Rumble on RPA Auki(U) vs TenSARS J Nazgul

[Nazgul]

How the Witchking loved England, especially the moors. There was somehting dank and rather evil about the way the mist rolled over the hills and through the trees. And with the sun down, it added so much more in his eyes.

A full moon hung high in the sky and added an eerie luminescence to the fog which swirled and surrounded him. It truly was a perfect setting, or would be once the opponents arrived.

With a wave of his hand, the two appeared about a hundred feet away form each other. Under his cowl, the Witchking smiled and began to speak.

"Greetings to you both," his voice hissed, sending a chill over the area. "You both know why you're here, so let's not waste anymore time." And with that the Witchking disappeared leaving the two alone on the moors.

((you have a maximum of ten posts each and have ten days to complete your battle. after you have posted five times each, wait for your judge to post.))

[TenSARS]

Kriss blinked.

His surroundings were drab. The surroundings were dull, a mist was rolling in, and the full moon looked like a glow ball within the fog.

"This must be England..."

Even the Dragon across about a hundred feet from him looked dull and washed out in the fog. Kriss made the assumption that the Dragon was the judge, and turned towards the Witch King, and prepared to do battle. He got a surprise when it was the hooded figure emitting a chilling wave who was the judge.

Kriss mentally chastised himself for not realizing something was wrong with their positions relative to each other, and instead turned towards the Dragon. Scoping it out, he looked at her... and his gaze wasn't met at all.

"Dragon, why are you in this tournament?"

As he stood there sizing up the Dragon waiting for a response, Kriss could feel dew dripping onto his Gi, sticking it to his skin as he held out his right hand, thumb side down.

"In any case, " he continued as his No Dachi blurred into existence, blade pointing downward. He caught it near the guard before it hit the ground and with a quick flick of the wrist, whilst stepping back with his right leg, holding the sword in a relaxed grip by his side pointing vaguely towards the Dragon, left foot forward, his eyes focused. "It seems that you were strong enough make it this far into the tournament. Blind or not, I won't be holding back. Sorry." And from there, he waited, in stance and alert, preparing for any strike. He could feel the fibres of his Psycho Frame Network twitching, a disposition reflecting his own nervousness about his opponent.

Let's see who the real Dragon is!

[Auki]

The air’s chilled bite disappeared as the arena, once again, shifted.

This time, Ruan was relieved by the change. The frost that had suddenly plagued the last environment at the battle’s end had spiked agony in her weakened lungs. Thankfully, the pain was fading quickly, soothed by the damp air of her new surroundings. However, it was only warm by comparison and the breeze nipped viciously at the exposed skin between her scales. She flicked her tongue out, testing the air, and found moisture clinging to every particle.

Her infrared vision had been temporarily disabled by the sudden teleportation but she didn’t correct the loss just yet. It was easier this way, her other senses amplified in the absence of sight. Whilst the arena smelt damp and dreary in comparison, her opponent seemed to be carrying the lingering scent of forest and pine – It made them easier to pinpoint, Ruan’s head twisting round to face them. Although she was sure their judge must be present nearby – as had been the tradition in her other matches – she could not distinguish him from the dark odour of the environment. After battles in snow and sand, she was relieved to find soil beneath her toes, a stable platform from which she could finally take flight. The wind whipped at her front but although an irritant, it would not be strong enough to significantly affect her aerial expertise.

Upon her loss of vision, her hearing doubled in sharpness, so much so that the mumbled words of her opponent felt like they were being shouted. It was a shame she did not get a glance at the enemy before her but infrared was her trump card and best saved for times of need.

"Dragon, why are you in this tournament?"

Ruan cocked her head to the side, acting dumb. She found her battles far easier when the foe believed her to be the bestial creature she appeared. Instead of acknowledging the question and lowering herself to the primitive language of the humans, a low growl escaped her lips, aggressive and challenging in nature; like a dog that had found another in its territory. It reverberated throughout the mist before cutting off suddenly. She did not move her blind gaze from her opponent, even when the judge hissed its message to them.

"In any case…" The other combatant continued and Ruan heard the distinct sound of the air slicing, although she knew not what for, “It seems that you were strong enough make it this far into the tournament. Blind or not, I won't be holding back. Sorry.”

A shame, the dragon mused, this one is not as oblivious as the last.

The scent did not grow stronger and she realised he was not about to strike just yet. This displeased her; it was not like she could run blindly – quite literally – into the offensive. The growls in her throat started again and in her irritation, she unfolded her wings and beat the air with them, blasting gales of mist towards her foe, her forelegs lifting off the ground in the process. It was the dragon equivalent of a taunt – Ruan did not wish to make a move until she could figure out the abilities of her enemy.

[TenSARS]

Kriss shifted back on his stance as the Dragon beat its wings. He brought a hand up to cover his face as the gust of wind crashed into him, his eyes squinting into the gust of air. His eyes tracked her as she rose up on her hind legs, the growls reaching his ears.

So it doesn’t want to attack either.

Someone would have to move at some time, so Kriss decided that if his opponent was letting him go first, it would be better for him to take that chance, even if it was to get it to show its own hand. His feet pushed into the ground, his back began to tingle as the fibres of the Psycho Frame Network began to tense. Then he pushed off the ground, and the fibres snapped.

A whipcrack like noise signalled Kriss flying forwards and towards the dragon’s right flank. His left sleeve of his Gi flapped loose in the wind, drawing vortices in the mist behind him, his hair blowing into the air behind his head, his eyes focusing on the Dragon.

... check for motion... don’t let anything escape your attention... it’s blind, so it’s down a sense...

[Auki]

The thin and tattered membranes of her once-magnificent wings strained to their maximum capacity with each defiant strike of the air, the mist billowing across the moors from the force. Powerful hind legs tensed under the weight of her body, holding her upright in a way that most quadrupedal creatures failed to grasp. At first, her confrontation was met with silence and the scent of hesitation was obvious to the dragon’s mind. She waited patiently, continuing her taunt with fervent vigour.

A whip-like noise shot through the still, indicating the action had begun. The smell of pine grew ever stronger as her opponent shot forward, meeting her challenge head-on. The speed at which he did so came as a shock to Ruan - There were few species she had seen that could reach such a velocity – but it did not deter her.

There was little point in her trying to wound her foe directly – Blinded as she was, it would be a frivolous attempt, only capable of success in the fantastical movies those humans seemed to enjoy. Temptation to activate her sight in defence almost overwhelmed her but she resisted. She waited until the scent was close enough.

With a vehement growl, she plunged herself back down, her feet slamming into the ground with an inhuman strength that dishevelled the soil and shook the arena to its core. Her ears were alert for any sound her opponent might make that might give hint to his position, hoping that she had unbalanced him enough that he could not make his attack.

[TenSARS]

Kriss had just about enough time to curse mentally as he soared towards the Dragon. He noticed it teetering on its hind legs, its weight shifting forwards, and its two front legs coming down to the front. The Dragon's body began to teeter forwards. Kriss was almost directly in front of the Dragon. Just a split second more, and he'd be on it's flank!

The Dragon's body was leaning forward now, definitely committed to the slam. Kriss wouldn't be able to get to its side. He planted his left foot into the ground, and tried to brake. It worked..

CRASH

... too well. He managed to slow himself down to a near complete stop as the Dragon's front legs slammed into the earth, the shockwave and the soil flying into Kriss' face. Because all his weight was on one foot, that meant that the shockwave would have to travel down that foot. And because he was trying to slow down that meant most of his weight was behind that foot. This sent him flying into the air, throwing him backwards. Kriss threw down the No Dachi as his feet left the ground, the black blade dissolving into thin air.

Landing onto his back, he barely managed to force himself to roll over his left shoulder, away from the dragon, and back onto his feet. Now the two combatants were standing about fifteen feet from each other, instead of a hundred.

Kriss held out his right hand. He had barely enough time to reform the blade, a swishing noise signalling the return of his favoured weapon.

[Auki]

Ruan’s grin grew malicious as the scent recoiled at an alarming rate, thrown off by her thundering slam to the earth. Enjoyment soon turned to sour disappointment however when she failed to hear the sharp snap of bones and the agonising shrieks that would accompany it. The human was lucky for one so small. The ground felt torn beneath her feet but she liked the texture, stroking her claws through the tousled soil, appreciating the sharpness of her senses.

The smell of uncertainty clouded the air. Her skin tingled in excitement. She had yet to taste blood and she was growing impatient. Saliva filled her mouth at the very thought of savouring flesh. How she hungered for a bite of her opponent…

Her lust and sense brought about the thought of attacking, striking whilst her foe was unbalanced from the quaking ground. Even the blood flowing through her - pumping faster each second, adrenaline coursing through it - urged her forward onto the offensive. Who was she to deny her innate desires?

She went to lunge towards that forest scent, wounding while he was weak, but she was halted by searing pain. It came without warning, stabbing her between the ribs and spreading like wildfire, blazing across her chest and down her back. She knew it not to be her opponent’s doing but more the curse of illness catching up on her withered body. A subdued snarl peeled back her lips, consuming all other noise made in the arena, a sound that would spark terror in the hearts of any normal being observing. It was likely to be misconceived as aggressive but it was Ruan’s version of a whine as she fought through the agony that scorched her innards without right or reason. Disease did not seem to care whether the time was convenient; it struck on whim.

She placed all four feet on the ground firmly to stabilise herself, wincing as hacking coughs shook her to her core. She tasted blood, expelled from her decaying lungs – It was not the kind she wished for but irony had a cruel sense of humour.

[TenSARS]

Kriss wasn't quite on balance when the Dragon lunged towards him. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because he was about to jump back to avoid the dragon as it charged in at him. Kriss brought the sword up to use as some kind of guard. What he would have done with it if he was dived on, he didn't quite know, but he was sure he'd have gotten out somehow.

That hypothesis wasn't put to the test, because, the Dragon stopped abruptly and instead growled at Kriss. He took a step back as he was expecting more to follow, but there was none. The growling turned into intermittent rhythmical forced exhalation, and Kriss finally understood.

'When I said I wasn't going to hold back, I meant it.'

As the Dragon stood there, Kriss dashed up to it, the smell of blood reaching his nostrils. The odour was almost overpowering. Almost. He put his left foot forward, bringing the sword to his right, and jumped upwards to the right of the Dragon's head. He swung his blade from right to left in a diagonal upward arc. He was aiming the blade of the sword into its mouth, the length of the blade positioned to slide right between the Dragon's jaws.

[Auki]

Ruan was paralysed by the pain that persistently exploded across her rib cage. Her mind seemed incapable of grasping the concept of movement and in a way, that scared her. She was a sitting target, each muscle tensed but frozen. She needed something to jerk her body into action but it was too preoccupied with hacking up blood. Her mouth was layered with a coating of the liquid mixed with the bile and vomit that had risen in response to her agony. Her appetite for flesh had faded at the stark acidic taste on her tongue but raging anger still made her lust for a bite.

The dragon’s whimpering growl continued as the pain heightened. She was vaguely aware of her opponent’s scent drawing closer but there was nothing she could do but wait; whether it be for an attack or for her condition to subside. Patience was perhaps her greatest gain from age.

The forest scent flashed right in front of her nostrils but she did not withdraw. She was slightly impressed at the human’s ability to jump so high – the 30ft leap up to her head was not an easy accomplishment – but judging by her foe’s bursts of speed, agility seemed to be one of his strongest points. She braced herself for the impact of his strike, unable to help blasting him with the foul stench of her breath. She could sense the attack just before it reached her. He seemed to be aiming for her slightly opened mouth. She let him.

The blade sliced between two of the teeth on the right-hand side of her jaw, sawing at her gums. As the attack continued, she felt the tip sinking an inch into the roof of her mouth. She grunted in pain, more blood spurting over her tongue, but the sharpness of it took her mind off her chest for those few moments.

She reacted without thought.

Her jaw clamped down. Although this caused it to dig further into her gum, it stopped the blade reaching any further inside her mouth and she hoped to snap the frail weapon with the scales that lined the exterior of her mouth. Her second reaction was to jerk her head away to the left, the sword still firmly lodged in her closed jaw. As such, if the sword remained intact, at least she might be able to disarm her opponent.

[TenSARS]

As Kriss made the swing, he noticed the Dragon didn't react at all to his jump. Blind or not, anyone who had made it this far would have to react to a jump like Kriss'. There was just no other way someone would survive a competition like this. And the smell of its breath really reached his nostrils. There was the scent of blood, that was true, but it wasn't the same smell that he was used to associating with blood. It smelt more like it was older, and had a quality to it that suggested that the blood just came from deep inside the Dragon.

CRACK.

His blade clacked against the Dragon's scales, and slid in between two of the Dragon's teeth, slicing into its gums, and drawing blood as it slipped into the roof of its mouth. That was easier that Kriss thought it could possibly be, and that unless the Dragon really was debilitated by the coughing, he'd be able to...

"WHAT THE FUUUUUU...!!!"

His thoughts were interrupted by the Dragon suddenly trying to wrench the blade out of his hands. Kriss was initially dragged along with it. His wrists would have dislocated if it wasn’t for the Psycho Frame Network helping to hold them in place, and instead Kriss felt a sudden heavy sensation as his body was forced yanked in another direction.

“...UUUUCK!!!”

The sword dissolved into thin air again as he felt a vibration signalling the clamping down of the Dragon’s jaws. To say that he flew back was an understatement. He positively soared through the air and looking down, could see that it was .

This landing... is going to be a waste...

“GAH!”

There was another whipcrack like noise as he fell towards the ground and a shockwave flew out of his back as his torso flew up whilst he tucked his legs in, temporarily dragging the rest of his body with him about eight feet higher as he righted himself using the rotational force. He could feel it. He was stressing himself out now, and the Psycho Frame Network Fibres were scrambling to reform whilst the battle continued. Soon, he’d start to run out of energy, and he’d be unable to regenerate properly

“COME AT ME!!!” shouted Kriss. The battle was heating up to the point where it was going to erupt. Unfortunately, dragons had a better chance of surviving volcanoes than Kriss. The conclusion would have to come soon. He got into a side stance, left foot forward, left hand by his left hip, right hand guarding his chin and began to flex and relax his fingers, mentally preparing himself for next, and hopefully, final moves. If he failed... well, dragons tended not to be undernourished, and despite the age, this Dragon was probably no exception.

((Made mass edits to previous posts so that all instances of the word 'Dragon' referring specifically to Ruan have the D capitalized))