the sweat from off of his forehead.

“This should be far enough… I don’t think they could have followed me, but I’m still feeling worried for some reason…”

He looks around, barely able to see with only the moon and stars shedding light onto the harbor. Panning from left to right all he sees are some crates and steel containers, almost forming a wall besides an old pier, and then the silhouette of someone in the distance-
What? I thought I lost all of them. He springs to his feet and then moves himself behind the crate, kneeling as he stares at the shadows in the distance.

[Erdawn Il Deus]

Link saw the attack coming. Who this being was, human or not, and why he came here were suddenly swallowed by the more pressing question of how best to subdue him. The impending attack was too obvious - he had screamed its christened name, even - and Link had reacted, bringing the mirror shield to bear so that its polished surface - ebbing gold in colour by proxy of this land's ochre sky - reflected Senel's own image back at him. To Senel's credit, the wave of energy was too large in diameter to be absolutely repelled by the fairy-steel, and the heat of it stood the hylian's hair on end and seared the flesh of his brow and arms a bright, peeling red.

To the Hylian's credit, his shield did far more than protect the rest of him from Selen's "Demon Fist". Where the energy passed into the glass metal of the thing, it passed out, reflected so smoothly it seemed hardly pushed back at all, merely kept going in the other direction altogether and the marine was stunned into defenseless against it. His armour fractured, lines of power surging through the frame of his body and passing around it, cooking meat in sectors, and the impact bent him over double, and backwards off the edge of the pyramid-head. He hit the steps - hard - rolled, and landed ass over ankles at the foot of them, his armour smoking and running where the heat had warped its frame. In some places he was hard-pressed to move.

Link was running down the stairs - sprinting, and his footfalls thumped like applause against the inlaid brick. His mailed hand was tucked low at his hip.

Senel's vision swam, his head several sizes larger than the bubble of bone around his brain, thumping against its shell. His body groaned at him, beating loose from his bones, but he saw the glimmer of orange steel and instinct filled him and suddenly he had kicked his lower body up over his head and rolled backwards and into a backpedal away on his feet.

The stone lit up - like fire had been drawn across it in a line, and sparks and molten matter flaked from the wound in the rock like petals from crushed flowers. The air hissed (there was power to that weapon, Senel noted, ungodly power) and crumpled and light lit across the face of the blade which had been drawn, and swung, and now hung evenly at Link's side, crackling. The Master Sword, forged into its most powerful noted iteration, the blade a heavy gold and reflecting all the colours of dusk like the after-images of coals in a fire. Link was staring at him, and his eyes had weight to them, dammit, they smouldered from holes in his skull like coins and the determination which was the herald of his lineage smouldered with them.

"You're no goblin," Senel remarked, almost stupidly, considering. The heavy bastard-blade came down, and Link said nothing, but stared; he was older dammit, but older or not his days were far from done. The tremble in his hand, the crow's feet by his eyes, they meant nothing here, now. His other arm shot out, and from the pocket-space in which he stored the majority of his arsenal, something lit up like a diode and appeared in its true size - a heavily curved stick, red and iron-hard by the look of it.

Senel brought up his fists - "**** it!" - and moved forward. The boomerang caught him upside the skull over his right eye and armour crumpled beneath it - it had left a trail of light behind it, flickering out of sight - and bone cracked and his head snapped back and to the side and

He was on his back (blacked out, I blacked out), elbow pressed to elevate him to stance, the damn stick was back in Link's hand but there were two of him - wavering, one of them, wait, what - but his sword, oh Christ his sword was still in his hand and its tip gleamed brightly, like the sun, gleamed, right for his ****ing eye-

[Apiary Tazy]

OoC:.....ok, I don't know where you got Mars from, but we'll run with it.
-------------------------------------------------

The beam goes closer and closer as Nichi struggles to stand. Finally, Nichi gets up and thinks for a minute. A Firey beam going straight towards him, and his abdomen had a burn mark on it. He knew how to get out of this situation.

Suddenly, Nichi dissapeared, his speed too fast for even Inferno to keep up. The Beam hits the ground, melting the Rock into a Magma-like pool. As it bubbles Nichi gets behind Inferno and attempts to strike him in the neck, stunning him long wenough for a big attack. However, Inferno's Senses were much higher. The Dragon turns and sends a straight punch to Nichi's body, Nichi attempts to grab the punch, but is still pushed back by the sheer force of Inferno. "I'm stronger than you give me credit for" says Inferno.

".....oh." says Nichi.

Nichi turns and flips Inferno onto the ground. Nichi then jumps and lands on Inferno's stomach. Then, he proceeds to jump on Inferno about two times before Inferno grabs his legs and throws him toward the Pool of melted rock. Nichi goes halfway before stopping himself in mid-air.

"Now.....let's take this battle even further." says Nichi.

[Kargath]

For those wanting to read whilst travelling, iPod Notes Packager and forums/gunjin-battlefield/60451-nlbft-1 ... print.html make an excellent combo.

[t3hDarkness]

My Love For You Is Like a Truck...

Even in the docks district the din from the coliseum patrons buzzed in the ears of the men seated in the harbormaster’s office. A swarthy mercenary captain leaned over the solid table to discuss last minute plans with a slight, furtive looking man clad in a patterned merchant’s robe.

“Then the Duul’s men, you are sure they will not come?” he asked in a foreign tongue.

“Losing ground to the Southeast and the North,” His employer explained, “The spy reports only a handful of slave-soldiers to guard the city, they will be no trouble.”

“The raid will be swift.” The captain said while stuffing papers into his belt.

“Assuming your desert warriors and your specialist arrive on time.”

The captain grinned, “They are already here.”

Satisfied “Then we need only wait for the signal, Neska will burn before nightfall.”

***********************
From the stands a rugged mercenary dressed in a ridiculously heavy fur cloak yelled above the rest. Easily recognizable as one of those distasteful Northern barbarians by his long fair hair and pale face, he stood and stomped his heavy boot on the edge of the ring.

“Oi!” he shouted as he found himself leaping down into the pit. At the back of his mind was some sort of purpose quickly being ignored, but right now, he was dazzled by the grandeur of the coliseum and infused with the enthusiasm of each cheer form the crowd. Excitement buzzed every nerve in his body as he found himself landing heavily into the cracked dirt with his absurd cloak gathering around him.

Slowly, menacingly, he stood. Completely caught in the excitement he pulled a dirk from his boot and cut a shallow gash across his chest, inviting the woman to try to do worse. His face was a visage of primal glee, expectation, excitement for the coming battle.

[Inferno Dragon]

OOC: isn't it obvious? planet of war, Mars is the roman god of war, it's a dead world and there's a constant layer of dust in the air from all the dust storms. and when you mentioned mercury and earth I figured we're in this star system.

Inferno smirked at his enemy.

Inferno: Oh, so you want to take this to the skies huh?

Inferno spread his great crimson wings and began to flap them, stiring up clouds of red dust as he took to the sky. In just a matter of moments Inferno had reached an altitude of three thousand feet and with a flash of light his spiky hair stood strait up and turned gold, his eyes shifted from amber to aqua and a gold aura of ki surrounded him.

Inferno: Now to turn it up a notch. hellfire's rage! rain of destruction!

Inferno began shooting down dragonfire and ki orbs in seemingly random directions. Nichi began dodging the the orbs as they fell from the sky laughing at how easy they could be dodged.

Nichi: Is that the best you've got?!

Inferno: No, it was to distract you from what was really going on!

As nichi stopped for a minuet he suddenly realized that all those orbs that fell from the sky were now formed into a sphere around Nichi.

Inferno: Ignition!

Inferno closed his right hand into a fist and the orbs surrounding Nichi closed in swiftly and exploded on impact with Nichi.