Rumble on RPA Auki vs SevenDeadlySins (J Ulysses)

[ILYTH]

You appear, drawn to the top of a mountain by forces beyond your control. The mountain top is covered and a cloak of powder white snow, stretching as far as the eye can see on a great table at the top of a mountain higher than the imagination may comprehend. The air here is warm, defying your preconceptions of normality. The sky looms overhead, purple and filled with the angry light of three suns, one a dark and bloody red and the others a brilliant sky blue that seers the eye if caught from the wrong angle.

Throughout the table are dotted numerous constructs and memoriums of the cultures who had at various times tried to settle the mountain. Once great cathedrals are coated in snow, their roofs caved into rubble. Lightless homes ring the edge of the mountain while a ring in the centre of the table is left bare of construct, here the snow is particularly hot under your feet, as if you were walking the sands of a dessert.

In the centre of the bare space stands a statue in the shape of a young girl, her features frozen in stone and her ageless face pulled in a permanent smile. The statue is still, yet in your mind you hear a voice. The voice is soothing yet mysterious and vague, you can hear what is being said but as if from a great distance.

"Welcome to the mountain, your journies have been long and your hardships many. Only your opponent stands in your way, best your opponent and the mountain and move onwards, healed and with renewed vigour. For the loser you risk only the disappointment of defeat for the mountain will heal the sick and give safe passage to the wounded. You have ten days before I return and the fight is finished, use them wisely."

You watch as the statue seeps into the snow, the girls head eventually falling beneath the frozen land. The fight is begun.

(you have ten turns to post, after the both of your fifth posts wait for my intervention before proceeding.

[sevendeadlysins]

Wrath boldly stepped out of the portal from Hell onto the snow of the unfamiliar natural structure that had seemed to call to him a couple of minutes before. He expected a blast of cold air to meet him, but the same warmth that had accompanied him in Hell greeted him out here on this plateau-like mountain top.

He began to look around. Structures, ruins, and the statue of a little girl greeted his eyes. An unnaturally large amount of people had made it to this place. He was convinced that this location resided in some other dimension apart from his last. Wrath wasn't even supposed to be able to cross dimensions. This was weird.

"Welcome to the mountain, your journies have been long and your hardships many. Only your opponent stands in your way, best your opponent and the mountain and move onwards, healed and with renewed vigour. For the loser you risk only the disappointment of defeat for the mountain will heal the sick and give safe passage to the wounded. You have ten days before I return and the fight is finished, use them wisely."

Great, this again, he began wishing that Satan hadn't forced him into this competition. He wouldn't usually dread a fight, but the atmosphere had an air of danger around it. The mountain was one of the only things that made him uncomfortable.

The portal behind him closed, so he was stuck until the battle was done with. Who was his opponent then? He drew his sword and waited.

[Auki]

Her footsteps were heavy, but uncertain, as she tried to grasp the transformation of her surroundings. Although the temperature did not shift to any great extent, the salty taste to the air disappeared abruptly and her basic instincts told her that the prior beach environment had been replaced by another. She had no visual evidence to back her intuition but the alteration in the ground’s texture was enough to confirm it.

She ran her claws across the floor, scooping up a powder-like substance as she did so. An innate feeling told her it was snow – a substance she was more than used to given the icy environment of her upbringing – but it did not chill her toes as it should. She wondered if it was a trick of the mind or perhaps she might be wrong but her thoughts were soon drawn from the ground.

"Welcome to the mountain, your journeys have been long and your hardships many. Only your opponent stands in your way, best your opponent and the mountain and move onwards, healed and with renewed vigour. For the loser you risk only the disappointment of defeat for the mountain will heal the sick and give safe passage to the wounded. You have ten days before I return and the fight is finished, use them wisely."

Again, as in her previous battle, Ruan could not identify the source of the voice. At first, it seemed to be invading her thoughts but at the same time, it seemed almost distant. She wanted to step forward, to better capture the angelic nature of its speech, but felt inclined to listen in still and in silence. She did not feel threatened by its words but instead put at ease by the phenomena. It was only when the voice faded that urgency and restlessness began to arise.

Her tail flicked from side to side erratically, slicing through the mysterious powder that dusted the ground. The scents in the air brought forward the images of urban decay but they seemed stale. There was one smell that seemed fresher but the more Ruan focused on it, the more she recoiled in disgust. Her nostrils twitched, trying to avoid giving attention to the stark scent of rage that burned at them. It required all her willpower to force her mind into scrutinising the malodour but there was little else to it but anger. It was causing the air to taste sour.

As she paced forward, her tail began to ricochet off of various constructs, bringing light to their presence and causing hollow thuds to echo loudly through the arena. It was the tactic she used most often in the beginning of battles – After all, it was not like she would be able to sneak up upon her opponent. She just needed some indication of their identity, so she could memorise their temperature readings and scent, enabling her to act on the offensive as well as the defensive. Judging by the volatile and ferocious demeanour of their scent, she hoped they would fall for the bait.

[sevendeadlysins]

Suddenly, as Wrath was waiting for his opponent, a mysterious and somewhat ominous banging coming from the same surface he was on began to quake the snow-covered mountain, shaking dust and debris from surrounding constructs. They looked as if they were about to crumble where they stood. Wrath hoped they wouldn't, fighting a foe large enough to disturb the environment this much was probably going to be hard enough without the structures of past civilizations falling down around him.

Wrath began to search for his adversary among the ruins and was quickly able to discern parts of a dragon jutting out from in between the buildings. He sighed, a dragon...He'd dealt with his fair share of the creatures in his journeys, but that didn't make them any less annoying to fight. The things could fly for Christ's sake.

Wrath rubbed his hands together and, sword in hand, began approaching the beast. It obviously didn't know where he was, so Wrath would be given the pleasure of first strike, he might even do some of the sneaking in this battle. He chuckled at this notion as thoughts of Greed and his cowardly fighting style began to cross his mind. No, he would destroy this dragon with ease using his brute strength just the same way he had destroyed his many past enemies.

Coming close to his opponent, he began to climb a tall building to get a better view and to see if he could achieve an overhead attack. Looking down from his new vantage point, he was able to clearly see a huge dragon almost as white as the snow that surrounded it. He noticed that the pulses were not coming from its feet as it walked, but from its tail as it hit the constructs around it, it seemed to rely on this tail more than its eyes to give light to its surroundings. Wrath sighed once more.

Great, a blind dragon was his challenge. This was ridiculous, he almost pitied the sorry creature as it blindly lumbered around their battlefield. This was a joke, the first strike hasn't even been struck and already his opponent was maimed. It sickened Wrath to be given an adversary that wouldn't even be able to see him, much less present any kind of actual challenge.

He gripped the sword that was held in his hand. This would be more of a mercy killing than anything...Now...What to say before the first blow was dealt? He considered for a minute atop his tower...

"Ready yourself, miserable wyvern! Your merciful end is near!" Wrath yelled as he leaped off of the tower, sword raised, toward his enemy's neck.

[Auki]

Each thud pierced the silence afresh, the quiet making the sounds seem all the more sinister. She was beginning to put herself in a state of unease, seemingly abandoned between the decaying ruins. At least, that’s what she would be able to convince herself of if not for the stench that stung at her nostrils. Its intensity fluctuated for a few moments but soon, it began to grow steadily stronger. As far as she could tell, it was approaching, undeterred by her size or species. She liked that; it was new to her, invigorating.

The scent seared her mind the closer it grew. At first, it persisted to slash at her senses but the psychological pain soon began to arouse her. She wanted it closer, that scorching manifestation of fury and frenzy. It sparked at every nerve in her body, caused her blood to boil, exciting her very soul. Saliva filled her mouth in anticipation, eager to feast. She wanted to devour it, feed upon the ire that screamed inside of it. The odour filled her nostrils, growing closer and closer, taunting at her innate lust for flesh. In the back of her thoughts, she knew this to be no ordinary opponent.

Macabre images flashed across her barren vision, playing out the bestial fantasies that lurked in the darkest corners of her mind. The sweet tenderness of meat, accented by the metallic taste of blood that coursed throughout its body, as she gorged herself without restraint. Ripping back the skin that imprisons such passions of violence and hatred, inhaling the stench without its confining walls, the fetor of rage mixing with that of blood and gore. Her claws renting - cut and dice - upon the face that dare defy her with such arrogance, lacerating that insolent expression she could picture upon its visage. The silence accentuated each prurient panting breath that filled the air.

Where was it?

Where?

Like an itch of the skin, she could feel its presence close by. All she needed was one hint as to its direction.

As though the gods were answering her prayers, a male voice called out,

"Ready yourself, miserable wyvern! Your merciful end is near!"

Within a flash, her head whipped round to face the source of the voice. Instinctively, her infrared sensors began to function. The world sprung into view, a rainbow of colour splashed across her vision, the brain working quickly to try and put the new visual stimuli into context and perspective. Her opponent was easily identifiable before her, standing out starkly against the dull background. There wasn’t enough time for her to dodge the attack – She was too large and slow to move at that speed – and she would likely have ended up head-butting one of the nearby buildings in the attempt. Despite the improvement to her sight, it was still a struggle to make out the details of the urban landscape.

Instead, she ducked her body and head closer to the ground, partially rolling herself to one side and lifting up a forearm to block the attack. The sword smashed against her scales with a loud crack, the metal not strong enough to pierce through her armour but the power behind the swing enough that the sword managed to lodge itself into her scale. She could feel the impact reverberate throughout her body and the strength of this being seemed to be apparent. The blow sparked a sharp pang of pain within her chest – a reminder as to why the ill shouldn’t battle - but it faded quickly.

She had no time to dwell on her discomfort, needing to act fast. Her neck twisted round and she lunged for her opponent, jaws only slightly open until she got close enough to bite.

[sevendeadlysins]

Just after jumping from the tower, Wrath's opponent snapped its head up toward him, revealing to him its aged features. He also noticed that the tired stance it took also showed its wear. Not only was this dragon blind, but it was also ancient even by a dragons standard.

But as Wrath continued his descent, he noticed a certain hunger in the blank eyes that stared him down. Even through its sickness and old age, it seemed to have not lost the fierceness and bestial nature that was common in its kin. He smiled as he envisioned the wealth of knowledge and the lifetime of wisdom in its mind being quickly snuffed out by a sea of rage. Nearing the creature, the pentagram on Wrath's chest began to pulsate red. He could begin to feel its hatred in the air. It encased the atmosphere in a kind of warm, palpable pillow, but still did nothing to mitigate his fall toward the dragon's raised leg.

Unable to twist his body to strike anywhere else, Wrath pounded his sword into the dragon's leg with as much force as he could. it didn't do much but send painful reverberations up his arm. He stumbled back, retrieving his sword from the dragon's natural armor in the process.

Not a second after recovering from his attack, hot breath whipped at his face as his enemy's teeth smashed together mere inches from his face. He stumbled back once again and began to run.

The dragon's mind was right where he wanted it, weakened by rage. He knew the dragon would stop at nothing to taste its enemy's blood, this could be used to his advantage. He ceased running and turned around to face the beast.

"A powerful predator," he yelled at it in slightly mocking tone. "Show me you're still strong, lizard" He jumped on top of a nearby structure that just managed to hold him. "Come and catch your prey!" He readied his sword and prepared for a charge.

[Auki]

She could not help the flood of disappointment that washed through her when she did not find the richness of flesh between her teeth, no blood to stimulate her long-deprived taste buds. She wasn’t sure why her bite didn’t make contact – She had aimed to engulf him within her jaws. She must have miscalculated the speed at which such a tiny creature could move. Exhaling streams of hot air from flared nostrils, she followed the splash of colour that he represented in her vision, testing her leg before she even thought about following.

Although her armour was still intact and her muscles seemed to be undamaged, she couldn’t help but feel the tissue between had been bruised by the impact. It was a minor issue, of course – Battles frequently produced far worse injuries – but she needed to make sure she did not take too many attacks to the same leg. A lame limb would just delay her victory.

“A powerful predator. Show me you're still strong, lizard. Come and catch your prey!"

A taunt? She never really understood the need for words during combat – Humans seemed to think them to be the most effective way of provoking someone but did he really think her that naïve? She was no mindless beast and she was no longer a hatchling. It irked her that he would even assume such a thing but all that did was fuel her anger.

The hunting rage of a dragon – said to be their most deadly component – culled all mercy and empathy, bringing forth knowledge of tactics and combat within instant reach. Her senses were heightened beyond human comprehension; she could feel each tremor of the ground as she breathed. She rarely allowed herself to get to such a state but his scent… his taste… even the heavens must crave for such a prize. Ruan knew what she wanted and she always got what she desired – She had survived long enough that she felt it her right.

Without warning, pain erupted through her chest as though her ribs were constricting her lungs. It died down to an ache within moments but it still left her in discomfort. All she could do was persevere through it however – She made every effort to ensure her pain was not visible externally.

Her tail snaked out, latching onto a nearby column and ripping it from its foundation, the ancient structure scattering clouds of dust as she uprooted it. It would be a waste of energy to run – she was far too old to exert herself so unnecessarily - so instead she advanced at a slower pace, like a panther stalking its prey. When she drew near enough to aim clearly, she launched the stone column ahead of her, aiming for the structure on which her opponent stood, trying to draw him closer so she could preserve her strength.

[ILYTH]

The world freezes as the mountain snows swirl and gain in pace, the heat of the snowy desert is drianed from the air as immobility stays your limbs. Once more the statue of the mysterious girl rises from the snows of the mountain, it's secrets not yet yeilded.

Your eye's move to the ageless face of the stone girl as the unearhtly voice drifts once more into your mind, like a length of ermine being pulled thorugh your ears it sooths you and removes the desire for conflict.

"You have both proven yourself worthy of a place on the mountain yet only one may progress thorugh to the next round. Ruan, your might and grace in battle has triumphed over the power of Wrath this day and you may progress from the cursed place and on to your next foe. Wrath you fought a good fight but there could only be one victor in this bout, the mountain will heal you of your wounds and send you back to your own reality where I hope you find glory and peace."

With this the girl dissapeared once more under the swirling snows of the mountain as the blizzard envelopes you, the warm air healing your wounds. For both of you the mountain will be gone when the blizzard ends, for the victorious dragon what trials lie ahead can not be known only that blood will be spilled and hopes will be dashed.

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Winner U