Colosseum - Round 1, Group B - King Axorn vs Shang Tsung

[Storyteller]

King Axorn stood before the unfurled colors of the Kingdom. After what he had gone through in Coruscant, this was a nice change of pace. A good, solid bout against only one adversary. He wouldn't have to worry about anything else other than defeating someone lesser than himself.

On the other side of the battlefield, Shang Tsung stood in silence. He had little knowledge of this place, so the emblem and the giant flag behind him meant little to him. Deserters? Was this a stage play or a tournament? With a shrug, he turned his focus to the other side of the field.

Up above them, a packed crowd cheered, waiting for the signal that would commence the 'festivities.'

Someone gestured for silence, and just like that, there wasn't a sound in the building as Victor von Magnus walked onto the small platform near the center of the massive structure. With a smile, he picked up the padded hammer and smashed it into the gong, signalling the fights to commence.

Judge – Gildarts/Caira

Axorn posts first, and he may do so anytime after 6 pm CDT/7 PM EDT.

Description of fight area and other information can be found here - <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://omniverse-rpg.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&p=44961#p44950">viewtopic.php?f=28&p=44961#p44950</a><!-- l -->

Please refer any questions to that thread.

Word Limit: 750
Posts: 3
Time Limit: 48 hours
SP use is enabled. SP does not regenerate between rounds. Injuries may occur. Neither injuries nor SP use are factored into judgment, only the quality of writing.

[King Axorn]

Axorn unsheathed his sword, glinting in the light of the sun, and faced the man that was to be his opponent.

"I hope you will be a worthy, honorable adversary and that you don't hold back." Axorn said, a determined look on his stern face. "I want to have a good, honorable battle, and I hope you feel the same way."

Axorn gazed at the uneven dirt battlefield in front of him. There was a huge, gaping fissure down the center, jagged and crumbling. Axorn also remarked that behind either of them there was a large rack filled with all sorts of medieval weaponry. Swords, axes, bows, crossbows, maces, daggers, they were all present. There were also many stone obstacles that dotted the field, allowing for various stealth and cover tactics. The stands engraved into the large stone walls of the Colosseum were packed with cheering onlookers that came for the thrill of the battle. I guess that's one reason why I'm here, Axorn thought. the other reason is to win! Axorn planted his sword firmly into the ground and eyed his opponent once more. The man was middle-aged and seemed to be quite confident.

"Now," Axorn began, readying himself. "let's begin!"

Axorn fired his gunblade, the resounding recoil shooting him straight up into the air, much to the amazement of the crowd, and spread his wings, allowing him to hover there. Axorn was just about to swoop in for an attack when his opponent made a series of hand gestures and there was a loud uproar in the crowd. The next thing Axorn knew, something had slammed into his back, and then promptly exploded, launching him forward and sending shocks of pain through his upper back. Axorn lost control for a moment and began to dive towards the ground, just as he regained control, a flaming skull came shooting out of the ground towards him. Axorn attempted to swerve out of the way but the edge of it caught his waist. It then exploded, catapulting him into a roll towards the precarious fissure.

Axorn stopped himself just in time with his arm, but he promptly fell over, due to the stress his body had endured. This is going to be really tough, he thought, using his wings to push himself back in the air. but this is EXACTLY what I came here for. I wanted a challenge, Omni has presented it to me. Time to prove my strength. Axorn steadied himself and began firing off shots, most of which missing. One of the shots managed to graze the man's shoulder, but Axorn had used up half of his ammo reserves. This isn't working, I need to get closer. Axorn swooped once more and another skull erupted underneath him. Axorn tucked his wings together and corkscrewed out of the way just in time to have the skull whiz past him. Axorn turned and faced his adversary and fired once more now that he was closer, the shot slammed straight into the competitor's arm. In response, he shot a flaming skull from his hand straight towards Axorn's face. Axorn tucked and dove, causing the skull to just barely clear him. There was some screaming and yelling as the skull exploded in the stands. Axorn landed and dashed straight in, slicing towards the man with his sword. Axorn's adversary blocked the attack with blades that seem to have shot straight out of his wrists. Axorn backed off and swung again. Again, he was blocked by the arm-blades. How is this guy so strong? I can barely land a single attack on him. Axorn thought, struggling against the man's strength. If I'm going to win this I'll need to fight smart and exploit any weaknesses I find.

Axorn shot a torrent of flame directly at the competitor, causing the sudden heat and light to make him back off before promptly shooting yet another flaming skull out of his fist, heading on a crash course straight for Axorn's face. Axorn tried to get out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. The skull exploded upon impact with his chest sending him flying into the side wall. Axorn was able to slow his velocity with his wings, making the impact nothing more than a slight bump, but he hurt all over, causing him to be leaning forwards. Axorn ducked behind one of the walls and used it as cover. Axorn sat down and concentrated, meanwhile, the crystal in his adversary's shoulder prepared to explode dramatically.

[Shang Tsung]

With a carefully controlled thud and a puff of dust, the dragon-man hit the earth. A lunge took him behind one of the stone barricades, leaving Shang Tsung alone in the open. The sorcerer didn’t have long to ponder his next move before the crystal shard in his shoulder started to thrum.

Dirty, singed fingers clutched at the now hot piece of compressed carbon, and with a grunt, Shang ripped the jagged stone from his arm just as it exploded into a giant cloud of burning gas. A wave of heat washed over the man as he was thrown backwards by the flash-bang of force that erupted from the enchanted crystal. Unlike the more graceful drop of his foe, Shang hit hard and rolled for several yards before coming to a stop against one of the stone barricades.

Righting himself as quickly as he could, the sorcerer sprung to his feet as the hulking red creature swooped down at him. His giant weapon arched down, hungrily veering toward Shang’s neck before it was intercepted by an arm-blade. The dragon’s mouth fell open, but before he could belch up another spout of flames, Shang’s fist slammed into his scaly jaw. The impact smacked away his adversary’s mouth, causing the fire stream to roar into the empty air.

With one arm still occupied by his foe’s blade, the sorcerer reached behind his shoulder and drew his broadsword. As Shang swung the weapon toward the exposed neck before him, his opponent’s wings lashed forward. The blast of wind was disorienting, but Shang remained standing as the dragon-man flew back out of melee range.

“So what are you?” Shang inquired as he retracted the arm blade and clutched the jian with both hands. “Some sort of half-dragon?”

“Axorn, King of the Draconians.”

“I knew a half-dragon once before... a good soldier,” Shang replied as a grin spread across his visage. Part of him missed Prince Goro—that dumb, stupid Shokan had been the solution to many problems. “But I’m being rude. I am Shang Tsung.” With a small smile, Shang held out his hands and dipped his knees a little. “Resume?”

Instead of a verbal response, Axorn stepped forward and released an impressive mouthful of flames at Shang. Mouthing a curse, the sorcerer jumped backwards, dropping behind one of the stone barricades as the stream of flames scorched the air above his head.

Rather than wait for a rebuttal, Axorn rushed forward behind the force of his flapping wings. The great sword he held in his hand cleaved through the air and smashed down onto the stone barricade as Shang slipped away once more. The sorcerer was quick to regain his bearings and dash forward, his blade at the ready.

After acting as highly mobile pieces of artillery, the two warriors now exchanged sword blows with one another. Despite his size and bulk, Axorn had no problem adjusting his stance and maneuvering, even as Shang tried to assail him with a quick flurry of short, rapid swipes and thrusts. On the other hand, the draconian found himself equally intrigued at how the seemingly small-framed human withstood the powerful swings that came raining down at him from all directions.

For their part, the audience watched the little display and seemed to hang on every motion of the two mismatched warriors. Sparks danced into the air with every jarring clash of steel upon steel. Even though neither was making any progress, the pair was unwilling to yield. It wasn’t until Shang had been backed up to within a few feet of the great yawning crack in the earth that he had to change plans.

Knowing he was near the edge, the sorcerer continued to let himself be driven back by his foe. When one of his heels brushed out over the edge, he blocked against the oncoming attack and pushed himself backwards into the trench. With Axorn still taken aback by what had happened, Shang dropped his weapon and held out his hands. A rapid succession of telekinetic bursts cushioned his descent to the bottom of the trench.

Hoping to press an advantage seemingly born from nowhere, Axorn pushed forward and dropped down toward an apparently stunned foe. As the half-dragon moved to the edge, he caught a glimpse of the smile on Shang’s face as the sorcerer’s mouth fell away. There was momentary flash of orange in the human’s throat before the geyser of flames burst up into Axorn’s chest and face.

[King Axorn]

"What?!" Axorn yelled.

He attempted to fly up out of the blaze, but only succeeded in getting his chest scorched rather than his head. As the fire passed over him, he felt a renewing sense in his mind. Am I, being purified?Axorn flew up into the air, away from the blaze. His scales had been charred and burned, despite him supposed to have fire-proof scales. Omni, you jerk. Axorn thought angrily. How in the world did he use my own move against me? This is going to be a lot tougher than I thought. Axorn tuned back into the fight and realized that Shang had accidentally cornered himself in the fissure. Axorn took aim and fired his gunblade. Shang attempted to run to the side to get out of the way, but the passage was too narrow and the crystal embedded itself in his left arm.

Shang tried shooting a flaming skull back in response, but Axorn just swerved out of the way. Axorn dropped out of the sky and landed in the fissure, then fired another shot. Axorn deliberately missed, the shot slamming into the wall of the fissure. Axorn rushed forwards, holding his sword at the ready. Shang, after a flurry of arm gestures, shot another flaming skull from the wall straight into Axorn. Axorn smashed into the other wall, causing part of the fissure to crumble. Axorn, clutching his now bleeding shoulder, continued his assault, running towards Shang despite his pain. Shang hit him again from the other wall, causing his other arm to begin bleeding as well.

With a yell, Axorn trudged onwards, and, as Shang began preforming movements to launch another skull, Axorn fired once more. Shang, not having enough time to react properly, braced himself for the oncoming impact of the crystal. The crystal slammed straight into his right wrist making it painful to move that muscle at all. Satisfied, Axorn engaged his foe. He had now almost gotten into melee range. Shang attempted to use Axorn's move again, although this time, he accidentally set it to the wrong temperature, giving Axorn nothing more than a screen with which he would abuse.

The draconian ran through the flames, hoping his competitor hadn't noticed the less than stellar effects. By the time the old man had figured it out and stopped the breath, Axorn emerged from the flames and brought his sword down, just barely being blocked by his adversary's Jian. Axorn swung again, this time blocked by an arm-blade. Axorn noticed this was the hand he had damaged with his crystals, and brought his full force against it. Just as the wrist let up and flopped over, allowing Axorn's blade to make it through to Shang's body, he stabbed his Jian into Axorn's leg, the wound cutting deep. The injury caused Axorn to yell out in pain, causing him to crouch over more, but only brought his blade down harder, slashing the hand holding the Jian.

As the blood flowed from both competitors Axorn disengaged, using his wings to pop himself up out of the crack in the earth. Axorn ran to the far end of the arena, zig-zagging between stone barricades, and occasionally limping from his badly wounded leg, knowing his opponent would soon follow. Axorn made his way to the end of the arena and grabbed a crossbow and a bag of bolts, which he tied to the projectile launcher, and slid his sword onto his back. I only have one crystal left, if I'm not sure it will hit, I'm going to use this. I need to exploit all my assets. Axorn whipped around just in time to see Shang finish summoning another skull. Axorn figuring it would be behind him based on his current location and situation turned around and shot a bolt straight into the flaming bony face's forehead causing it to explode prematurely.

Not being damaged by the blast but still buffeted by the wind, Axorn used this burst to take off, pushing him right towards the enemy combatant without even one wing flap. Reloading the crossbow, Axorn positioned himself to fire. He shot, missed, and shot again, this one planting itself right where Shang Tsung's foot would have been, had he not cartwheeled out of the way.

Axorn used the distraction to dive behind one of the surprisingly undamaged barricades as another flaming skull from Shang shot straight past his legs. Axorn sat down and pictured the crystal sitting peacefully in his combatant's arm exploding into flames.

[Shang Tsung]

Frantic hands tore at the crystals.

Shang knew this song-and-dance already, and while he was ready this time, there were too many of the infernal gems. From his cover, Axorn popped up just as the handful of energized crystals erupted into great plumes of fire and smoke. A small smile spread across the draconian’s visage as he leapt over the barricade and started toward the slowly dispersing cloud of smoke and dirt.

The last thing that King Axorn expected as he advanced cautiously toward the last location of his foe was for a glimmering projectile to zip out of from the fallout and slam into his shoulder. Stumbling backwards, the half-dragon look at the crystal imbedded through his clothes and flesh and scowled. A second later, another crystal struck his opposing shoulder, effectively shattering any shock or confusion that had gripped the warrior.

With a flap of his wings, Axorn took flight as two more crystal hissed through the air beneath him. Throwing his head forward, the floating draconian drowned the area beneath him in a few rapid blasts of fire. He caught some movement below, but a fireball roared out from the open space in front of him before he could turn his focus elsewhere. Pulling his wings over his chest and face, Axorn grunted as the explosion knocked him down from the sky. Although he hit the ground awkwardly, he managed to roll out and wind up on his feet.

The victory was short-lived, for the crystals started to thrum in his shoulders. Momentarily discarding the crossbow, Axorn grabbed for the first embedded gem and tore it free just as both of them exploded.

Shang watched silently as the blast hurtled his opponent from his feet and sent him crashing through one of the stone barricades that dotted their battlefield. With a final glance at the hefty gunblade in his hand, the sorcerer discarded the fabricated weapon, which vanished with a puff of smoke when it hit the ground. As he stalked toward his adversary, Shang watched as Axorn slowly shrugged off the pair of fiery explosions and rose to his feet.

“How many tricks do you have?” Axorn shouted, clutching his gunblade in both of his giant, clawed hands.

“Enough of them,” Shang replied as he extended an empty palm toward his foe. The dragon watched as something slipped free from the backside of the sorcerer’s boot and floated up into his outstretched hand. With a blood-laced smile, Shang closed his fingers around the handgun’s grip and fired off a quick succession of shots. The massive, soulfire-infused bullets erupted from the barrel of the weapon and left streaks of green in the air as they screamed toward their target.

The half-dragon—just as bloodied and banged up as his foe—grimaced and dove hard to his left as the oversized green bullets quickly came at him. Shang narrowed his eyes and fired as his foe tried to dodge out the way. Axorn landed in a crouch, turned, and released another punishing burst of flames as one of the soul-fire bullets struck his chest. The impact of the shell was enough to shatter the draconian’s balance and knock him clear onto his haunches.

Forty feet away, Shang spun and lunged, trying to escape the flames as they poured over him. Despite his injury-diminished dexterity, the sorcerer was able to avoid taking the blast entirely, but enough of it caught his abdomen and legs to shatter his dive. Crying out in agony, Shang hit the ground hard on his right shoulder and rolled for a few more yards before coming to a stop. The only solace for the sorcerer was the fact that his adversary was likewise doubled over in pain, with a clawed hand clutched over a bruised, scorched wound on his chest.

Even though half his body was covered in burns and his clothes had been reduced to scorched tatters, Shang had a smile on his face. After five centuries toiling away in a decrepit shell to please Shao Kahn, Shang Tsung had never felt as alive as he did here and now, with his face in the dirt and his body throbbing in agony. With a grunt, he planted his palms into the dirt and pushed himself up off the ground, much to the crazed enthusiasm of the crowd.

Twenty yards away, King Axorn of the Draconians likewise rose to a fully vertical position.

Round Three. Fight!

With a manic grin, Shang charged his adversary.

[King Axorn]

Axorn charged forward towards his adversary, drawing his sword. Shang fired a flaming skull at his face, and while it was still a long way off, Axorn stepped to the side, dodging it. Axorn aimed with his trusty sword and fired his last bullet. I hope this works! Axorn thought, the bullet streaming towards his opponent. The bullet barely skimmed Shang's shoulder and missed, provoking him to fire yet another skull towards Axorn's face. Axorn tried to dive out of the way, but the skull clipped him, sending him rolling across the battlefield. Axorn rolled to a stop a few yards away. His scales, scratched and broken in some areas, had lost their sheen, and his leather clothing ripped as it caught on a boulder.

Axorn focused his vision and noticed the small holes in the ground a few feet away where he had shot at Shang at the beginning of their bout. Axorn stood up, wincing as blood gushed from his leg. Axorn eyed his opponent, who was still advancing. Axorn hopped behind a nearby barricade and began making his way back towards the circle of missed crystals. Axorn looked over his shoulder as he weaved through the barricades. His adversary was having no trouble keeping up, although he couldn't get a clear shot due to Axorn evading his aim.

Axorn made his way through the maze of barricades and dove behind the weapon rack at the back of the arena, it wouldn't provide much cover, but that was besides the point. Shang Tsung made his way past the last barricade and didn't immediately see Axorn. Axorn knew that it was too late for his adversary at this point and began concentrating on the crystals implanted in the ground. Shang Tsung began walking out into the open and sensed Axorn hiding behind the weapon rack. He fired a flaming skull and it cut through the air towards the rack. Just as it hit the rack, the crystals vibrated and exploded, setting Shang into a blazing fire, burning his feet.

The rack exploded, smashing Axorn into the wall and bruising his entire backside. That didn't quite go as expected... Axorn thought. Axorn got up, groaning and got hit by yet another skull, knocking him back against the wall. Axorn pulled out his crossbow and fired at the next oncoming skull, keeping him up against the wall but keeping him on his feet and ready. Axorn flew up into the air just as Shang fired the next skull, effectively dodging it. The resounding explosion boosted Axorn further into the air.

Axorn bolted back towards the other competitor, firing his crossbow and mostly missing. A few shots skimmed parts of Shang Tsungs body although it was nothing to serious. Axorn swore as his opponent summoned a copy of his gunblade and fired at him from down below. Axorn did his best to dodge the carbon projectiles but got hit in the other leg, causing it to bleed, albeit not as badly as the one that was slashed, and in the wing, ripping it and forcing Axorn into a headlong dive. Axorn attempted to slow his descent and succeeded in doing so, somewhat. He hit the ground a little harder than he'd wished, jarring his leg and forcing more blood out of his battered body.

Axorn got up and ran to the other end of the weapon rack, which was still intact. Shang fired another skull at him, which Axorn fired at, making it explode prematurely, and fired another one from the wall behind the weapon rack, smacking Axorn and launching him sideways into a barricade.

Axorn had no way of slowing himself down and felt the full force of the impact, shattering a few of his scales and he swore he heard something other than his scales crack. Axorn pulled himself together and began lumbering towards Shang. another skull came flying towards him and he threw the now useless crossbow at it, snapping it into pieces. Axorn caught a few of the remains of the crossbow and used them to ward off any skulls as he made his way towards Shang Tsung, going a lot slower than he was used to.

As soon as Axorn got close enough to close into melee range with his adversary, he used the last of his strength to fling himself at his opponent, sword drawn and fire blazing. Axorn missed his swing, just catching part of the man's clothes, but the fire blazed towards his adversary.

[Shang Tsung]

The blast threw the two opponents apart.

In the stands up above, the audience roared with approval as the two warriors dragged their battered, beleaguered bodies up off the blood-stained dirt. With many of the other fights concluded or near their end, many of the spectators craned their necks to see the lethal dance between the sorcerer and the dragon-man.

Shang stumbled forward, and it was only a knee-jerk reaction that planted the tip of his jian into the earth to keep him vertical. Twenty yards away, his physically imposing adversary tore away the tattered remains of his shirt and coat. Casting aside the ruined garments, Axorn brushed off many of the snapped and scorched scales from his broad chest. The scales twirled and spiraled through the air like crimson snowflakes as the draconian trudged forward, his eyes narrow slits as he marched toward the fight’s culmination.

For his part, the sorcerer allowed his foe to advance toward him unimpeded. No screaming fireballs tried to slow down the dragon, who grasped his gunblade with both hands.

No gusts of fire came blazing toward the battered man, who likewise clutched onto his sword as if it was the last thing he owned.

With no fanfare or bombast, the two dashed across the remaining distance between themselves. Jian and gunblade met with a grating hiss as sparks rained down on the warriors once more. After a second clash of steel off to their sides, the pair broke apart and retaliated with fiery projectiles. Flamethrower burst met flaming skull in a deafening boom of heat and light that staggered not only the pair of warriors but most of the people intently following the confrontation.

Lurching backwards, Shang fought to maintain his balance as his knees threatened to buckle beneath him. From the smog and ash cloud before him, a thundering red mass cleaved through and slammed into him. The sorcerer hit the ground with enough force to drive the air from his lungs, and even if he had the time to breath in, the thunderous blows from Axorn would have stalled his efforts anyway. Scaled fists crashed into his chest and face, mashing bone and tearing at flesh with hapless abandon before the sorcerer managed to halfheartedly shield his face using his forearms.

A red fist closed around one of Shang’s arms and threw it to the wayside in an attempt to open up the route back to his face. With Axorn’s focus elsewhere, a bladed bone jutted out from the sorcerer’s arm, and as a draconian fist came hurtling at his face, the pinned fighter landed a solid blow against his foe’s neck and shoulder.

Although the most recent punch shattered his right collar bone, Shang’s attack had torn through scales and flesh—all the way to the thick, corded muscles that lie beneath the surface. A howl of pain and frustration escaped the maw of the draconian as he grabbed at his opponent’s mouth in an effort to snuff the life from the man. Before he found enough purchase on the sweaty, blood-stained face of his opponent, Axorn saw the second blade free itself from the sorcerer’s forearm.

The draconian pushed down and then launched himself away as both blades scythed through the air above the crumpled sorcerer. Despite escaping the immediate threat, Axorn’s focus immediately went to the fresh, gaping wound that stretched from one corner of his neck to the opposing shoulder blade. While his wings still functioned normally, it hurt to stretch and move them.

A scowl spread across Axorn’s visage as Shang once more rose to a standing position. Although nearly half of the sorcerer’s visage was little more than a mound of bruised flesh, it was clear that the resolve hadn’t left the former monk. Taking a step forward, the draconian released a dazzling blast of flames as the ground behind him flashed with the telltale prelude to a flaming skull. As Shang stumbled away from the inferno, the fireball exploded against Axorn’s back, throwing the giant warrior several feet forward.

Wings flared in an effort to stop his momentum, but the sorcerer had already closed the distance. A flash of white preceded a flare of pain as one of the arm blade sank into the draconian’s shoulder. Before the other could find his heart, Axorn closed a giant fist around the organic blade and used his shrinking reservoir of might to keep it from its mark.

One way or another, something was going to give.

[Shang Tsung]

The two warriors continued to struggle. Axorn’s free hand closed around Shang’s throat, but the strength wasn’t all there in those meaty fingers.

With a grunt, Shang twisted the arm blade imbedded in the dragon’s shoulder. As the grip on this throat went slack, the sorcerer slammed the other blade into Axorn’s ribcage, missing the draconian’s heart by a slim margin. Clawed fingers raked at Shang’s eyes, tearing through part of his brow and threatening to render him blind. Before another desperate set of nails could find his face, Shang retracted the Tarkatan blades and sent a boot into his opponent’s knee.

Axorn’s bulk crumpled downward, but his bloodied wings lashed at Shang, battering the sorcerer. Although the flare of offense knocked his adversary off balance, the kneeling draconian lacked the strength to capitalize. A hand clenched at the jagged wound in his chest in an attempt to bottle up the steady flow of blood from the wound. The dragon’s other fist was planted on the ground to keep him from tipping over.

“It’s over,” Shang muttered, regaining his balance and reaching out a hand. The jian, discarded for the last few minutes, shuddered on the ground a few times before leaping into its owner’s waiting palm.

The dying draconian lifted his head up. Despite the injuries and the blood loss, a fire still burned in the warrior’s eyes. “Of course… of course it isn’t.”

With that, the sorcerer stepped forward and drove his sword down through Axorn’s chest, much to the roar of the crowd. The dragon let out a gurgling rasp as he fell forward and caught himself with his good hand. Blood pooled around the warrior’s body as his various wounds betrayed his seemingly endless reserve of strength. Lifting his head up, the dragon stared into the man’s eyes and saw something in them he hadn’t seen over the course of their fight.

While his posture and facial expression remain unchanged, the sorcerer’s eyes had the look of a predator in them.

Shang stepped forward and crouched down next to the dying dragon as their eyes met for one final time. The man leaned a little closer to the dying creature, and when he spoke, his voice was cold and heartless. “Your soul is mine.”

As the sorcerer stood back up, Axorn slumped into a pool of his own blood and began to breath his final breaths. With the crowd cheering on the bloodshed, Shang extended a hand and started to claim his prize.