THE BRONZE MATCH! (Low-Budget Man vs. RedKayne) [Judge Kris]

[Kris]

http://www.novini.bg/uploads/news_pictures/2011-24/big/myrtvo-more-presyhva-i-preliva-7084.jpg

Welcome to the dead sea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea). One of Israel's wonders.

(Nothing like finishing this Rumble close to my home, so I can just get back in once this battle is over ;) ).

The weather is warm, and the air is nice.

But unlike usual, the sea has been altered a bit. The beach has sunken to the ground, and you are to fight upon pillars made of salt.

You cannot sink in this sea, and you can actually walk on it, but take cautions. The salty sea will burn your feet or eat away at whatever you are wearing as shoes. So make sure not to stay on it more than one post.

However, staying at water will boost your speed, as long as you remain at water for two posts (about 30% more chances to dodge attack for the next turn), but you will lose your boots, and if you are wearing nothing, your feet will be badly damaged.

You can jump from one pillar of salt to another, and fight while doing it, or even standing on one, but you cannot remain on pillars without touching the water for more than two posts in a row. Afterward (after the second post in which you are standing on salty pillars only), your pillar will be destroyed and you will touch the water.

Aside of it, the water is rather nice and clean. (and no fish there, so it's added bonus)

Fight well.

I'll be watching from here, drinking my juice.


http://www.stanford.edu/group/mediterranean/cgi-bin/web/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/chairs_sea.jpg

Fight well, you have 5 posts per person and 72 hours to respond between each post.

At the toss of israeli shekel, the first to go is RedKayne

[RedKayne]

Tears of the Fallen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1eCoj2D1s)

The nightmare wasn’t over, it had only just begun.

Pain. He could still remember the vivid pain of the wicked crows tearing apart his eyes, dragging him to the dark depths of hades. He screamed in agony, more for his damned soul than his dying body.

It was all over... there was nothing more he could do. Oblivion was going to embrace him with its despairing open arms.

Yet, he wasn’t even allowed to enjoy the peacefulness and finality of death... at least... not yet...

The Cold Emperor opened his gray eyes, an unfamiliar warmth spread throughout his body. The sun above shined down its radiant light upon the foreign landscape, and the black knight found himself standing upon a pillar of salt. The natural light of the sun was reflected by the crystal-clear seawater surrounding his platform. It truly was a beautiful sight to behold, and any good-natured person would appreciate this gift of life presented to them.

However, the Cold Emperor was anything but grateful.

I... I failed, his gray eyes were cast down, the flare of the blue flames absent from them. He lost his previous battle, for the ravens have deemed it so. Worse, he lost his battle to a pathetic weakling. Thus, that made the Emperor worse than a pathetic weakling, he didn’t even to deserve to exist at this point.

He felt his legs shake, and his black armor creaked from the movement. Both of his knees caved in, and he was kneeling upon the ground. His head held low in anguish, and his arms limped upon his sides. “I don’t believe it,” he muttered sadly. I wasn’t strong enough... I was defeated...

Many emotions coursed through the obsidian warrior. Yet, it wasn’t anger or hatred that plagued him as usual. It was sadness, loss, and misery that now afflicted the former Templar. He was a failure, because even with all of his might or his forbidden weapon, he wasn’t able to defeat the worm of a Salician. In a manner, he was back to square one. Now, he had no chance to challenge the darkness that took everything away from him.

His vengeance... it will never be completed. For that, he was nothing. Nothing more than an empty shell, a suit of black armor void of any life. There was no longer a purpose, no longer a reason. He might as well be truly dead.

“Myra,” his felt his eyes water with human emotions, fully realizing that he has failed his beloved. Her death will never be avenged, it was all in vain. She died that night, forever lost to the world, forever lost to him. The tears he cried that tragic night, the tears he is crying right now, it was all wasted...

“Damn You!” the Emperor cursed to his former God, slamming his fist against the pillar of salt beneath him. The surface cracked from his strength, but held sturdy. He blamed Luthious for everything, and vowed to bring pain and suffering to His people. Before, with the cursed entity of the Dark Gauntlet, he swore to challenge the God himself. Now, he was unable to keep his own promises. Death and destruction... there was no point to it anymore, it wouldn’t bring him the unimaginable power needed to defeat those who have wronged him in the past.

Then, he sensed the other presence. The fallen knight stopped sobbing, his tears quickly drying beneath his helmet. He glanced up, and saw his new opponent at the opposite side of the field. It was a towering rock golem, it seemed even taller than the Cold Emperor himself. Its hulking figure stood upon another one of the tall salt pillars, and its body displayed the appearance of fearsome strength.

If this was an earlier round of the inferno tournament, the Emperor would have been ecstatic to face such a powerful combatant. This was a creature he would be looking forward to face and prove his own mantle. The intimidating nature of the golem and its amazing durability was not something to be underestimated and trifled with. The fight would have surely pushed the Emperor to his limits, but he would have expected to prove victorious in the end and become stronger as a result. Another step closer to his final vengeance...

Not anymore. The Emperor’s cast his gaze beneath him again, staring at the ground of salty material. There was no longer a point in standing up and facing this new challenger. Whether it be victory or defeat, he would not be any closer to fulfilling his ambitions. His love died in vain, and her murderer is walking freely at this very moment. There was nothing the Emperor could do anymore... except to just lay down and die.

“What are you waiting for?” he growled aloud, not even paying the heed to glance up at his opponent. The golem probably didn’t even understand the Emperor’s words. It was, after all, just a simple, mindless sentinel being continuing its creator’s orders. “Just get this over with,” he clenched both of his hands with frustration. He squeezed his eyes shut in despair, and accepted his sorrowful fate.

“Kill me... now.”

[Low-Budget Man]

Monolith opened his red eyes, surveying the scenery. His eyes slowly scanned across the horizon and eventually came toward a figure in the distance. Instantly, he knew it was his target. He didn’t know who he or she was. He didn’t know why the person was his target. All he knew was the person must die one way or another. His master must be satisfied, one way or another.

The golem quickly flexed his body, checking to see the condition of his body. . He moved his arms back and forth, wiggled his fingers, and rolled his shoulders. He was seemingly in tip top condition.

His location however was in mystery. Monolith’s knowledge of the world was relatively minuscule. However, the land was absolutely beautiful. The blue sky was the perfect color, giving off a stunning sight. The salt and water were extremely odd, but nonetheless it was also charming. Monolith thoroughly enjoyed seeing such fine sights. He fondly wished in the back of his mind, that he would be able to stay in such a wonderful land and just be happy. However he had a job to do. He held no anger toward his master for his mission. It was just something he had to do.

Monolith turned his attention back toward his opponent. He wore what looked like relatively heavy armor and had blue fiery eyes. The armor looked thick and could probably stand a few hits. However, the pure brute force of his fist might be able to do decent damage, at least do some blunt of trauma.

Suddenly, the warrior spoke up. “What are you waiting for? Just get this over with. Kill me…now”. If Monolith could change expressions, he would surely adopt a surprised expression. This was going to be an easy victory for his master. He never had this happen before. The target always had to complicate things, either fighting Monolith or fleeing the scene. Why did they always have to complicate things for the master? His master was always annoyed at such things. This warrior was extremely considerate toward his master.

“I will grant you your wish.” Monolith’s dusty voice rasped. It was an old voice and sounded deep.

Monolith raised his left hand. Slowly, his left hand transformed into a shardgun. The shardgun began spitting a rain of lava filled shards toward the armored warrior. The shards were roughly three inches long, and were deathly sharp. The intent was the at least dig into the armor and spill the lava through the breach.

Monolith then leaped downward from his pillar and charged forward upon the water. His foot were harden rock and weren’t effected a huge bunch by the salt. However, over time it would definitely do damage. As he plowed his way forward upon the water, he kept up his stream of fire, firing about three shards a second. He managed to keep up the fire since he was able to regenerate the shards as quickly as he was able to fire them. On the bad side however, since he was moving, his accuracy was slightly decreased. Some shards flew toward the water, some flew toward the warrior, and others flew toward the salt pillar. Already, some shards were sending up steam as the slammed into the water.

[RedKayne]

A Dying Spirit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ia9Y8oMRn0)

The Cold Emperor awaited for a swift death. His world was coming to its final end.

His body shook with anticipation, and every muscle tensed during the wait.

It was quite a strange thing, but the black knight did believe in the afterlife. However, he fully expected his dark soul to be damned for all of eternity after becoming a blasphemer against his Holy Lord. Yes, there was sadness and fear in such a cruel fate, but there was also content. Overall, the ultimate punishment of being sent to the underworld was his permanent separation from Luthious. The Emperor had no interest in having a relationship with the almighty god, especially since the so-called benevolent entity for brought ruin upon the Emperor’s former life. He rather spend an eternity in physical agony and torment than to worship the worst traitor of all time.

So, was the obsidian monarch ready to join the countless of other damned souls that were burning in the lake of fire? Well, it was too late to turn back now. Kyril knew the consequences of his destiny ever since he took the mantle of the Cold Emperor.

His opponent, the fiery golem, launched itself from its platform and jumped on to the water below. One of its hands meta-morphed into a projectile launcher of some sort. Immediately, dozens upon dozens of razor-sharp shards shot from its transformed limb and towards the Cold Emperor.

The kneeling body of the Emperor stood very still, as if time froze upon that exact moment. The golem’s shards were seeking the blood of the ice monarch, and intended to slice apart what remaining pitiful life he had left. The gray eyes of the hollowed man were still staring at the ground, almost refusing to look up and acknowledge his would-be slayer.

This was simply the moment to squeeze his eyes shut for one last time and accept his doomed fate.

So why was he resisting?

The lava-shards whisked through the air and towards the general proximity of the Cold Emperor. Some of the shards splashed loudly into the deep seawater, and a couple of them collided and impaled against the surface of the salt pillar that the Emperor was residing upon. However, as the few remaining shards were nearing their actual mark, something obstructed their assault.

A tall wall of ice erupted from the front side of the salt pillar, rising from the salt as if an act of a higher being. Behind the wall of ice, the Emperor still knelt, but both of his hands were glowing with a radiant light of blue magic. The magical ice shined brilliantly due to the rays of the sun above, and it stood proud and tall against the onslaught of the incoming projectiles.

Heat and cold collided, and everything exploded. The wall of ice and the lava-shards exploded and shattered upon impact, and the force of the blast blew back the Emperor and tossed him away from the salt pillar. Debris scattered everywhere on to the surrounding waters, leaving behind sizzling streams of steam ascending through the clean air. The black knight fell from the short height and disappeared from the golem’s sight. His back landed on to the greenish-blue waters, and immediately the water’s corrosive properties began its process to eat away the black armor that it was contacting.

The Cold Emperor practically floated lazily as his gray eyes stared up at the clear sky, wondering why he committed such a foolish action. He prolonged his death by a matter of a few short minutes by summoning that wall of ice. Why did he do so? Why?

He knew the answer why... it was because he will never get over her.

The Emperor could almost see her face in the sky, as if imagining her lovely smile was shining brightly upon him. It was his desperate hope that he could one day see his beloved Myra once again.

It was only a fool’s hope.

He should have known it would not be possible. Myra was a soul of peace and innocence, and thus was enjoying herself in paradise right now. The Emperor was destined for the inferno, there was no way around that. His heart swelled up painfully, because he couldn’t bare to see her again anyway. He could already imagine Myra's disappointment in their face-to-face confrontation, and she would be ashamed of everything that he has done... all in the name for vengeance. It wasn't like she would understand anyway what the Emperor had to go through after he was left all alone in the harsh world, but the thought was still painful nonetheless.

The fallen warrior let out a loud exasperated sigh while his body outstretched and continued floating upon the Dead Sea. He found it a fitting name for the ocean, considering he was bound to meet his demise inside of its domain. The golem would surely travel around the salt pillar and find the fallen warrior, and then finish him off and grant his final wish.

No more prolonging the inevitable... there was no point to anything anymore.

[Low-Budget Man]

Monolith feet were already beginning to be corroded by the deadly salt ocean. Although it would take a while for him to be entirely destroyed, the steady buildup of damage was already harassing him. Pieces of his feet were beginning to chip off.

The rock golem rumbled forward, sending up sprays of acidic water high into the air with each step. Also with each step, steam would rise out sharply from where his feet had previous made contact with the water. The rising steam wafted toward the air in a grey column. A trail of these columns of ascending steam followed Monolith like some sort of creature.

Monolith kept his rock hand up, continuing to pepper the area in dozen of shards. Monolith never had the greatest accuracy and with his rapid movement, it was made even worse. Shards were shearing through the water and slamming into the pillar, spilling their lava onto the salty pillars. However, a few shards had managed to fly relatively close to the warrior. This was definitely going to be an easy victory. His master would be greatly pleased with his work. Not that Monolith required praise. Or that his master gave him any. It went more along the lines of, “What are you standing around for, get going? Don’t stand there staring at the wall like a gaping fool!”

Swift as lightning however, a tower of solid white ice rose from the sea water. Salt water flew outward like an explosion from the disturbance of the recently peaceful water. The shards, still on their course impacted the wall of ice with great gusto, not at all phased by the sudden interruption of their target.

Monolith greatly admired the skill it took to create such a majestic wall of ice. The color of the ice was alluring the rock golem. However, he didn’t possess the time to stand there and gap at such a magnificent creature. Rather, he continued blundering forward, continuing his speedy rate of fire. The wall could only take so much of the heated shards, and after a few seconds, the wall was shattered. It was as if a little kid had just kicked a piece of glass. Chunks and pieces of shard and ice alike rained down into the water.

Monolith rarely felt sad about anything, and it would even be a great stretch to say he was “sad” in the first place. But a small piece of his burning heart fell at the desecration of such a beautiful piece of ice. He could have sat there admiring it for days, but now, all the remains were destroyed fragments scattered over the sea. Why did he have to destroy something beautiful? But the feeling was gone in an instant.

He had a duty to his master. Kill his target no matter the cost, even if it meant butchering hundreds of children, even if it meant tearing apart screaming mothers, even it if meant destroying priceless artifacts, even if it meant destroying something that could have been a beauty in the world.

All that mattered was the completion of his task. Obedience of his and pleasing his master was all the mattered. Disappointment of master was the worst thing that can ever happen.

Monolith was close enough to the destroyed wall, to get hit with some of the corrosive water and the occasional bit of rock and ice. The damage wasn’t too significant however, as it were only a couple specks of water. But still, he could feel the pathetic bit of water begin to bite into his rocky flesh.

Monolith halted his frenzied spraying of his shardgun. The hostile warrior had apparently disappeared from view. Confused, Monolith slowed his pace. He turned his head slowly, scanning the area, searching for any sign of the warrior. Unbeknownst to him, the Cold Emperor had simply fallen behind the salt pillar, hidden from Monolith view. Monolith wasn’t a particularly bright person. He was considerable more intelligent than the average golem however. Looking back on that boast, that wasn’t a particularly satisfying and overachieving feat.

Monolith slowly circled the pillar in search of the cold emperor. He was a couple of meters away from the pillar as he circled it. He kept his shard gun at the ready. He held it at waist height aimed it in front of him. His dull eyes scanned the area. After a few seconds his eyes came toward the sight of the warrior lying upon his back.

With Monolith’s weak mind, he assumed that he had fallen from the pillar by accident. Why else would he be floating on the water lazily? He had wanted to die. Why was he delaying his death. Maybe he wanted to die on the water? That seemed like a reasonable death wish. Whatever the case, Monolith aimed his shardgun at the warrior and unleashed a stream of shards at him while slowly trotting forward. He raised his right bulky fist over his head, ready to smash in the warrior’s head as soon as he reached him. That was bound to be in a few seconds.

[RedKayne]

The End of the Beginning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni-32Ws3LIs)

What would the Emperor’s life be like if he ever completed his vengeance?

That was a question that he left unanswered for far too long.

The black knight never gave much thought about what he would do if he ever slain his final enemy. By avenging the death of his love, and slaying the harbinger of death, the Emperor's life would have met his end by then. There would be some passing thoughts to simply commit suicide, because there would be no reason continuing on with his life if there was no purpose.

In a manner, this is what he was doing now. He lost his purpose to live after his previous lost against a pathetic weakling. The Cold Emperor kept on setting high expectations and standards for himself, and to fall short to a pitiful opponent just demolished everything the corrupted knight once stood for.

The lava-shards of Monolith were heading straight towards its crippled opponent. The lumbering giant made its way towards the fallen warrior, intending the smash the black knight’s skull with its powerful fist. The Cold Emperor’s death would be swift, and the pain would only be brief, but then he will finally obtain the sweetness of death. It was going to be a welcomed gift for the Emperor.

The Emperor closed his eyes during those last few precious seconds he had. Time seemed to freeze yet again as he began to bask in the final moments of his accursed life. The sun’s warmth and the pleasant air... what a satisfying day to die in such a marvelous setting. He would miss warm weather days such as this in the afterlife.

Everything felt light as a feather as he floated upon the waters of the Dead Sea. It had been such a long time ago since he last went out for a relaxing swim. This isn’t exactly what he had in mind of a candid recreation, and he wished he had another chance to live on, but it was too late for him now anyways.

The ice titan thought about all of the innocent lives he had taken. There were so many bloodcurdling screams that echoed within his mind, all because these people were simply in his way of vengeance. This humiliating death was his punishment for all of the evil that he has done, and it was very well-deserved.

After all of the pain and suffering he created, after how far he fell into the darkness... he accepted this ultimate fate of nothingness. The wonderful, selfless deeds he committed in his previous life could not compare to the atrocities of the Cold Emperor. There would be no redemption for this-

You deserve to be saved...

The Cold Emperor wasn’t sure if it was his inner conscience pleading for its life, or a higher entity decided to speak directly to him, but these last few words into his entire being were just enough... enough to give Kyril strength... and a new hope.

The next few critical seconds of his life happened in a blur of speed. The black knight sat up, with renewed vigor set in his gray eyes. Something from his core was telling him to move, to fight back against the bleakness of his soul. He wouldn’t let his life end, not this way.

Unbeknownst to the Emperor, the waters of the Dead Sea were blessed. Their essence seeped into his body, and would enhance his speed as long as he remained in contact with the strange liquid. Thus, his reaction time was incredible as he quickly stood upon his feet and leaped out of the way of the lava shards. The fist of the golem swung only at empty air, where the Emperor’s head used to be mere fractions of a second ago.

The energy of life coursed throughout the Emperor’s body as he rushed towards the nearest salt pillar, using his enhance leg strength to leap on top of the tall platform. He now stood upon the salty ground, taking in another breath of clean air. He noticed that the metal armor on his back slightly thinned because of the corrosive seawater, but it shouldn’t be too much trouble as long as his opponent doesn’t land any direct hits upon this weakness.

He turned around slowly to face the golem standing below. The Emperor pitied the creature, it had life but it potential was all wasted because of its master’s cause. The Emperor’s life was too precious to simply throw away because of a trivial matter.

“I’m sorry to disappoint your feeble creator,” the Emperor called out in a monotone voice. It was difficult to tell his emotions because of the storm of thoughts brewing within his mind. “But I just decided that I will not fade away, but I will live on. Prepare yourself, golem,” he raised his right arm, pointing it towards the animated being. Magical strands of blue energy encircled around his palm, before a dozen Frost Shards quickly formed from his open hand and shot towards the lava construct.

The Emperor knew he cannot outlast the creature in a mid-distance battle of projectiles like this. He only had a limited amount of ice spells to use at the distance, but the golem was capable of producing a near-infinite amount of deadly lava-shards to tear the obsidian knight apart. The black knight will have to get into close-quarters, and finish off his opponent then. Otherwise, these razor-sharp ice shards were only a sign that the battle has just truly begun.

[Low-Budget Man]

This was one of the simpler missions Monolith was involved in. Walk in, kill the target with a quick bash to the skull and walk out. He didn’t mind it being easy. Then again, he wouldn’t have minded if he had to trek through a thousand mountains, cross hundreds of lakes, or trek across freezing tundra. He just simply didn’t really care. But, it did mean pleasing the master quicker. Also, it meant no complications with Monolith being injured in anyway. Being damaged displeased the master.

Throwing his entire arm into a single strike, his stony fist thundered toward the warrior’s armored head. The warrior’s eyes were closed and unassuming. Monolith’s fist was as thick as a boulder. With mighty strength, Monolith’s fist smashed right into the place where the warrior’s head was previously located. A grand splash met Monolith’s fist as he broke through the corrosive waters.

Monolith managed to catch a glimpse of the warrior’s eyes. Before, they were dull and weak. Now, they were filled with spirit. They were filled with power and strength. They were filled with a will to live and fight to the death.

This warrior was a liar. He was attempting to fight off Monolith! He wanted to die before, but he had apparently lied! This mission was going to be difficult after all. Why did he have to lie? Why did you have to displease the master? He could have laid there and took death quickly and quietly. Monolith was opting for a quick death for him as well. That would have surely been pleasurable instead of a long winded flaying or a fiery burning. Things Monolith have done to past people his master have instructed him to do. This warrior was going to die a quick and nice death. Monolith was being quite nice to him.

The warrior quickly shifted to the side, swift as a river. For all his size and armor, he moved surprisingly fast. Monolith attempted to clip him with another strike with his fist. Instead of putting heavy emphasis on strength, he threw a quick punch at the warrior, hoping to at least graze part of his backside or at least make contact. But the warrior darted away and leaped onto a salt pillar a small distance away. Monolith once again, struck air.

Craning his fat neck to look at the warrior, he spotted him situated upon the pillar. He then proceeded to mock Monolith’s master by calling him feeble and announced that he was a liar. Why couldn’t he have simply just agreed to his master’s terms and just died? Monolith slowly raised his shardgun to retaliate. However, the warrior was faster on the draw.

Beautiful ice spikes, not too unsimiliar to Monolith’s shards were fired upon Monolith’s bulky body. They whistled through the air and punched through Monolith’s thick shell. Like the yolk from an cracked egg, lava slowly dribbled outward from the puncture wounds. The Frost Shards remained jammed in Monolith however, preventing some lava flow. However, they were already beginning to melt and he could see steam raise from the shards as they made contact with Monolith’s heated body. About ten of them made contact with him on various places on his body. One missed completely. The other just grazed his shoulder.

Although they weren’t particularly too damaging, they were slowly depleting Monolith’s lava supply with the wounds they have created. That was never a good thing.

Monolith hastily fired upon the salt pillar the warrior was stood upon. The shards were fired in one burst similar to a shotgun blast. The shards rocketed toward the salt pillar, hopefully destroying it. That would then cause the warrior to leap down and fight on equal footing. After that single shot, he quickly transformed his shardgun back into a normal hand.

He then gave a brutal charge toward the warrior. His arms pumped as he ran, and if he reached him he would simply try to wrap his arms around the warrior and squeeze. Very few things can manage to survive Monolith’s full strength. Especially when he’s bear hugging someone to death.

[RedKayne]

The Will to Live (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQnI9OBDVrg)

The Frost shards were a direct hit as they tore apart the golem's outer shell. Lava burst and seeped from the magma sentinel's wounds, and spilled on to the Dead Sea's surface. The red hot liquid coated the waters, and steam risen rapidly upon contact. The evaporated water slightly swirled and entangled itself around the animated being. The fresh wounds on the golem didn't seem too crippling, but given enough time the loss of its life essence would be a devastating impairment for the creature.

The man within the obsidian armor truly pitied the creature known as Monolith. It was enslaved by its master, with no chance of freedom. There was no hope for the creature's individuality, it was a complete servant to its creator's every whim. This feeling also highly frustrated the Emperor. He knew that beforehand, he was a slave to his own vengeance. Hatred and anger ruled over him, demanding the broken human to follow a dark path of revenge. Due to the both of them being bound to their destinies, both Monolith and the Cold Emperor were probably more alike than the human would like to acknowledge.

Monolith raised its shard-gun towards his opponent, and several more lava shards were released and shot towards the Cold Emperor and the salt pillar he was standing upon. The black knight reacted quickly, performing a backwards somersault to leap away from the salt pillar and landed behind it as the platform exploded. Slabs of salt scattered everywhere and dust stormed around the area, briefly clouding the Emperor's vision as his feet contacted the corrosive waters again. Immediately, though, he felt its beneficial effect as the ocean's essence flowed into the Cold Emperor, and boosted his physical speed even more.

The gray eyes of the Emperor watched the dust cloud carefully, but he was still unprepared when the tall, imposing figure of the golem appeared from within it. Monolith broke away from the falling debris and clinging dust, and launched itself towards the armored titan with wide open arms. The Emperor cursed aloud as he attempted to react quickly, and ducked under Monolith's left bulky arm. The dark knight managed to dodge the original intent of his opponent, and narrowly avoided an unpleasant death of being crushed. For that, he was grateful for heightened agility given to him by the magical properties of the Dead Sea.

However, the right side of the Emperor's back suddenly roared with searing pain, and he had to clench his teeth in order to suppress an agonizing cry. He quickly sprinted away, but only a few feet behind the creature before turning around to face it. The Emperor was breathing heavily beneath his black mask, and the burning sensations were still etched upon his back. He didn't need to check his wound to figure out what happened. While he was ducking under the golem's arm, the sudden movement of the creature caused lava to drip from one of its many wounds which landed on to the Emperor's back.

The lava would have easily melted through the black armor, and burn into his flesh. He was almost afraid to check what the wound actually looked like. The Cold Emperor had a vivid image in his mind, as he easily imagined that the lava could have burned away most of his flesh and perhaps a bone or two could be seen. Such a thought made the Emperor slightly nauseous, and he sincerely hoped that wasn't the case. It would be extremely difficult, but he simply had to ignore the ever-present burning sensation on his back. Thinking about the pain too much could cause the Emperor to lose focus in the battle. It would truly be a fatal mistake if that were to happen during a critical moment of the combat.

The Emperor's gaze fell down to the golem's feet. He noticed that the creature had been standing on the corrosive waters for quite a while now. Sooner or later, the creature's legs would be incapacitated of movement, and thus give the Cold Emperor a significant advantage. Perhaps he could do something to quicken the process...

The Cold Emperor raised his right arm, and a radiant black-light flashed upon his open palm. Just as quickly as it appeared, the black-light faded away to reveal the Emperor's Death Claymore. The obsidian metal of the large weapon practically absorbed the sunlight around it, becoming a beacon of darkness that stood against the beauty of the day. The Emperor quickly raised his other arm, gripping tightly to the hilt with both hands.

This was it... the Emperor had to act swiftly before he lost his chance...

"Fade away!" the Emperor shouted as he charged towards the towering creature. His every step splashed against the surface of the sea, and he held up his blade high up in the air. This next move would be a significant risk, the Emperor could have a large chance of receiving a crippling injury if this didn't work out too well. However, he was determined to become victorious in this battle. He ignored the crying pains upon his back, for it was only a minor inconvenience in the long run.

After this battle... the Emperor was ready. Once this tournament was over, he would no longer waste his time. He would find the being that destroyed the former Templar's life. However, the goal was not out of vengeance... but it was to slay the malevolent entity before it would inflict more pain and suffering to others. The Cold Emperor did not wish for anybody else to share his damned fate...

The claymore lowered itself, and the Emperor's back corked itself clockwise slightly. Tension mounted into his every muscle, preparing themselves for the upcoming blow. It seemed that the Emperor was about to perform a horizontal slash across the golem's waist, intending to slice the monster in half and rid the abomination from the world. However, as the black knight cut the distance between himself and Monolith, the claymore raised itself back up slightly. The obsidian warrior performed a diagonal slash towards the waters, his blade sliced through the liquid. However, the enhanced force that impacted against the surface caused a large splash. Water leaped up and would splatter against the entire being of Monolith, intending to soak the animated being with its corrosive properties and quicken the acidic process to kill it.

[Low-Budget Man]

One moment the warrior was standing stock still through the storm of flying salt, the next, he was behind Monolith. His huge fat arms whistled through the air was he tried to grab hold of the warrior, but he was simply too fast for Monolith. Unbeknownst to the golem, the water had given an incredible speed buff to the warrior, making it terribly difficult to hit him.

The rocky golem swung his hand around, once again attempting to grab hold of the fleeing warrior, to no avail. Monolith turned to face the warrior, but stumbled slightly in his movement. Monolith didn’t feel pain; however that doesn’t mean damage won’t affect him. He could oddly sense a dull feeling in his legs. The golem glanced downward his feet. He spent most of the fight running around and splashing in the fiery water. Monolith was a big guy. When big things hit water, they usually cause splashes, big ones. Throughout the battle, he barely noticed the corrosive water eating slowly into his feet. He acknowledged it, but didn’t put much thought into it. This at first offered little consequence, but now was truly doing harm. Now, he was paying the price. Horribly misshapen and continually being corroded, his feet was a mess. Some parts of his legs were fatter than the other, while others were jagged than the other. The misshapened soles of his feet made balancing difficult. It was as if some kid tried to make Monolith out of play dough. A kid who was blind, five years old, and mentally retarded.

Dozens of small holes surrounded the bottom half of his leg. Small trickles of lava were slowly spilling outward like some kind of skimmer. They were so many holes that he couldn’t even tell where some of them were. His leg was gradually becoming coated in lava. However, oddly enough, that slightly benefited Monolith. The lava actually blocked off some of the incoming corrosive water. When the water slammed into Monolith’s legs, the lava actually provided a sort of shield against the water. Instead of burning at the rocks, it instead hit the lava. This then causes it to immediately become steam. On the bad side though, to simply put it, his legs looked like shit.

Monolith staggered awkwardly forward, his feet were inelegantly shaped, thus caused movement to be relatively difficult, unless Monolith particularly wanted to hug the water. Monolith glanced at the warrior. While Monolith was observing himself and checking the damage, the warrior had somehow managed to materialize a sword. The golem was a simple creature, with an ironically little knowledge of magic. In Monolith’s mind, the warrior probably held on to it the entire time. It was probably on his back or something. Whatever the case, his foe now holds a menacing sword. Monolith never really used swords, but that thing looked like it could pack a punch.

Swift as a rabbit, the warrior charged forward, his claymore at the ready. Monolith, kicking his natural instincts into gear, charged forward as well. He precariously moved forward, riskily balancing on his damaged feet. Each step nearly caused the fall of Monolith, but still he persisted. He wasn’t the most agile person in the world, but somehow he managed. Maybe it was luck? Maybe it was the water? Maybe it was skill? Or maybe it was a combination of both. Whatever the case, Monolith managed to rush forward at an alarming speed.

The warrior raised his claymore high in the air, the sunlight reflecting off its deadly black beauty. The steel shone brightly and beautifully. Any other man would have cowered in fear at such a sight. For many men, this would have been the last sight they saw. However, Monolith was no man. He felt no fear.

Monolith plowed on, with ill regards to his health, the warrior then proceeded to smash the water. With his immense strength and power in his arms, the splash was enormous. The water rose high in the air, glistening in the dazzling Israeli sun. Like a wave crashing on a rock, the water crashed violently on Monolith. Instantly, a whirlwind of steam formed. It was like a cloud had suddenly erupted from Monolith. The steam flew off of Monolith wildly and violent.

That wasn’t the only effect. The corrosive liquid had covered Monolith head to toe, mostly his left side. If Monolith was human, he would have been on the ground screaming in agony. The punishing water coated the golem and quickly began to break down his rocky exterior. Luckily, most of the water continued to evaporate. Thus, mitigating the time the water has to damage Monolith. That didn’t mean the water didn’t do any damage however. The water had managed to severely weaken Monolith’s exterior throughout his body. There were no holes formed, but his shell was a lot weaker than before.

With a storm of steam surrounding Monolith, he reached outward to punch the Cold Emperor’s face. However, the water had also managed to soak Monolith’s feet further. This caused additional damage to the golem. Monolith was already unsteady on his feet, now; he was like a blind bear in a china shop. His feet were wobbly and the attempt of trying to punch, turned into a tackle. His balance was truly dreadful. His forward momentum also contributed to his unexpected assault. His right forearm was held across his body, as if he was trying to elbow someone. His other arm moved quickly forward as well. Monolith aimed his left arm at the Cold Emperor’s, attempting to grapple any part of the warrior. The main force of the attack however was his pure weight and momentum. Monolith was a heavy fellow and the full remarkable force of his charge would hopefully knock the warrior down if he made contact. The warrior was previously lying on his back, so that meant his back armor was probably weakened. At least, he hoped it was. If Monolith and crush the warrior between his heavy body and the murderous water, then he would be able to do some decent damage to him. Combined with that, he had his own personal cloud following him, a cloud of burning steam.

The water, also buffed Monolith’s speed, giving him more momentum. If standing in the water gives him a speed boost, what would happen if he was coated in the water?

The tackle posed a terrible risk as well. With his exterior being damaged by the water, he was a fair amount more fragile. He was nowhere near the fragility of an egg, but still, a punch could probably crack through his shell. But he had to risk it. All that mattered was the service to his master. All that mattered was victory. All the mattered was the pleasure of his master.

 

[RedKayne]

Finale of Fate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJHlsTb_54)

The surprise attack by utilizing the environment was a successful and direct blow. Water droplets scattered everywhere after colliding against the golem’s exterior shell, and a storm of steam risen from its intense heat. The corrosive water cleanly damaged the golem, severely weakening its already-degrading body.

However, the Cold Emperor did not have any time at all to celebrate, because the lava-golem was still charging at him. The evaporated water wrapped around the sentinel creature, and its arms reached forth. It was difficult to differentiate whether Monolith was attempting to collide against the Emperor or grapple the dark knight, but the mage-warriorneeded to react.

The crippled legs of the golem caused it to lose balance, and it seemed that its momentum was falling. Was the creature planning to collide against the Emperor, and then fall upon the armored titan and crush him with its weight? It certainly was very plausible, because the Emperor would suffer acidic damage against his back because of the cursed properties of the Dead Sea, and then his front side would receive the full blunt force of the golem’s weight. A pleasant fate wasn’t waiting for the Emperor if the golem succeeded with its next move.

During the fractions of the seconds he had left, the Emperor played out a few possibilities to retaliate. His first reaction would be to pull back his blade and then slash it towards the golem, and hopefully slice through its weakened armor. However, there clearly wasn’t enough time to maneuver the large claymore with the small amount of distance he had left.

His next thought reminded him of the dark promises of his forbidden weapon. He could summon the Dark Gauntlet from its abyssal realm, and call upon its deadly powers to bring him victory. However, the Emperor did recall that the malevolent entity of the Dark Gauntlet failed him in his last battle against Cad, and he paid dearly for the price of failure. Not only that, but the Emperor finally accepted that his willpower wasn’t strong enough the resist the Dark Gauntlet’s influences, the cursed object would simply drag him further down a damned path into the abyss.

You deserve to be saved...

The mysterious voice still rang clearly within the Emperor’s mind. Perhaps it was simply his unconsciousness crying out, forcing the human to realize that he still wanted to live... and perform goodness in this world. Or, perhaps it was a benevolent entity... like Luthious... that had a special plan for the Emperor... and redemption was involved with his destiny.

Whatever the cause or origin of these few words that renewed the Emperor’s will to live, the obsidian knight was determined to not waste another second in this life. Vengeance was no longer his sole reason to live... it was only a false power. Justice... the Emperor now sought to bring justice to the darkness that destroyed his former life.

Everything fell into perfect place, and the Emperor knew what his exact action needed to be. The next move would surely cause the golem to fall against the waters... alone... and then it would suffer from the corrosive ocean. The Cold Emperor would walk away from this battle, practically unscathed - except for the burns on his back. He would take advantage of this golem’s lack of intelligence, and utilize his own magical abilities without pushing himself over the limit.

The Emperor’s shadow began to slightly vibrate upon the surface of the water. This was such a simple, defensive move. Yet, it would prove to be Monolith’s downfall, both literally and metaphorically speaking.

Instantly, the Cold Emperor began to rapidly sink into the surface of the water, into his own shadow. He fell out of reach of Monolith’s large and bulky arms, and finally disappeared into the darkened shadow. Combined with the shadow’s enhanced speed, and the blessed properties of speed from the seawater, the shadow was able to shoot away from the golem before it fell against the surface of the water.

Regardless of the fate of the golem, the Cold Emperor continued forward without looking back. There was no cackles of delight, or taunts of despair, he was simply silent in his endeavor. He was probably about fifteen feet away from the golem, before the Emperor began to rise from his shadow. He took a couple steps forward on to the surface of the magical water, and then his voice spoke up. “I suggest you stay over there. This battle no longer has a point to it,” he called out to the golem, but still facing away from it. The Emperor's attention was focused at the coastline at the distance, he could have swore that there was a dark figure over there. It appeared to be sitting down and enjoying a cool beverage, but the Emperor wasn't quite sure who or what this figure was. He dismissed the being though before turning around to face the lonesome golem.

He still had strong feelings of pity towards the sentinel. Its life was bound by its sinister master’s whims, and that was quite a sad fate. Again, though, the Emperor couldn’t believe that he shared a similar fate earlier. The obsidian knight was bound by vengeance, and heeded its dark calls without question. Perhaps he was finally free from his damned destiny... perhaps not... but he’s not giving up on life yet. There has been much pain and suffering, both emotional and physical scars covering his entire being, but it would all be worth it if redemption was reachable.

“You no longer have to be bound by destiny’s cruel hand, you can live your own life instead... without a master,” the Emperor’s solemn voice spoke aloud. He wasn’t quite sure what he was suggesting to his opponent. Perhaps there were some idealistic feelings that he can free the golem from its master’s control. But then again, Monolith probably couldn’t even understand the concept of freedom. Why would it challenge its master, when the unknown would only shroud its future.

The Cold Emperor sighed heavily, his gray eyes heavy with guilt. His own future was a mystery now. In all honesty, he wasn’t quite sure who he was anymore. Was he still the cruel dark knight, ready to slay anybody and anything that stood in his path? Was he reverting back to his templar ways, and preparing to retake the mantle of truth and justice once more? Or perhaps he will become an anti-hero, dealing with evil in his own questionable manners. There were so many questions... and so little answer.

Hopefully, the troubles of this inferno gladiator tournament will finally end, and the Emperor... Kyril will move on with his path of self-discovery.

[Low-Budget Man]

Monolith rushed forward, several hundred pounds of rock and lava driving forward. All with one goal, killing the Emperor by any means possible. The Emperor was becoming closer by the second, the steam obscured part of his vision, but not a tremendous amount. Monolith didn’t fear missing his target too much. He readied himself for the impact.

At the final second before the bone crushing collision, the Emperor reacted. His shadow seemed to warp and shake. The Emperor then submerged himself right into his dark shadow. It was quick enough that he disappeared entirely before Monolith reached him. Although Monolith couldn’t see it, he felt that the warrior smiled internally as he vanished. Most warriors do. The shadow then sprinted off some distance away from Monolith, right as he crashed.

The forward momentum sent Monolith smashing face first into the water, sending a violent explosion of sparkly water into the air. He could feel the corrosive water burn at his rocky hide, tearing away his outer armor. Although the water evaporated as it lapped against it, more water kept coming. Monolith was taught many things by his master, how to fight, how to kill, how to look for weaknesses, but the one thing he was never taught how to do was swim. For good reason as well, he was like a rock in the water. Actually, he was literally a rock in the water.

The golem thrashed wildly in the water, attempting to right himself up. That only added to the damage. Cracks and fissures were opening up in his body. Lava was spilling out like a cracked egg. The lava splashed against the water, creating more steam. Bits and pieces of his powerful armor were slowly being whittled away by the deadly water. He could see his innards of his body. The water had managed to soak through most of his chest, and now were splattering his heart. His heart, the only place he could feel pain, was dosed in the water. It felt like a thousand knives, it felt like a being suffocated repeatedly, it felt like being torn apart and eaten by wild animals, it felt like pain.

Fear was an emotion Monolith was literally unable to feel. His heart and the magic that forged him simply disallowed it. It was impossible. There was no way. Except, now, he felt something. He felt something in his red fiery heart. It was a speck. A tiny crumb. But it was there. In his heart, there laid was fear.

Monolith screamed, his voice loud and deep. He was a tough golem, but he had never felt such pain as this. His voice echoed through the sea for miles. It deafened the ear of those who were near. Although he was a golem, it still gave the same message. It was a cry for help, for an ending to the suffering. But there will be no one.

No matter how much hurting Monolith was in, he still had to complete his mission. He still had to please his master. He would endure this torment for a hundreds of years if he had to, if it would please his master. His master was all that mattered.

Monolith crossed his right hand across his chest, to prevent water from drowning his heart. His hand was horrible shriveled and distorted. A mockery of what it previously was. His hand before wasn’t exactly a beauty, but it was never a horror as it is now. The hand covered little, but it was better than nothing.

Glancing upward, he found the Emperor standing solemnly in the distance. The Emperor watched him struggle, before finally speaking. His helmet displayed little emotion. “I suggest you stay over there. This battle no longer has a point to it,” the Emperor said. The audacity that he believed he could command Monolith was astounding. No one gave commands to Monolith but his master.

Monolith slowly rose to his knees; he was a dull husk of his former self. He could barely manage to bend his knees, much less stand. This would make due. His outer armor had been stripped and all he possessed were his innards. A various web of criss crossing rocks were quickly being decimated by the water. However, he did have his left hand remaining. A small portion of his armor was remaining on his arm.

Summoning all his remaining strength, he morphed it into a shard gun. Without any extraneous lava, he was simply unable to create any shards. That didn’t mean however, he didn’t have any ammo. With a mighty bear-like roar, he aimed his arm toward the Cold Emperor.

“You no longer have to be bound by destiny’s cruel hand, you can live-“ Before he finished his sentence, Monolith fired. His arm shot toward the Cold Emperor like a speeding missile. Bits of random rock covered the arm, but for the most part, it was just dozens of small stalagmites and stalactites pressed closely together. It looked akin to hundreds of wires coiled and trapped together tightly. Lava was pooled in various places in the arm, and without the outer skin, it was leaking wildly. A trail of dripping lava followed the arm. His arm was roughly the length of a short spear., but thicker. The tip of the arm narrowed to a point as a result of the previous morphing. It was aimed right at the heart of the Cold Emperor.

Monolith felt near death. But that wouldn’t matter, as long as the master was pleased, as long as he completed his mission. His master was all that mattered. He could be rebuilt. He could be replaced. He was expendable. All that mattered was the master. All that mattered was the master. All that mattered was the master…

[Kris]

Okay, this battle was one epic reading! It was really hard to choose just one, but it was just so damn good.

But there can be only one winner so here are the results:

RedKayne
Writing Style: 8
-Ideas 2
-Flow 3
-Conventions 3

Effectiveness of Combat: 8
-Character Consistency 3
-Ingenuity 3
-Interaction 2

Control of the Field: 8
-Environmental Awareness 2
-Strategic Awareness 3
-Control of the Fight 3

Total: 24


Low-Budget Man
Writing Style: 9
-Ideas 3
-Flow 3
-Conventions 3

Effectiveness of Combat: 9
-Character Consistency 3
-Ingenuity 3
-Interaction 3

Control of the Field: 8
-Environmental Awareness 3
-Strategic Awareness 2
-Control of the Fight 3

Total: 26


And the winner is Low-Budget Man

Thank you both for playing, and I can't wait to see you two next year, on the RPA Rumble :D