Zone X -- The Colosseum

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
Dante vs Gildarts

A GIANT EXPLOSION?!

EVERYWHERE, AUDIENCES WENT CRAZY WITH MILD-THUSIAM.

The dust cleared.

The Son of Sparda stood tall, even though he had weathered a storm worse than anything he had faced in the past.   With his pistols at the ready, he advanced with labored paces toward the spot of his foe.  Instead of finding a battered and beaten Gildarts, the gunslinger received a metal fist to the side of his skull.  

Staggered by the impact, Redgrave tried to put a few bullets through his assailent’s hide, but his efforts fell short as another blow caught him in the chin.  As he fell, he tried to kick away to buy himself some space.  He hit the ground hard on his shoulder and tried to pull himself up to counterattack.  A boot crashed into his face, shattering the bones in his nose and face.  His torso whipped back, slamming into the ground with enough force to instantly concuss the gunslinger.

Hovering in and out of consciousness, Tony Redgrave tried to lift one of his weapons.  He could still see the shape moving closer to him—all he needed to do was pull the trigger.

A second swift kick ended that dream.

“Good fight,” Gildarts muttered softly as he looked up into the Colosseum.  “He’s done, Karl.  I don’t want any more of his blood on my hands.”

There was a silence in the Colosseum before a familiar voice rang out.  “Of course… Just remember this when they try and call me a sadist.”

In a swirl of lights, Dante vanished, whisked away to receive some medical treatment.  Gildarts was left in the silence of the war-ravaged Colosseum for just a few moments longer before he was returned to the island.

[spoiler]
#15 Dante ELIMINATED

Dante has been soundly defeated by Gildarts, who opted to SPARE him.

Gildarts wins and receives Spray Tan+Chrome Polish combo pack from Syntech Co!

Gildarts takes 5 points of Accumulated Damage

Gildarts has been returned to Safehouse D.
[/spoiler]

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face

Vic Hendy vs Batman vs Malon vs The Humble Sage

Word Limit: 800
Posts Per Player: 2
Time Limit: 20 hours
Random Elements: On

The post order is... Sage - Malon - Harlan - Batman

Your time starts NOW

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage hit dirt with a tense anticipation. Any of the combatants still left at this point would need to be skilled in their trade. He couldn’t afford to be careful anymore. The arena was scorched and bloodied with the detritus of previous battles, but the prime who had passed his prime paid them barely any mind. His attention was solely focused on the other combatants who had been likewise transported to the battlefield by Karl’s caprice.

His eyes were drawn to the red feline man who had appeared in one of the corners. The melding looked unnatural, and the feral rage that seethed in the foe was chilling to behold. With a howl the creature of nightmares bounded towards one of the other combatants, the girl that Tearen had been travelling with. What was her name? He had not thought her worth taking note of during their previous exchange, though her survival this far into the event proved that the Sage had underestimated her abilities significantly. She looks tired though, he thought, certainly not ready to handle so aggressive a foe. The Sage left fly a set of bolas, the leather straps tangling amidst Harlan’s flurry of limbs and confusing his assault. The girl made use of the opening, sickles out and ready to swipe at the were-pire while it rid itself of the Sage’s snare.

The Sage made to join the battle, but a dark shape in the corner of his eye brought his movement to an abrupt halt. He planted one foot, pivoting to face the black suited man approaching from a short distance away. He seemed to be wearing some sort of armor, though he sported no visible weapons apart from short spikes affixed to his gauntlets. He closed quickly, unleashing a quick barrage of blows. the Sage backpedaled, his cane’s reach allowing him to evade much of the assault. Abruptly, the man stopped his assault. He leapt backwards and hurled a trio of strangely shaped metal objects towards the surprised Sage, who intercepted one with his dueling cane. The other two missiles tore past, slicing open his left side. The strap of his satchel tore through and the bag fell to the ground as the Sage leapt away from his assailant.  

The caped crusader made to pursue, but they were both interrupted by two grasping hands that formed out of the sand of the arena. The Sage glanced towards the feline man in surprise, he had thrown away the girl and seemed unfazed by the blood that seeped from the cuts in his arms. Malon, he remembered the name now, leaned against one of the walls, hand to her head. The beast was closing fast, a feral roar on its snarling lips. To the Sage’s left, a small stone was flung to the ground and smoke enveloped the Sage’s sight. He heard the snarl of a beast from his left, then a sharp crack and a yelp of surprised pain. The grip on his ankle vanished and the Sage stumbled out of the smoke. He turned in time to see an acrid-smelling red nightmare burst from the smoke slamming him backwards to hit the arena’s wall.

He brought his cane around to swipe at the approaching feline. The were-pire caught his swipe in one red-furred hand, the other claw slamming him in a vicious right cross. The Sage’s sight became motes of light, but on instinct his hand filled with flames, reaching towards the muscled arm that pinned his cane. His flaming fingers found fur, and the were-pire released the cane, howling as he tried to put out the blaze that licked greedily at his arm. The spots were slowly fading, and the Sage pressed the attack, dueling cane battering the distracted beast with a quick flurry of blows. He circled around the beast, noting that the other two combatants seemed locked in their own tight melee nearby.

The beast still patted at its arms though it seemed to have put out the last of the flames. The Sage was confused by the creature’s fear, he had barely scorched the fur. He almost didn’t see the attack in time as were-Harlan spiraled the frantic motion into a swift attack. The clawed fist reached for the sage, and he bent backwards, narrowly evading the strike. A clever ploy, there is a mind behind this monster’s muscles.  The Sage let himself fall backwards firing a quick bolt of ice towards the beast’s face. He didn’t get to see if it hit, instead flinging his momentum backwards, turning the fall into a roll. He came back to his feet to see were-Harlan bearing down on him. The Sage reversed momentum, lining up his thrust before pushing the cane forward, poking it directly into the beast’s windpipe.  

799 words according to MS word.

Sage starts watching the opposition with Insight.

Were-Harlan charges Malon, though the Sage somewhat nullifies this with Bola Shot.
Malon countercharges with Hylian Sickles while Higgs XIII is distracted.

Batman closes, using Gauntlets while the Sage defends with dueling cane.
Batman is attempting to use Insight on the Sage, but Sage's suppression prevents this.
Getting suspicious, batman backs up and uses a trio of batarangs.
Sage blocks one but gets hit by the other two.
Sage's bag breaks =(

Offscreen, Harlan uses Comstock Style on Malon.
Harlan catches both Batman and Sage with Tendrils of Dream.
Batman uses a Smoke grenade to hide, then Shocking grip on Higgs XIII, canceling Tendrils of Dream.

Red Harlan slams Sage, traps his dueling cane with Comstock style, and lands a good one to the jaw.
Sage uses Failed Magician: Gout of Embers to light up Higgs' arm, then makes several attacks with his dueling cane as he gets distance.


Higgs XIII tries to fake out Sage, and almost succeeds, though Sage's TEQ and SPD are high enough to avoid the ploy.
Sage uses Master acrobat to avoid Red Harlan, along with Failed Magician: Dash of Frost-Rime.
Sage finishes with a jab to the throat, hoping to at least make eating him a little more painful for the Were-pire.

[Malon]

As the headache, courtesy of that big monster’s last hit, dissipated Malon reoriented herself. Then she saw the Sage coming under attack by it. The monster was just casually knocking his cane aside. Without a plan she leapt forward and jump-kicked the monster’s burnt arm. It did little to injure it but being hit where it was injured made it growl with pain and lash out at her with both arms. She retreated and the monster followed, dribbling slobber from the corners of its maw.

Then it stopped and sniffed the air. Its lips, as far as one could call them such, curled into a grin. “Why, fancy seein’ you again luv, and here of all places”, it said. Malon’s eyes widened. The hat should’ve tipped her off, but that accent and the way it called her “luv”, it was unmistakably...

“Y-you’re that... vampire?!” Her voice was squeaky high. The horrors she had witnessed at the Nexus Fountain, his murder of two innocents before her eyes, it all came back to her in an instant, and her face showed it. But how could he tell that she was...

The were-vampire tipped his snout as he came closer. “Whatever ye did to disguise yaself, you can’t mask the smell.” He chuckled. “There’s a good girl. Hold still and it won’t hurt.” Malon, petrified, did not react when he took another step. Shortly he’d be able to reach for her.

But as Malon had saved the Sage, so did he. His Bola hit Harlan’s back without wrapping around him. “Snap out of it!” he yelled. “RUN!”

And she ran. First she backpedaled mechanically, then she turned around and broke into a mad dash away from the vampire, towards one of the exits. The Sage’s order resonated in her ears. Run. Her surroundings were blurred and a blood-red color tinted the edges of her vision. She did not feel the pain of her strained body. She only knew that she had to run away from him.

Harlan dropped to all fours and engaged in the pursuit after shooting a glance at the Sage. I’ll be coming for you next, it said. To him they were prey, stuck in the arena with him. Nothing but morsels to drink dry and maybe eviscerate a little. Though slower than Malon, he too was soon in the gallery through which the spectator ranks could be accessed, hard on her tail.

Of course, the Sage was not ready to give up. With his cane, he brought himself to his feet and grabbed the thrown Bola. Then he eyed the man in black armor. “I have to go after those two”, he said. “Don’t get in my way.”

“What if I do?” Batman asked. He himself had picked two Batarangs back up and now faced the Sage, holding the projectile between his fingers.

“Then we’ll see if your armor is fireproof.” He took off to the same entrance as Harlan, leaving Batman alone in an eerily silent arena.

“Charging in without a plan... how’d he make it this far?” he asked himself as he took out his Grappling gun and fired it at the railing surrounding the Colosseum’s spectator ranks. If he cut them off instead of chasing after them, he could maybe hit the were-creature. The girl was injured and in panic, not a threat... and the old man was not as dangerous.

Meanwhile within the Colosseum Malon stopped at a corner to catch her breath. She was sweating and it wasn’t just the effort. Cold drops of fear ran down her neck. She could hear the vampire’s footsteps resonating through the corridors. He would find her. She could not escape... she was scared. Tearen... help...

Tearen is not here. Assassin’s words were as calm and cold as ever. He won’t help you.

“What am I supposed to do?!” Malon yelled at the figment.

Face your fear.

“But how? He’s... big, strong, powerful...”

You can shapeshift, can’t you?

But Snake, Illidan and Tearen weren’t big and she had no other forms. What was she supposed to do?

Stop using those catalysts. Weave your form from imagination.

For a bit, Malon drew a blank... then it occured to her. Big, strong, powerful. She ran up a staircase into the spectator ranks.

What the DA spectators saw emerging though, wasn’t a scared girl, nor a purple elf or crow. It was a tall man with spiky blonde hair, wearing a gray cassock, pants and boots as well as glasses and a chain with a silver cross. “I apologize for borrowing your form... please lend me your courage for a bit.” Her voice shifted to his as she spoke. The fear... was gone.

Alexander Anderson’s lookalike reared her head and laughed loudly with his voice. Never mind the very confused-looking Batman.

800 words exactly!

Were-Harlan (hereafter called Harlan for simplicity) blocks Sage's cane and prepares to bite him. Malon does some jump-kick thing (no move), distracting him.

Harlan takes a few swipes then, thanks to his enhanced sense of smell (I understand that his artefact gives him Enhanced Senses?) sees through Malon's disguise.

Malon recognizes Harlan and is triggered (if you're curious as to why, read this thread). She's paralyzed with the shock and PTSD.

Sage uses Bola Shot against Harlan to draw his attention. His words let Malon snap out of the paralysis and she runs into the Colosseum gallery. Harlan pursues her.

Sage recovers his bola. Batman recovers two of his three previously thrown Batarangs. Sage pursues Harlan.

Batman uses Grappling Gun to pull himself to the spectator ranks, where Malon & co will soon emerge.

Malon uses Shapeshifting from memory to take Alexander Anderson's appearance, as a means of regaining her courage.

Batman is confused to see some stranger laughing crazily.



Also, to avoid the hassle of constantly looking up each other’s Rosters for Powers/Moves, here’s a list:

Batman
Harlan
Malon
Sage

[Harlan Higgs]

Harlan exploded out of the staircase after Malon, jaws wide with malice and hunger as he landed in the spectator seats. He looked ahead, only to see the tall, imposing form of Alexander Anderson, his erstwhile nemesis of the Lord. The werebeast couldn't help but bark out a vicious laugh, picking his way over the already damaged stone seats. "Really? Him? You think he scares me, girl?"

Malon turned towards him and pointed an accusing finger towards Harlan. "Ah' m no afraid o' yew, aether. 'E was right about one thayng - yer of shadow, and to shadow ye'll return!" Two wickedly curved sickles formed in her palms, and she came at Harlan almost too fast for him to react.

He brought his heavy paws up in time, growling and staring down the shapeshifted priest. "In any case, oi'll ought to thank ya for takin' his shape." He heaved, breaking Malon's guard and slicing across the front of her masculine barrel-chest. "It'll make it easier to kill him for real after oi practice on you!" 

She answered back with another rapid assault, those blades twisting and cutting through the air as she nudged him back. Too quick, too quick to focus on! Harlan's muscular paw shot out right in between swings and caught the blades in his forearm, wincing from the pain. But he'd grabbed what he wanted, which was the fake-Anderson's throat. Slowly, he started to apply pressure, slamming his fist into Malon's abdomen until she gasped and dropped her sickles. Helpless as the hybrid vampire choked the life from her dangling form.

Then, sudden pain between his shoulder blades! Harlan nearly dropped her as he felt a heavy boot slam into his kidneys, two sharp daggers digging into his back. Batman had mounted him like a man on a steed, using his Batarangs for support. Harlan howled in fury and threw Malon aside like a ragdoll, turning and clawing at his broad back as Batman punched him in the back of the neck.

Wincing with the pain, and the agony that was about to come with the maneuver, Harlan hit the ground, rolling down the spectator steps and dislodging the spandex clad superhero's grip. The Batarangs broke off in his flesh, but the pain kept Harlan's mind clear as he rolled to his digitgrade feet and grabbed Batman's ankle.

Lifting the caped crusader up into the air, the vampire beast whipped him savagely over his head into the unforgiving stone of the stands, punctuating each bone breaking crash with a snarled word. "Wait! Your! Fucking! Turn!" He threw a heavy punch into Batman's torso, but the vigilante caught his fist through a haze of blurred vision and broken teeth. He executed some sort of acrobatic turn, somersaulting in midair and planting his boot under Harlan's jaw. The force of the blow threw him off balance, and the conman stumbled backwards into the fighting ring, landing with a heavy thud.

The Sage, meanwhile, had taken the momentary respite to catch his breath and refocus his mind. Then 800 pounds of angry werepire slammed back into the ring not twenty feet from him.

Harlan scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from his maw as he focused on the old man who'd had the audacity to bruise his throat. Quite pissed off, the crimson brute threw back his head and let out a bone chilling howl. A transparent silhouette of a swollen, bright moon appeared over the colosseum, and Harlan's body seemed to swell with power.

He flew across the ruined ground of the arena towards the Sage faster than the man could blink. A forceful hit from the werebeast's shoulder sent the Sage into a near perfect repeat of Mad Bull's tumble earlier, but Harlan threw out his hand and caught the man by the shoulder. The Sage's cane rained thudding blows on the monster's thighs, but he didn't care. He was in the throes of furious combat, and his prize was struggling in his grasp.

Jaws opened wide, and bit down hard on the geriatric gladiator's shoulder, tearing flesh, cracking bone, and freeing hot red blood to spurt into Harlan's drooling maw.

717 Words, site count.

Harlan bantered with Malderson, and used Claws to break through her sickles.
While choking the life out of her, Batman does what he does best and jumped on Harlan's back.
Harlan throws Malon hard across the stands, and does a barrel roll to dislodge Batman.
He then proceed to give him a lesson in etiquette.
Batman offers a Boot-to-the-Head based rebuttal, and knocks him back into the ring.
Harlan has had enough and uses Tier One Power Up: Howling Moon (2 SP, 1/6 Remaining)

Until the start of his next turn, his stats are:
ATK: 5
DEF: 5
SPD: 2
TEC: 3

Harlan decides old man blood is better than no blood, and uses Feed on The Humble Sage after knocking him around a bit.

Harlan's other moves can be found on Red XIII's Roster

[Todd Ingram]

"Rise." An old familiar voice spoke to Bruce from within. Slowly the Dark knight regained his vision and forced himself back up. Not since his fistfight with Clark did he receive such a ferocious beating. The receptor cells from his taste buds contained nothing but the bitter taste of his own blood. The vigilante spat the abundance of blood upon the stone floor.

From the stands Batman was able to observe the combat below. The brute force of the werepire showed as it clawed at his foes, hitting the unknown grey haired warrior causing him to flicker for just a second. Great, a shape-shifter I will need to deal with that quickly. However, that beast is currently the biggest threat, The dark knight assessed. after fluffy, incapacitate that sorceress and deal with grandpa.

Bruce leapt from the stands, unveiling his glider. Silently moving through the air towards the abomination. From several feet above the creature, Batman initiated a drop. With gravity as his ally he descended  upon the transformed grifter. The unexpected force from above drove the beast to his knees. Placing both hands on its neck Batman released the electricity stored within his gauntlets, sending high levels of electricity down the freak's spine. An agonizing roar was heard before the beast collapsed. With the beast dealing with involuntary twitching he was not a threat anymore.

Batman rushed towards the shape-shifter. His path became hindered when the honor bound lore-master stepped in between. The vigilante was in no mood to argue "Move! You're making a mistake." Then again, nobody ever started a fight because they thought they were wrong. Bruce knew the dangers of a shape-shifter and how they could manipulate others to do their bidding. This is for his own good, He thought. Even if he doesn't  see it himself.

This competition tested his moral compass at very possible opportunity: first, he was forced to defend himself against a pair of magical creatures, who both had the physical structure of underage girls; now, he had to beat up an elder that insisted on obstructing his path to the shape-shifter.

The dark knight imposed his posture. He hoped that his sculpted physique would threaten the senior citizen. “Please, stand aside,” he bellowed. “I do not want to hurt you, old man.”


The elder’s forehead split into ridged lines as his eyes widened with amused doubt. “Imagine how much more weight those words would carry if they weren’t coming from the mouth dressed as a bat.” He looked Batman over, and scoffed at his futile attempt to scare him. “You think I’m powerless?” he asked. “I dare you to make a move.”

If I don’t incapacitate that shape-shifter while I still see her, she will hide behind another one of her faces, the dark knight wagered. I have no choice. It’s pretty clear I have to handle the senior first . . . sorry old-timer, but I’ll try to make this quick.


A metallic bat-shaped projectile was send soaring through the air towards the lore-master's left. However, the elder had already made it resoundingly clear that he was too skilled for such foolery. The Scribe's eyes attentively observed, and as if but a simple housefly the Sage's cane swatted the batarang away.

Just as Bruce presumed he would.

Before the batarang was deflected, a second one was already well on its way, approaching the historian from an unexpected angle. To counter the second projectile the scribe was forced to abruptly readjust his stance. "Look out!" Malon shouted out after her protector deflected the second batarang, notifying him of the black armored danger rushing straight towards him.

It was however the small white ball, that was rolling across the floor, which slipped Sage's attention completely. The moment the Sage looked down and noticed the gadget, the area got covered in white smoke, nullifying his vision. Batman's plan was a success. The follow-up attack, a well aimed right hook, struck the man against his jaw.

Considering his dislike for subjecting innocent old men to violence, Bruce found melodious sound of bones and teeth cracking underneath his fists oddly satisfying. With the smoke clearing, Batman was seen towering above Sage. With his back on the floor, staring up at a disapproving cowl, he was gargling his own blood.

With the last of the smoke fading away there was no longer a sign of Alexander. Instead there was a perfect copy of the dark knight standing at the ready. Bruce clenched his fists, preparing  to strike. However, the copy-cat's eyes slowly started to shift, noticing something emerging from behind Bruce.  Crap, the beast, he deducted a mere moment too late. With brute force the abomination backhand slapped Batman across the arena through one of the surrounding walls.

"Round two" The Werepire proclaimed.

797 words according to word
Smokescreen used ( 0/2 )
Electric grasp used ( 2/4 charges left )
Batarang used ( Currently 7/12 left )

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage’s world spiraled, he couldn’t draw breath, couldn’t orient his surroundings. This was bad. He was in a fight to the death, he needed to focus, to move. He could barely distinguish the sand of the arena from its walls. He forced himself to roll onto his side, coughing out ink-laced blood, its taste acrid and metallic. The blacked liquid splattered heavily into the sand, and pain flooded his senses as his disfigured jaw began to force itself back towards normality.

His eyes started to refocus, he could now at least see the dark spot he presumed was the crowled man. His back was to the Sage, watching the beast from farther off. Not worth your time to save a poor girl from a monstrosity, eh? He thought with contempt as he forced one arm under his body and started to struggle back to his feet. His knees were weak and his head spun, one hand unconsciously straying towards his injured shoulder while he focused on his caped enemy. The batman stood ready, clearly not planning to interfere as the red-furred beast-man pounded away at the poor girl trapped against the wall of the arena. He couldn’t even see her past the its furred form.

His head was starting to clear, though he was having trouble planting his stance with any force. Close enough would have to be good enough, he supposed, he stomped his foot once, trying unsuccessfully to shake off the vestiges of his instability, then dashed towards the dark warrior before he could react. Batman whirled around in surprise, one arm raised to block the Sage’s attack.

“Wait!” Batman yelled in surprise, fending off his blows with a few hasty blocks. He was unprepared for the Sage’s assault however, and took several blows before managing to catch the cane with a block from a sickle. The Sage froze mid-sequence, the weapon’s significance dawning on him. Behind his foe, a corded cable zipped out above Harlan’s head. The true Dark Knight gaining altitude as he rose out of Harlan’s reach.

“Aw no, there’s no call for you to go and do that, we were just joshin’ you know!” the feline mobster almost laughed as Batman ascended out of his reach.

“I’ll deal with you later, kitty.” Came the vigilante’s reply, his glider opening into a shape that the Sage could only assume the man was secretly proud of. The Batman soared towards him and the shapeshifted Malon, swooping in like a bird of prey. The Sage quickly burdened one side of the man’s armor, yanking on the arm with enough force that the man’s flight was interrupted.
The warrior was quick to adapt however, and had the momentum he needed to turn his sudden fall into a dive, tackling the duplicate to the Sage’s left. The Sage made to intervene, but pulled back as the reddened form of Harlan moved towards him with a leisurely gait.

“You’ve got a right foul taste to you, gramps. I better not catch anything.” The gentlemen’s mobster moved with a simple confidence, the ease of those to whom power is plentiful. The Sage however, could barely keep his knees firmed as he faced down the vampire. What had the beast done to him?

“It seems a tad impolite not to ask first.” The Sage said, “But I suppose when the urge takes you…” shifting his footing in the sand. In contrast to his ready crouch, Harlan adopted a casual stance. Or at least as much as his current form permitted. The were-pire shrugged, grinning with fanged teeth.

“It was just a quick nip, don’t give yourself too much credit.” The lion-like prime bent in his shoulders, then stepped forward into the Sage’s reach. He was faster and the Sage dropped back while his foe took a few experimental jabs. The Sage baited him, swiping forward, stopping when Harlan moved to grab the cane again. The gangster gave a sort of amused smirk and pressed the attack, taking the Sage’s blows with relative indifference. He rammed a fist into the Sage’s gut. The old man staggered backwards, fire welling up into one hand. A red furred hand clamped down on his forearm.

“Not again, Luv.” The Were-pire chuckled evenly, “I can’t afford any scars in this business.” The Sage could barely even struggle as the inhuman muscles of Harlan raised the aging man up and over his head, slamming his foe into the sand in a very improvised throw. It was a clumsy move, and in his normal state, the Sage would have landed on his feet. As it was, he collided painfully with the ground. A roar of appreciation erupted from the phantom crowd. The Sage lay on his back, struggling to find the will to get back up.

Alright 798 words according to MS Word.

The Sage spends 1 SP on regen, (3/5 SP remaining)


Sage has been getting repeatedly smashed and bitten, kinda not in the fight anymore.
He spots Malon shifted as batman, (don't really know why she did that though) and attacks, though Harlan's feed means his ATK is weaker.

The Real Bats grappleguns away from harlan's beatdown, and uses the glidercape to close the distance with the shapeshifter.
Sage interferes with Burden Blade, but is quickly distracted by powered up Harlan.
with stats the way they are, Sage more or less can't hurt Harlan, and gets beat up a bunch more.

There's not a lot that my build can do against a 5 ATK and 5 DEF guy, so this fight is quickly becoming more about survival for the Sage. He will defend himself but is unlikely to keep interposing himself between foes like he's been doing.

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
Tearen vs Mad Bull vs Enel vs Dane

Word Limit: 800
Posts Per Player: 2
Time Limit: 20 hours
Random Elements: On

Post Order is: Dane -- Enel -- Tearen -- Mad Bull.
---> Mad Bull receives only one post due to being in sudden death.

Timer starts now.

[Malon]

The black-armored man, Harlan and Malon faced each other as the Sage barely moved. Only his heaving chest and occasional blink indicated that he was still alive.

The wolfie’s done something… he’s stronger than before, Assassin noted with that characteristic calmness of hers, and the armored man’s conflicted.

If only they knew why he was attacking her. They had to join forces against the vampire! Whatever he had done, after what she’d seen happening to the Sage she knew that she was no match for him anymore. Neither of them were, at least not by themselves.

It was Harlan that broke the three-way staredown by leaping at Malon and lashing his claws at her. She dodged just in time, but as she backstepped a stinging pain spreaded in her abdomen, making her wheeze! Was that the broken rib from the previous battle? It had loosened and was piercing her from the inside! Clutching her waist with both hands she turned and ran again.

“Aww. Things were jest getting’ fun luv,” Harlan called after her but this time Malon didn’t hear his footsteps – he wasn’t pursuing her. As she cowered behind a number of vacant spectator seats she heard the sound of boots hitting the sand – the armored man was making his move. A new sting of pain forced her attention back to herself. She was holding her knife in her hand. When had she drawn it?

You’ve conquered your fear of the vampire, but that rib is a problem, Assassin bluntly remarked. You should remove it.

“I’ll bleed out if I do”, Malon grunted.

Follow my advice and you won’t. Use the knife to get that thing out, the sooner the better.

Malon leant over a chair and bit the arm-rest, then began the improvised surgery. How she did it she would not remember, but somehow she managed. A blood-soaked bone clattered to the ground next to her after a minute or so, and Assassin spoke up.

Now use the Sage’s magic to cauterize the injury.

That process hurt almost as much as cutting herself open, but she followed through. When she was done a large spot of charred skin and a cauterized cut blemished her left side, and it hurt. A lot.

And now comes the hard part: try to eliminate the vampire - he’s the biggest danger. Help the Sage.

Malon nodded and descended back towards where the others were battling. The vampire had the upper hand – the other man was dodging the worst of his attacks and trying to land his own, but the blades on his gloves only inflicted superficial wounds whereas the vampire’s were ripping deeper cuts into his armor and the skin beneath. She rejoined the battle by copying the latter’s move, and threw two of the metallic projectiles at the vampire. One missed him entirely and the other harmlessly bounced off his arm.

“Back so soon? Ye’re persistent, aren’t… ya…” Harlan spoke, but when he saw the burn mark on Malon’s waist he reacted a little shocked. That was a sight that few would ever get used to. Then the smell of charred human flesh and blood filled his sensitive nose and he cursed while covering his snout. Batman clenched his fists as he too saw Malon, but turned his attention back on the vampire.

“Listen, girl… how about a deal? You help me defeat the werewolf and I won’t kill you.”

“You’re sparing me and the Sage.”

“Deal.” He agreed almost too fast… had sparing them been his intention all along?

At the same time the Sage had pushed himself back to his feet and grasped his cane into both hands. He walked up to them both. “I have an issue with this agreement.”

“And that is?” Batman asked. No sooner had he finished his sentence than that the old man brought his cane around in an arc and hit his head on the side. The mask blocked the worst of the hit but Batman, unprepared for such an assault, stumbled several steps back.

“I don’t trust you to spare her after what you did earlier.”

Malon was too caught with the surprise of seeing the sudden attack to notice that the vampire had almost casually strolled over, until it was too late. He grabbed her by the throat, shoved her to the ground and dug his canine teeth into her neck. She could not even scream.

The Sage came to her aid by striking the staff at Harlan’s arm, forcing him to let go, though the deed was already done. Malon coughed and held her neck where the bite marks were as the vampire withdrew and licked the blood off his teeth. “Ahh. You ready to dance again, lads?” he asked mockingly.

MS Word says 791 words.

Harlan attacks Malon with Claws, Malon dodges the hit but is hurt by her broken rib. She makes a run for it.

Offscreen, Batman and Harlan fight. Batman uses his Gauntlets, Harlan his Claws, mainly.

Malon uses Tactically Deployed Knife and Failed Magician: Gout of Embers, Mimic'd from Sage, to perform field surgery and cauterize the injury. Somewhere out there, a doctor's probably screaming "Oh god why?!"

Batman and Harlan are still fighting while the Sage recomposes himself. Malon rejoins the battle by throwing a pair of Batarangs, Mimic'd from Batman, at Harlan.

Sage lands a Perturbing Strike on Batman.

Harlan uses Feed on Malon while the other two are busy.

[Dane Regan]

I comprehended the change in scenery almost instantly. Without missing a beat I drew my longsword with off-hand and dashed into the centre - my shield secure on my back. Lighting sparked across from my left and bullets came from the other side. I jumped over them, bending in my legs and flipping forwards while also twisting to my left. Unexpectedly, I wasn't met with any projectiles from the person opposing me. By the time I reached the man a long dark metal halberd had formed in his hands. I knew this game well.

I ran straight towards him, keeping eye contact and leaving his weapon in my peripheral vision. By textbook fighting technique, it was a stupid reckless move. For me, it was what I lived for. Would I dodge right? Would I dodge left? He didn't know and I thoroughly enjoyed that. This was what a fight meant to me. Not just an exchange of blows, but a challenge of wits. I sensed the person before me would deliver on that.

I glanced to my left slightly, but it was enough. My opponent saw the flicker in my eyes and reacted appropriately. He was skilled, that was certain. But then, so was I. I moved straight forwards into the former position of the spear while rotating right slightly. His initial thrust was off to my left, a miss, but still close. When attempting to strike back with the axehead, the small movement space meant very little momentum was transferred, and the small force was absorbed by the shield on my back. 

Grinning, I spoke. "This is where the fun begins."

Making use of the opportunity before he had time to recover, I jabbed with my sword, flicking it sideways. He tried to move backwards, but the axehead was wedged into my shield. My sword tip just made contact with his throat, enough to draw a few droplets of blood, before passing straight through his neck with no resistance. He drifted away, mostly unharmed, bringing his now incorporeal weapon with him. Annoying. It seemed he had a few tricks up his sleeve, but I'd got close once so I could do so again. Relentlessly I followed.

He had to cut it out sometime. I was as fast as he was, and it surely had to be tiring. He couldn't hurt me and I couldn't hurt him. Until he floated upwards. I didn't exactly have ranged capabilities in my arsenal, and the lightning that arced above my head reminded me of that. Quickly, I threw myself to the side. If Lightning was done over there then Bullets' bullets would likely follow. I was right that time, unlike my last unnecessary dodge. I sheathed my sword quickly, and instead drew my shield. It was an aggressive weapon if used well.

Spinning and running towards Bullets as he reloaded his weapon, I steadied my shield. He saw me closing in and quickly exchanged it for a wooden stick. I bashed with my shield, the rough metal shards and patchwork made it dangerous but he managed to catch it with the baton. I smiled at the notion of weapons being used opposite to their original intentions. That smile only widened as we continued the pointless duel. I had a shield. He has a wooden stick. This would go nowhere. His strikes were hard, but nothing an angled shield couldn't deflect. This was equal though, in biology. We both had a dysfunctional arm, his moreso than mine. Maybe if I used my shortsword it'd get more interesting. But I preferred to play it safe for now.

Eventually, I manoeuvred Bullets between me and the other duo. That was better. I could see the main fight - I had to face that my current actions were hardly entertaining, the cameras were probably only looking at me as well for completion sake. The guys over there had lightning and lasers flying between them. I'd promised Clownpiece that we'd fight together and, should we lose, it would be epic. Given that that probably wasn't possible, I figured I should at least partially honour it by doing something cool in this fight. The real question was what. The second I moved away from Bullets he'd shoot me. I was pinned here in our stalemate.

Smash.

Lightning (the person) collided with Bullets who collided with me. It was at least quadruple his usual movement speed. I was up first, being the only one to at least marginally brace. Normally, I'd have stabbed them while they were down. But this fight was for entertainment, and getting any kind of favour in a free-for-all was never disadvantageous. Reaching down, I pulled Lightning and then Bullets to their feet one after another before charging back in - still armed with my shield.

797 words according to wordcounter.net 

Madbull and Enel duke it out with bullets and lightning.
Tearen summons Enigma.
Dane makes a small cut on Tearen's neck before he flees "strategically falls back".
Tearen and Enel duke it out. Much is off-screen as I'm following Dane. Mostly lighting and Tearen's Particle Energy Conversion.
Dane and Madbull have a bit of a brawl with their single functioning arms. Knock each other about a little bit, but no solid hits.
Tearen uses Temporal Jaunt on Enel while Enel uses burst speed to dodge something. Enel crashes into Madbull, then Dane. Madbull was likely electrocuted a bit by Enel's lightning body.
Dane pulls the two up for brownie points then heads back at Tearen hoping they won't shoot him in the back.

[Enel]

Prelude to Dane’s post.

I wake up to a glaring light.

What did I do last night?

I look around me. There are three men.

No. Oh no no no no no.  I stagger to my feet, backwards, pushing the palms of my hands against my throbbing forehead. I’d say it’s still ninety-percent injury, and only around ten-percent alcohol induced. But the bruises from yesterday’s fight with troll-man have made themselves evident, and it hurts to even roll my shoulders. Feels like I’ve got a couple cracked ribs, too, at the very least. Fuck.

Then I recognise one of the men. The blonde. “You!” I splutter. “You’re the guy I jumped yesterday.”

He spins his sword, eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I am.”

Ohh. The colosseum. Right. I remember volunteering for that. I let out a low moan.

I turn to the others. The fat cop! I burst out laughing. “Donut man! You’re still alive!”

He snarls. “Who the fuck are you?”

I ignore him. “And … suited black guy. Have we met?”

“Tearen Wover,” he enunciates clearly. “We haven’t met, precisely, but I’m aware of you, God Enel.” He seems mildly amused.

“What happened to your redhead friend?”

He jerks his head over and I follow the direction to … oh shit! There’s a fight going on over there! And is that …

“HENDY!” I yell. “HEN-DEEE!” It’s no use. He can’t hear me behind the barrier. Come to think of it, I can’t hear them either. Must be soundproof.

“Well then.” Mister Wover flexes his finger muscles. “Shall we get down to it?”

“Tch … let a man wake up first!”

I dig into my bag. There’s gotta be something here for that hangover. As I rifle through, I find two bottles. One of them’s a tiny glass thing that I vaguely remember picking up after braving the ocean. I open it up, drink it down and feel … nothing. Just a tingle. Tch.

There’s another bottle here. I read the label. Di-et … Moun-tain …. Dew. Full of sugar and electrolytes. I pull off the cap and down it in one. Instantly I feel a lot better. “It’s full of flavour,” I mutter. “But because it’s diet, it won’t ruin my figure.” What a fantastic product.

“You done?” asks blondie.

“Hang on!”

I walk over to the edge of the arena and pull down the front of my pants. Yeah, get a good look, Karl. This is what the audience want to see, right? With a groan, I let loose a full night’s worth of processed alcohol.

I pull up my pants. “Now, I’m ready to go.”

Insert Dane’s post here.

As the blonde helps me to my feet, I turn around and sock him across the jaw.

“Get fucked,” I spit.

He raises his sword to retaliate and-

Mantra.

An axe blade cuts down the length of my back.

I zip sideways, trailing electricity in my wake. That was close.

It’s the Executive, and he’s holding a fuckoff halberd.  I grin. Well, two can play at that game. Summoning a surge of lightning into my bō staff, I force the metal to split and flow into three prongs. A trident. As he comes again, I raise it up.

He sees this, stops, and flies backwards.

First off – he’s flying? You can do that here?

Second thing – what the fuck? Don’t back away from me, son.

I unleash lightning. Eat shit, suit. He’s quick enough to dodge, but the other two get shocked. As he flies up into the sky, he points his finger towards me – a glowing white point at the tip.

Mantra.

A white beam pierces the sky.

I burst upwards as it crashes into the ground I’d been just standing on. As guessed, my flight is back in action. I let loose two bolts in his direction; he weaves left, then right. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was a mantra-user too. I can’t put my finger on the energy type he’s using, though. Light? Compressed air?

I ask. “What kind of Devil Fruit is that?”

His green eyes flicker. “The ‘years of training and self-discipline’ fruit.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Mantra, eh? I have that too.”

He tilts his head. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

Guess he’s from one of those far-off lands where they call it ‘haki’. Same difference. I never knew you could use mantra to fly, though. Is he full of shit, or does he really have no Devil Fruit power? Could this be achieved with the strength of mind alone?

One thing’s for sure. “It’s nice to fight someone who isn’t just a troll or … self-proclaimed ‘God’ with a spear.”

Drinking the Little Girl’s Tears. MYSTERY EFFECT-O.

Drinking the Diet Mountain Dew to restore 2 SP. SP restored from 1/3 to 3/3.

Using Tier 1 Powerup: Sparking! (100% power) for the whole round. Enel’s current stats are as follows:

Tier 1 Powered-Up Form - Sparking! (100% Power)
ATK: 5
DEF: 3
SPD: 6
TEC: 1

Remaining SP: 1/3. We’re back to where we started.

[Harlan Higgs]

Harlan raised his hackles and licked Malon's blood from his lips. The surge of power from his transformation had died down, replaced by the predatory satisfaction of a vampire full of Vitae. Gods, it was like devouring a buffet full of the richest food imaginable laced with methamphetamine and steroids. Argus's chemmed up toxic blood hadn't tasted this good, but the feeling was similar. 

The wolfbeast eyed his opponents. Malon was pale, woozy, swaying on her feet. The Sage leaned on his cane, barely breathing, one eye nearly swollen shut from the blows. Batman glared at him impassively, arms raised in some sort of chop socky kung fu stance, ready for anything that came his way. Harlan grinned and clicked his claws together. Time to play.

He twitched his wrists and two halves of a deck of cards appeared in his hands. "You lot fancy a quick round?" He asked nonchalantly, pacing left and right, keeping them on their toes as he shuffled the deck together, the sounds of rustling paperstock almost lost in the shuffling footsteps of the fighters.

Malon made the first move, a hesitant, leaping swipe with her sickles. The Sage made as if to stop her and gave up halfway through, too injured to react. Harlan snarled at her, jaws open wide as they clamped down on her sword-arm and shook her like a toy, worrying the Hylian girl as she shrieked with pain and punched his snout. His claws continued their dealer's dance, the motion one he'd done literally thousands of times.

Batman took the opening revealed by Malon's distraction and ran towards the transformed conman, hitting the ground and executing a power slide right at Harlan's clawed paws. But the giant monster was ready for the maneuver and simply dropped down on his, impacting Batman's chest with a painful sounding crack as his momentum was robbed and he sprawled under the muscular vampire. 

"No? House plays first then!" Harlan quipped, throwing the card into the air and dashing forward on all fours as the cards started to whip around him in a vortex of rippling suits. He stopped twenty feet from Malon and the Sage, turning to face them and getting on two legs again. Raising his clawed hands, he aimed them at both fighters, laughing madly as his razor cards flitted through the air towards them in a lethal barrage.

They both ran in opposite directions, the Sage groaning in pain as the tail end of Harlan's barrage lacerated his already damaged legs before he found cover behind a block of stone. Malon was not so lucky, catching a stream of hearts and diamonds straight to the chest, the cards cutting deep and lifting her off her feet before the conman ran out of ammo. She dropped to the ground, crawling for cover as blood dripped from her lips and left a grisly smear on the dirt. 

Harlan stalked towards her, feeling a smidge of sympathy for the girl. She'd fought well; he'd give her a quick death. Definitely be keeping an eye on her from here on out, too. She seemed like an unpredictable one, and Harlan always loved a gamble. Reaching behind his back and digging into the ripped waistband of his ragged pants, he drew out the black metal of his Colt Python, the trigger guard a bit tight for his clawed finger. Aiming it at the back of Malon's head, he grinned. "See you around, la- AHH!"

A burning sensation on the back of his neck! He dropped the gun and yowled, frantically trying to pat the flames out as they caught and spread. Fire! Fire! Fucking fire! Whirling around in his panic, he spotted the Sage with his arm outstretched, fingertips smoking.

Harlan felt his resolve snap, mind twisting as the Beast took hold again. He dropped to all fours, rolling onto his back and trying to smother the flames with dirt, growling and snapping at the air. A heretofore unnoticed Batman took the opportunity once again to put the boots to Harlan's side, breaking a few of the monster's ribs and returning the favor. However, the vigilante knew how to deal with a cornered animal, and had already ziplined away as the monster's jaw closed on empty air.

The flames put out, the Beast in the throes of the Rötschreck, two nearly mortally wounded combatants and one who was running out of options.

How else could it end?

761 words, according to the site.

Harlan bantered and counterattacked Malon with Fangs
Harlan dropped the hammer on Batman's chest and knocked the wind out of him.
Then he used Chimerstry: Card Sharp , dashing past Sage and Malon.
Unloaded a full barrage of cards at the both of them and hit them both.
Walked up to Malon to finish her, got hit by Sage's Gout of Embers
Freaked out about the fire, and failed his check to not go into Fear Frenzy
Harlan went feral-ish and got stomped by Batman before rolling the flames out and getting up on all fours, a wounded animal.

[Todd Ingram]

The battle raged on, wounds were inflicted, blood was spilled, pain was caused. And for what? the entertainment of strangers? Pride? Honor? Or simply for pleasure. The dark knight's mind wandered as he regretted ever coming to this place. 



He moved back from the combat without raising too much attention, squatting down behind one of the columns within the ring.



This has to stop, the prime thought. People will die if things continue along this path. Both hands were shaking uncontrollably, each one containing an item he carried on him. Somewhere, deep within him he feared what would happen, a wildcard. The unknown never appealed to Bruce in the past, but sometimes, during the darkest hour, desperate actions are taken, "I'm sorry Alfred, Sarah, I have to do this. There are people outside this arena of blood that are counting on me." His whispering voice weight heavy with despair. He never intended it to come to this. 



The strength pill was the first to be consumed, the hard outer exterior of the pill cracked between his teeth. Within seconds he felt the effect of it, strengthening his body.  Hesitation lingered within the Dark knight. In his other hand he was still holding the mysterious mushroom Sarah gave him prior to the contest. If a leap of faith is what it takes to subdue these opponents, faith I shall have, the warrior finally concluded. Batman pressed the mushroom against his chest, allowing it to meld with the omnilium within. The fungus disappeared inside him, "Hmph"



Thud... thud.



Thud... thud.



Never before was his heartbeat -this- clear. A strange sensation flowed through his muscles as his surrounding started to shrink. The three primes that were chosen to be in the same arena as him stopped their fight and stood in awe when Batman started growing out of proportions. It wasn't just the gladiators which the shocking event took by surprise, even Karl had to get some words in. His voice echoed throughout the colosseum, "WAAOOOH! Now that's prime-time entertainment folks! Once again, Dante's abyss delivers!" 



The spectators were eating it up, an overwhelming wave of cheering sounds engulfed the stadium. But Batman had to focus, he was short on time. To prevent bloodshed he had to knock those three out, and he had to do it fast. 



The werepire wasn't impressed with the dark knight's new form and charged in. Harlan's new powers gave him more confident than he was willing to admit. The wolf leapt in the air, allowing him to use his powerful claws upon the giant. His knifelike nails were barely scratching the black armor of the prime. 



The beast took an unscheduled break when he noticed the disappointing results of his attack, "O bloody hell!" He shouted before Batman took advantage of this precious second. A giant fist found its way down to the colloseum floor, crushing the Werepire in between. The ground upon which they stood shook at impact. The dark knight retracted his fist, leaving a crushed animal laying within a giant fist-print deep in the sands. 



The scribe immediately knew how dangerous the situation had become, "Run! Hide inside, the corridors are too narrow for him to follow." For a moment Malon and Sage forgot about their differences as opponents and together they rushed for the exit. As fast as their feet could carry them the duo sprinted over the blood covered sands. The exit was mere meters ahead, "Hurry!" Malon shouted.  Out of nowhere an enormous batarang crushed the entrance, leaving nothing but rubble.  There was nowhere to run. Batman reached down and grabbed the both of them, lifting them up in the air. 



The dark knight held the primes with a tight grip. Both of them desperately trying to break free from his grip. Their attacks were unable to penetrate his thoroughly  plated armor. "I'm sorry, this has to stop." The vigilante apologized before releasing his final attack upon the two. A high-pitched almost-metallic chittering sound was heard as both primes got electrocuted within the goliath's grasp. 



"UUUAAAAAAAH!!"



The painfully agonizing screams  which Malon produced was burning deep within Bruce's soul. The brave scribe suffered in silence, but suffered nonetheless.  It had to be done, it had to end here and now, before people died. The screaming stopped when Batman's gauntlets ejected two smoldering containers. 



Bruce placed both primes back on the sands and stepped back. The transformation was taking a toll on his already injured body. The pain was searing through his bones. The knight could feel the transformation coming at an end. Down below he noticed Harlan, Sage and Malon struggling to get back up on their feet. The final moment of the battle was here, however, in a unnecessary fight like this, there are no winners. 





794 Words

Shocking grasp used [0/4]


Used: T1 power up- strength pill + Mega mushroom.


Mega-Batman stats:
ATK:7

DEF:8

SPD:3

TEC:4

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face

Vic Hendy vs Malon vs Batman vs The Humble Sage

The Caped Crusader’s transmogrification came to an end as his body decreased to its normal size, leaving him winded and sore.  A retaliatory blow from Harlan threw Batman to his back, but before the crazed lycanthrope could tear open his foe’s armored hide, a scythe hooked him beneath the shoulder.

Throwing an elbow back at the young woman’s face, the were-creature lashed out—opening fresh lines across her face as she tried to strike with her weapon.  With the other two combatants reeling, Vic Hendy landed another flesh-tearing strike against Malon’s chest.  The woman faltered, her weapons falling away as her adversary stepped up to her and sank a mouthful of serrated fangs into her neck.  

This time, there was no salvation.

Malon thrashed wildly against the monster of a man, but she had lost too much in the fight.  Within moments, she felt the last of her strength fail her.  The world went black as Vic Hendy locked her into a bear hug and devoured the very life from her slender form.

It was only a matter of seconds before the woman was gone.  Her corpse hit the sand as the vampire stepped back and wiped some of the blood smeared across the lower half of his face.

Delicious.

A blunt object crashed into Vic’s left shoulder—crumbling the bone like a soda can.  He grit his bloody fangs and turned only to receive a second thunderous blow to the face.  

Batman dropped the chunk of rock and seemed to be reaching for something on his utility belt when he suddenly went stiff and let out a groan.  The vigiliante fell to his knees before folding over the equally unconscious figure of Vic Hendy.

Cane held in trembling hands, the Humble Sage struggled to normalize his breaths as his fallen adversaries were ushered from the field of battle, leaving behind their possessions for the improbable victor.

As he set his cane down on the ground, the Sage was likewise teleported to one of the island’s safehouses.

[spoiler]

#11 Malon DEAD

Batman takes 8 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Minor Injury – broken fingers)
The Humble Sage takes 8 points of Accumulated Damage (including the Minor Injury – fractured foot)
Vic Hendy takes 8 points of Accumulated Damage (includes Minor Injury – dislocated shoulder)

The Humble Sage receives a bottle of Syntech Aspirin.  He also receives Main Quest Item 1 from Vic Hendy. He also receives Malon's loot and Vic's other loot.

The Humble Sage – Safehouse C
The Batman – Safehouse E
The Werehendy – Safehouse D

(since safehouses no longer provide shelter)
[/spoiler]

[Tearen Wover]

"Funny you should mention...I only just got out of the God game recently." Tearen said with an amused glint in his eye. The pair of airborne Primes exchanged some cursory blows with their respective staves. Enel was overwhelmingly fast, but his blows were clumsy and easily deflected. Still, it took everything Tearen could muster to keep up, and he felt that this was just an attempt by the lightning god to feel out his own capabilities. They both had more they could bring to this fight, and they both knew it.

"Hooh? And what God were you supposed to be?" Enel asked, a wide grin splitting his face. Cursory emanations from his mind spoke of vindication and self-assurance, and oddly enough, a feeling of approval...as though it was right and good that Tearen should admit he was unworthy of the mantle of God.

Well. The ex-enigma could hardly argue that point.

"I used to go by the name Nealaphh. Perhaps you read some of my work?" Tearen said, scooting backwards in the air and steeling himself for another flurry of heavy blows. He couldn't teleport here, not with all of these eyes on him, but it was nice to be in the air again.

"Ehh? So you're Nealaphh? I was expecting a little...more." Enel grinned, giving his impeccably dressed opponent another going over with his eyes. Tearen saw a flash of danger within them, and summoned a warp in space-time, which coalesced just in time for a spray of blue electricity to weave and dance away from Tearen's body. This displeased Enel.

"I was recently accused of pressing an unfair advantage in this competition, so I'm restraining myself at the moment."

Enel's displeasure swelled into a sense of cold, dumbstruck rage. The pale, towering man twirled his staff before pointing it at Tearen in an accusing manner.

"Are you...Are you going easy on me?" he breathed, honest fury dancing across his features. Tearen's face drew into a weary line of regret.

"It's a little more nuanced than–"

The Shadow did not get a chance to finish his sentence before the lightning-infused Enel suddenly jetted above him and bashed Tearen into the russet dirt below with a two-handed blow. The elder Prime slammed into the arena floor in a plume of dust, directly between Dane and Mad Bull. The armored swordsman waited for Tearen's momentary shock to pass, giving him a chance to rise to his feet. The police officer was less accommodating, unleashing several shots into the eldritch human's hide before Tearen was smacked off his feet again by another blow from Enel. Tearen was sent careening across their half of the arena, and slammed into the wall of force that separated his battle from Malon's.

Tearen was thus given a front-row seat to the girl's brutal electrocution. Sound did not travel across this invisible barrier, but he could feel her scream in his mind.

"Okay."

A golden rod swished through a cloud of black smog where Tearen had been standing a moment before, and Enel recoiled instinctively. When the morass coalesced, there stood an obsidian-skinned creature with gleaming green eyes and flowing brown rags. Talismans of brass and silver jingled softly in the light breeze.

"Tch." Enel scoffed. In a burst of sparks, he surged back towards the ex-enigma, and immediately found a palm slammed into his gut. He shook his head slightly as he was sent flying by an explosion of mental force, and though the God righted himself in mid-air, his eyes bulged as he saw a gleaming halberd spinning its way towards him. Satisfied that Enel would be busy for at least a few moments, Tearen burst back towards Dane and the Sergeant.

Regan saw the Shadow coming, but kept his shield raised against Mad Bull's savage truncheon, sparks flying off of the boss as the mammoth officer swung at the booksmith relentlessly. Seeing the swordsman's gaze falter, Estes swung behind him blindly. The massive blow whistled softly over Tearen's head as he ducked into a slide and rose with a full-bodied uppercut to the officer's jaw. Normally Mad Bull would have been able to take such a punch, but Tearen stepped on the man's foot and he tripped awkwardly into the loam.

Regan, without missing a beat, lunged in to skewer the shadowy brawler. As his eyes met the ex-enigma's, he was duly assaulted with a blast of incomprehensible vistas and a forced understanding of infinity. Tearen had to credit the unexpected resilience of Dane's mind, but even a moment's loss of focus was all he needed to drive an elbow into the fighter's face. Enigma cruised back into his hands as he stood upright and slowed his breathing.

A breeze rolled across the floor as the fighters all regained their composure.

798 Words by Wordcounter

Tearen starts his turn in Harmony form. 3/3/3/3
Tearen and Enel exchange some basic weapon blows.
Tearen anticipates Enel's Bolt with Foresight and counters with Warp Burst
Enel whacks Tearen into the ground with his Bo
MADBULL shoots Tearen a few times
Enel whacks Tearen into the barrier wall with his Bo
Tearen switches from Harmony to his default form. 2/4/1/5
Tearen whacks Enel with Kiss of Reproach, and follows up with Reciprocating Maelstrom
Tearen burst moves over to Madbull and Dane
Madbull uses nightstick on Dane, Dane counters with shield
Madbull tries to nightstick Tearen, but Tearen evades and counters with punch in the face.
Dane tries to use longsword on Tearen, but Tearen blasts him with a Mind Surge and uses elbow in the face.
Reciprocating Maelstrom ends and Enigma returns to Tearen.

Tearen is bleeding black blood and is tired.

[MADBULL34]

Mad Bull panted as he rose to his feet and touched gingerly at the black bruise Tearen had left across his jaw. His tongue rummaged within his cheeks before he spat out a phlegmy glob of blood; somewhere within that hunk of gore a gleaming white tooth could be found.

The baggy skin of Sergeant John Estes’ jowls were sallow and bloodless. The past 24 hours had been unkind to the burly cop and the sudden appearance into the coliseum had done nothing to improve his  miserable situation.

Enel and Tearen had showcased an astonishing aerial display before rejoining Dane and Mad Bull in combat. The beat cop had worn a badge for 27 years, but he had to admit he had never quite seen anything like it. As the swordsman and Tearen traded blows and Enel began to recover, the burly officer retreated. The Sergeant was out of his element and running out of whatever guts and gusto was keeping him upright. It was evident that his opponents were losing steam themselves, leaving perhaps even these living gods beatable, but the hulking cop was just to battered to capitalize to the fullest. The clock was ticking on all the combatants, though Mad Bull had a sense that the time read only five minutes till midnight for the hard-nosed officer. With finality, he decided there was only one way left to try and tip the scales.

His hand reached for his leather utility belt and snapped off the last dangling metal grenade. White stencilled lettering on the side of the aluminum canister read, “TEAR GAS.” 

The Sergeant hefted the grenade in his palm, pulled out the safety ring and rolled the can into the gathered coliseum fighters.

Fssssssh!

Snaking arms of choking gas hissed swiftly out the side of the canister. Like a great grey octopus spreading out its tentacles, the growing cloud was beginning to envelope the arena. Through the haze and bitter tears brought on by the gas, Dane and Tearen ceased their exchange of blows.

An unseen wind wafted the cloud ominously towards Dane and the maniac cop. The warrior raised his shield defensively and turned to face the policeman. 

“What was...ack, garffh, ugrahhh..flekk…” Dane gagged. The armored man bent over, mailed arm hugging his chest, and retched. Though snot and tears rolled down his chin in messy gobs, years of training kept his shield in place, stalwartly guarding his head.

The gas bloomed like an ashen chrysanthemum around Mad Bull. The smell was cloying for the burly officer, but only a small dribble of snot in his bristling mustache suggested the gas was affecting him at all.

Within the stinking cloudy expanse of grey, MAD BULL 34 leveled his Smith & Wesson NY-1 revolver at Dane and pulled back the hammer. The warrior could hear the mechanism cock and roll the cylinder into the firing position, but the swordsman's chest only heaved again, his lungs spasming. Methodically, the wrathful lawman advanced forward, but the barrel of the gun quivered with each step.

The cop's face had a ghoulish pallor and his eyes seemed a thousand miles away. With a hateful scowl, he spoke to the other three fighters, to Karl, and every voyeuristic viewer watching from the safety of home. “I spent a lifetime breathin’ the same filthy air as pimps and guidos, sharin’ a lung-full 'a smoke puffin’ off fatcats’ cigars and smelt the stinkin’ sweat rollin’ off a workin’ class man’s back. You two-bit comicbook geeks think ya know a thing or two about fightin’ it out…”

Dane could only choke and continue retching while the lawman monologued. Enel and Tearen hunkered within the billowing clouds and tried to cover their mouths, but the gas was all enveloping in the tight confines of the coliseum and utterly inescapable. 

Sergeant John Estes’ face had contorted into a mask of rage, and the ire, frustration and aspirations of the unwashed and forgotten masses of society seemed to emanate like a solid hateful aura from the advancing policeman. 

“I seen more spine, more purpose and drive from rice eatin’ peasants dying on some lonely killing field in 'Nam.  You feelin’ sick? Good!” he spat.

A wave of stomach churning vomit rolled through each of them and audible gags cut through the grey haze as if on queue.

“You all make ME sick, killin’ and smashin’ the teeth out of each other for fun.”

He brandished the heavy revolver, the anger of the ranting Mad Bull coalescing at its death-dealing end. “Here's to all the moms wastin’ away on a welfare check and babes hungry for a bottle while you costume clowns play Superman. Eat lead you bastards, and don't stop chewin’ till we see each other again in Hell!”


KAPOW!


KAPOW!


KAPOW!


KAPOW!


KAPOW!


KAPOW!

798/800
 Mad Bull uses the last of his SP to use his Tear Gas super move (area attack + debuff proficiency), gets really angry, then fires off all six shots of his revolver in quick succession - two at Dane, two at Enel, two Tearen. 

Character note: Mad Bull never reloads his revolver after going all out. He still has four shells in his pump action shotgun, nightstick and bare fists.

[Dane Regan]

I didn't have time for the luxury of pain, but at least now I knew what a bullet felt like. A wonderful learning experience, I thought as I looked at the pile of regurgitated jerky on the ground in front of me. I had the luck of being shot first, which meant I had a slight edge over the other two victims when it came to reacting. An edge I intended to use.

Alien was my target here - my head ached from his mental assault, yet I still wanted more. Knowledge was power. If I really focused, maybe I'd be able to retain some next time; more that just strange alien images at least. I shook my head as I sprinted forwards - I had a fight to win - I could go play scholar afterwards. 

Still armed with my shield, I closed in. He seemed distracted, but I wasn't sure why. Lightning had begun stumbling towards Bullets in rage, so Alien had the time to prepare in his moment of respite - but he didn't, he just stared through the invisible Colosseum barrier. I didn't follow his gaze, opting to keep my eyes on him.

Lightning let out a pot-shot at me as he passed, but it was easy to dodge. I reached Alien soon enough, announcing my presence by smashing my shield into his head. It barely left a mark.

He drifted backwards, then retaliated immediately. It was a comparatively slow thrust, but it was aimed straight towards the gap in my guard.

I relaxed. My legs stop holding my body up briefly, causing me to crumple to the floor and the halberd to sail above my head. I jumped forwards through the gap, ramming the top of my shield into his chin. 

"And stay down, you fuck!"

Lightning's voice was barely audible over the crackling of electricity. I couldn't see the fight, but I had a good guess as what happened.

Bang!

Something told me Bullets did not "stay down".

Meanwhile, my fight continued to progress. Adrenaline flooded my body as I forcibly timed my breathing with my strikes. The wound on my chest made it hurt, but I couldn't afford to dwell on that. I landed some kicks and successive bashes - nothing seemed to make it through the hard skin; I hoped I was at least doing some internal damage.

The look in his eyes was one I knew: patience. Patience for me to make a mistake - which I eventually did. Twirling his halberd, he stabbed the spearpoint straight towards me. A feint. I knew it and he knew it. I thought his intention was to make to make me duck or dodge so he could pivot the axe blade towards me, which was presumably correct. I just dealt with it the wrong way. Ideally, I'd have gone with it and simply blocked the adjusted attack before continuing with the fight. Instead, I opted to jump. An unpredictable move, but only because nine out of ten times it was a stupid idea. This was one of those times.

Due to my positioning, I couldn't push myself forwards enough without colliding with the spear, so my jump was too high and not far enough. Despite his initial confusion, the length of my air time allowed him to easily set up a trap. A trap I fell for perfectly. He waited for my landing, spinning the spiked pommel towards me - just slow enough for me to dodge if I was quick. 

Crash.

I sat up, pulling rubble off myself and rubbing my head. What? How? Then I figured it out. The guy was pretty smart; I presumed he got me to dodge then send it out of control, like what happened with Lightning.

The fight had moved on in what I perceived as a short absence. Bullets was down and covered with burn marks, his guns out of reach. Lightning was dripping blood from his many gun wounds, but still holding on against Alien - who looked comparatively fine besides a few drops of a black liquid falling from his body which I assumed was blood. Alien's alien physiology made it hard to gauge his health.

Noticing I had been discounted from the fight, I stealthed, carefully moving towards the centre. Lighting and Alien were fighting in the sky, I just had to wait for my moment. My blade was ready.

The pair's weapons were locked in a battle of strength, but I assumed Alien had a way to use it. Regardless of that, Lightning headbutted him, briefly throwing Alien off guard long enough to make contact, charge him with electricity, and slam him into the ground.

The pair staggered upright, glaring at each other. 

Channelling my remaining mana into my blade, I sliced into Alien's back and began my assault.

799 words according to wordcounter.net

Everyone (but Madbull) staggers about in the after affects of the tear gas.
Enel heads towards Madbull, and shoots Dane on the way but misses.
Dane bashes Tearen with his shield while he's looking at the other (now ended) fight (i.e. Malon is dead).
Enel electrocutes Madbull a bunch off screen. Madbull fires a shotgun shell at Enel in close range (3/4 shells remaining). Their fight continues off screen.
Dane gets a few light bashes at Tearen.
Tearen prompts Dane to dodge with his burst speed, which he does.
Tearen uses Temporal Jaunt on Dane, Dane crashes into the side of the Colosseum.
[Dane is out of the fight for a short while, during this time Madbull is bashed about and has his guns scattered away from him. Tearen and Enel fight in the air.]
Dane uses Stealth (no one is watching him).
Enel headbutts Tearen while their weapons are locked, then electrocutes him. The both crash into the ground.
Dane uses Tier 1 Super Attack: Magical Enhancement on Tearen's back (1 SP used, 0/2 SP remaining).
TL;DR for the super attack: Just a bunch of hard and fast sword swings.

[Enel]

Nealapph.

All this time, the black guy was my rival. I had no idea. And frankly … he’s stronger than I expected. I hate to admit it even to myself, but he’s skilled.

Frankly I … I look at his power and I wonder how I’m going to win.

Just like Jhen Mohran. Just like the troll, the machine, and Omni. They bested me. What should have been impossible. They did it.

My vision fogs. I’m trying to roll with the punches, to keep up, but somehow Nealapph’s still in top form even after this whole competition. The cop looks dead-to-rights, but even he’s more powerful than his looks give him credit for.

Why is this happening? Why am I losing?

I recall the premonitions. I can see it in my mind’s eye. Somehow, I know it’s happened. Or that it will happen.

And suddenly I don’t feel so invincible anymore.

Even as I hold my spear aloft, parrying and counterattacking from each side – a sword here, a bullet there, a halberd – I feel my power guttering out. I’ve already pushed beyond my limits. Soon there will be nothing left.

Graowr. You’d better win this.

I reach into my pants for my last resort. If only I’d used it earlier, perhaps I wouldn’t be in this position. Doesn’t matter now.

I float backwards, taking my distance from Nealapph and the fight in general, before whispering to the egg.

“Whatever’s in there … I need you. Come out!”

It shimmers, turns white, and then explodes before my eyes.

It’s … it’s …

A fat orange dragon?

I slap my forehead. It does the same. God damn it. How does it even fly with those tiny wings?!

Doesn’t matter. I growl. “Come on, dragon, let’s kill these guys.”

It roars and … damn, that’s surprisingly terrifying. Maybe I do have a chance.

That’s right. It’s not over ‘til it’s over.

First things first. I fly towards the cop, planting my fist into his belly. He glares at me for what seems like an eternity, sheer indignance holding back the force of my blow. Then physics takes its hold, and he flies backwards into the walls of the arena.

The Blonde and the False Prophet are trading blows near the barrier. I grin. “Dragon, let’s shock them.”

Dragon makes a cute noise – somewhere between a dog and a sky-whale – and holds his hands up. They spark. Holy hell, can he use electricity too? This might be fun. He’s like a cuter, fatter version of me. I bet bitches love him too.

I watch, charging my lightning storm, as he calls a thundercloud into existence above the arena. The two turn too late – a bolt of lightning sparks down, exploding in their midst. “Good job, Dragon. Keep it up.”

But even as I get ready to unleash my ultimate attack upon the two shocked foes, I feel something move behind me.

Mantra.

A spray of buckshot hits me square in the back.

Damn it, I can’t dodge!

I hear the thunderous echo of the shotgun.

I hear the bullets fly free.

But I feel nothing.

Dragon Knight whimpers.

“Oi!” I hold the electric current in place, continuing to channel it as I check my back. Dragon’s there, and he’s … on one knee. “You …. you dare shoot my dragon?!” I feel something boil up inside me. “That’s mine!”

I turn and let the lightning shoot out from my body in every direction. It moves around Dragon Knight, who’s between me and the cop. I can’t see him, but I can feel him.

The lightning converges on the other side of Dragon Knight, and then bolts towards the shotgun perpetrator. Lightning versus man.

He can’t dodge.

I feel him fall, and that’s enough.

Mantra.

The other two both come at me, weapons raised.

I pivot and let loose a crackling wave of lightning upon the two. They split, taking a few sparks with them … and then my attack sputters to nothing.

Damn it. I wasted my most powerful attack on that cop. I wasted it … now the opportunity’s gone.

But damn it, he had to be put in his place.

I raise my trident and try to muster my power again, but it won’t come. I strain, I order it.

Nothing. I’ve got nothing left.

And then I feel something grab me on the shoulder. Mantra didn’t warn me of an attack? I turn.

No, of course not. I grin up at the Dragon. Nothing that belongs to me would go down that easy.

“Come on, dragon,” I croak. “Let’s give everything we have left.”

He croons, and I raise my trident.

“LET’S WIN!”

Tier 1 Powerup – Sparking! Was used for this post. I’m now 0/3 SP.

Using the Bronze Egg to summon Dragonite for one round (until the end of the fight). Stats:

Dragonite
ATK: 4
DEF: 3
SPD: 3
TEC: 0

According to Alex, he can use any move that Dragonite can learn, as well as the obvious stuff like headbutts, scratches, biting etcetera.

[Tearen Wover]

Under normal circumstances, Tearen would have had some very choice words to exchange with the bloodthirsty lawbringer, but as things stood, the man was in the process of dying. The ex-enigma didn't have the time to insert a slew of demeaning logic into the Sergeant's mind at the moment, as he was in the process of trying to obtain an advantage over what equated to a twenty-foot tall murderous plush doll. The eldritch human had mostly recovered from the trauma of seeing Malon's thrashing exsanguination, insofar as he was able to defend himself. Past that, all of the rhetoric and empathy he had been prepared to demonstrate had been drained from him much like the girl's blood. Still, phantoms of her crimson death flashed across his mind's eye; a far more potent bolt than lightning.

Presently, Tearen reeled backwards after blocking a particularly feral blow from the Dragonite. The eldritch materials that composed Enigma's pole segment held fast under the punishment, but the elder Prime was thrown off balance just long enough to allow the marmalade beast to gather a bolus of quivering power into its maw. Tearen, having strained his otherworldly abilities trying to stave off Dane's flurry of arcane slashes, did not have adequate power to defend against the ensuing torrent of golden destruction. The hyper beam traced a scorching line to the far, sandstone wall of the Colosseum, carrying elder Prime along its leading edge. Stone shattered and dusty flecks of mortar showered down on his burlap hood as Tearen lay motionless in a blackened crater. The Shadow blinked his green eyes slowly as Enel hovered down towards his supine form, with the pokémon looming behind him. The lightning Prime belted out a hearty laugh as he patted the dragon on the shoulder.

"Had enough already? You should have known I could find followers wherever I go." Enel boomed, pointing his trident down at the ex-enigma accusingly. Tearen glanced at the Dragonite, and looked into its dewy eyes as the muscled, shirtless Prime kept speaking.

"...and so, I find another so-called God at my feet. But! You confess your blasphemy, and for that, you will have a swift death." Enel continued. Tearen noted that, instead of opting to blast him with his own lightning, Enel waved a hand to his side. Through the veneer of showmanship and bravado, the Shadow could taste doubt and fatigue among Enel's stalwart narcissism.

"End this sinner." Enel cooed. Nothing happened, because when the thunderous brawler turned back to glance at his dragonite, he saw that the dim creature had sauntered off to pester the sword-wielding human. Enel roared and spat at his erstwhile servitor, but the only reaction was a few, pained barks in reply. Tearen hissed out a few short laughs and brought himself to his feet, charging a buildup of temporal potential in the process. Enel floated down to the ground and glared back at the elder Prime.

"What have you done?"

"How fickle, the hearts of mortals." Tearen chuckled, shedding the smoldering remains of his cloak. His black glass body was made plain before the audience of Dante's Abyss. Enel would have felt threatened that the ex-enigma was trying to show off, if not for the fact that the Shadow's bizarre body was scrawny and bony. The self-proclaimed God adopted a wide grin, but suddenly looked away from the eldritch human as his eyes flared a brilliant white. What Enel's Mantra didn't warn him about, however, was the followup punch that was seemingly delivered from several meters away. Playback would reveal that the obsidian brawler had crossed the distance between himself and Enel in the span of less than a second, slamming a hardened fist into the lightning God's gut. Winded, Enel was subjected to a series of furious blows before he was able to regain his composure and send a blast of power into the air around him.

Tearen cried out a voiceless scream, and recoiled from the danger zone as blue sparks arced over his blackened hide. Amidst the explosion of pain, the ex-enigma lost his minor influence over the dragonite's mind, and the creature punished Tearen in kind with a swipe from a gleaming metal tail. The enigma landed painfully in a patch of rough gravel. Dane, who had used the momentary distraction to hide himself from view, faded back into sight and plunged a keening sword down towards the enigma. The booksmith had no valor left to give, and kicked Tearen as he rolled away from the death strike. Tearen called out to Enigma, which arrived in his hands just in time to lock blades with the medieval fighter. Enel dashed over to add his own steel to the fray, and the fight soon devolved into a pile of blood, anger, and pain.

799 Words on WordCounter

No time to do a break-down, but one point of clarification:
Tearen used Obsessive Complex Insertion to force dragonite to stay close to Dane for a few moments.

[Karl Jak]

Face to Face
Enel vs Tearen Woever vs Mad Bull vs Dane "Gipper" Reagan

The battle had long reached its apogee.

It now faced that grueling slog toward a bloody conclusion.

Down below, the winner had already departed the island.  The only ones that remained were those with blood to spill and pride to gain.

The pile of steel had degraded and broken apart.  The end was nigh.

Enel charged forward—his spear leading the way as he tried to skewer Tearen.  The eldritch warrior sidestepped only to find himself in the path of the would-be god’s pet.

As Tearen was tackled through the wall of the Colosseum, Enel shifted his focus to the others.  The fat man pumped his shotgun and lifted it in a final show of defiance.

“Reach for the sky,” Mad Bull muttered as he hooked the trigger.

Enel smirked and stepped to the wayside as the buckshot sailed far wide of its mark.  Rushing forward, the warrior drove his trident through Mad Bull’s chest.  The barbed tips burst from the man’s back, and in an instant, the broken corpse of Sergeant John Estes slumped over onto the weapon.  The dead weight tore the weapon from Enel’s hands, and before he could attempt a retrieval, he had to contend with Dane.

The swordsman caught his opponent in the shoulder, causing fresh blood to arc through the air.  Stumbling back, Enel willed a fistful of lightning into existence and hurtled it at the face of his adversary.  Dane screamed as one of his eyeballs popped in its socket, but after a few moments, the nerves were damaged beyond the point of sensation.  The man with the sword started to lurch forward—his vision mostly ruined as he tried to deify the now snarling opponent.

“Can you still hear?”  Enel shouted, causing Dane to pause momentarily.  “Better watch out behind you.”

Dane turned just in time to get swept up and thrown into the air.  A weak scream escaped him as he dropped down—legs-first—into the open maw of Dragonite.  The jaws clamped shut just below the swordsman’s sternum.  Blood immediately started to spurt and bubble from the fresh wounds, and Dane struggled viciously for all of five seconds before the jaws squeezed.

A moment later, Dane’s lifeless, blood-spurting torso crashed into the floor.  Dragonite, mouth decorated and blood and sinew, turned to look at something that Enel couldn’t spot.  By the time Enel swiveled his head, there was already a halberd buried in the dragon’s chest.

“You” Enel rasped before the broken form of Tearen Wover smashed into him.  The two warriors rolled on the ground, forgoing all their fancy tricks for a fleeting moment as they tried to break open the other’s skull.  Amid the fracas, Enel closed a hand around Tearen’s throat.  The ex-Enigma pressed his fingertips up into the would-be god’s throat to try and create some separation.  Enel’s other hand flickered as lightning sparkled to life between his trembling digits.  Tearen’s outstretched fingertips likewise started to glow with unnatural energy.

It was a test of time, desperation, and will.

Two explosions flashed like tiny stars as the final fight of the Colosseum drew to its close.

Enel collapsed to the floor next to his half-conscious adversary, who could smell the sizzle of his own flesh. The blast had been off the mark, catching him in the shoulder and the ground beneath him. Tearen, however, had blown apart a piece of Enel's jaw and one of his ears. The would-be god, his eyes wide, clenched his hands in disbelief as he tried to will himself to stay conscious.

He failed.

The eldritch warrior labored to his feet and glanced around at the ravaged structure. He may have lost the contest below, but he stood supreme where blood and guts mattered the most.

With the island below them nearly empty, it was a halfhearted victory.

[spoiler]

#29 Mad Bull DEAD

#22 Dane DEAD

#24 Enel ELIMINATED

Tearen takes 14 points of Accumulated Damage (include Major Injury – Broken arm)
[/spoiler]