The Duel Tournament

[iscalio]

Night has fallen, and the 54 torches are illumining the tournament ring again. But another light source clearly upstages the torches.




CopperSun Class - Group I
Njord vs. Wiseman




Wiseman, the masked archmage of the Scarlet Moon Empire who defeated the Jowston Oracle Kuwaizair, sits in the ring in meditation posture, calmy waiting for his opponent. Turquoise and gray light emanates from his body, drawing ghostly striae in the darkness, and the essence of magic permeates the very air. As his opponent finally arrives, Wiseman hovers into the air and lands on his feet. The eerie lights drift toward the body of the mage and concentrate around his gloved hands which soon drip with magical energy.
His enemy is Njord the Ranger Pirate, one of the most important officers of the Island Nations, who won his last duel against the Falenian Lord Dredd. Njord smiles at the spectators and enjoys the cheers of his fans. Then he draws his sword and waits for the duel to begin.


A monk beats the gong and the governor of the Great Forest rushes forward to strike with all his might. Wiseman's glowing fists hit Njord with perfect accuracy, but the Islander does not seem to be very impressed. He counters with a powerful attack of his own, and his sword smashes down on the wizard. Wiseman is knocked of his feet and falls to the ground, not moving anymore. Njord already sees the victory in his grasp and launches another all-out attack at the lying mage, but a split second before his blade gores the body beneath him, Wiseman vanishes into thin air. The sudden vacuum sucks Njord down with impressive force and his face thuds heavily against the ground.

The pirate is completely puzzled, and shakingly rises to his feet, holding his broken nose. A few feet behind him Wiseman re-materializes; he puts forth his hands and shoots a terrible torrent of purple energy at his opponent. Spectral, vaguely human apparitions float in the stream of magic, entangle the unlucky pirate and rasp at his very soul. Suddenly all the torches extinguish and a tangible darkness clouds the whole tournament ring and Njord's suffocating scream resounds in the valley.



As monks with torches enter the ring later they find Njord unconscious, his face still contorted by pain. Wiseman hovers a few feet over the ground in meditative position, and as the monks announce his victory, he teleports away.







Wiseman wins this duel.

[iscalio]

In the morning, a monk is updating one of the placards on the large billboards outside the monastery. Apparently the winner of the duel




TargetLady Class - Group I
Sai Fujiwara vs. Shadow Wolf



has been decided without a fight since one of the duelists hasn't shown up.





The monk silently does his job while the chatter of some spectators who are curiously gathering around him grows louder.

"Who won? Is it Bishop Sai?" - "He's no Bishop anymore, stupid. He left Harmonia after some sort of turmoil." - "No, that's his opponent, Shadow Wolf. He's the one who left Harmonia." - "I think you're actually both right. I think Sai left Harmonia to become a mercenary, while Shadow Wolf became a citizen of Zexen." - "Zexen? Then Shadow Wolf is the winner? I see Zexen's banner on the placard!" - "No, it's actually Sai. He also went to Zexen after a a short time as a mercenary - apparently he didn't like the lifestyle." - "He did? But he's listed as a member of Jowston on the billboard, see?" - "Well, that's true. I heard he was abducted by the Jowstonian UberYuber who tried to force him to work for the City-States." - "UberYuber? That can't be right. Isn't he Harmonian?" - "No, he had left Harmonia after some sort of turmoil." - "No, that wasn't UberYuber. That was Sai himself." - "I thought it was Shadow Wolf?" - "Anyway, if Sai Fujiwara became a citizen of Jowston, then why is he now listed as a fighter of Zexen?" - "I have no idea. Perhaps it's simply a mistake?"

[iscalio]

At noon, another letdown awaits the spectators.


RuneDragon Class - Group II
Pyroflame vs. Sophita




Another Zexen fighter, this time Pyroflame who defeated the Lizard Clan Chief Abyscal in his last duel, didn't show up for his fight, and so another finalist has been decided without a proper duel.


Queen Sophita receives the cheers of her subjects, while the other spectators leave the ring disappointed, placing their hope and expectations on the evening duel.





Sophita (sort of) wins this duel.

[iscalio]

Nightfall on the last day of the semi-finals.




RuneDragon Class - Group I
Gaara vs. Midori




The Merchant of Chaos enters the ring from the left, the dried blood of Flame Champion sybillious still on the blade of his scythe, while a waft of mist enters from the right. The agitated, nervous caws of the ever-present crows upswell as the mist slowly dissipates, uncloaking the silhouette of a woman.

After the gong resounds, the vampire Midori comes shooting out of the mist, holding her magic staff like a lance. Gaara counters with a pair of quick-attacks of his own and his scythe rips two deep wounds in Midori's flesh, while Midori's staff sends an energy discharge into Gaara's body.

Then Gaara uses the powerful technique which defeated the Flame Champion. He starts to rotate, forming a deadly scythe-twister, and his long black hair and his exotic robes dance inside the circle of death while he whirs towards his enemy. But Midori has expected this move and has already cast a defensive spell to counter this attack, unperceived by her opponent while still hidden in the mist. A sable tentacle grows out of the ground and entangles Gaara's feet, causing him to fall right into his own blade, suffering a nasty wound in the process.


Licking his own blood from his weapon with his long tongue, Gaara stands up and attacks desperately again, while the Vampiress from the Swamp starts to cast a spell. Purple lights start to dance around her body like fireflies, a beautiful display in the fading light of the day's last breath, when suddenly Gaara's scythe slashes violently through Midori's flesh. Her left arm is hacked off and sent flying, with her blood drawing its trajectory into the air, and her throat is cut wide open. Although critically wounded, Midori is still able to maintain her focus, and shortly thereafter her rune flashes up and summons a hemisphere of utter darkness around her opponent. The tangible shadows imprison all light along with the Zexen Chairman and obscure all vision, but they allow sounds to escape — and so Gaara's screams paint a gruesome picture of what may happen inside the spell's area of effect.


When the magic finally wears of, the darkness dissipates around Gaara like mist in a breeze. The Merchant of Chaos is panting heavily, his body is smoking and his face is distorted by anger. Full of fury, he violently lashes forward and swings his scythe desperately. But the one-armed sorceress swiftly dodges and trips Gaara up which sends him to the ground again. There he stays, impaled on the blade of his own scythe.




Midori the vampire takes her arm and leaves, while monks rush in to provide first aid for the fallen nation leader.






Midori wins this duel.

[iscalio]

Once, in the Nameless Lands, in an underworld of crime that lacks definition, two forces were magnetically drawn to one another like polar opposites. They were so different, yet so alike.

Two men of a similar disposition, mind and ability faced off. They fought for the sheer joy of fighting, the façade of competing for assassins contracts prevailed but that was never the truth to the battles. The clashes were many, and each ended inconclusively. A perfect stalemate so to speak. Never were two men more perfectly matced to combat each other than these two.

Competition between the two had almost become routine in those days, contracts came and went frequently but these two somehow constantly found the same work and were pressed into battle with each other time and again. They fought as equals, friendly rivals even. They fought and grew together, mastering each other's styles to become like mirror images in combat. Finally though, the time has come for their final battle, an epic showdown to showcase what each one has learned from the other. Much time has passed but the familiarity between the two has remained, as has their desire to finally emerge victorious from this struggle. The two have come to the tournament of sword and shield, each knowing inately that the other would appear to them, and what more fitting a stage than the final round?

Two men, without names known to their governments or compatriots but known to each other were reunited by the powers of fate. Id and Exile, have each prepared for this duel. Each one of them, looking forward to, yet dreading this day that they finally test their mettle. This will be that day, the battle that fate has conspired to create is set to take place...and only one competitor will walk away victorious.








CutRabbit Class — Earth Finale
Scarlet assassin vs. PF


The time for the first finale of the Tournament of Sword and Shield has finally come. The sun is slowly crawling forth from behind the mountains, and the day's tired first light floods the small dell. The monastery's old rooster crows excitedly, somehow feeling the tension of this day, the day of the Five Elementary Finals. Somewhat disappointed, he has to discover that a small group of monks is already awake.

The abbot Jebra and four other monks sit around the ring, constantly chanting ancient syllables in a strange singsong. Golden lights dance around their bodies and faint tremors shake the the whole area. Suddenly jagged rocks grow out of the earthen ground, and small granite pillars, sharp stalagmites and large shaky rocks completely reshape the ring.



Later, spectators and duelists are equally surprised as they find the tournament ring in his new condition. The two fighters both climb on the rocky fighting ground, and both have to smile as they see how history repeats itself, although Scarlet assassin's smile is hidden beneath his mask. Once again the two rivals are pitted against each other, and both are sure about one thing: This is the time, this is the place - today there will finally be a decision.


Jebra himself beats the large gong, giving the signal to start the duel. Exile runs deftly over the jagged ground, his feet securely finding places to step, utilizing his routine in crossing Tinto's many unhospitable mountain passes. Id, standing on a small schist pillar, waits for his rival, and as soon as he comes in range, he delivers a powerful blow with his dark blade - but not without suffering two blows from his opponent's sword as well. The two fighters then strike with all their might, and both weapons find their aim. Blood squirts through the air, and the two duelists are on the verge of losing their balance on the unstable ground. To regain a firm stance, they both retreat to a more secure position.


Exile doesn't want to give his enemy another good attack opportunity like he just had, and so this time he also stays where he is and waits for his opponent to make the first move. And so both combatants stand on a relatively secure rock and defend.

Slowly, the spectators start to grow impatient and the first demonstrations of displeasure can be heard. The two fighters don't seem to care, solely focused on each other, and more time passes without further exchanges of blows. Then Jebra walks towards the ring and lifts his large iron staff high over his head. "Fight, you childs of cowardice!" he shouts and slams his staff against a rock on the fringe of the ring. The whole rock composition starts to shake and tremble and the two duelists try their best to maintain their balance, but both eventually fail. They fall on the spiky, moving ground which rips deep wounds into their bodies before they manage to regain their stand.
The man from Tinto seems as if he got the message and launches an all-out attack, while the Scarlet Assassin still seems unimpressed and keeps defending. While his mask hid where he was looking, he spent the last rounds thoroughly studying his surroundings. He waits for the correct moment and then kicks against a large stalagmite next to him. The force wanders through the stones and the running Exile observes the domino-like movement among the rocks, till he suddenly understands what Id is doing — but then it's already to late. The area of rocks where he is running collapses and a screaming Exile is buried beneath the rubble.


Id quickly approaches to find out if his enemy is already finished, when the Tinto Swordsman suddenly shoots out of the detritus. Catching his opponent totally off-guard, he hurls a stone at his head and proceeds with a quick stab with his blade. The assassin from the Nameless Lands stumbles backwards and nearly falls on the spiky ground again, but demonstrating truly impressive reflexes he manages to regain his balance at the last moment and throws his blade at his enemy. The powerful projectile pierces Exile's armor and gores his flesh. For a short moment, Scarlet Assassin already considers himself victorious, but then he has to realize that his opponent is still standing on his feet. In a short moment of shock he simply watches as the Tinto warrior jumps over the rubble towards him, his own blade still in the miner's stomach, before he hectically tries to draw his dagger. ----------------------------------But he's too late. Exile is quickly over him and swings his sword with full force, delivering a desperate blow. The impact is intense and throws Id off his feet and through the air, before his flight is stopped by a large spike which impales the fighter from the Nameless Lands.




Exile is panting heavily, standing on a small, brittle rock column, looking at his enemy. Id manages to give him a thumb up before he finally loses his consciousness.



The duel is over.




PF is the winner of his class. Congratulations.

[iscalio]

TargetLady Class — Wind Finale
Sai Fujiwara vs. Harukaze





A few hours after the victory of the Tinto swordsman, the next finale is about to start, and the ring has totally changed its appearance. All the rock structures have dissappeared, banished by the magic of the monks. In exchange numerous wooden poles have been mounted, and dozens of colorful flags and streamers hang down from the poles, transforming the ring into a labyrinth of cloth.
Around the ring a group of monks sits and meditates, and green and silver-blue lights dance around their bodies.


Some spectators complain that the arrangement of flags obstructs their vision, lowering the entertainment value of the spectacle. Jebra angrily swings his staff at those spectators. "This fight is for the honor of Sword and Shield, and for their zest only. Let the duelists feel the epiphany of creation, and bemoan that you may not fight yourself. But don't you dare again to make your profane demands!" Then he turns around, facing the ring again which the two fighters have just entered, and shouts "Now!"
The monks around the ring activate their magic simultaneously at their abbot's command and the Wind runes in their hands summon a mighty, whirling conglomerate of wind down on the ring. At once the flags and streamers begin to wave and dance, transforming the ring into a potpourri of color and movement.



Both duelists keep defensive at first, trying to orientate in the gallimaufry of fluttering colors, whirling dust and the wind's howling. They move through the labyrinth of cloth, battling against the erratic squalls, closely observing their surroundings: Behind each of the waving streams of colors the enemy could lurk.

A sudden strong gust undoes Sai Fujiwara ponytail, and as he watches his long black hair fluttering, he comes to a decision. If the wind obscures his senses, if the wind pushes his body around, if indeed wind does govern this ring, then why not subdue said force? He concentrates and mutters powerful incantations, utilizing secret Harmonian knowledge as he activates his Cyclone rune. The wind around his body at once starts to blow more harmoniously.

Suddenly intense pain fills his mind and thrusts aside the magic syllables. He stops chanting and slowly lowers his gaze. A large sword blade pokes out of his abdomen, and from behind he can hear Harukaze's voice. "Trying to contact the wind, huh? Too bad — because the wind is only talking to me!" With this he retracts his sword and Sai Fujiwara falls to his knees. He spills blood and drops his katana, and for a short time he thinks he can hear the laughing voices of women in the wind's howling before he loses his consciousness, felled by one hit.




The duel is over.




Harukaze is the winner of his class. Congratulations.

[iscalio]

DoReMiElf Class — Water Finale
Ganon Dun vs. punchdoll





A few hours later, the whole Wind finale superstructure has been removed. A group of monks once again sits around the ring and meditates. Dark clouds have gathered over the ring, and a few minutes ago a slight drizzle has started to rain down on the fighting ground. The clouds constantly grow bigger and soon canopy the whole area, including the spectator ranks and the monastery itself. Then the monks finish their chanting and a sudden shockwave of coldness pervades the humid ground of the ring and covers it with a blanket of ice.


As the two contestants enter the ring, both have obvious troubles on the slippery ground - coming from sunny Tinto they're not used to icy surfaces. When they finally manage to get hold of a secure stand, the two miners greet each other, and Jebra announces the start of the duel.

At once Ganon Dun starts to chant as he summons the mightiest spell in his repertoire. Green lights of the color of malachite whirl around his body, and a red-golden glow slowly draws a mandala of light on the ice around his feet. As Ganon Dun's voice grows louder and smouldering characters of forgotten languages keep appearing on the ground around him, punchdoll runs towards his opponent, brandishing his poleaxe. He knows the magic prowess of his fellow countryman, and he knows that he has to interrupt his chanting. More gliding than running, he reaches Ganon Dun and desperately swings his weapon, inflicting a deep wound on Ganon's left shoulder. But unable to stop his charge on the ice, he collides with his opponent and both fighters skitter with shared momentum towards the edge of the ring and over it. For a short moment, the spectators expect the fighters to hit the ground outside of the ring, losing the duel in the process, but as they are falling Ganon Dun's disturbed magic suddenly goes off. An ear-piercing Scream resounds as the Resurrection rune unleashes its power. A glittering polygram of light flashes up between the two fighters and sends powerful shockwaves through their bodies. punchdoll gets hurled back onto the ring while his dark cloak and poleaxe disintegrate, whereas Ganon Dun gets slammed on the ground outside the ring with enormous force.

Hold by symbols of banishment, punchdoll is hardly able to move, but his opponent lies unconscious in a heap of broken rocks.





The duel is over.




Punchdoll is the winner of his class. Congratulations.

[iscalio]

Black Pesmerga was seen walking back and forth in the dressing room an hour prior to his final match against Wiseman, the Scarlet Moon Empire's top magician. Though the knight looked as if he was nervous, his brain was filled with numerous scenarios that could occur, trying to figure out which tactic he would use to defeat the magician.

Realizing that Wiseman would take some time to cast his magic, Black Pesmerga opted to take off his Matilda Knight uniform and readied himself to fight bare-chested. His black messy hair would be a hinderance, and he grabbed a white bandana to prevent his own hair from distracting his view. He knew that the final match would supposed to be the hardest match had he had to face in the Tournament.

He also decided to change his weapon. The two swords were considered too heavy and would only slow him down. As a replacement, Black Pesmerga put on a pair of silver knuckles. His silver arm protectors were still equipped as he felt that he might need them to defend himself in case Wiseman chose to fight hand to hand.

With all preparation set, Black Pesmerga quietly sat on the bench, waiting for the monks to call him out to the arena.











CopperSun Class — Lightning Finale
Wiseman vs. Black Pesmerga


A few hours before nightfall the spectators gather at the ring again. Large lightning rods have been mounted around the fighting ground by the monks, and crackling electricity is constantly dancing between the metal structures. The spectators know to appreciate the impressing, colorful lightning and look at the ring in awe.

But then the two contestants arrive, and Wiseman and Black Pesmerga draw the attention of the spectators to themselves.



As soon as Jebra announces the start of the duel, the masked mage begins to cast a spell. Blue lights dance around his body, his robes flutter in the energy that circulates the imposing wizard, and - hidden beneath his mask - his Blue Gate rune flashes up as the Imperial magician tries to summon a powerful force to crush his opponent. But just before he is able to complete the spell, a fast punch with a silver knuckle hits him in the chest. The sudden attack forces the air out of his lungs and leaves him breathless for a few moments, and another quick punch follows promptly. Stumbling backwards, Wiseman tries to cast the interrupted spell again, but another silver-clad fist finds its aim; this time it hits his mask, and the knight's knuckle leaves a small crack on the strange vizard. As planned, Black Pesmerga continues to attack with quick-attack after quick-attack, and the Imperial spell-slinger, who desperately tries to cast his magic - fully aware that he could probably end this duel with only one successful spell -, fails to complete his spells and suffers blow after blow. But like in his duel against Black Pesmerga's fellow Jowstonian Kuwaizair before, Wiseman doesn't show any sign of weakness.

But his mask does.
The crack on the sorcerer's mask grows larger with each hit, and after about a dozen punches, the mask suddenly breaks. At once an intense light flashes up, blinding the Matilda Knight, forcing him back, and a deep, guttural hum fills the ring. As the light finally wanes, Black Pesmerga opens his eyes again.


Wiseman stands before him, panting, looking down at the pieces of his mask on the ground in front of him. The magic energy which permeated his hands has dissipated, and the whole figure somehow looks... weaker, more vulnerable. The intimidating charisma the sorcerer had is gone as well, and Black Pesmerga watches him with a confused look. The mage slowly lifts his head, but his hood still hides most of his face. Only his mouth is visible, and it is contorted with anger.
"My mask!" he whispers with a weak, but enraged voice. Then his voice grows louder. "You destroyed my mask!!" With this he suddenly lashes forward and attacks the knight from Jowston with his bare hands. The powerful attack hits its mark, and Black Pesmerga stumbles backward, surprised by the sudden offensive, but then he braces himself and resumes his own attack, and once again the silver knuckles hit the robed man from the Empire in the stomach.

The magicians body seems to offer much less resistance than before, and Wiseman drops to his knees, crouching, and throws up blood. He coughs, and Black Pesmerga hears his opponent's weak voice once more - "My... mask..." - before Wiseman collapses.




The duel is over.




Black Pesmerga is the winner of his class. Congratulations.

[iscalio]

RuneDragon Class — Fire Finale
Midori vs. Sophita


Night has fallen, but darkness couldn't prevail. Like during the night matches in the last few days, 54 torches illuminate the ring. Although torches might be the wrong word in this case. Forming two rows, forty-five very large cauldrons encircle the ring. In the cauldrons huge flames draw a bright lambency into the night, and they not only spend illumination, but also emit an immense heat and most spectators suffer under the high temperatures - but who would want to miss the last final?
Splashes of the alchemical substance in the cauldrons which feeds the fire sometimes sprays out of the fire pots, and the monks who stand around the ring carry metal umbrellas to protect themselves from the searing liquid.

The spectators cheer as the two contestants of this last duel of the tournament arrive: Midori of the Nameless Lands and Sophita, Queen of Falena.



Jebra announces the start of the fight and beats the large gong for the last time, and at once the two women dash forward. Midori's staff and Sophita's silver halberd both hit their target, and the Queen continues her attack with another quick strike, while Midori tries to dodge but fails, and her left arm, just reattached to the undead body a few hours before, is hacked off once more and sent flying.
Sophita is surprised and appalled by the severed limb, and shys away from her opponent, defending. Midori, not very impressed by her loss, uses this chance and summons the power of her Darkness rune, and soon the uncanny force of shadows engulfs the Queen and throws her down.
Covered by black smouldering wounds, Sophita stands up again and lifts her weapon high over her head, and with a warcry she charges to strike her opponent down with a desperate attack. Midori is able to hit with a quick strike before the halberd smashes on her head. The sound of breaking bones can be heard and Midori stumbles backwards, struggling to keep her balance.

Her skull is broken, and her head is badly misshapen, and would she not already be dead, she would probably die now. Fearing another all-out attack, Midori assumes her defensive stance and awaits her opponent, but Queen casts a spell instead and the power ice imprisons the battered mistress of Verm Oogen.

Encouraged by the success of her magic, Sophita at once starts to cast again, but this time she summons her Water rune's most powerful spell. But Midori, still bound in the cold fetter, makes a suprising move. With her remaining arm she holds her staff like a dart and throws it towards her casting opponent. The strange projectile actually hits, and while it doesn't inflict much damage, it is able to interrupt the spell: The mighty magic goes out of control and explodes in a beautiful cascade of water and icicles. The powerful flow extinguishes all the fire cauldrons, and the last light leaves the ring as Sophita drops unconcious, her body studded with icicles.




The duel is over, as is the tournament.




Midori is the winner of her class. Congratulations.