Round 3: La Volpe vs. RisingPhoenix [Judge Wattz]

[Wattz]

The next two opponents are ripped from their previous stadiums and onto the next. They land mercilessly on what seems to an enormous, vaguely dome-shaped disk 40 ft in diameter covered in strange square rock formations. Their feet dig into the grooves, and all around them the scenery rushes forward. Clusters of trees stretch downwards on two sides into an infinity of gray clouds. Yet, impossibly, there is a river of roaring white rapids carrying the platform—there is no river bank to be seen.

Just up ahead, a further roaring can be heard—a waterfall. Imminent death.

A cackle is heard all around them.

”But shall one die before your ride hits the waterfall?

Begin!”

--

Each writer gets five posts each. You have 72 hours between each post or you will be disqualified.


At the toss of a coin, La Volpe goes first.

(This particular arena inspired heavily [entirely] by V.)

[La Volpe]

Victor rocked back and forth, catching his balance, now that he was suddenly on a moving platform in the center of what seemed to him like a river from some twisted hell. His eyes scanned around the new battle field, seeing cover scattered across the entirety of it. Wasting little time, Victor pulled off his mask with one hand, while his other slid his swords, now merged together, from there sheath on his back. He narrowed his eyes, looking for his new opponent. His gaze quickly darted around as he heard the phantom voice mock them. "I swear... I will gut these twisted gods if I ever get a chance." grumbled the young assassin, returning to his search for his target.

[RisingPhoenix]

His hands dipped into the life giving liquid that made up the lake. The cooling essence soothed his hands. He had defeated his foe and was now resting alongside the lake that had played a rather odd part in all of this. The scents of the trees still filtered through his nostrils as he listened to them speak. They spoke of the battle that they had just witnessed. Phoenix stood to his feet, turning towards the various species of flora. He made no hostile motion, merely watching the will-o-wisps float around. They too had grown silent after the end of the battle. They too now become nothing more than flickering floating lights. Phoenix looked around, trying to piece together the knowledge he had just gained from the intense battle with the one known as Gabrielle. Before he could wrap his mind around what was happening, Phoenix was snatched from the battlefield of old and placed on a new platform of death.

He took in the environment around him. He allowed his feet to touch the platform he and his opponent were on. His feet dug into the grooves on the platform. It was covered with rocky formations, to which Phoenix simply touched. Rough and jagged. He sighed, knowing not where he was, but willing to make the most of this quest of knowledge he was on. The last battle proved to be rather informative, but would this one prove to be the same? He glanced around the platform, taking note of the various large trees that littered the distance, creating a straight line on either side of them. Then there was the lake beneath the platform. It was the main thing that held the platform up, it was also the very thing that would lead them to their doom. Phoenix inhaled and caught the scent of the trees in the distance. Though they were far off, he could still use them to his advantage. He saw no shore, no land, but he knew that there had to be land because of the trees. He could hear the roaring rapids, and the sound of a waterfall in the distance. This was not good. This meant that he would have to defeat his opponent and quicken his learning. He hated to be rushed when it came to obtaining knowledge. A voice echoed all around them, more so like a cackle of a witch or something equivalent. It spoke to them, and then informed them to begin.

Facing his opponent, he took in the male’s scent and the male’s features. The man had unsheathed his weapon, a sword. Why was everyone using swords to fight him? This sword was different though. It had essences of magic strewn all through it. Phoenix smiled, hoping that this human man would give him some much needed knowledge about the virility of humans. It was then that he heard the human assassin speak saying something on the lines of making the gods in charge of this tournament pay for what they were doing.

“I second the motion,” Phoenix stated with a soft smile, “but if you don’t mind me asking, what can someone so frail do against a god?”

Phoenix wouldn’t underestimate this man, as he obviously had won his other challenge being that he was in front of Phoenix now. The oddly square rock formations varied in height which would provide much needed cover against attacks from this human. Phoenix didn’t know what the male could do, but it was his job to find out.

“Are you ready?” Phoenix stated as he extended his hand, his palm facing towards the sky. Above his palm an orb of beautiful sapphire began to grow and grow until it was the size of a basketball. It then separated into what looked like bubbles. Each bubble packed quite a punch. There were ten in total and each revolved around his palm in a circle. “Let us see what you can do!”

Two orbs fired in the direction of the human assassin, while the other eight continued to float effortlessly in a circle above Phoenix’s extended palm.

[La Volpe]

Victor grinned despite the gravity of the words his opponent said. A god?! I'm to face a god?! His mind launched into a whirlwind of both anticipation, and fear. Everyone has to die sometime, right? The thought cut through the storm inside his head, instantly calming the young assassin. His eyes locked onto the magic orb forming in his opponents hand, watching it grow, then split into ten similar orbs. Magic... I hate magic! He grumbled to himself, his magic awareness flaring at the appearance of the orbs.

As two of the orbs flew towards the assassin, Victor launched forward, seeming to head straight towards the magic attack, and he was in a sense. His eyes never leaving the orbs, and as he was seconds away from colliding with the orbs, Victor suddenly jumped, kicking off of a rock formation that was to his right launching himself into a corkscrew over the two orbs, landing into a crouch a few feet from where he'd jumped. Ice blue eyes locked onto the 'god' that was his opponent, the grin gone, replaced by a mask of emotionless determination.

“I second the motion,” Phoenix stated with a soft smile, “but if you don’t mind me asking, what can someone so frail do against a god?” At this, Victor rose back up from his crouch, spinning his sword in a few small circles, his eyes never leaving the man. "I guess we'll have to see, wont we?" Was his only response.

[RisingPhoenix]

The orbs that had formed above Phoenix’s extended palm served a dual purpose. They were to gauge his opponent for knowledge, but they were also seeds. These seeds, when coming in contact with a body or rocky surface would dig into the surface and begin to grow roots. Because of their magical properties, the seeds grew at an exponentially faster rate than normal seeds, only taking seconds to sprout and become roots. They weren’t plants, but mutant roots.

As the human assassin managed to use the rock formation to dodge the orbs by jumping clean over them, the orbs found a new target, the rock formations closest to the human assassin. Upon contact with the formations, the orbs burst and the seeds went to work digging into the rock surface, rooting almost instantly. Phoenix gauged the human assassin’s moves, learning much about him. The male had used one of the rocky formations as leverage to get enough distance above the orbs to jump clean over them. Phoenix was indeed impressed.

“Ah, so his reflexes are great. He has marvelous agility, which enables him to jump quite high using the formations as an assist. Fabulous indeed,” Phoenix said softly as he waited for a few seconds before launching four more orbs. These orbs were faster than the others. He was now testing the man’s speed to see how fast he was. The orbs screamed through the air, their target not really known, but the direction in which they were headed would suggest the human assassin was the target. Suddenly, two of the orbs veered off and struck two tall rock formations, causing their base to crumble and the mass of their height fall towards the human assassin. The seeds had also been deposited and they too rooted themselves into the rocky platform.

His eyes never left the location of the assassin. No, Phoenix was watching and taking in the information given. The male hadn’t launched a single attack yet, which confused Phoenix a slight bit, but didn’t cause him to falter in his quest for knowledge. Three orbs left and they seemed to revolve slower above his palm. It was as if they were waiting on something. Phoenix was quite calculative, and very sneaky. There was a reason behind everything he did, but time was of the essence and the roaring waterfall ahead would surely make things difficult. He had to act quickly though, but he also had to gain knowledge. The trees in the distance would feel the pull of his power, they would feel the need to come to him, to uproot and find their way towards the floating platform. It would take some time, but eventually they would get to him, but the question remained if they would get there in time or would it be too late?

He continued to smile regardless of the situation he was in and began to speak.

“Human, your comment earlier about gutting a god. How is one who is so frail supposed to do so to a god? Is there something different about you than other humans?”

Phoenix hoped the human assassin wouldn’t take offense to his words, but he had to know what the driving forces for this man’s actions were. He watched the man spin the sword in his hands in a circle as he stood from his crouched position. Why would a human want to fight a god? Phoenix couldn’t even fathom the thought of fighting a god. They were entities of great might and power, and surely the human would be crushed if he were to step against them, but even so Phoenix admired the human assassin’s courage. Even in the midst of the power that Phoenix exuded, he didn’t back down, but rather stood defiantly against him. This raised more questions that Phoenix would surely get answers for, provided the human didn’t die.

[La Volpe]

Victor sprinted forward as the rock formations fell towards him, there was a small gap between them that he could slip through... He just needed to move fast enough to make it in time... He felt his left arm get clipped by the falling rock, a explosion of pain suddenly blooming from it. No time to check... Use the pain to move faster! His mind coldly commanded, pushing himself to run even a little bit faster... Suddenly Victor was clear, as the two formations crashed behind him, leaving him facing this god... A pile of rubble blocking a route to easily retreat. Victor gingerly moved his sword over to his right hand, his left arm screaming in pain. He didn't have time to worry about it though. His ice blue eyes locked with the god in front of hims.

"Something different? Yes actually, there is. I'm not held back by the petty morale or fears of the others. That is why I stand here in front of you." Victor coldly replied, his grip on his sword tightening. He could feel the adrenalin start to flow in his veins, slowly muting the screaming pain in his left arm. Lifting his sword as to have the swords tip aimed for the man in front of him. shifting his feet slightly, Victor watched his opponent closely, ready to move the instant any of the three remaining orbs launched at him. He could hear the roar of the river starting to grow louder, a grim reminder that if one of them didn't kill the other, they'd both go over the edge.

[RisingPhoenix]

Observation yielded much needed information. He watched the male as he dodged the oncoming columns of pure rock as they collided with the rocky surface of the platform sending dust and debris into the atmosphere. The male was more or less unharmed, but Phoenix could tell there was something wrong with his arm. He was, of course, watching the male like a hawk watching its prey. He took his eyes off of the male only momentarily to check to see if the trees were getting closer, and to his surprise it looked as if they were still in the same spot, but he would not let his mind wonder on things he knew would work out in the end. The sound of the roaring waterfall nearly blocked out his thoughts. One of them would die today, or both of them would plummet to a watery doom. He didn’t count out the human assassin for he knew not what the male was capable of. Now with only three orbs left and a platform full of roots at his command, he smiled ever so gently.

“I must say you are swift for a human, and your agility is breathtaking. You say you are not like other humans, and I can clearly see it in you. Your drive, your inner most self is quite different. Humans are frail creatures, fit for domination, but one should never underestimate the will power of such creatures. I commend you on your efforts human,” Phoenix stated taking mental notes of all that was happening. The male pointed his heavy looking sword at Phoenix, as if ready to run him through, as if ready to quickly end his life so that his own life would be spared from the deadly descent the waterfall would cause. Phoenix noticed this and made no change in his demeanor. He noticed how the male took a stance, ready for whatever Phoenix was about to throw at him, but was the human truly ready to feel the wrath of nature? The orbs, which were revolving slowly above Phoenix’s extended palm, were now revolving much faster and shot out at the human assassin, hurtling through the air like a bullet being released from the chamber of a gun. Of course what happened next would probably surprise even the most prepared of warriors. The orbs split up, one landing in front of the human assassin, the other two landing on either side of the assassin. The collision caused mini explosions that sent dust and debris up into the sky, shrouding the figure of the assassin if only momentarily before dissipating.

“Well what do you know, I’m all out of bullets,” he said rather calm. In fact, his voice carried a very eerie calmness to it, as if he was unmoved by the fact that he could possibly die. Perhaps his long life had been riddled with trouble, and perhaps it was this way that he would find absolution. He stared at the human assassin a simple smile on his face. He opened his mouth and only two words escaped, “your move.”

With perfect poise and posture Phoenix snatched the rose from his hair and watched as it became the beautiful yet deadly whip he had become so accustomed to. It gleamed and sparkled, the tip a closed rose bud. All along the length of the whip were spikes that would tear away at whatever it came in contact with. One thing was true; the whip never harmed its master. For a moment it looked as if Phoenix was going to launch the devilish device of death at the human assassin to cleave him in twine, but he didn’t, he allowed the whip to move on its own, to revolve around him with utmost precision, like a snake coiled to strike. All the while Phoenix maintained the look of complete and utter innocence, as if he hadn’t shot ten orbs of energy at the man moments ago.

[La Volpe]

Cracking his neck to loosen up the tension that had built up in it, Victor shielded his eyes with his free hand as the dust cloud consumed hi,, ignoring the now dulled pain that radiated from it. With a sudden halfhearted idea in his head, Victor slid one of his three daggers out of his left boot, and wielded it in his damaged arm. He rotated the shoulder slowly, making sure he could still fully move the arm. Thankfully he could. As the dust cleared, Victors eyes widened a fraction as he saw that his opponent had spawned a rather imposing rose whip, and he was very unhappy to see it move on its own regard.

Damn living weapons... Was all Victor could think. Despite the fact that it was a stupid risk to take, Victor closed his eyes for a second. Listening to the sound of his accelerating heart beat. He felt the rush of adrenalin pouring into his every muscle, quelling the burning sensations in his arms and legs, making it seem as though he hadn't been dodging things to save his life. Though it felt longer, Victors eyes came open a split second after they'd closed. The ivory handle felt cool through the leather glove covered his hand, the balance of the blade perfectly in tune with his body. Victor sank into a sort of trance in that split second, the trance he always fell into right before battle. His ice blue eyes locked with Phoenix's, sending one clear message. I will not die without a fight.

He stared at the human assassin a simple smile on his face. He opened his mouth and only two words escaped, “your move.” Without a word, Victor dashed forward, bringing his sword down low, while shifting his dagger into a reverse grip in his other. As he drew near, Victor suddenly spun the dagger back around, and let it fly at Phoenix with as much force as he could muster, aiming to damage the mans hand the held the surely deadly weapon. Here goes everything... He thought, entertaining the thought of making a silent prayer.

[RisingPhoenix]

By now the roots had spread all over the platform, its rocky exterior and interior a great catalyst for transporting the roots which moved about freely and dug their way through the rocky platform, awaiting their master’s beckoning call. In the distance, as the rushing water became a background tune to their battle, Phoenix could see a slowly approaching dot, and it was then that his eyes shimmered and he smiled even more. The trees had heard his call and were on their way, their roots digging deep into the river bed so as not to be uprooted by the strong current. They were moving, slowly, but surely, leaving a deep trench in their wake. He was sure of it now, sure that he would be saved before the climatic end of this dual.

He had been preoccupied looking and observing what was happening in the distance that he hadn’t noticed the human assassin as he took off in a dash towards Phoenix. He hadn’t even noticed the human assassin bring his sword down low while shifting the deadly dagger in his grasp. No, Phoenix hadn’t noticed any of this, but what he had partially noticed would cause him injury. The human assassin tossed the dagger straight at him, straight at his exposed hand, and truth is he needed his hands if he were to fight. There was only time enough to reposition his body so that the dagger struck a non-vital part of his body. The dagger’s bitter sting inched its way into his flesh, spilling the amber liquid that was Phoenix’s blood. The wound was not fatal, the dagger had struck the area between his shoulder and chest on his right side, safely away from his heart. Phoenix, though slightly injured, did not get angry but merely learned from his mistake. He would not allow the human assassin chances like that again, not if he wished to live to obtain vast knowledge..

Pulling the weapon out of his flesh, Phoenix studied it. It was a brute weapon, one designed to end life quickly, or to cause great injury depending on how it was used. After he examined it, the dagger dropped to the ground with a loud thud and Phoenix looked at the human assassin. This was the second time he had been injured, and in the same place. The one before this human assassin, the one known as Gabrielle, had also injured him in the same exact spot, and now this human assassin had also managed to injure him. Then his distraction was will-o-wisps whispering in his ear, telling him things he didn’t want to hear, and now it was his own fault, looking and waiting for his plan to work. Oh how fate seemed to mock him. Even though he had been injured, he was still smiling because this had given him even more information to which he would only gain more knowledge. Never turn your back on a human assassin that much was clear.

“Alright, I see you’re not playing games,” Phoenix stated, “but neither am I. Dear human, I would like for you to meet some friends of mine.”

At that moment, the roots burst from the ground all around the human assassin, spikes protruding from them as they reared back to strike. They resembled the rose whip only thicker and with no bud at the end. They moved like the tentacles of an octopus, swaying back and forth. Of course this was all about gaining knowledge to Phoenix, and not about killing his opponents. He hoped the human assassin would survive. Only then would he know the true virility of a human, only then would he gain more knowledge.

“Do not make a mess,” was all Phoenix said as the roots began to lunge at the human assassin like a human swatting at a fly.

[La Volpe]

He'd done it. He'd actually hit this god, causing him to bleed, but his blood was not normal, it was a bright amber color. Interesting... Victor thought as he saw his dagger hit the ground. Phoenix had pulled it from his flesh without even flinching, and had tossed it aside with little care. Victor skidded to a stop though, as he heard his opponent speak.

"Dear human, I would like for you to meet some friends of mine.” The words at first confused the young assassin, but the answer quickly presented its self in the form of spiked, root like tentacles tore up from the ground all around the assassin, swaying this way and that, blocking any route of easy escape. Without a thought, Victors sword suddenly split into twin blades, each looking just as deadly as they had as one. Victor shut his eyes for the second time in the battle, but this wasn't to fall into a trance, but to eliminate the chance of getting distracted by anything his eyes may see. Bringing his blades into a X in front of him, Victor cleared his mind of everything, leaving only instant reaction to what ever he sensed.

“Do not make a mess,” was all Phoenix said as the roots began to lunge at the human assassin like a human swatting at a fly. The only warning he had, as he felt the air shift as the barbed tentacles descended towards him, each searching to crush or impale him, each looking to end his life. Victors body exploded into action suddenly, at first spinning, but this was only to help him defend from every angle. His arms exploded into action then, each working as an individual machine, his right arm hacking and deflecting any tentacle he sensed nearing him, while his left did the same on the other side. He had become a razor sharp whirlwind, cleaving apart the roots that had surrounded him.

Stopping his rotation, Victor reopened his eyes, looking at Phoenix with cold determination. But suddenly, he felt burning pain come form all across his body. He had been fast... But not fast enough to avoid any harm. As Victor looked over himself, he saw blood coming from a large amount or cuts that now covered his body. His black leather armor was in tatters, the chain mail beneath painted red from his freely flowing blood. He brought his eyes back to Phoenix, the supreme determination in them faded slightly from the quickly growing blood loss. Victor stumbled forward, still determined to gut a god this day, his left arm dropped Malice, unable to function anymore due to the amount of abuse it had taken. Gripping Spite as tightly as he could in his right hand, Victor charged forward, bringing his remaining sword up to impale Phoenix if he didn't stop him.

"That the best you got..." He sputtered, coughing up blood as he came forward. He would either die of blood loss from his countless wounds, or he would die by this gods hands. Either way, he was going to do his damn best to stick this blade through this so called god, what came after that didn't matter anymore.

[RisingPhoenix]

There was something odd about this whole thing, something quite mournful about these battles that Phoenix had to push to the back of his mind. While it was true that he had to fight to gain the knowledge he looked for, it was also true that he did not like to kill. Killing was something he felt was not necessary to gain knowledge. He had only meant to test the male to see how fast his reflexes were, but as he watched the male, he could hardly focus. The dagger had cut deeper than he thought and he was losing blood slowly. He placed a finger to his temple to concentrate and attempt to see what was going on with the human assassin and the thorny roots. As he attempted to watched, he realized that the male was fast, faster than he thought and he could only smile as he placed a soft hand on his wound as if to keep the amber blood from flowing out of the cut.

Phoenix sighed, knowing that this battle would take its toll on him at some point. For the first time in this battle, Phoenix’s face flashed an expression of pain. He realized oh too late that his left arm was numb, that he was hardly able to move it without pain shooting through his entire body. Narrowing his eyes on the human assassin, he realized that the male was now standing there, bleeding profusely from various cuts on his body. Phoenix’s expression changed from one of contemplation, to one of worry. The male was going to die. He was human after all. So many cuts and so much blood loss certainly meant death, at least in Phoenix’s eyes. He watched with saddened eyes as the male dropped one of his swords, the sword having become two at the beginning of the human assassin’s battle with the thorny roots.

Phoenix wanted to step forward, to lend strength to the male, to assure him that he wouldn’t die without honor, that he wouldn’t die without Phoenix attempting to heal him. He had wanted both of them to survive this battle. His plan had been set into motion and the trees that he had called forth were now closing in to retrieve them both. This would save them from their plummet into the abyss, but he hadn’t wanted this type of ending for the human assassin. His heart mourned for the male that he didn’t even know. As he watched, he could only smile as the male shot him a look of determination. This human was determined to show him the vitality of humans. He was going to show Phoenix that humans were a power house of courage and strength. Phoenix felt honored to even face such an individual as this man. He looked down, after noticing the male charge forth with the other blade extended. He had meant to impale the man. He had meant to run him through, but Phoenix wondered if he should just allow the male the satisfaction of causing him more pain. In the end, would it be worth it? Phoenix asked himself this as the male closed in on him, the sword extended, a gleam catching Phoenix’s eye. The sword seemed hungry for Phoenix’s own amber blood, and Phoenix looked as if he would give it what it wanted.

The rose whip surged forth, pain coursing through Phoenix as his vision blurred for a split second. The whip wrapped around the blade, and then it did something that the human assassin probably didn’t expect. It tugged the sword forth and pierced Phoenix in his left chest. Phoenix gasped in pain as the amber liquid poured out from the fresh would. The male was so close now, so close that Phoenix could hear him breathe.

“You are an honorable warrior human....,” Phoenix began, pain riddled in his tone, “..and I.....am honored......to have battled you.”

Phoenix reached up and grabbed the sword that stuck out from him like a toothpick from a plump sausage. He pulled slowly, wincing and groaning until the sword was completely out. He stumbled a bit and fell to one knee before dropping the sword. The amber liquid oozed from his wounds, causing his vision to blur even more, but he fought through it, and pressed it to the back of his psyche. He forced himself to stand back to his feet and simply smiled at the human.

“You.....you have given me.....much to think about,” Phoenix began, gasping a bit. “I want.....to thank you for it. Though I am no god........any pantheon would.......benefit from having a warrior...........like yourself”

[Wattz]

Excellent work, guys! This was a real treat to read and a difficult battle to judge (which is why it took so long!).

La Volpe, Victor:

Writing Style: 2

The writing style had lovely snippets of depth and intrigue, such as: “The ivory handle felt cool through the leather glove covered his hand, the balance of the blade perfectly in tune with his body. Victor sank into a sort of trance in that split second, the trance he always fell into right before battle. His ice blue eyes locked with Phoenix's, sending one clear message. I will not die without a fight.” However, it was not consistent, and sometimes details or moments of interest were skimmed over.
-Ideas (details, creativity/originality, that enrich the post): 2

Much like the writing style, the posts had blips of interesting development but much attention to detail and creativity was skimmed over.
-Flow: 2

The flow was relatively logical, but sometimes the line of thought was difficult to follow when it came to attacking. His inner thoughts were quite clear.[INDENT]
-Conventions: 1
[INDENT]Lots of grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors.

7

Effectiveness of Combat:
-Character Consistency: 3

Victor was consistently bold, brash, and confident.
-Ingenuity: 2

Usually varied use of attacks, but not quite enough punch and pizazz to merit the full 3.
-Interaction: 3

Strong attention to character interaction. Victor’s fixation with Phoenix as a god-like figure produced intriguing dialog.

8

Control of the Field:
-Environmental Awareness: 3

Strong attention to the environment. I like the way Victor used the environment to his advantage (kicking rocks down) while also being hurt by the environment.
-Strategic Awareness: 2

A good amount of strategic awareness, but not quite to a 3.
-Control of the Fight: 3

Victor had a good balance of control over the fight, neither too much nor too little.
8

Total: 23

Rising Phoenix, Phoenix:

Writing Style: 2

The writing style started off fluid and textured but tapered off as the posts went along, feeling less organic. “His hands dipped into the life giving liquid that made up the lake. The cooling essence soothed his hands. He had defeated his foe and was now resting alongside the lake that had played a rather odd part in all of this. The scents of the trees still filtered through his nostrils as he listened to them speak. They spoke of the battle that they had just witnessed” is a good example of a strong start while “There was something odd about this whole thing, something quite mournful about these battles that Phoenix had to push to the back of his mind. While it was true that he had to fight to gain the knowledge he looked for, it was also true that he did not like to kill” shows the tapering off.
-Ideas: 3

Thorough and consistent in varying the ideas and content.
-Flow: 2

Sometimes difficult to follow. I had to read some posts a couple of times to understand what was happening.
-Conventions: 3

Clean and free of most errors.
10

Effectiveness of Combat:
-Character Consistency: 3

Gabriel remained inquisitive and thoughtful throughout the battle.
-Ingenuity: 3

Varied, balanced use of actions. Lining them all up, the same move is never used twice and each one makes sense in the order of events.
-Interaction: 3

Intriguing use of dialog and strong attention to character interaction.
9

Control of the Field:
-Environmental Awareness: 3

Strong attention to the environment. I enjoy how his attacks have a direct impact on the area.
-Strategic Awareness: 3

Excellent back and forth between Gabriel and Victor. Each move feels logical as well as methodical.
-Control of the Fight: 3

Solid and reasonable control of the fight. Never too much nor too little power exerted.
9

Total: 28

And the winner is… RisingPhoenix!!