Round 1 - Jacogos vs. m139 (Judge: ~N~)

[m139]

If it was simply able to be considered by itself, the room, with its perfect reflections of projectiles, forming and crashing into each other at perfect angles, in perfect intervals, would have been quite an amazing and beautiful sight. Each dart, each spear, each stone, reflected perfectly twelve times, then in pieces and fragments thousands of times more, would have seemed to dance together, joining, separating, breaking, falling, and flying yet again. The colors! The geometrics! What a sight to see!

But, these lights- now objects- were not by themselves alone in that room. There were people in there as well- real people, shadows of people, parts of people- and this changed the scene from one that might have been beautiful to one of definite horror. Here were people- people about to be ripped to shreds by the very weapons of their own making.

When Merik had taunted, he knew full well that, for that instant, he had the upper hand of the battle. Nothing Uai could do could really get her past that lack of breathable air, of which Merik had quite a bit left of. Still, as he had begin his approach toward her, he had been cautious. To him, she was like a cat cornered: she might have been caught, but she certainly was not going to go down easy. And, based on the fact that she was running towards him now, surrender did not seem quite her style.


She was chanting, chanting and running. Merik stopped, and listened, with the small smile on his face. Blah de blah blah. Let her chant. It would only dry her throat out more. But it sure did take her a long time to prepare her spells.

It was while he was half listening to her summons that he noticed it: the room suddenly had a lot more water in it than before. There was water- water everywhere. True, it was all moving in small little pieces, like his own darts only-

Only he was not controlling them. Here one hit him on his face, with a hard enough impact that a pinprick of blood began to flow. The smile on his face faded. At this point, what was real and what was not were practically inseparable. A stone hit him on the right leg. And as for the whip that was coming towards him...

He probably could have dodged, some, and missed the full force of the blow. After all, he knew she was going to strike out. Here it was. But with the other twelve whips, on each coming from where a Uai would have stood had she been in each of the areana's twelve slices, and the partial whips everywhere else, and the stones, and the darts, and the spears- it would only be escaping one pain for another, or, quite possibly, multiple others. And, by all honesty, if he fell- then, there would only be one side of himself to defend from... well, everything.

And so, he let the whip come, and felt the pain as it whirled and cut through cloth and skin on his left leg. He felt the pull as the rope was yanked and his right leg out from under him. He felt himself falling forward, instinctively placing his hands out in front as he hit the ground.

It was painful. But it did not stop him from doing what he needed to do next. He reached behind him, grabbing both bow and three arrows. Then, lying stomach to the floor, he aimed and shot two of the arrows. If he judged right, one should pass slightly to the left of the original Uai, the other, slightly to the right.

Provided she did not do anything, and no rock or spear or dart hit them, they would crash straight into one of the mirrors, which, by all probability, had not yet been cracked, and splinter it in such a way that one more hit however faint, would shatter it. Around the room, twenty two more arrows had been fired, and with them all the fragments of arrows. The last arrow he had been intending to keep in his bow, holding it as a deterrent for this opponent. But, even as he fired the other two, he set that thought aside, and allowed it, along with the arrow and the bow, to fall to the ground.

There was no point in charades now. The game was over, and now it was a matter of life or death, or quite possibly, life and death.

Around him, what water he controlled and was not using to breath was forming into multiple thin sheets, separated by air. They were nothing close to being able to stop a weapon, but they would be enough to at least lessen the impact of the fragments and the stones, which, if the mirrors did reach the almost shattering point, would likely be multiplied yet another thousand times.

This was a consequence he was willing to take. For in this multiplicity, there was a chance that it may all come back to one. But he could do no more himself. And, of all the shadows and beings in this arena, none could distinguish the false from the truth. But, there was one, perhaps, who could make it a little clearer.

He called out, "It's me or the mirrors, Uai. Make your choice. You don't have long."

Indeed, with the arrows reaching out towards the mirrors, there would be weapons everywhere. But as to what Uai would do, Merik did not know. All he knew was that, whatever happened, some truth, some reality, some thing- must be revealed. But whether that truth would be revealed while he yet breathed in this arena, well...

Only time would tell.

[Jacogos]

Luck.. runs... out.

---

Everything was chaos.

If Uai thought that her perception of reality and falsehoods was blurring before, then truly she had not been prepared for what was happening now. Phantasms and truth coexisted and vied for dominance in a space that was too small for them to even maneuver in at this point. Spectral rocks and mimicries of her opponent's water-darts multiplied themselves by the dozen, bits and pieces of Uai's blood-spear flew through the air in various ways.

In the center of this whirlwind of death and grim apparitions, Uai and her opponent were left to settle their fight. Well, perhaps not truly 'left' to it. Stones struck at unprotected limbs, darts sliced through bare skin and bits of clothing (at least on Merik), and blood swirled around in the chaos.

In Uai's mind, everything was wonderful, though. The air was no longer insufferably dry! She could breath deeply and wet her lips easily, easing the tension that had once racked her body. Compared to this relief, even the slices now lining her body from the darts and the welts that were accumulating from the stones mattered not. This bliss even broke through her desperate rush forward at Merik; for a moment, she stood there after her previous attack and drank in the ecstasy of having something that previously wasn't there.

How strange it is to lack something you once could not picture being without... she thought as she let limply go of the spirit whip. Her body was beginning to fatigue. Blood loss, exertion, and overall drain were each taking their respective tolls on her body, and Uai was now realizing it as the adrenaline from her last attack wore off in the wake of her exultation.

The spirits of Ionor dispersed from their previous shape and flocked to swarm around Uai. She did not try to make a shield out of them; that would be a pointless endeavor against these physical manifestations. No, she focused the last of her attention on her opponent, who was... loosing arrows at her.

Instinctively, Uai lurched to the right. The mirrors played tricks on her eyes, of course, but he was laying on the ground; there were no mirrors on the ground, so it should've been much easier to see the arrows' approach. Unfortunately, Merik had not been aiming at her. Her reaction is what delivered her into the path of the arrow, and one buried itself into her midsection.

Uai grunted in pain, staggering back a step. The darts and stones added insult to injury, but this was truly the worst wound she had taken in this fight. Good, I'm improving... she thought in grim amusement. The arrow was embedded just below her right lung, she hazarded to guess. Not fatal... but she had no idea what that man had done to this arrow. With that in mind, the yynglyng warrior took the shaft in hand and wrenched the projectile out, fairly certain that she drew blood from biting her tongue just then. Tossing the bloodied weapon aside, Uai stepped forward.

"It's me or the mirrors, Uai. Make your choice. You don't have long," her opponent spoke once more, taunting her for all she cared. Uai spat at him, fairly certain she saw blood in that bit of saliva.

"You did not even grace me with your name," she hissed at him, drawing up every bit of blood she could get her power on. "Perhaps the arena is to blame for your actions today, but even it challenged me more-so than you did." The crimson liquid formed itself into a weapon, a sword of unassuming shape and size for someone like her. She took it calmly in hand, doing her best to not look like she was utterly exhausted. Her vision was hazy, but her mind was clear... for now.

Uai stood before her opponent, looking down at him with the blood-weapon drawn and pointed at his prone form. Ignoring the storm around her- hard as that was- Uai spoke once more.

"Go with my pity, human. May you fight better in the afterlife." Without further hesitation, she went for the execute. That was her answer for him, and that was her answer for the ugly creature that ran this arena. She would always come out on top, and she dared them to tell her otherwise.

[~N~]

The arrows struck the mirrors, and with a shattering, cracks exploded into shards, and shards rained down like knives through apparitions, water darts, blood rocks, and onto both combatants. But was it the arrows? Or the crashing massive form of darkness that exploded into the arena with its harrowing presence; teeth and claws like swords, and eyes that seared with depthless malice, burning sheer terror into their quailing souls. Scythes seized Uai up swifter than any creature that size should have been capable of moving, squeezing and cutting into her bloody body as the claw brought her closer and closer to ~N~'s sulphurous maw, a serpentine tongue slithering forth and sampling the little streams of crimson now running over. The hold was so complete, so intense, that all breathing on Uai's part was utterly impossible. She suffocated in ~N~'s grasp, choking on exhaustion and blood.

But ~N~ wasn't here to spare anyone. Sending another mighty claw directly into the floor of the arena, ~N~ smashed it with terrifically devastating force, shaking, shuddering, and cracking the floor like the mirrors had been cracked and shattered. All at once, the ground gave way, sending all of this creation into a swirling black vortex of shrieking, abyssal oblivion, sucking and devouring light, life, matter, space and time into its greedy, crushing throat. Merik plummeted towards it and no dragon could hope to escape the pull of this black hole that even light could not break free from. Everything would be consumed in darkness.

Powering both himself and his prisoner free of the abyss, ~N~ turned from that cosmic Charybdis. What some might mistake for mercy was merely a prelude to further torment, as he sneered down at his captured prey:

"You'll live but a little longer, yynglyng, so that I might partake in your further suffering. Thrash, struggle, bleed your way through what brief, flickering moments you have left, and I shall be there when you fall."

With that, ~N~ hurled the bloody, broken form of Uai Trakand into a dimensional rift, from which she would emerge in her next arena, her life extended and healed by the ruinous powers at ~N~'s command.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well played, both of you. Were I capable, I'd advance both of you to Round 2. As it stands, I'm forced to make a very, very difficult decision to choose one of you over the other; but know this: I think you both deserved to be here, and you demonstrated it with your performances here. Regardless of whether you win or lose, the Rumble is better for having both of you in it. That said, I expect to see both of you returning in a future Rumble.

On to this exceedingly challenging judgment....


Writing Style:

• Artistry and Complexity (creativity/originality, risky techniques and intricate details that enrich the post, unusual structuring and changing styles)

m139, I felt your posts were very detailed and thorough. You started with a more traditional approach, but your paragraphs were full of thoughtful insights, considerations, and meticulous in their analysis of the ever-changing situation Merik found himself in. Indeed, I believe you changed in your writing style as this fight progressed, particularly in the way you started using italics and hyphens, and your writing revealed a more stream-of-consciousness progression of thoughts for Merik, as he reacted to one thing or another, risking even fragments punctuated by hyphens and ellipses. You were never sloppy, and that's not easily done in experimentation, and you're a very careful, detail-oriented writer, which fills your words with precision.

I feel you've got a lot of room to play with your writing style; mix it up even more, and experiment with different stylings and formats, as well as shifting perspective -- as you demonstrated a strong capability here when you started to write from a 3rd person narrator voice, but then switched at times to a much more personal perspective from Merik's point of view.

I'm giving you a 2.50 here, for a solid performance and plenty of room to grow.

Jacogos, I think your experience in Rumble combat truly helped you here. Your writing started off with all the flourishes (music) and italicizing and flow of events that I have seen in it before. If anything, I would push you to explore even further, to risk more, and change up your style for the coming battles. Uai is a character you're very used to and comfortable with, and it showed in the flow of your writing and the impersonation of her thoughts and feelings.

I'm giving you a 2.75 here, because while I believe your writing flowed and had a bit more polish and coherence than m139's, I would have liked to see you push your own boundaries even further with a character you're so comfortable with.

• Fluidity and Clarity (Ease of following the action of the post, and smoothness in reading and understanding it)

Both of you were very clear nearly all the time, given the circumstances, and the dizzying amount of factors that you both had to keep track of in your posts.

m139, your posts swelled with the growing amount of details you kept track of, and I never felt lost in your words. Even when I wasn't quite sure, I could look back and follow along word by word, and find my way through. I give you the most points for clarity. 3.00

Jacogos, your posts took heed of the changing circumstances as well, but your strength lies more in fluidity and flow, and I felt your posts accounted for enough while remaining smooth. I give you the most points for fluidity. 3.00

• Conventions (grammar/spelling/punctuation)

You both had only minor errors here and there. My immersion was never broken by bad grammatical mistakes nor did I feel either of you were structurally overly simplistic. You both did very well. Thank you.

Both m139 and Jacogos receive 3.00 points here.


Effectiveness of Combat:

• Character Consistency (How well do the actions of the character in the post reflect or fit who/what they are, their capabilities, and their limitations?)

Wow. Both of these characters were consistent all the way through!

m139, I pictured Merik as a thoughtful man in his 30's and I was not disappointed. He suits you very well, and your writing style fit him like a glove. He considered everything, every situation, thoughtfully, unhurried, and opted for discretion and conservation of energy as a more mature fighter would. 3.00 points

Jacogos, Uai at times seems at war with herself as much as anyone else. You have a kind of "zen" mentality with her in some moments, and at others, she's just reckless and bloodthirsty, quite literally. In one sense, that's appropriate, I think, for a being who struggles to maintain her form, but on another, I wonder if that's deliberate. Her title is the "bloody monk" in your CS, but there's very little monk and much more "killing machine" in there, who's spend her days in prison. Yet, it seems at times, she flashes back to something of her earlier days? I'm not sure. I think it's something that could be cleaned up a bit; a history, a past, a life that could be told and incorporated into her actions more in order to bring a clearer picture of this character into view. 2.85 points

• Ingenuity (How well does the character handle situations in original, interesting, yet effective ways? Does the player simply repeat the same actions and put little thought in their moves, or do they provide interesting responses to the situations they’re in?)

You both demonstrated outstanding ingenuity in this fight.

m139, I loved the way Merik focused -- and never lost sight of -- the impact of the arena, and particularly, the effect of the dryness of the air. Who could have thought that such a thing would become so important? He ducked, and conserved energy, and maximized (even if by partial accident) the effect the arena had in the water darts, the conjuring of the storm, and the finishing shots with the arrows. 3.00 points

Jacogos, Uai likewise paid heed to the changing conditions, and I particularly enjoyed your attention to the one clear, unchanging detail in all of the fight: the mirrorless floor. She was less thoughtful about her approach than Merik, but that's in character for her. She doesn't contemplate, she acts. And throughout the fight, she paid for it. However, it would've been interesting to see her incorporate a little more of the changing conditions into her fight; for the most part, she endured them, rather than finding new ways to incorporate them into her fighting. 2.75 points

• Choreography (How well does the character/player interact with the other player’s character? Is it like a battle dance? Or two rubber chickens banging their heads together?)

This was another place you both excelled, not only in consideration of each other, but the arena's inhabitants and conditions as well.

m139, I felt that you had your eye on the effects of the arena as a priority, and it shows in your writing. You kept your eye on Uai as well, but you paid an intricate amount of attention to the conditions of the fight and the arena first and foremost. It paid off, with the attention to dryness informing Merik's approach going forward. But I feel you were almost too distracted by the arena (which was part of its effect, on purpose), and I feel Merik could have been more focused on bringing a concerted effort of attack to bear on Uai. 2.75 points

Jacogos, you truly were in your element here. Uai was so singlemindedly focused on Merik that it was an actual detriment to her! Still, there was no distraction, and each attack followed upon the next with just enough adaptation that--ironically enough--it barely gave Merik time to breathe by the end of the fight. I'm awarding you 3.00 points here.


Control of the Field:

• Environmental Awareness (How well do you roleplay awareness to the surrounding environmental conditions with your character, taking into account how they affect your character, positively and negatively?)

m139, you're the winner here. Your focus on the arena was unbroken, articulate, and precise. You took account of it, and manipulated it, as captured by your line, "It was then that Merik heard the voice of this odd creator laughing. Merik smiled. If that man decided to play tricks, adding shadows to reality, why shouldn't Merik himself join in this illusion?" 3.00

Jacogos, I award you points for taking account of the arena, and all of the effects it has on you. You were the first to strike out at the mirrors, and never once did I feel you were ignoring anything happening to Uai either from the mirror or her opponent. 3.00

• Strategic Awareness (How well do you play off your character’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses in each situation/round? Are you aware of the ways that the environment and your opponent’s actions can affect your character? Are you able to anticipate and turn these to your advantage or minimize the damage to your own character effectively?)

m139, I feel you excelled here as well for the same reasons as stated above. Outstanding. 3.00.

Jacogos, I'm giving you a bit of a bump up here for what I'm calling your "floor strategy" but I felt that you could've gone further to manipulate the arena, instead of just enduring it. 2.75

• Control of the Fight (Did you maintain control of the situation? Was your opponent on their heels scrambling to meet your attacks, or were you on yours? If you were not in control for most of the fight, was there an impressive “turn” in the direction of the combat; did you turn the tables on your opponent in a decisive manner through surprise or cleverness?

As the battle grew messier, it affected both of you, understandably.

m139, it seemed as if Merik became overwhelmed by the final post. He came to depend upon the arena ultimately for a victory that was anything but certain, by going for an indirect attack that potentially could maximize confusion and threat in the manifestation of the arrows. But where they would hit, and how effective that would be was left in question. I felt you started very well, and in control, but started to lose that towards the end resulting in a finish that could've been more directed and intentional. Even if it seemed overwhelming, I felt Merik could've tried to drive home one last concerted assault. 2.50

Jacogos, you were the opposite. It seemed that there were moments in the middle of the fight especially that Uai was losing momentum and direction, but your final post brought it back together in a vengeful, arguably suicidal finish. Still, it was directed with purpose, and made believable by the boost she received from the whip lacerations, and this mirrored Uai's physical condition. I think she's very much in danger of being overwhelmed by the end, but I felt her last stand was a focused, coherent one with purpose and direction. 2.75


This was a very close fight, and I wish I didn't have to pick a winner. I also feel it could very likely go the other way should you two face each other again, both improved with experience.

The totals are:

m139: 25.75 points

Jacogos: 25.85 points

Jacogos, you advance to Round 2. Congratulations.