Round 1: Ranger (Jon) VS. Magician (Bianca) - Judge Merry

[Merry]

The air in your lungs feels hot. You can taste the burnt ash on your lips and see it floating in the air softly by your face. Everything about this environment is dangerous and deadly. The dirt beneath your feet is hard packed rock and lava that has been melted and reformed countless times to the battlefield you see before you. The rivers of lava that flow beside you and around you will leave more than a scar, should you lose footing near the edge.

The area you are in has a long road between you and your opponent. The road is about 8ft wide and about 20 feet long. Both your road, and your opponents meet in a large circular area. That space is about 30 feet across in width, so your combat will be close quarters. One false step could be your downfall

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2010/172/5/9/Lava_enviroment_by_bugball.jpg

After each combatant makes two (2) posts, the GM will make a post on any changing conditions
You have 5 posts per person and 72 hours to respond between each post
By my crystal ball, and sacrifices to the overlord himself The Magician (bianca) goes first
Best of luck to you both

[Elizabeth16]

The first thing the dwarf did was take a long breath.

Taking a breath changes the body. The longer inhale of air relaxes the muscles, giving each fiber inside our powerful human machine the oxygen it needs to be at alert and at ease, all at once. The diaphragm moves with purpose in the longer inhalation, reinforcing each muscle group and organ to do its job at maximum potential. The changes oxygen makes as it rushes through the bloodstream in a flurry of fire are internal but yet very visible externally. It was, for this dwarf, as if for each molecule of air she took in, the more focused the image that was 'her' became.

Her eyes were sharp; sharp and as bright as a sword left polished in the moonlight, and as green as waves of unripe corn rows in springtime. They swept in green blurs across the ground cautiously, dark eyebrows furrowed with only the hint of ever growing focus. As her head turned, dark red braided hair provided almost a counter weight to her small form, so quick and alert were her movements. She is still breathing in, as if time has slowed as one looks upon the small dwarf woman in the dark and furious arena. Her lithe hand brushes against the hilt of an intricate axe, an instinctive check for a last resort option, the leather on her arms and chest moving with her in a fitted motion like only dwarven armor can.

What would stand out most to an observer who watch from far above, tucked in the rocks and crevices and looking down at the two, was how out of place but as perfectly at home as could be that the small Bianca seemed. Green and dark brown from head to toe, her armor was not at home amidst the furious lava and flashing fires that flew around the edges of her small bridge. Even the pillars that guarded the edge of the great circle were nearly double her size in height. But, in the middle of the burning pit, heat rattling against her skin like the wind itself was on fire, Bianca had a challenging, dominant smile in her eyes. This, it was strangely obvious, was exactly where the small one belonged.

And so, Bianca released her breath, the whistling tone of the air going through thin rose lips lost to the sound of lava slapping like boiling waves against the rock.

Her shoulders dropped from the tight stance she had held, and her bare toes curled against the earth in the way an infant cuddles to a blanket. Bianca's eyes were on her dark figured opponent, but she was already moving. This, this of all places, was her home, was the closest she could be to a place of power and courage. With each slow and purposeful step toward the middle, green eyes piercing arrows into the man across the arrow lava-rock bridge, Bianca kept breathing, slowly, steadily. With each step, she felt the earth, felt its whispers and dances, its power and it's very senses. It rose from her feet into her heart, a warmth as strong and warm as the molten lave itself, reflecting in a silent, ever growing power that was the greatest joy and peace Bianca would come to know.

Connected with the ground below her, Bianca was quiet, relaxed, proud, strong, and, above all, ready, ready for whatever may come. She had no words, no judgements to be cast, only patience and the constant analytical gaze. Around her stature, as if a mirage, so clearly there but at once almost not real, her body shimmered pale gold, the earth's connection to her magic visible.

[Dnafein]

The ground beneath him was solid. Not the solid of packed dirt, that meant rock. The loose dirt shifted, and he new it wasn't dirt. It felt like ground rock and something else. Licking his lips he identified the second component. The taste of ash combined with the heat that surrounded him startled him into full alertness.

The orange glow that met his gaze gave credence to the thought of a forest fire. However beyond the glow, what he saw confirmed the gurgling that was brought to his ears. As he began to relax his eyes scanning his surroundings he noticed a distinct lack of natural green.

A different sort of despair began to seize him. He saw a lack of creatures, a lack of contact, a lack of friends. As this realization dawned, he spiraled deeper into despair. The hopelessness of the those who are alone for the first time in their lives reached to claim the ranger.

The quork of a raven cut those claws of gloom to shreds, and drew the man's eyes upwards. There circling the mouth of the open volcano was a familiar bird. Taking a deep breath of his own the ranger said, "Thank you...." His words trailed off. The ravens name sat on the tip of his tongue demanding release. Ashamedly the man finished his sentence differently then he had planned. "My friend."

The inability to recall his companions name drove the man to search his memories. His instincts, his skills, his sense of being were in tact. Yet when he reached for more he discovered something had blocked or hidden them from him. He searched for something, anything to cling to. Like a drowning man searching for something to keep him afloat. "Jon. " He said quietly.

"My name is Jon." He repeated nervously. He shifted his feet, and his gaze shifted from the sky above to the only other being in the volcano with him. The only other creature in the heart of this hostile environment.

"My name is Jon." He said coolly as the sky blue of his eye froze into ice, freezing the woman in his line of sight. Locking onto her across what could easily be described as an arena.

"My name is Jon." His voice steadied, he knew what needed to be done. Seizing his bow he lifted the weapon. Nocking an arrow he drew it back to his ear. Taking a breath the world stilled for him. The only thing in his world was his target.

"My name is Jon." The ranger said as he released the arrow, and his grip upon his lifeline to his memories. Letting go of it to dedicate his energy to what he must do.

[Elizabeth16]

Each step brought her closer to the circle between their roads, though her opponent didn't seem to have an interest in moving. She was watching, watching him just absorb the place they had been brought together just as she had done, slowly and with great intent. This one, this man, was different. Thick eyebrows narrowed ever more as she worked to wonder why he was different from other men, still moving in the precise calculated small steps forward. There was a fog in her brain, just clouding memories and knowledge enough to remind her that she knew more than could recall, but leaving the information beyond her reach. Alas, she thought, not wanting to dwell on what she could not change at the time. All there was for the now was the shaking lava around them, this strange arena, and the quiet man.

Bianca's hands were loosely curled, ready for a moment's notice to release or control the warm power that the earth and rock was sharing with her, a constant comfort in such a strange place. As she reached the middle, she followed the man's eyes upwards, noticing the only other being in the arena, something she otherwise wouldn't have noticed, a black bird circling against the cavern's shadowed roof. She understood the man's tongue as he spoke his name, three times, but the meaning of which and why he said it didn't register. The bow in his hands had never left her attention, though nocked and ready, Jon had (it seemed) not expressed intention.

But the moment he raised the bow at her, her small figure came to a fast stop. The arrow released with a infamous twange of an un-silenced string, a strong bow being held by a strong hand, an aim she was sure would hit. Bianca's eyes flashed at the release of the arrow, her heart sinking. She flinched, raising her hands in front of her body, eyes cast to the side. It ends before it even starts, she thought, already imagining the arrow finding her heart. Her leather armor was not meant for long range combat or heavy weaponary; dwarves didn't use arrows, and she was faster than men clad in steel without steel of her own. So it is, Bianca.

There was no impale of the broadhead through leather and flesh. There was only a 'clink' and then a rebounding 'slosh' of something have reflected and fallen into the hungry lava.

Bianca turned, looking straight again, the astonishment on her face turning to a challenging understanding once more. "Magic," she said outloud, serious and focused, the little smile dancing on her thin lips. It made sense, she knew, and that knowledge, the knowledge that there was a special magic living inside her, made her at ease. She let out the breath she had just took, letting the connection between her and the rock grow even more.

As Bianca had raised her hands and turned away, broad forearms guarding what little there was of her face and chest, the magic that soared through her blood from the earth and elements themselves protected her, on instinct. The loose rocks from the ground had flown to her first and forearms, forming hard rock guards, heavy and powerful. There was a chip in the front of her right forearm's rock from where the arrow had hit and bounced off of. It was lucky, but Bianca felt awake.

The distance was not a happy thing for the dwarf, however. She stood in the middle of the arena, arms ready beside her as natural weapons. "If you can shoot at me, Jon, you can come forward and know me." Her voice carried firm for her small size through the cavern, though the lava roared constantly against it.

[Dnafein]

The arrow arced gracefully through the air. Instinct told Jon that even with her hands in front of her face it was over. That changed when the very ground flowed like water to the woman's forearms, wrapping them protectively. The man grunted at the loss of his arrow, even as the woman uttered the word that had saved her.

Magic, the word caused him to respect the woman even as an icy tendril of fear seeped into him. Determination drove back the chill, and the bow came up again. A second arrow was nocked, The ranger fired his second arrow aimed lower. He drew and released the shot at he right knee in response to words.

A third arrow followed, this one like the first aimed at her torso. Specifically its target was just above her left breast. If possible the man had no intention of closing ground with anyone capable of wrapping their arms in stone.

[Merry]

A thunderous crack rips through the air around you. The very air seems to shimmer with additional heat as new groundswells of lava burst through the areas beside and behind you both. You and your opponent are moved closer to one another as the routes behind you have now disintegrated completely into one glowing mass of fire and burning ooze.

A ceiling of dark smoke is overhead now, threatening to choke off any air that was above you. The visibility is deteriorating rapidly as the lava begins to flow in earnest around you. Small ground rumblings can still be felt beneath your feet.

[Elizabeth16]

Dark hair fell across the eyes Bianca was so carefully watching, wanting to understand what he was thinking, even as he nocked another hated arrow against her. She had already started to move when the first arrow fired, the arrow burying it's sharp head into the ground instead of her knee. But, once more, all she could do against his quick firing from the distance was raise her heavy hands in front of her small body, attempting to continue to dodge even as she moved towards him, little steps slowly getting closer, heavy red braid swinging behind her small movements.

But as the sound as loud as thunder and as bold as an earthquake began to shake the cavern, echoing in intensity what the lava felt in rage, Bianca felt the white fire of pain. Her small body quivered, her rapid intake of breath sharp. She staggered towards on of the columns on the side of the great circle, leaning against it as she tried to regain control where there was none. As if to match her pain, the great burning earth began to swirl its deadly dance closer to the pair, tempting their every step and heating even the rock they stood on to a blistering temperature. The changes of it all were overwhelming. The so carefully controlled dwarf was rapidly breathing against the rock, her small chest rising and falling with much effort.

Cautious and pained, Bianca's pale green eyes looked at the arrow, embedded through light leather and flesh, moving as if it was one with her lithe frame. The Ranger had missed his target; but not by far. Her left arm was heavy, heavier than normal, even with the magic-made fist of rock.

Wrong. Something's wrong. I'm hurt. Her thoughts were rapid, hardly intelligent or advanced in accepting immediately she had been shot, trying to catch up to the speed the present was moving at.

Keep going. Pain was turning into warmth. Her expression grew more concerned, the smile that had just been on her lips vanished.

Is warmth bad? Do you get warm before you die? Bianca looked around, unsure of if her opponent would be moving forward as their roads and arena grew small. The smoke was growing heavier, and she knew the air was getting thinner. That was good.

Breathe. Breathe. Quick intakes slowed into controlled quivers of air, the whimper she tried to conceal forcing out as she fought to slow her breathing down. She was small, small enough the smoke only pushed oxygen down to her nostrils. For her little stature, the air was clear. But it was so warm.

Even inside her, the warmth of the earth threatened. Her magic, her unchanging bond to the elements, sent the spitting energy of the lava through her body like a firestorm, hot and strong. It began to numb the pain, just slightly, but her left arm still curled helplessly in front of her chest, in fear of movement causing the searing throb to begin again. He should be closer. She let the rocks fall from her right hand, disabling the magic that held them there, her little fist closing around the hilt of the axe. She waited, and listened for the human. He would cough, move, respond. If he wanted to kill her, Bianca would be damned if she went to him willingly.

"Come on, Jon!" She yelled, her stout face determined despite the steaming tears that accented her eyes as she hid beside the column at the very edge, lava begging for her to misstep. Even fighting the loudness of the cave, it was clear to make out the strange, foreign accent to Bianca's tongue. "You can do better!"

Breathe. She waited.

[Dnafein]

Jon swore silently as his second shot hit the ground rather then the dwarve's leg. He had no clue whether his third shot made contact, as the ground beneath them both began to shake. The ranger began to scurry as the heat around him increased. He re-slung his bow to free his hands, which he used to assist in his mad scramble. The rock beneath him shifted as he neared the circular area in the middle. Desperately the man lunged.

He grunted as he landed face down on the rock. Rolling onto his back Jon quietly panted. He stared at the noxious cloud building above him and is heart began to sink again. His only friend, his only clue of who he was, was last seen there. The raven could be perched somewhere above the cloud, or it could have succumb to it and fallen into the expanse of molten rock.

The woman's voice pierced through the cloud surrounding Jon's thoughts. For a moment he considered responding, he considered one final challenge before the end. Sword and shield against magic that controlled stone; The fight would be glorious, but lacking an advantage like surprise Jon could see little chance of victory.

Then as before, hope returned as sweet birdsong. Before he could raise his own voice, the rough hacking caw of the raven filled the air. Jon tilted his head in its direction, and saw the dark figure hopping along the ground. The raven gave another scream, and hopped again flapping it's wings lightly. Rolling over the man slid his shield off his back, and gripped is sword hilt, his attention drifting from the raven towards the direction it was looking.

[Elizabeth16]

He hadn't shot an arrow. He hadn't charged her, or even dare to come looking for her. That was well, but not her plan for the clad in black ranger. It was well, however. Bianca narrowed her eyes after having heard nothing but the sound of drawn steel and the caw from a little black bird. The smoke from the lava hitting rock should slowly be blocking his vision, even more so than it began to affect her little lungs. Reducing vision even in the slightest would make fighting against attacks less of a science and more of an act of luck. Her brain was quicker than her small stature let on, for Bianca was, without hesitation, already beginning to make her next move.

She was narrowing her vision at the lava that played near her feet. The rocks that had been peacefully resting against the pillar were beginning to burn from the inside, creating a fierce glow of heat from inside a gray shell (http://etna2000.com/sites/default/files/styles/gallery_slide/public/gallery/etna2014_IM_0524.JPG?itok=jOJDoXyW). Her brain was racing through the statistics her blurred mind could recall; just how hot it would be, how far it would go, would it be worth it? In one swipe of a motion, Bianca had thought of every step she needed to know.

Her small hand left the intricately carved axe it had rested on moments before to reach for the burning rock of lava amidst the ashes. Unlike her left arm that rock still flowed around, the skin on her right hand was bare, and began to crack and sizzle every second she held the burning rock. Her dwarven, harsh face showed no pain though it was all she felt. Red hair swung from behind her as Bianca jumped from behind the rock, grounded herself back down to the earths and threw the lava rock towards Jon as hard as she could.

[Dnafein]

Jon's eyes grew wide as the dwarf popped out from behind a pillar. He began to scramble to his feet before she threw what she held in her hand. The moment her hand snapped forward the ranger instinctively brought the shield up. Unfortunately for him it was only so big.

Jon screamed in pain as the scent of his own burning flesh mixed with that of the dwarve's and the scent of burning wood. An ember landed on the side of his left calf as he scrambled to his feet. Drawing his sword the ranger slapped the ember away from his skin. He wanted to take the time to care for the wound, however other matters were pressing.

Shifting his footing, to ease his weight away from the injured leg, the Ranger ran the sword across the shield brushing the embers from it. He gave his sword a twirl clearing the smoke from around his head briefly. This needed to end quickly, the ranger knew, he hoped the dwarf realized it as well.

[Elizabeth16]

The scream told her everything she needed to know.

Her burning rock had hit its target.

In his consistent lack of attacking, Bianca hesitated, standing in the open with the small space between them. There was a slight clear in the mist around him, and she was sure he would be perfectly able to see just about anything she would do. Her hand still burning, head ever so slightly spinning, Bianca decided to do nothing toward the Ranger. He would either come close, lose connection with the earth and fall into the lava, or he would eventually get tired of holding that big rock. But as she stood there, the rocks covering her opposite arm began to crack as she shifted her magic focus to the burning flesh on her hand, asking the heat of the rocks to heal the smoldering flesh.

Just breathe. Bianca tried to focus herself on relieving the pain, but at the same time, in the back of her mind, a dark distaste whispered. Filthy human deserved it.

[Dnafein]

The human frowned as the dwarf surrendered the initiative. The ranger ripped a strip off his cloak. "Fly my friend." The ranger uttered. The raven responded by leaping into the air. Each thrust of its wings caused the smoke and fumes to swirl. The ranger took a moment to wrap the strip around his head. covering his left eye.

Through the use of his sightless eye, Jon saw the inside of the noxious cloud. He opened his uncovered eye and started forward. His shield raised, the ranger charged the dwarf. He shifted focus from his right eye back to his left. The raven erupted from the cloud into the open sky. The ranger gasped at the sight.

His focus shifted again as a fit of coughs combined with his injury caused him to veer of course. The ranger corrected his course. Barreling down on the dwarf, the human returned to the raven's view. The battle was over, Jon didn't expect to win. Every step he took he expected to land in the midst of a pool of magma.

The birds course changed and it began to glide above a rich forest. The green gave heart to the ranger. He expected death, anticipated it immediately; And was eternally grateful that his last sight would be of a place he knew he would feel at home.

[Merry]

Thank you both for a wonderful battle! Well fought by both.

Moving onto the next round will be Elizabeth 16, writing as Biana, the Magician.


Elizabeth16
Writing Style: 7/9
-Ideas: 2/3
-Flow: 3/3
-Conventions: 2/3

Effectiveness of Combat: 8/9
-Character Consistency: 3/3
-Ingenuity: 2/3
-Interaction: 3/3

Control of the Field: 8/9
-Environmental Awareness: 3/3
-Strategic Awareness: 3/3
-Control of the Fight: 2/3

Total: 23

Dnafein
Writing Style: 6/9
-Ideas: 2/3
-Flow: 2/3
-Conventions: 2/3

Effectiveness of Combat: 7/9
-Character Consistency: 3/3
-Ingenuity: 2/3
-Interaction: 2/3

Control of the Field: 6/9
-Environmental Awareness: 2/3
-Strategic Awareness: 2/3
-Control of the Fight: 2/3

total: 19