Enter the fray! (Elizabeth16 vs RedKayne J-The Imposter)

[The Imposter]

The little creature appeared in a puff of green smoke, it's little clawed toes curled along the cliff edge digging into the face to stop itself from stumbling forward into what would be a terribly awful end. It's long nose swung back and forth in the air as it sniffed about before stepping back and turning to the rest of the mountain scenery. The whole mountain was littered with boulders, rocks, and stones of varying shapes and sizes. The stuck out like frozen droplets of rain on a smooth surface. Black ice tickled the stones the higher up the mountain one went, while further down one could see a few trees that rebelliously grew trying to defy the lighter atmosphere.

The small imp stretched and fluttered off rising above the new arena. Stroking its chin it grinned devilishly and snapped its fingers. Instantly the creature was arrayed in a typical referee shirt and a whistle dangling from its neck.

'Alright! I want a good clean fight, try to best each other....buuut lets stay away from the killing blows shall we? I mean after all this is a totally DIFFERENT rodeo than what is typical for you legends. You're in a totally different realm! Kehehehe!'

The imp quickly blew the whistle. The sound screeched out echoing wildly off the mountain but there was no response. No action from either combatant....

'Hey?! Hello?! WHERE ARE YOU?!'

The creature's eyes widened at the realization. It had forgot the warriors! Snapping its fingers once more two puffs of smoke appeared separated by the rocky landscape. Blowing the whistle once more the imp buzzed about hollering.

'FFFFIIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT!!!'

--------------

Alright by request this battle will be eight posts each. Standard rpb rules in effect. At the flip of a coin Elizabeth16 will go first.

[Elizabeth16]

"Well, this is a nice little place."

From the left side, a young woman jumped up from smoke, scrambling up the rocky face she had appeared too close to. She brushed away a slight amount of bright red hair from her face, which had been braided up behind her, her bright cheery, mis-matched blue and green eyes looking at the judge. Ashlynn stepped forward to the general center, fixing her dagger in its sheath, and sending some warmth to her exposed skin from the cold, brisk air. Looking around, the footing wouldn't be too bad for first fight. A glance at the sky showed only a pale blue sky, nice and bright, with only the slightest of winds. She did a quick check of her light armor, raising her arms to test to leather, and feeling the small stones and cold dirt underneath her feet, smooth and ready for her to dance. Towards her opponent, she brought her feet together, sliding it across the ground with a practiced lightness and ease of movement, lowering her arms into a prayer. As a sign of respect, she bowed, her eyes open on the ground, already relaxing her ever so active brain into the state of the fight. Raising up, Ashlynn's leg slid out behind her, her hands open palm, a look of peace and utter attention on her fair, shining face, her stance perfectly balanced.

"Your move, lass," she called, an Irish accent seeping through every lighting curve over her voice, as a small fire began to burn, causing the air to shimmer around her waiting hands, only a thin layer of fire, dancing across her skin and licking the mountain air.

[RedKayne]

The Beginning of the End (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc7lUbWEbqY)

The heavy rain pelted against the Cold Emperor's black armor. He was sitting down upon a log, taking shelter in a thick forest. He was tending his wounds after battling the Shade Demon, Jacob Shu, in the abandoned village nearby. The Emperor's armor on his left side was completely decimated, revealing his pale-white arm. The arm was still sensitive after being struck by the demon's lightning bolt, and the rain colliding against it felt like several bee stings. The Emperor's eyes of blue-fire were staring up at the dark night sky, reflecting upon his last battle. I need to get stronger, he clenches one of his fists in frustration. I need to find more worthy opponents... in order to have my revenge.

Then, the realm before him began to melt away and the Emperor's vision became black. The next thing he knew, he was standing upon some mountain landscape, a puff of smoke surrounding him. He glances at his armor, it was magically repaired. Not only that, but his left arm felt like it completely recovered as well. "What is going on?" he mutters to himself, he was impossibly in full strength again. His eyes wander around the landscape, examining his surroundings. The weather was completely sunny and beautiful, no sign of any recent rainstorms. The area was littered with several boulders and stones of various shapes and sizes.

'FFFFIIIIIIGGGGHHHHTTT!!!'

The Emperor turned his head sharply to face a hollering creature. It seemed to be an imp of some sort, fluttering above the landscape. Its observant eyes glanced back and forth between the Emperor and the area across from him. The Cold Emperor glances ahead, and notices another puff of smoke.

A woman with fiery red hair scrambled upon the rocky ground and stood up to face the Emperor. Her fiery red hair gleamed under the sun, after brushing it away from her face, the Emperor was slightly taken aback that she was quite a beauty. Based on her youthful appearance, the Emperor could guess that she was around his age in fact. She glances at him with eager eyes, and it seemed like she was prepared for battle.

The Emperor smirked wickedly under his helmet, even under these strange circumstances. Apparently, the gods have answered his request. He wished to become stronger and face worthy opponents, and immediately he was sent to combat against this enthusiastic young woman before him. He had no idea who this woman was, but he expected this to be a good fight.

His opponent wore light leather armor that exposed her pale toned skin, so she probably focused on quick strikes and fast attacks. The Emperor would match her high-speed assault with his destructive dual blades. However, before he even had a chance to outstretch his arms to summon his weapon set, the lady took a battle stance.

"Your move, lass," she called out, revealing an unmistakable Irish accent. A thin layer of fire began to form from her hands.

Perfect... just perfect, The Emperor growled in annoyance. Apparently, he is facing an opponent who specializes in the flame arts. This was the Emperor's weakness, and he had to quickly change his battle tactics.

Two bright lights formed and wrapped around both of the Emperor's hands. On his right hand, the light disappeared and revealed a one-handed blade. His left hand formed the Dark Gauntlet, his last resort in a battle.

Well, this is a surprise... I didn't expect to be used so soon...

A dark voice began to bombard the Emperor's mind with corrupted thoughts. He ignored the voice for the moment, he needed to start this battle. His tapped his single-handed blade with his gauntlet, and a blue-fire instantly coated the steel, shimmering the air around it. Instead of the warmth of a usual fire, the blue-flame emanated a coldness around it.

"Don't go soft now, girl," the Emperor cackles. "Let's hope you shall prove to be a worthy fighter," he calls out before leaping towards her. His enhanced leg strength allowed him to leap high up in the air, about 11 feet. As he was closing the distance between then, he points his Dark Gauntlet down towards her, and Ice magic quickly surrounded it. In his open palm, about two dozen Frost Shards formed and shot towards the girl. These Frost Shards were capable of slicing through steel armor like butter, and a direct attack would surely cut the young woman into tiny pieces.

[Elizabeth16]

The man who appeared made her mind reel with possibilities. As he looked over her, her sharp eyes were matching him, watching and judging. His armor was thick, looking strong, almost as if is was brand new. Well taken care of, no obvious weakness. There had to be one somewhere. The pale blue reflections against the dark armor sent waves of cold through her, the darkness behind the helmet and mask kept her from seeing a face, which only bothered her slightly, as she wouldn't be able to watch her opponents face for emotions and give away, but that was simply another slight event that wouldn't affect her outcome: winning. As she called out her urging, the man, they called him the Cold Emperor, let out a sound that came off more demon than human, a growl that only caused her fire to raise ever so slightly as she got more excited for the coming fight.

As he summoned his weapons, Ashlynn's eyes stayed emotionless, though her thoughts were rearing. The large sword, now shining with blue fire, made her more hesitant than his armor. It would make her job a little more difficult; she would need to be careful to stay out of the reach of that massive weapon, be it by getting in close or by staying out of its range. Already, she could see the dance opening up before them, as she calculated it all. Find the weakness. Ice versus fire. That's where you want to remember. Use his weight against him, he's big, you are small and fast.

"Don't go soft, girl. Let's hope you shall prove to be a worthy fighter" he called, and she smiled ever so slightly, her eyes narrowed further, her calves tensing into the earth, ready to spring into action. In a second, the man was in the air, the space between them being swallowed by his gravity-defying jump. She remained still a moment, just shifting her weight backwards, until his glove, his second summon, began to glow, before sending off shards of... Ice? Ashlynn's body moved in a flurry as she spun, her foot moving in a circle block, a blast of fire hovering the circle. Through the crackling fire the ice went, leaving hot steam in her freckled face.

Not ever stopping her movement, the fire in front of her died, and as her foot landed behind her, light and perfectly balanced, her open palm punched forward, sending a fire blast from her hand towards to landing Emperor, before moving her hand quickly back to an open, ready stance.

[RedKayne]

Fire and Ice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glplE1BZ2Fc)

The Cold Emperor watched as the girl quickly summoned forth a circle of blames to melt away his Frost Shards. The attack was quite expected, and he knew that most of his ice spells wouldn't stand a chance against fire magic. Her movement to counter his attack was quite graceful, and the Emperor could easily envision her dancing around the battlefield and wrecking havoc with her flurry of flames.

She performed an open palm strike and sent a fireball towards the Emperor. This was another typical ability a fire manipulator would use, and the Emperor growled in annoyance. There wasn't much he could do at the moment to dodge the girl's attack, but he can lessen the blow and possibly cause an injury to the girl. It was a risk, but he was going to take it. He would do anything to win a battle and prove himself stronger.

The Emperor takes aim and throws his fire-coated blade towards the fireball. The blade goes right through it, and the blue-fire coating dissipated because of the overpowering heat of the opponent's fireball. However, the coldness of the blue-fire caused the fireball to shrink in size and lessened its strength. His blade was now flying directly towards the young woman and rapidly approaching her.

The Cold Emperor crossed his arms in front of him in an x-shape to brace himself from impact. The fireball collided against his arms, and he felt the heat easily seep through his armor and burn his arms. The pain was searing, but it was bearable. It he took the attack at full force, it may have possible crippled his arms.

After the impact of the fireball, the Cold Emperor began to fall down backwards and away from the woman. He fell and then disappeared behind a large boulder that was about twice the size of an average man. However, there wasn't a loud crash sound of his body landing upon the earth.

In fact, instead of landing on the ground, the Cold Emperor sank into his own shadow like it was liquid. He cackles quietly to himself as his shadow speeds away from the boulder. If the girl had wary eyes, she may notice the shadow zigzagging across the many rocks of the battlefield.

[Elizabeth16]

As the fire she had let off glided towards it's mark, Ashlynn's eyes were trying to see her enemy past the fiery orange flames. It was almost instantly that she saw something, moreso heard something, coming towards her. Tensing, she waited, to see the edge of a blade splicing the fireball and hurtling towards her. He threw his sword? While a sidestep would have put her out of the range of the blade, she was wary of the blade having an enchantment or some god-awful ability to change its course. Instead of watching the attack follow through, she sprang backwards, muscles right in anticipation of the blade doing something out of the normal. A few feet away, balanced on a medium boulder, she watched it simply bury it's tip into the pebbles, quivering with the sound of good metal.

When her odd eyes flashed up to see her opponent, there was nothing but the still silence and the referee, humming to himself in a corner. Her hand rested on her dagger for just a moment as her gaze traveled across the ground, admist all the boulders and area, she saw nothing. There were a few shadows, here and there, none that seemed like anything more than a tree branch moving in the distance or a cloud overhead. Worried, she stood and quickly jumped from boulder to boulder, reaching the cliff wall on one side. Her hand found a hold, and hand over hand she went, going approximately 14 feet up, perched on a small ledge, scouring the ground for a sight of the Cold Emperor. There was a shadow darker than the others, but she was having trouble wrapping her mind around blaming a missing opponent on a shadow. As her style, without being sure, she stayed in her high perch and let fire gather around her hands, and kept a cautious readiness of energy at her feet, cold against the icy stone.

[RedKayne]

The Emperor's Wrath (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8w6H2rp9zI)

The dark shadow that the Celtic warrior could see suddenly rushed towards the Emperor's sword. As it approached the blade, the Emperor's body slowly arose from the shadow until he was finally standing upon solid ground. He reached for the hilt of the blade and pulls it out of the ground before glancing back up at the warrior perched up in the cliff-side.

You still remember that night?

The Cold Emperor's body stiffened as the dark voice whispered into his head. He clenches his blade tightly in anger, Don't speak again. He warned the corrupt entity, he didn't want to remember his painful past at the moment.

Then you still recall what happened to her? You recall that you were too weak to save her?

"Leave me be!" he roars in anger. Hatred boiled in his blood as he rushed towards the cliff-wall that the young woman climbed upon. Ice magic rapidly gathered around his Dark Gauntlet as he uses it to punch against the rocky wall. The force of the impact smashed large pieces of rubble away from the wall, but upon contact, his ice spell activated.

Ice quickly formed where he made contact, and it quickly climbed up the wall, freezing everything in contact. The ice rapidly encroached upon the girl, and would freeze the ledge she was perched on, most likely causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. Even if she was able to climb up quickly, the range of his spell will be able to cover 30 feet, freezing practically the entire cliff-side.

He pulls back and awaits for his opponent's reaction, preparing for her fall.

Allow me to take over... and I shall crush her like an insect...

[Elizabeth16]

Post 4

From the ground he appeared. Her eyes did not give away the surprise she had at his appearances from the blacks of the shadows she has missed. Of course now that she had seen it, there would be no chance of him to do it again. He pulled his massive sword from the rubble, and his blue eyes, if they were eyes, looked up at her. His hand clenched, and his armor creaked at the tenseness that suddenly erupted from within the Cold Emperor. Ashlynn moved an inch more forward, letting her foot balance on the edge of the rock, ready to pounce on him.

Before her muscles gathered enough power to cover the area from her perch to the beast she fought, a scream hardly human ripped through the air, and he was running forward. Not understanding his plan at that moment, the young woman stayed still, her leather armor resting comfortably on her, even in such an odd position. But at the rock shook underneath her, her reaction wasn't quick enough. Her foot resting against the rim gathered all of its strength to push off, to send the woman down onto the man, with the previous intention of landing behind him, delivering quick strikes of fire before sprinting away, felt the black ice creep underneath her bare feet just as her reaction time tried to fire her off into the air.

Cold brushed against her skin, and she felt the cold, the darkness of the cold, only for a moment as her body countered instinctively by sending fire to fight the evil cold. Her jump was not successful. Though a little forward motion was made, she was falling, not jumping. Her stomach forward, she gathered her legs underneath her, almost straight on top of the Cold Emperor. With only a second until she landed, and it would be on the ground behind him, if not almost on him. She braced for impact, and spread her arms out in front of her, wind pulling red hair out of its place, her dagger banging against her hip. As long as she could risk waiting, which was only a second, she let out a short burst of flames from her hands, hoping at least he would move out of the way, or take an injury that would allow her time to get back on her feet after falling from such a height.

[RedKayne]

Lord of Ice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4-AVow9WBc)

The Cold Emperor's lips curl up into a wicked smile as he watches the girl lose balance upon her perch and then began to plummet towards the ground. He tightens the grip on his blade, planning to impale the red-haired fighter and thus end the battle. He was expecting the girl to simply scream out in terror as she fell towards her death, but she surprisingly kept her calm and then a burst of flames shot from her hands. The Emperor growled in annoyance, he can still feel the sting from the burns on his arms.

He could take another risk and simply stick with his plan of impaling the girl, while suffering a full blast of her flames. He would be significantly injured, but it would surely end the fight. However, the Emperor recalled how his last risk didn't pay off that well, perhaps it would be best to play it safe this time.

He quickly rolls to the side to avoid the girl's landing and out of her flame's reach. He straightens his body and turns it towards the girl to see how she would either land safely or receive an injury. Hopefully from her fall, she might fracture one of her leg bones and thus cripple her movement for the rest of the battle.

When she would finally land, the Cold Emperor's eyes of blue-fire flare at her. "Hmm... I was expecting this battle to end quickly," he said a bit dryly. "I was expecting for you to be a pathetic little girl who didn't how to fight," he smirks under his helmet, and ice magic began to gather around his gauntlet. Visibly blue energy swirled around his index finger, focusing all of its power at that single point. "I'm surprised to say that you are proving to be a worthy opponent," he cackles lightly. "So before I take away your life, tell me your name, warrior."

[Elizabeth16]

Post 5

He moved.
For this, Ashlynn sent out a prayer of thanks to whatever deity was listening. In the meantime, she was falling. There wasn't time to think about things, to really try to come up with a solution to it. Almost like a door closing, she hit the ground, her body slamming against the rocks only slightly slowed from shooting off such a blast of flames. For a second she didn't move, reaction taking over as she took inventory of where her body was, if she would be able to get up, or if she would be laying her as he dragged that sword over to her. Pushing liquid fire, Chakra, though her body, she felt her legs fine. But her shoulder, her left shoulder felt wrong. How wrong, she wasn't sure. But her fingers moved, and her forearm twitched.

So, Ashlynn rolled over. A simple movement. As she pushed herself up with her forearms, her left shoulder gave up such a protest that she bit her lip to hold in the gasp that could have escaped from the weakness she felt. Leaving it be, the young woman, her hair having fallen out of the braid completely, twisted and waving around her waist in the waves of red fire-looks, pushed her legs underneath her and stood, blue and green eyes raising to shakily smile at the beast across from her. Fire, cold fire, looked at her, burning from the place where she would have so loved to see the true eyes of her opponent. His hand was in front of him, the hand with the strange glove that had caused all this trouble, and it was drawing energy, as if drawing the shadows and the cold from the earth around it, letting is form in that blue ice fire.

"Ashlynn." She didn't often say her last name, the name she had been given. "And what do they call you? The ice cream man?" The remark was made with a wounded smile brightening the woman's face as she pulled herself straight, trying her best to only slightly favor the left shoulder. The remark was weak, but her brain couldn't function at the moment, go come up with a good play on words for the situation. His cold name reminded her of ice cream, and so it went, rolling off her tongue with dancing music of the Scottish and Irish accents.

With that, she ran forward, her dagger pulled, moving from side to side, and began a slash at the glove, strong enough at least break his armor, as she sent fire to consume the blade.

[RedKayne]

The Lost One (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW8QbLjZbF8)

The Cold Emperor begins to laugh out loud at the girl's ludicrous comment about the ice cream man. His laugh suddenly halted, however, as a memory from his past resurfaced into his mind.

"Thank you, Kyril," Myra giggles at her lover as she takes the chocolate ice cream cone from his hand.

"You're welcome, love," Kyril gently smiles before taking a seat next to her on the bench. The two of them sat there, enjoying the lush scenery of the school courtyard before them.

After a couple minutes of silently enjoying each other's presence, Kyril breaks the quietness. "You know what I wish, Myra?" he begins a question while turning to his lover. "I wish we could just take our two horses, and run far away from this school. I wish we could just escape all of the craziness and just leave it behind."

Myra smiles softly and raises her free hand to gently caress Kyril's cheek, "That sounds like a pretty crazy request, Kyril," she giggles again.

"Yeah, I guess it does sound like that, but then it would be just you and me... and the horses," he chuckles before leaning forward and gently kissing her on the cheek. He then whispers into her ear, "Living together... without a worry in this world."

The Cold Emperor didn't realize he was trapped in his own past until the Celtic Warrior was literally right before him. He curses aloud and raises his left arm in defense as her dagger slices through his armor and leaving a deep gash on his forearm. His eyes of blue-fire glare at Ashlynn, he could see the determined look in her eyes. Her red hair became loose and draped over her shoulders, emphasizing her fiery spirit. Her resolve was not going to waver until she won this battle.

You're past weakens you, Kyril. You limit your true potential if you allow it to consume you. Allow me to take over... and I will get things done.

The flames struck his blade and his right hand, and he yelps as the searing pain struck him. He clenches his teeth, fighting through the pain before he thrust his magic-focused Dark Gauntlet towards Ashlyn's chest. If he succeeded in reaching her, his ice will completely encase any limb at the merest touch of the Gauntlet's fingers. In this case, a direct hit to her torso would most likely lead to the girl's death, and thus end the battle in the Emperor's favor.

[Elizabeth16]

Post 6

The man seemed to be late in his reaction, too late to keep her blade from moving forward. As the blade sunk into his armor, her left shoulder screamed in protest at having to hold up against the pressure of holding steady and still after gathering such speed. So close to the man, her breathe, only slightly heavier than it would normally be, turned into mist, steaming against the freezing surface that was him, that seemed to creep up her blade into her very skin. Her blue flames seemed brighter than his cold flames, sinking into the armor around him.

As a shriek came from somewhere underneath the mask, Ashlynn tensed, attempting to pull her dagger back and get out of his range. The armor had left the dagger confidently contained. The arm, his right arm, with the glove that had too often sent ice at her, powerful magic that she didn't like fighting with. Her eyes flashed, her exposed hand sliding off the already chilled dagger hilt, before she jumped to the left, out of the way of his speedily moving arm. The cold blast behind her sent chills through her, ones her internal fire fought against with full resolution. So powerful was her jump that she was not able to tuck herself into a roll as she so normally would. Instead, her left shoulder again took the brunt of the fall, slamming into the ground before sliding a few feet on rocks and pebbles before stopping against a large boulder. The sound of her light, muscled body sliding over the rocks was orchestrated by a scream of pain as her already wounded arm braced itself against the unforgiving ground once more.

The celtic girl wiped her lip with her right hand, slightly bloody from where she bit down on her lip in concentration, and didn't look once at the torn leather and blood tearing down from her left shoulder and upper arm. Instead, she stood and, with some effort and control of her beating heart, slid into a careful stance. "Got anymore, lad?"

[RedKayne]

Forbidden Powers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8de2pwEVVFg)

The Cold Emperor growled in annoyance, it seems that the Celtic warrior's agility never ceases to surprise him. The focused magic of his Touch of Winter dissipated after Ashlynn dodged his attack. His blazing eyes followed the girl as she tossed herself to the ground. He could practically sense that pain that jolted across her body as it crashed into the ground.

He smirks as the girl straightens her body and stands up to face him. Her eyes were completely focused. Her determination and concentration were not wavered even under these pressing circumstances. This is the kind of person whose bravery knows no bounds.

Hmm... I'm sure you noticed by now, Kyril, but doesn't that fiery spirit remind you of a certain someone?

The voice cackles in his head, and the Emperor simply tries to brush it away. However, he couldn't push away the memories of Myra. Memories of pain, loss, and hatred.

The Emperor takes an aggressive step towards Ashlynn, intending to finish this battle soon. He quickly flinches as pain spreads across both his arms. His right hand, it had severe burns from her previous attack. He glances down, and could barely see the scorch marks that blended into his black armor. His grip on the short blade was loosening, there was too much pain simply trying to hold it. He grunts in frustration as he tosses the blade to the ground, it seems that his right hand will no longer be useful for the remainder of the battle.

Now, there was the pain in his left forearm to deal with. The dagger was still digging deep into his flesh, and so his right arm reaches forth and his hand grips the dagger's hilt in an attempt to remove it. His burned right hand and his sliced left forearm began to screech in pain. "Damn it," he curses quietly before pulling his hand away, apparently giving up for the moment to remove the dagger that was embedded into his black armor.

Heh, your willpower is too weak, Kyril. I'm taking over now...

The Cold Emperor's right arm moved suddenly without warning, and it grabbed the dagger's hilt roughly. His entire body began screaming in pain as the arm continued its aggressive pursuit to pull the dagger off. "Stop it!" Kyril shouts in agony as his right arm continued to disobey him. Finally, the dagger was pulled away and blood splattered on to the ground and oozed rapidly from the fresh wound.

The dagger was dropped from his hand, and the Emperor's body began to shake before he began to cackle maniacally. The dark aura around him became more vicious... more sadistic... more bloodthirsty. He raises the Dark Gauntlet high up into the air, and it begins to gather energy from the fear of treacherous winter.

"Tell me, insect," the Cold Emperor begins his question as swirls of black energy surrounded his gauntlet. "Have you ever lost a loved one before? Have you ever been in that bottomless hole of the black pit, where you are basically drowning within your own sorrows? Have you ever became so consumed by the darkness of your anger, that you lose everything you once were?" The black energy continued to grow and then it became more focused. The forbidden magic grew stronger based upon one's negative emotions.

"Tell me! Have you?!" he shouts angrily, his corrupted heart wrenches at each of these questions.

[Elizabeth16]

Post 7

The man moved forward, his armored foot ringing against the ground's small, sliding stones. A wind whistled between the trees just below them, pushing Ashlynn's hair into a fiery mess, letting it roam across her pale, freckled face, almost giving her a normal look as it covered one of her off-colored eyes. Her left arm was held closed to her, her elbow hovering into her rib cage, an open palm facing forward, where her right hand laid upwards, waiting, ready to blast away. After the step, the Cold Emperor's weapon clattered to the ground, and she managed a smile. A effective move, she thought, as her opponent happily dropped the weapon to compensate for her injury. It had cost her her dagger, but that was to be expected.

As he reached to the buried dagger, Ashlynn looked around, searching for any tactical advantage she might have. The trees called to her, whispering promises of burning, of fire. The wood seemed dry enough, the leaves were brown, on their way into the winter months. She imagined a wall of flames, not the cold flames the man in the armor across from her seemed to favor, but the fire that consumed. The wind blowing towards them could only fan the fire. A shout from across the field brought her attention quickly back. He was fighting with himself, it seemed, and she flinched, ready to bounce in the direction needed should the obvious madness in front of her continue. It wouldn't be long now either way.

Only moments later, the dagger lay next to the sword, burned and covered in blood, his blood. The darkness of his armor seemed to increase, and the cold she felt only made her pain a bit duller, like putting ice on a wound and caffeine for the the mind. It was the taste of adrenaline, the pre-cursor to fear, that raised her senses a little higher. As he raised his hand, the damn gloved hand, Ashlynn was already moving. She leapt into the air, jumping quickly from boulder to boulder, towards the sharp slope downwards, and performed a spinning wheel kick, releasing blasts of fire from her bare feet. The flames lunged forward, landing on the soft brown branches and slowly roaring themselves into a raging flame. She landed facing him, balanced carefully on the ground right against the edge, her left shoulder clearly favored. Almost a silhouette against the rising flames, she called back to his changed, dark voice. "No," she said, loud and strong enough for him to hear, her heart missing a beat in a pity for this man. "But there is always hope, Emperor. Always something more to love, to live for, to fight for! You cannot die for the dead!"

[RedKayne]

The Battle Within (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwyDphk-v00)

Oh, this girl is bringing a tear to my eye, Kyril. She actually believes that a person like you can be saved.

How dare you?! I warned you! This is my battle, you cannot interfere! Relinquish my body!

Too late, Kyril, I long to devour this girl's rich, innocent blood. I also intend to finish this battle, since you are obviously incapable of doing so. You can thank me later.

"Hope?! You actually believe I have a future, fool? You think that this dark, twisted soul has anything to hope for?" the Emperor roars with anger, the immense black energy swirling rapidly around his gauntlet. His cold eyes watches as Ashlynn quickly rushes down the slope and soon created a wall of flames at the edge of the battlefield.

"There is no hope for me, wrench," the Emperor spat bitterly. "There is only vengeance."

The immense unholy energy surrounding his gauntlet began to condense itself around the cursed object. The black energy wrapped itself around the Dark Gauntlet, and began to take shape. Soon, the energy solidified into a fist-sized dragon head made of dark ice.

The Cold Emperor smiles maliciously as he points the dragon's head towards Ashlynn. The hollow eyes of the dragon were like staring into the abyss itself.

He leaps down towards the girl, the air rushing wildly around him as he quickly closed the distance between himself and the Celtic lady. The Emperor pulls back his left arm, preparing for the killing strike. The Dark-Ice Dragon Fist increases his physical strength exponentially, even the incredible prowess of the savage werewolves and barbaric orcs were no match for him now. All of the Emperor's rage and hatred fuels this forbidden attack, allowing it to be capable of demolishing mountains. "Time for you to fade away!" he cackles as the sadistic aura around him became thicker and thicker.

No... its time for you to fade away.

Suddenly, without warning, the Emperor's body lurches in midair. He was about ten feet away from Ashlynn, descending quickly upon her, but then his body changed it trajectory far to her right side. The dark ice magic also began to dissipate quickly, as shards of ice broke away from the dragon's head, until there was nothing left but the gauntlet itself.

Inside of his helmet, the Emperor's eyes widened in shock and fear as he realized what was happening. He flies over the cliff edge, he could see the long fall and the roaring flames below. A fall that would surely kill him.

He held out his right arm as he dropped like a rock, and his hand just barely grabs the ledge of the cliff. He was panting heavily from the rush of adrenaline, but shouts in agony as the flames bit into his legs. His burned right hand screams in pain, as it clung desperately for its life.

No! Kyril, what are you doing?!

I warned you before... do not intervene...

I was going to finish this battle for you! Are you intending to get the both of us killed?!!

That is the plan... I rather die than let a monstrosity like you control my body...

I will not allow this, Kyril!

His hand tightens its grip on the ledge, but it was losing the battle. The rocky ledge he was holding on to was eroding quickly due to the imbalance of weight, and sooner or later it will fall apart. The flames that Ashlynn created were like claws reaching out for its prey, intending to drag the Cold Emperor into the fiery depths of Hades.

[Elizabeth16]

Post 8

If one had been able to watch the planning and careful thoughts that went through Ashlynn's mind before the man moved, they would have seen every possibility but the one that occurred. Her best plan, the one that left her standing ever so precariously at the edge of that hill, was for him to rush her, and her to simply push him forwards, let his movement work against him as she stepped out of the way, let him fall down the hill into the flames. There were thoughts of using every ounce of strength she had to pull up the flames and engulf him when he got close. Her last resort was to throw herself into the flames; he would have been unable to follow. This thought had even caused her to laugh inside a little, for she would walk away victorious and naked to the bare skin. As he roared behind her, throwing her words of faith and hope across her back like a whip, she wouldn't have been able to understand the following scene. Even afterwards, Ashlynn would think back to this moment and have hope for the people of the world.

"There is no hope for me, wrench," the Emperor called, his voice dark and low, as dark as the swirls that seemed to turn the air into black, furious ice, "There is only vengeance."

"You're wrong lad! There is always something more," she let her voice drift back to him, ever so lilting and calming in the mist of the fight and angry flames. Before she could finish, he was moving. She didn't see feet pounded across the uneven ground, or even the raising of his arm, only two sets of eyes, one black and never ending and one ice blue with the look of a killer. It was too fast for her to counter. The best she could have hoped to do now what throw herself backwards down the hill- but it changed. He changed. The course that would have left her no option but two bad scenarios changed path to the right. As he flew or ran, she couldn't tell, black shards of what had been the dragon fell to the ground, shattering and disappearing with a frost bite like only dark magic could have. The thought of it reminded her of his shadow work at the beginning. A large bang was heard as he hit the ground before sliding (or was he flying, and had hit something? It was so fast.) over the edge.

Ashlynn caught herself. The drama of it had set her balance off, and her back foot slid on a small rock. Moving forward careful, she listened, listened for a scream or the sound of flesh being torn by the orange and blue and red flames, as her eyes crossed over the rocks, looking for any sign of life. In an instant, she had found it. There was a glove, just barley on the edge of the cliff. Walking fast, an obvious flinch at each step in her shoulder and her heart pounded, Ashlynn stepped a foot from the edge. From her view, she could see the Cold Emperor hanging, his feet just above her flames. She reached out a let the flames bracing his feet die down slightly. The effort brought a larger amount of pain to her shoulder, as the heat inside her faded away, letting the cold air leave little drops of ice on her sweating skin. Kneeling down, her tender blue eyes had lost the look of a fight, instead replaced by a sheer compassion, hope, and respect. Whatever had happened, it was nothing short of honorable or respectable. "Buaite againn in onóir," she said to him, a smile lightening the serious look that had been on her face through the battle. The saying meant "we fight in honor." He wouldn't know that; but it meant that there was no reason for him to die, or be wounded further, that he had proven himself worthy enough already, that she honored and respected him as one equal to her. As she grasped his arm and put all her effort into pulling him up, slowly being drained of energy by keeping the almost uncontrollable wildfire from touching him, she recalled the scene from the Lion King, that old Disney movie. A soft laugh came out of the struggling warrior, as Ashlynn gave her all to pull him up.

[RedKayne]

Losing a Soul (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBPnfnvXq0E)

The Cold Emperor curses as he could feel his grip on the edge loosening. He was using all of his strength simply trying to hold on to the rocky edge, and he was struggling to find the inner sinew to pull himself back up. Then, a miracle occurred.

The searing burns on his legs ceased, as the flames below him pulled back. He feels something tugging on to his arm and then looks up. His eyes open wide with shock, "What... what are you doing?" his voice trembles as he questions Ashlynn.

The Celtic beauty looked upon him with compassion, something the Emperor hasn't experienced in a very long time. She grabbed on to his arms, and used her remaining strength to pull him up. She wasn't going to let him die, she was doing everything she can to save his damned soul.

For the rest of the Emperor's life, he will not forget this blessed moment.

She pulled him over the ledge, the ground scraping against his thick black armor. He sighed heavily in relief when his entire body was finally upon solid ground, and kneeling before the girl. "I... I thank you for your compassion... Ashlynn," the Emperor says quietly, his head bowed solemnly. "I cannot express my eternal gratitude for saving my life..."

He raises his Dark Gauntlet and then points it at her face. He then looks directly into her eyes, those damn eyes that never display fear. He smiles sadistically as his eyes of blue-fire flare with malicious intent. "Actually, this is your payment for your foolish mistake, little girl," the Emperor cackles as ice energy rapidly gathered at the tip of his gauntlet once more, forming a small blue sphere of blue flames. He was about to unleash his Icefire Blast, planning to incinerate the girl with an icy death of a blazing torrent of blue flames.

Kyril felt tears splatter across his bloodied chest, and could just barely hear a girl wailing next to him.

"Please, Kyril, stay with me!" Myra sobbed, her hands holding on to the sides of his face, coaxing him. "You can't die! Please... don't leave me," Myra hiccuped as her emotions were getting the best of her.

"He can't hear you, he is too far gone," a sinister voice spoke as a black figure stepped next to the sobbing Myra. There was a quiet chuckle, and a demonic smile spread across the figure's face.

Kyril groaned in pain, struggling to raise one hand and attempting to point at the figure. "Don't... don't you dare touch her," he hisses, and then coughs out blood that dribbles from his mouth.

The demonic smile became even wider, "It seems you broke your promise, Kyril. You failed to protect her."

There was a bright flash of red light, and then Kyril's world shattered into a million pieces.

The Cold Emperor gasped, his body couldn't move. The gathering magic forced itself to stop, and the small ball of blue flames burnt itself out. His body was shaking, sweating heavily from the strain within his mind, body, and soul.

Stop struggling, Kyril! This is our chance to finish her off!

I won't let you. She just saved my life.

Are you already forgetting about Myra? You are doing this for her! You are avenging her!

No, I have not forgotten about Myra, because you were right before. Ashlynn is a lot like her. So I will not tarnish Myra's memory by resorting to dirty tricks like this. You need to get out and never come back.

You're a fool! Why do you resist? Don't you want to get stronger? Don't you want to slay the person who took away your love?

I do... I do need to get stronger... and I still need to avenge Myra... but I do not need you.

The Cold Emperor lowered his hand away from Ashlynn's face, and in a bright flash of light, the Dark Gauntlet disappears. He sighs heavily before standing up, turning to his left, and silently begins to walk away. He briefly pauses in his steps before speaking up.

"Thank you... Ashlynn. I am glad there's still a beautiful light in this world such as you. However, I'm afraid there is still no hope for a lost one like myself." He turns his head slightly to face her, his eyes of blue-fire faded away, revealing the sorrowful gray eyes beneath his mask. "Unlike myself... you still deserve an amazing life. You deserve to find yourself a wonderful man, who will treat you with respect, and love you with everything he has."

Kyril averts his gaze before looking upon the path in front of him.

"Just make sure that he will never break his promises," the Emperor said sadly before walking away.

[The Imposter]

Alrighty you two. Here's my judgement. Actually before that I get the feeling you two have read the General Rules for the rumble as you 'mostly' stayed within the lines of them. Well done! The battle was a fun read, albeit the ending was a tad disappointing (Personal pref). Also I judged the battle pretty close. I don't think either of you totally dominated the other in terms of quality writing. So mad props to ya!

Elizabeth16:
Writing Style: Ok, so ideas and flow are solid, conventions need some work (so does everyone else's too.) Biggest thing is it seems you actually know your combat style, so describing the way Ash stands and what not is a positive. Incorporating the Emperor's actions went relatively smoothly too. Were I did knock ya a few, it the predictability of the battle's end. (Also knocked Red for it too though.)
-Ideas 2
-Flow 2
-Conventions 1.5
5.5/9

Effectiveness of Combat: You stuck to your character, which I can't knock you for really, but when a battle ends with you saving the opponent's life....well c'mon! Plus all that there's hope for ya talk in the last two posts broke my rpb'ing heart. I think it almost crosses the line from rpb'ing to rp'ing. That could just be me though...that all being said Ash only really got 'hit' by one attack. If you can even say that...she slipped really. Be careful with that, you don't want to dodge everything. (I understand the intent to dodge as most of the attacks had a lot of killing potential)
-Character Consistency 2.5
-Ingenuity 2
-Interaction 1
5.5/9

Control of the Field: I was pretty impressed how you balanced Ash's movements without stepping over the 'too much action for an action' zone. However I never felt that she really had the upper hand in the battle. Remember in your first post since you don't have anything to react to you can do more. (You are given two actions.) In terms of strategy, I don't know but it really didn't seem like Ash had much of one, most of her attacks are one shots and there isn't given much insight as to what she is planning for her next move. Don't be afraid to try and set something up over a few posts.
-Environmental Awareness 2
-Strategic Awareness 2
-Control of the Fight 1.5
5.5/9

Total : 16.5/27

RedKayne:
Writing Style: Ok, biggest negatives. You seem to repeat yourself in describing certain aspects of the Emperor's reactions. His block of the fireball at the first, you repeat arms quite a bit which I find detracted from the flow, also I don't think you needed to use arms that many times. Also his grunt of annoyance showed up on cue with every burst of flame. Don't be afraid to thesaurus that kinda stuff!
-Ideas 2
-Flow 1.5
-Conventions 1.5
5/9

Effectiveness of Combat: I'm a little partial to the whole internal conversation and wrestling bit. It seems to work well for your character...however it did almost seem like that battle took over the one you should have focused on. That being said don't rely heavily on your internal fighting, although it adds to insight on what's going on in his mind/body/spirit/whatever its a quick step for it to becoming overburdening in a rpb. Be super careful in explaining your attacks as able to utterly destroy the opponent. You do not want to cross into 'complete' action territory. Seeing as most of the attacks you used leaned towards that all encompassing destroy you if you slip up, don't be afraid to 'kite' or 'poke' your enemies with less killing abilities.
-Character Consistency 2
-Ingenuity 1.5
-Interaction 2.5
6/9

Control of the Field: The Emperor definitely seemed to be in control of the battle (although struggling with the internal one) so that's where I gave you the edge.
-Environmental Awareness 2
-Strategic Awareness 2
-Control of the Fight 2.5
6.5/9

Total: 17.5/27

So there you have it, the points point to RedKayne as the victor.