Zone B -- Forest

[Tearen Wover]

Tearen was, for a moment, legitimately concerned that Gildarts was about to separate the elder Prime’s head from his body with the sheer force of the punch that the wizard delivered. There was a crack of white light, and it was all Tearen could do to envelop his body in slick, black glass before he was sent flying through the trunk of a tree that had recently been uprooted. When the Shadow rose to his feet, he spotted something that turned his already-cold blood frigid. It was an arm, pawing and pushing at the hardwood crushing its owner.

“Malon!” Tearen rasped, his enigma form still lacking a proper voice box. All thoughts of battle were forgotten as the eldritch human bade time and space to bend to his will, exponentially increasing his prowess. The half-shredded lumber was wrenched clear of the girl’s body, and Tearen rushed to her side. He placed a cold hand on her forehead and closed his eyes for a moment. She would live, she was breathing, but she needed time to come around. The Shadow would provide.

A flash of controlled panic compelled Tearen to arc the halberd over his back, just in time to fend off an adroit double-blow from Illidan’s blades. A free hand was coated in a telekinetic sleeve and a sharp palm blew the night elf away. The Scourge recovered from the riposte easily, righting himself mid-air and alighting on the bough of a damp, mossy tree. His viridian eyes glinted sadistically in the half-light of the jungle. It seemed the almighty Slayer of Volvagia had a soft spot for his pet waif.

Any opportunity for repartee was cut short as a diminutive figure of light and shadow bore down on Tearen’s position. He moved Enigma to intercept, but a purple sheen overtook the arcane metal, and Little Ghost drew shimmering blood. Before the Shadow had a chance to wheel around, the insectoid shot back into the air on gossamer wings, delivering another stinging jab. Illidan pushed the breach in the elder Prime’s defenses, leaping down from his perch, warglaives poised to strike. Tearen sucked in a breath and mentally snagged Little Ghost’s temporal aspect. As the carapaced swordsman jetted back towards Tearen, the Shadow accelerated him beyond control, sending the spritely Prime rocketing into Illidan’s chest. The elder Prime proceeded to glare furious daggers at the Humble Sage, who maintained control over Tearen’s holy halberd with his arcane subterfuge.

Luckily, he was saved the effort of having to interrupt the casting as a wall of hissing water washed Malon, the Sage, and Tearen away in a blast of pressure. The spray of mud and rotted foliage that was kicked up provided an ideal veil, and allowed the ex-enigma to teleport to safety behind a nearby stand of moss covered rock. He allowed his material aspect to slink away for a moment, passing through the boulders as an inky mist. As Tearen emerged, Gildarts caught sight of the elder Prime to his left. Now that most of the underbrush and forest detritus had been cleared away, there were very few places to hide. This suited both Primes just fine, and power began to swell in both of them. In Tearen’s case, he began to compress his temporal potential.

“Can never seem to keep you pinned down.” Gildarts breathed, taking a low stance. There was a smile in his voice, if not on the wizard’s face, but Tearen detected that any mirth was a token display. Gildarts’ mind was as fevered as ever, and though combat certainly gave him focus, it did not beget integrity.

“Banshee…” Tearen said, dismissing his halberd in a flash of lavender light and taking a similar stance. The S-Rank’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed all the more as Tearen addressed the unseen seventh combatant in this fight. The telepathic Prime could hear the tittering laughter of Malefactor leaking into the psychic medium, though no direct response manifested.

“I shall cut his mind free from your shackles.” Tearen spat, instantly closing the distance between them in a burst of pure light. Gildarts was no simpleton; he had seen the attack building for some time now. There was a bombastic clang as a metal hand caught the elder Prime’s obsidian fist. A still moment passed between them as they glared at each other, and as was usually the case, this was a bad idea. The Shadow’s eyes bloomed with a hellish glare and Gildarts once again found his mind overwhelmed with horrid, unfathomable chaos. He was only able to land a weak punch on Tearen as the ex-enigma wrenched his hand free from the wizard’s grasp and delivered a launching kick to the Strongest Prime’s abdomen.

Satisfied for the moment, Tearen rushed to aid his partner...

796 on WordCounter

Gildarts punched Tearen.
Tearen shifted to his default form and activated Relativity Shift until his next Turn, 2 SP used.
Illidan tried sneak-shank Tearen with the warglaives, but Tearen deflected and countered with A Kiss of Reproach. It wasn't very effective...
Little Ghost delivered some solid hits with the help of Monarch Wings, and was utilized as a missile with Temporal Jaunt for his trouble.
Additional help from Sage with Burden Blade
Gildarts reset the board with Mizuwari, but Tearen used it as cover for Quantum Uncertainty.
Tearen tried to sucker punch Gildarts with Spontaneity in Patience, but ended up using Mind Surge instead.
Gildarts planted a Detonation on Tearen during their last exchange, but Tearen is unaware.

7/9 SP

Current Stats:
ATK: 4
DEF: 4
SPD: 3
TEC: 6

[Tamsin Suzaku]

The cover of the trees was a double-edged sword. Though it provided adequate cover from the many droplets of rain pelting the landscape, the trees also obstructed airflow. Consequently, there was little sparing those who would venture into its depths from the warmth and humidity. It was already an arduous task just to breathe in such a place, let alone traverse the uneven and muddy terrain covered in thick undergrowth.

Wiping the sweat that had accumulated on her brow, the maid slashed her way forward through the foliage, the exotic blades in her hands dispensing with the vegetation with little effort. During the embarking procedure, she discovered — much to her surprise — that she did not arrive in this world unarmed. The dual crescent knives that she inherited from her master, and the throwing daggers she received as a gift for her service — she carried the two sets of weapons hidden underneath her clothing. It was difficult to tell what caused her to not realise their presence much sooner — perhaps she was still adjusting to the fact that she possessed a physical body once more, or perhaps she had grown so accustomed to wearing the holsters in her lifetime that it had become second nature. Whatever the case was, it was a fortunate development for the servant. Though adequate in hand-to-hand combat, her proficiency with daggers was where her true prowess lied.

She was reminded that the moment when she would have to put those skills to the test drew near — for the first time, she could hear the thrashing and clashing of a violent engagement occurring not far away. Whatever critters and beasts lurked in that part of the forest were nowhere to be seen, having scattered away in search of a safe refuge. Though it was difficult to tell from where she was located, Tamsin assessed that there were at least several combatants involved in the engagement. It appeared that the fighting had already grown fierce, and the stakes high.

Though the curious part of her wished to investigate, the servant realised that, in her present state, she would have to be fortunate not to get torn asunder in the crossfire. For the time being, she settled on memorising the location, choosing to decide whether to come back to this place at a later time. Hastily striding forward, she put distance between herself and the sounds of battle. Her immediate destination was within reach.

Tamsin moving from B7 to B15.

[Tamsin Suzaku]

As the sounds of the violent altercation died down, the forest came to an abrupt end. The servant was greeted by a sea of tree stumps — the remains of humanoid activity in that part of the zone. It made her wonder if Syntech actually had people live on the island during times it wasn't in use or if it really was just elaborate decoration for the sole purpose of the competition. With people as seemingly extravagant as the ones running that show, it was difficult to tell.

But she had little time for such fanciful ponderings. With the trees gone, the land leading up to the shelter laid bare, left to the mercy of both the elements and any hostiles that may be nearby. Hoping dearly that her reading of the map was correct, the maid fiddled nervously with her pendant.

...With her pendant?

Gasping, she reached for the item concealed by her dress and raised it into clear view. She could hardly believe her eyes. Attached to a chain of katchin — wrapped around her slender neck and partially hidden by the explosive collar — was indeed a pendant. It was a mass of small jewels shaped in the form of an insect, softly glittering even in the dim daylight. It was the reward she received for her participation in the last Dante's Abyss.

Tamsin's visage formed a sorrowful frown. The item she held was one of a pair, the other intended for whoever she could not bear to be apart from. In the presence of its counterpart, it would emit a radiant light. But at that moment in time, it generated no such light — its twin, wherever it was, was somewhere far away.

Firmly grasping the adornment, the servant's expression changed into a determined scowl. Putting the pendant back in its place, she looked ahead and broke out into a sprint. Pellets of water bombarded her as she made her dash towards the encampment that came into view. It was a cluster of wooden shacks, buildings of stone and other simple structures. Littered all around were pieces of heavy machinery and piles of tree trunks and logs. By design, it appeared as though its former residence left it in the midst of logging operations.

Managing to arrive at the camp unhindered, the maid stopped to take a breather. Soon after came the signal that she had indeed found the right location — it was the familiar beep of the collar, temporarily deactivating the explosive charge contained within. For the time being, she was safe.

Tamsin moved from B15 to Safe House B.

[Karl Jak]

End Day 1

Begin Day 2 – Early Morning

[Gildarts]

The silver-armed prime staggered back to life from the rush of infinite death that had flooded his mind, his mortal eyes woke once again only to gaze down at his hand covered in blood. It resembled ink, staining his flesh fingers cupping the wound to hold the trickle in. Gildarts’ found his grit was tested when torment came crashing into his mind like thunder, all delivered from the epiphanic blow to his core from his nemesis. His sweat-drenched hair drifted over his eyes, catching a glimpse of–

“Illidan, look right!” Gildarts warned as he saw a streak of blue slashing through the air aimed directly where it would have hit, right between Illidan’s eyes. There was no way the Scourge of Darkshire would have the time to respond, Gildarts raised his steel palm to intercept the gelid scythe, spontaneously paralyzed as the fractal pattern climbed up his hollow-armored arm. The cast had pierced the magic flowing directly through the metal of his left arm like a chomp from razor-sharp jaws of ice. Reduced to a mere man humbled to the ground from the shock waves of agony tearing into his magical ani-flesh, adamant to stifle his own howl of torment, he would not let his enemies claim victory, though he felt agony’s savagery to the bone.

The sorcerer brought forth sparks of magic when he saw his ally sacrifice his own arm, after firing forth another Felfire ball at the Sage he rushed to Gildarts, striking back at the shortest who neared with the intention of striking his foe, however Illidan summoned his jade magic forth, neutralizing the enemy. Their competitive tally was even again and Illidan began feeling the fragments of weary, meanwhile Sage whisked a large chunk of the magic fire off his cloak and into the bark of a tree. Like kindling the fire took root, spreading a portent shimmering blaze of viridian flame above them. What was once the lush canopy of leaves had now been eaten alive by their own destruction.

The Betrayer spat the distaste for his upsurge of memories, “You just had to play the hero, didn’t you? What is it about you people who eat it up? Their approval? Tch, you’re better than that. Now stand and fight.”

It felt like a tall order to even wiggle the wizard's toes, the enchantment had left his digits feeling limp and his mind watery but he stiffened his chin and stood. He paused to sweep the side of his hand over his swollen lip, tasting the sting of salt mixed with his own blood.
 
Nealaphh and Malon stood side-by-side, she’d come back to her mind with the God-mind’s telepathic beacon and though her head throbbed with the after effect, she had little recollection as to what she’d seen. Surrounding the two rivaled pairs was the felfire-lit rubble the brawl had wrought.

This, with the curtain of flames in the canopy above, was not a moment for words, but rather fire-crackling tacit silence. Gildarts remained still, his eyes daggers against Tearen’s malevolence. The God-mind had... Evolved. “Well, what are you waiting for?” he sibilated.
 
Silence. Even the mage’s awry mind had stilled. It unnerved his opponent while ash and flame-lit leaves began to fall in twinkling pieces like rain that had been been turned to glowing jades. Time around them was Tearen’s focus, within the slowed rain of flames the onset of battle regained its pace, this time, with the god-mind stealing the upper hand. With that, Gildarts knew.

Instead of doing what usually won him a battle, Gildarts worked to peel his eyes off of Tearen and spoke a truth he’d never admitted before, “Illidan, I cannot do this alone.”

Illidan remained motionless and a quizzical expression wove on his brow. Gildarts keenly nodded to his ally, the plan was unspoken, just wisps of it were thought. As their partnership had started in the nebulous city streets, he would open the door and Illidan would strike.
 
Gildarts raised his palm and cast forth a strong release of wrathful magic. Tearen’s heels dug in, as though deflecting or dodging out of the way of most of the blow. “What, you think you can stop me with something as petty as that?”
 
Above, the splitting tree branch and flaming mulch crashed down, wooden boughs becoming bars of an emerald torched cage. Pinning their enemy as the enchanted flames crawled up Tearen’s clothes while the god-mind struggled, trapped under the grip of a flaming skeletal hand. Malon thrust the fire off of Tearen very quickly with a cast of mocked magic, with the gust, the flame eating his flesh was cast out.
 
“ENOUGH!” the god-mind projected into the minds of all and then he pointed at the two who stood, declaring, “Fall to your knees!”
 
 
 
 
 

798 Words
Gildarts T1 power up has powered down. No SP was used this post.
 
Picking up from when neally kicked Gil in the kidney:
Humble Sage struck Gildarts’ inorganic arm with his “Dash of Frost Rime” and it leeched onto the magic in his body
Illidan used Felfire Bolt on Sage
Illidan used Fel Shock on Ghostie
Nealaphh used Mind Surge on Malon to defibrillate her mind back into consciousness, and it seemed to work *without any of the negative downsides or damage,* as contained by Nealaphh, who would never wish that agony on her, nor would he allow it. (Checked with Tearen to make sure and he said that it was an inventive use of the move and something that would likely be done).
Scenic: There is a green fire in the canopy of the trees that are still left, THANKS ILLIDAN, Sage don’t sacrifice the trees just because you don’t wanna burn alive, remember smokey the bear)
Tearen charges Spontaneity in Patience but does not deploy it my move
Gildarts used Wall at the same time as Illidan used Push on the elf-fire lit tree branches above, the fire falls on Tearen and Malon will use Mimicked push (or wall) to get it off of him without damaging herself.
Illidan rises and for his Finale uses Obsessive Complex Insertion. I leave it up to the next person to decide what explodes in their minds! (also you can opt out of this for another move I wasn’t specific as to effects) Have fun making Gil and Illidan afraid of fire or someshit.
 
 
Writing SN: **As such, they as a duo have opted to unite their battle styles and magic to defeat people rather than remain more solo, this change was implied in the text, but may be portrayed as such too. If you don’t want to write it this way that’s fine too.**
 
Small SN to the audience: I did see that Tearen used a detonating move last round but Gildarts was also wobbly and pmuch crying on the ground eating soil to muffle his pain so I just opted not to show it. It likely hit Tearen before/after he plunged into Malon’s mind. Gildarts really didn’t witness it.

[Little Ghost]

1. Hi, Little Ghost here. Due to Malon's medical trip and resulting 4-5 hours of being able to post, she and I will switch places in the posting order. Given Karl's earlier acceptance of Malon posting absolutely last (provided all peeps after her in the post order accept it), I believe this should be fine?

2. I'm assuming the last line in Gildart's combat simplification quote was about Tearen and not Illidan, bringing it in line what the IC text in the post is saying.

Rocketing through the forest, head over heels, Little Ghost's world was a blur of dirt, bark, leaves, and the crackling neon green of the Felfire Shock. The pain, bearable after the first searing spike, diminished further as Little Ghost crashed another shrubbery and became manageable. Right, back to $%!#! WORK THEN! Pure Nail in icepick grip, toughened claws, and strengthened talons sequentially shot down into the fertile soil. Like ploughs they scared the ground while arresting momentum and after a rough two seconds the battered little bug had come to a crouching halt. The Demon Hunter was strong, his body, posture, and general demeanour screamed danger. But he was also an impatient, absolutely massive prick! Little Ghost fumed in his lonesome. Whelp, he said? Treated like a projectile? Discarded, like some broken toy! Yeah, no, the dark and knife-eared one was getting bisected first.

Once again light gathered around Little Ghost, a pale glow that was lost in the blazing lime flames that were spreading through the canopies. This fire put them all on a time limit, but for now it would serve as a useful camouflage. If luck willed it, perhaps he would find a nicely fel-cooked tapir on his way out? Tensing, the slight glow became an aura of pale white as he was ready, and Little Ghost was off as quick as his little legs could carry him. A slightly circular path through the lower and not yet burning branches was necessary to not emerge from the almost hole he had shot through, taking him clear above the onrushing tide courtesy of Gildarts.


In the now wet clearing things were not looking all too bright for the Gillidan alliance. Earning the ire of the Black Glass was a perilous position, one which required swift repayment lest one be subject to considerable interest. At this point their debts were due. Though the God-Mind's eyes shone a baleful white, a psychic assault was not the result. Instead planetary forces tore at them, gravity bending to Tearen's will to keep both fairy mage and night elf in place. Malon! came the telepathic call and the 'waif' answered readily, per previously constructed stratagems. Malon was to follow Tearen's effort to stop enemy movements by strong ranged attacks using her mimicry. At this moment it was something she could barely keep concentrating on, due to fatigue. But a God-Mind on your side acting as a focusing beacon of Will and Might would make anyone more coherent and wilful than usual. Instinctual understanding echoed through Malon's mind and Snake threw her hand out at the captured enemies, roaring "CRASH!"

Gildarts' eyes widened at the use of his magic, struggling more fiercely under the weight. He knew the danger presented. Illidan likewise picked up on the effort the bandana bandit had expended, his enchanted sight seeing the magic poured into the attack more acutely than witnessing the ground simply break in its passing. Her power unleashed almost caused another collapse, but Malon remained standing and focused as blades of force cut into Illidan's runed flesh and etching into Gildarts' sturdier physique. Not yet, More, GREATER! The roar dipped in pitch as Malon summoned reserves she had been unaware of, tapping into her second wind! Tearen Wover noticed this and prepared further contribution to the onslaught, ready to let Malon rest, when a suddenly resmerging Reynold placed a charged flame punch to Tearen's right kidney, its charging crackle lost to the flames dripping from above. "I'M NOT DEAD YET!" the Sage yelled with uncharacteristic fervour, burning life to fuel his surge in power. Tearen found himself caught between two awful options, one unthinkable. To lose concentration on the Gravity Distortion at this juncture meant leaving Malon exhausted and at mercy to both Gildarts and Illidan. The Sage had correctly identified a weakness and it made Tearen furious!

Into this absolute pandemonium flew Little Ghost, bursting from the trees behind Tearen and Snake like shot from a cannon. An instant of eye contact with Reynold, and he continued. His spurred arm carved shallow lines of red onto Snake's back as she was knocked down, concentration broken. His other wielded the ancient weapon with furious drive, born from reliving his initial disposal, pouring his all into merged Nail Arts. Great Strike joined Quick Slash for bisecting Illidan.

But the anomaly failed, Tearen now focused on the Shallotian. Illidan's honed mind saved him, suffering another shallow body slash like those of the mimicked Crash!. Growling, nearly apoplectic, he found his target gone with a mighty smack. Because of Gildarts' greater understanding of Gravity Magics and his resilience, shrugging off its effects far swifter, a timed punch had struck true, powerful enough that Gildarts noticed strange black fluid on his knuckles, discharged from smoking cracks in Little Ghost's thorax.

Ok, second ever OV combat post.
Post sitting at 799 words as per wordcounter.net

[start]

Little Ghost regains movement control and is pissed off, specifically by Illidan.
He charges Great Strike and uses Super Jump to reenter the clearing at an oblique angle via the lower branches.

[scene break]

Tearen is pissed, but uses Gravity Distortion to pin Illidan and Gildarts in place.

Malon/Snake uses a mimicked Crash! on the sitting ducks, sneakily charged while Illidan and Gildarts focused on Tearen.

Humble Sage Interrupt! Gout of Embers kidney shot! Tearen is enraged!

LITTLE GHOST BURST MOVEMENT INTERRUPT?!? Tunnel vision aimed at Illidan, lightly scrapes the tired Malon/Snake with Mantis Claw Token in passing.

Malon/Snake lost focus!

LITTLE GHOST USES GREAT STRIKE + QUICK SLASH!!!

Tearen lost focus, Gravity Disruption fails!

Illidan does the bob, sway, and weave! It's partially effective! Illidan is lightly hit.

Gildarts used Punch, IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!

Little Ghost is injured! Little Ghost was sent flying!

[post end]

All in all, Little Ghost is on his way back where he started. Battered and bruised, flying through the air.

Next up: Malon or Illidan?

[Tamsin Suzaku]

Despite the safety of the location, Tamsin spent an uneasy night at the logging camp, having prepared herself bedding in one of the shacks that had an intact roof. Though the temperatures became somewhat more bearable, the humidity continued to be thick enough to choke on. The tension and stress over the competition and her general situation in the Omniverse had also taken their toll on her nerves, making it difficult to sleep. Then again, she thought to herself, it was also the first night in a long while that she had been entirely alone. By the time daybreak came — bringing with it another dreary day that matched her mood — she had only managed to gain little rest.

Fortunately, at least she had little to worry about when it came to supplies. Befitting the state of the encampment, there was a large amount of canned food and medical supplies to be found in the storage are and elsewhere. And while the near constant rain did make it difficult to traverse the landscape, it also ensured that the two large cisterns in the camp were constantly brimming with water that the inhabitants could use. However, the maid still went through the effort of starting a fire in the fireplace in order to boil the water first. Though she was reasonably certain it was not contaminated, given the emphasis Syntech seemed to place on 'authenticity', she did not want to face the possibility of suffering dysentery.

The servant had just finished eating a meager meal and refreshing herself when her tablet began to beep. Having spent a bit of time familiarising herself with its various functions the previous evening, she was able to discover that it was the Island-17 app that was drawing attention to itself. It alerted her of another shipment of items that were going to be dropped on the island. The girl stared at the tablet screen thoughtfully, the thought that she was going to have to venture out and take risks if she was to accomplish anything at the back of her mind. Almost as if it was beckoning her, the rain outside briefly ceased . She wasn't going to get another chance like this.

She filled her knapsack with rations and medical supplies before stepping out into the open world once more. Bracing herself with a deep breath, the cool morning air filling her lungs, she confirmed the route towards her new destination before setting off on her first item hunt. Prepared or not, her competition was not resting. Neither could she.

Tamsin moving from Safe House B to B13.

[Karl Jak]

End Day 2 – Early Morning

Begin Day 2 – Morning (6 AM to 12 PM, since people were discussing this in the box recently)

This phase ends at 4:30 CDT on June 20th

[Illidan Stormrage]

You're failing ...
 
Illidan's blazing eyes traced the arc of the insectoid creature as it careened back towards the trees, courtesy of Gildarts.
 
Give in to the power ... submerge yourself in it ... bend to our will ...
 
The ethereal claws tapped on Stormrage's spine, the sulphuric voice scratching in his head. The demons felt him drawing power from their eldritch dimension, felt the fury and the frustration whirling about his mind, and recognised an opportunity, as they always did.
 
Illidan breathed deep through his nostrils. His arcane tattoos flashed emerald, the shine intensifying as he held the air in his lungs. Grunting, the breath passed through clenched teeth. The runes carved into his skin pulsed and lit, as did the verdant stars of his eyes, light filtering through the blindfold.
 
The demons would never stop their questing for his will, but they would never have it. Indeed, their desperate scrabbling always brought something to Illidan's attention; he was losing focus. The fel energies suffused his body, his mind controlling the flow and viscosity of the unholy might. His one, centring breath hounded the blinding rage from his presence, leaving him with concentrated vengeance.
 
"Gildarts," Illidan rasped, taming the heady tonic of demonic magic. "These two," pointing at the bandana-clad human and the green-eyed creature, "are working in unison. We must focus on them; the others are a distraction. The woman seems to be a weak spot for the other. If we can disable her, we will have an advantage."
 
"And how do we do that?" Gildarts asked.
 
"I will act as a distraction." Illidan glanced over his shoulder. "The rest is up to you."
 
The night elf dashed forward, questing for the woman.
 
A blue bolt of energy sizzled out of nowhere and splashed against Illidan's thigh. A magical constriction coursed down his leg and partially into the other, requiring the demon hunter to struggle for even basic footsteps. Turning, he spotted the progenitor the attack, a salt-and-pepper haired human wielding a cane, who quickly advanced towards him. The bandana-clad human furrowed her brow, ready to capitalise on Illidan's situation.
 
Illidan threw down his warglaives, and clenched both fists. Black smoke swirled about his right as the woman closed the distance, her sickles stained with the night elf's blood. The smoke solidified into swarming snakes of energy, and Illidan thrust his hand out, unleashing them in a writhing arrow. They found their mark, squirming all over the woman's body and drawing her limbs together. In her surprise she fell to the ground, fighting the hold of the shadow binds that cinched her body taut.
 
A rattling strike collided with Illidan's temple, and the whole world went fuzzy. His multi-directional sight registered a blurred man withdrawing his cane and lashing out with it again. Illidan lifted his right hand to catch the next blow but missed. The staff smacked him in the throat, forcing a stuttered choke from the night elf's mouth.
 
Rage quickly aligned his nebulous state of mind. As the cane swept towards him again, Illidan's forearm coated in viridian electricity. Shoving the limb forward, a bolt of lightning exploded and crashed into the middle-aged human, the shockwave blasting him off his feet and flying backwards, his cane spinning comically after him.
 
The bandana-clad woman yelled and burst free of the inky ropes as they disintegrated in pieces around her. The feeling returned to Illidan's legs and he sprinted for her, ripping his warglaives from the earth with his telekinesis and drawing them to his hands. She wielded her sickles, ready to go another round with him.
 
"Ready!" Gildarts shouted.
 
Illidan smirked. "Do it!"
 
The demon hunter bounded into the air, somersaulting over his quarry. Her eyes followed him for a moment, but shot away when the earth cracked and splintered around her feet. A crunch boomed from her as she slammed onto hands and knees, straining.
 
"She'll be busy for a while," Gildarts called out. "Go!"
 
Illidan gave his ally a curt nod as he alighted on his bare feet, warglaives shimmering in the light of the felfire that still ravaged the trees around them. His magical sight washed over the green eyed creature before him, the demonic flames dancing above him in the branches of the forest. The wind rustled through the canopy, picking immolating leaves from their trees and showering them over the battlefield. A sprinkling of flaming verdant motes floated before them both, ash snaking in the gaps between.
 
"You think any of this will stop me?" Illidan's enemy said, extending arms to the dazzling conflagration engulfing them.
 
The night elf stabbed a warglaive into the earth and lifted his hand to his blindfold. Fingers released the knot at its back, and the ages-old cloth descended, revealing felfire eyes.
 
"No. But I will."

Sorry, got caught up in my post and forgot this bit!
800 words exactly.
Sage hits Illidan with Dash of Frost-Rime, slowing him down.
Illidan uses Shadow Binds on Malon, tieing her up.
Sage uses Perturbing Strike on Illidan, and hits him again with his Dueling Cane.
Illidan blasts Sage away with Fel Shock.
Malon breaks out of Shadow Binds.
Gildarts uses Atlas on Malon, disabling her.
Illidan brandishes his TBoA and is ready to attack Tearen.

[Tamsin Suzaku]

Trekking once again across the fields of tree stumps, the maid pondered about the information she was able to gather from the Syntech device the previous evening. Though the sheer amount of data available on the vast network called the Dataverse was difficult to wade through and process — particularly as there appeared to be an oddly overwhelming amount of cat pictures — it was still an incredibly useful tool that helped her come to understand some of the fundamentals she was still lacking.

She shook her head. Even after all she had witnessed since arriving in this world, it was still difficult to comprehend just how much of an amalgamation of creatures and concepts the Omniverse truly was. A place where peasants and kings of yesteryear could conceivably stand side-by-side with modern day citizens, aliens and various supernatural entities — though it also appeared that they generally rarely intermingled, preferring to remain within their own societies and environments. While the world she came from was also incredibly diverse, it paled in comparison to Omni's creation. Truly, he must have reached into countless universes to have gathered so many various kinds of individuals in a single place.

Thinking about this matter reminded the silver-haired girl of her encounter with the two fairies, Cirno and Clownpiece. In hindsight, it amazed her that she did not find meeting them to be more unnerving than she did. The eccentric Cirno in particular should have caused the servant to be on high alert — and not solely because of the way she injured the Coruscant soldiers. The fairy reminded her of someone else, someone who also possessed strands of pale blue and wielded devastating powers of ice — someone who had vanquished both her and her master in this same kind of event. But then, Tamsin felt no resentment towards that person, as they too were someone who had been pressed into a contest of death by circumstance. Perhaps that is why Cirno did not incite a negative reaction from the maid — perhaps she understood that the fairy originally had no ill intent.

The young woman raised her head as the rain came again, falling on her head like a melody. Shaking off the droplets that had been gathering on her head, she ran forward to reach the shelter of the trees.

Tamsin moving from B13 to B5.

[Gamzee Makara]

Yeah it was certainly starting to get forest-y. There was no subtle change or growth in the amount of plant life it was just like BLAM in your face kid you're in the motherfuckin' woods now. It was kinda scary actually. Gamzee wondered whether it was naturally this way or if one landscape was like, gradually soaking up the other or like if maybe-

*Beepbeep beepbeep*

Huh. Guess that means there's an item in the rain forest. The alien yawns and pulls the pad back into view. It wasn't long before he found an adequate chunk of wood to use as a staff for his shitty leg, increasing his morale and his movement speed in troves. The thing was beeping. He was walking. Gamzee could only assume that meant he was going in the right direction. Again, he had to stress that he had no motherfucking idea how to actually read the map, only that beeping meant good stuff was ahead.

So ahead he went. Slipping and tripping and rolling on almost every damn overgrown root and rock in the entire damned forest. It wasn't a pleasant stroll like the one through the hilly area of the island, though it was certainly more breathtakingly beautiful. Flowers, vines, and even colorful amphibians and reptiles could be found every now and then. Gamzee would love to stop and smell the poisonous things, but poison doesn't make for a very happy clown. In fact, not many things make for a happy clown. One could theoretically argue what makes a clown happy and sad, but to do that one must understand that clowns are masters of both of those emotions. One feeds off of the other eternally.

It's a vicious cycle, bro. Downright just motherfuckin' vicious.

Gamzee passes a small river of pristine, babbling water. Heh. Babbling water. Who knew water could talk?

Moving B1 -> B2

[Tamsin Suzaku]

Greeted by the buzz and droning of the rainforest's many inhabitants, the servant discovered that the fauna at this location was far more prevalent than it was near the scene of the battle she had heard in the southern parts of the zone. She pondered how that battle might have turned out — though, for all she knew, it might have still been ongoing. The girl deliberately ventured far north of where the commotion originally came from, not wanting to risk running into the participants of the encounter quite yet. Her goal was still ways away.

As she proceeded further into the depths of the forest, the trees appeared to stand closer together and the undergrowth became even thicker and more tangled. Even as the maid cut her way through with her crescent-shaped knives, her progress continued to be slow and gruelling. The loud noises surrounding her did not make the journey any more bearable — being acutely aware of the fact that the local wildlife was observing this uninvited guest among their midst was unsettling enough. The idea that among the eyes watching was a hostile, ready to pounce upon an unsuspecting target, was even more so.

Suzaku did her best to venture forward, now aware from personal experience that the rainforest would become even more unpleasant to wander in once midday came. Boldly slashing and striding forward, she knew that she would find the edge of the island any moment now.

And she did....as her next step found nothing but thin air and she bore witness to the steep precipice that lead to treacherous waters below.

'KIYAAAAAA!!!' the young woman screamed out as she felt herself plunging forward. Hastily striking the nearest hanging tree with her blade, she barely managed to redirect her momentum sideways and slow down her fall. The knife almost slipped out of the hardened wood and sealed her untimely demise, but she rammed the other knife into the trunk more firmly just in time, keeping her position steady as she hung in mid-air. Her heart pounding, she hastily climbed her way upwards until she was able to comfortably swing around and find solid ground once more.

Cursing herself for her carelessness, the maid took a brief respite to calm herself. Once she was able to gather her thoughts, she proceeded north along the cliff side, this time much more warily.

Tamsin moving from B5 to B6.

[Gamzee Makara]

Gamzee had the fortune of being able to follow the river to his destination. It just so happened to flow in the direction he was walking and the tablet just happened to keep beepin' in the way that it was....

beeping.

Every so often Gamzee would stop and lean on his new make shift staff, taking in the sights and sounds and smells of a rain forest. The troll had never experienced so much greenery at once before. The sheer abundance and variety of life and just things existing in general was almost overpowering. The thickness of this zone rivaled that of the tangled green. Everything was just so green. Occasionally, Gamzee had to chase away thoughts of that disgusting swill he used to have to swallow. The slime, brother, it haunted him to this day. All kinds of nastiness surrounded his thoughts when it came to the slime.

The easiest way to turn his mind away from all that nasty green was to stare into the water. It was such a natural, clear sort of blue. The juggalo found it very clearing and...sobering. A poor choice of words to be sure, but accurate nonetheless.

God he was sweating his make-up off. He dragged the back of his wrist across his forehead, wiping the perspiration away. Nahhh, just kidding. His war paint was basically glued to his face. Quite frankly, now that he was all perspirin' and profilin' and itchin' in all this damned humidity, that shit was hella annoying and irritating and everything else that vaguely sounds like those words.

Gamzee missed Karkat, in times like these. Karkat knew a thing or twenty about annoying things. Maybe he could even show Gamzee how to properly be grouchy and grumpy? Would the lovable oaf even be capable of such emotions?

Nah, probably not. Just happy and sad, for the clowns.

The troll shrugs off all these nasty feelings and can't help but notice that his Syntech Tablet was making quite the racket. He must be somewhere near the item.

Moving from B2 -> B4 Searching for Item

[Tamsin Suzaku]

Travelling near the edge of the island, Tamsin's progress became even more sluggish. Not only did she have to exercise caution in order to avoid another mishap like the one she had suffered before, the terrain at the edge was hazardous for a humanoid being. The intertwined rocks, vines and roots made every step a great risk, a moment of carelessness potentially leading to a snapped ankle. A potentially fatal disability in an environment full of predators.

With her movement requiring this much attention, the maid was only able to check the map on her tablet if she stopped dead in her tracks and made certain her footing was not uneven — in this kind of situation, even a minor slip would have been devastating. The only silver lining in the whole affair was that she at least didn't have to worry about heat. The sea breeze from nearby kept the air pleasantly cool, making the humidity somewhat more tolerable.

As the landscape began to slope downwards, it remained difficult to traverse. However, the vegetation also became more sparse, providing wider routes that the maid could navigate easier. It was a fortunate development as the beeping of the electronic device became more incessant —the location if the item drop was near.

As her descent continued on, the girl's breathing became more unsteady — and not merely from exhaustion. With each passing step towards her objective, she became more tense, her imagination flaring up at the idea of what dangers might lurk at her destination. There was always the possibility that she would manage to arrive before any of the other contestants and avoid a fight, but given just how quickly the stakes have been increasing, that seemed a rather unlikely prospect.

For a moment, hesitation gripped her heart. But it was far too late to turn back at this point. If she was to accomplish her goal — if she was to find her master — she would have to face this. For a moment, an image of a person appeared in her mind — a woman in an elegant kimono, her black hair neatly gathered with a bun pointing outwards, her visage always full of dignity and poise.

'Mother...wherever you are...give me strength,' Tamsin muttered under her breath as the ground finally flattened enough for her to begin running. Pushing aside any thoughts that would cause her to waiver, she rushed to reach the drop site, the constant sound of the mobile computer indicating it was within reach.

Tamsin moving from B6 to B4.

Tamsin searches for item drop.

[Gamzee Makara]

Gamzee's little locator stops going all cray cray for just a moment, the beeping noise gradually sputtering out and going silent.

Hm.

The clown really wasn't sure what that could possibly mean, but if he had to guess, he'd say the damn thing was out of batteries. He banged the stupid tablet against his palm a few times, trying to knock some energy back into the thing. He does this for a few moments, before realizing that the tablet was just fine and that the silence probably meant the item was broken or scooped up or just generally out of his reach. Annoying, but eh, it's whatever. Gamzee simply turned around and started moving back in the direction he came, once again following the river.

Something about this little creek made him really happy. Like it was just so small and unassuming, yaknow? He could literally just hop right over it. It wasn't very wide at all, yet still so very captivating and pure. Plus, if he focused hard enough to shut out all the other noises of the forest, he could hear just the movement of the water across the stony riverbed below. It was a very therapeutic sound, one that cleared his head and gave him something to focus on other than the greenery.

Every now and then, small animals would skitter across his path. A snake, a frog, some little furry creatures he didn't know the name of. Just random lil' dudes. He was sure that there were some behind him, above him, and all around him as well. There was such an abundance of life in this forest, and it was just all in all giving the troll a really nice vibe. Life back on Alternia was really spread out for the most part. They had cities, but Gamzee had never been to one and always heard that they were cramped. Everything in this forest just seemed so free.

Moving from B4 -> B3 to await the item drop. Item Search for when it shows up.

[The Humble Sage]

The Sage flew through the air, body wracked with eldritch electricity. Luck or fate intercepted his path with a tangle of thick vines, though his initial relief was offset by the difficulty of regaining his mobility. The Sage dropped to the ground with a nimbleness born of pure necessity. If he stopped fighting now, he would die. No words would change that fact.

The Sage took stock as he raced back towards the battle. Already, he could feel the borrowed power ebbing as he neared his opponents. Tearen seemed locked in battle with the demon hunter and the little insect was slowly stumbling out of the jungle, looking down at its thorax as an anxious-looking face materialized over its head. The small girl that Tearen had allied with was struggling to even stay on hands and knees, so strong was the pressure the crash mage was heaping upon her shoulders. That was hardly necessary, the girl was no threat to a mage as powerful as Gildarts. Power breeds arrogance. He thought retrieving his dueling cane.

“Arrogance will be your undoing, mage!” The Sage shouted, charging towards Gildarts, only to have his assault rebuffed by the strongest prime’s magic. With a grunt, he turned his backwards flight into a flip. Landing, he brought his momentum back around, this time sweeping the dueling cane towards the mage’s legs. Gildarts easily hopped backwards, but before he could prepare a counter, the bibliomancer advanced.

“You prefer to fight an old man, then?” the Sage taunted, anything he could do to draw exclusive attention. The red-headed warrior seemed to be slowing down, but even with the vestiges of his borrowed power, the Sage was barely able to match the mage. He continued to press the attack, switching styles, changing tactics mid-sequence, every effort he could to keep the mage off balance. He landed several blows, but Gildart’s trained instincts dulling those strikes he could not dodge. The Sage had to keep him on the defensive, he couldn’t afford to take more blows from the crash mage. Not if he was getting off this island in one piece.

The Sage struck left, switching grips on the dueling cane when Gildarts blocked the blow. He quickly jabbed the pole at the mage’s face, but his momentum froze as Gildarts closed his metal fist around the cane, stopping the strike inches from his face.

The Sage hesitated for just a second before rekindling the flame in his hand, but it proved to be too long. With a slight grunt of effort, the hardened wood of the dueling cane splintered into pieces in the mage’s hand. That’s it. The Sage thought, I’ve lost. But he refused to stop fighting. With a speed and strength built of pure defiance, the Sage lit the broken end of the cane with his fire, and stabbed it forward, into the wizard’s face.

Gildarts gave a bellow of rage and a strong arm came up and around, striking the Sage on the shoulder and buckling his knees. He fell where he stood as the mage stumbled backwards, both hands to his face. The Sage struggled to get up, as he noticed Tearen launching away Illidan with his power. The Night elf crashing through foliage, the insect scurrying after him to capitalize on its advantage.

Gildarts was almost recovered from the surprise attack, but he had yet to regain his fighting composure. The Sage’s left knee refused to respond to his efforts and the best he could manage was to struggle up onto hands and knees, trembling from adrenaline. Tearen turned to face the three of them, and the Sage mentally prepared for the ex-enigma to blast Gildarts and himself while they were unprepared.

Instead the God-mind raced towards where they had been fighting a moment ago, helping Malon get back to her feet after so long trapped beneath Gildarts’ gravity magic. As he did so, Gildarts had at last recovered from the unexpected assault, and without a word raced toward the unprepared Tearen. The Sage grunted with pain as he raised himself up onto his knees. He quickly spun and released a set of bolas catching one leg and knocking it into the other, tripping up the strongest prime.

Gildarts cried out in surprise, but managed to keep his balance as his magic reached down to shred the thin cords that wrapped his shins. His window had closed however, and Gildarts looked up to see Tearen and Malon already recovered, prepared to press the attack while no other combatants where close enough to interfere.

My gift to you, Wover. The Sage thought emphatically, relatively certain the God-mind had not ceased his telepathy when asked. If you are to spread your message, then you must survive this fight. The Sage sank back to the ground.

800 words according to MS word.

Sage's power-up has worn out, though the soldier pill is still in effect.

Stats have changed as follows:
ATK: 4 --> 2
DEF: 4 --> 4
SPD: 5 --> 3
TEQ: 7 --> 6


Sage gets mad at Gildarts and attacks.
Gildarts uses parry.
Sage's higher TEQ lets him keep Gildarts on the defense while he uses dueling cane a BUNCH.

Gildarts gets fed up and uses Shatter (it doesn't usually work on prime weapons, but I felt it was too good a response not to do it.)
Sage freaks out and uses Perturbing strike to avoid getting rekt. (he still gets walloped for his efforts though.)

Tearen uses telekinesis to get rid of Illidan (and Little Ghost rushes to follow up.)
He opts to help Malon instead of hitting Gil and Sage while they're recovering.
This impresses Sage who uses bola shot to prevent Gildarts from getting the drop on Tearen.

Sage is more or less now satisfied that Tearen isn't a terrible person. His goal in the fight is pretty much achieved. He won't really be trying to pick a fight any more, though he will defend people who are in over their heads. (plus he's not announcing this to anyone so I imagine there are still some people who will want to get some revenge or something.)

Thanks for an awesome fight everyone!

[Simon]

The next few kilometers went by uneventfully. Batman's plan called for swift movement, and so they wasted little time- Dante even refused to have his wounds dressed, insisting no small scrapes like this would slow him down. Doubts hung in the air about that statement, but Tony Redgrave had an image to keep up. He would just have to favor his right arm a bit more for a while.

In due time, the pair of grim fighters crossed the threshold from the foothills of Zone E back into the logging site of Zone B. It would technically be the third time Dante had been here, but that didn't make the prospect particularly nostalgic. The devil double-checked everything, slamming new magazines into his handguns, pumping new shells into Terminator. He had to be prepared for anything and everything, especially considering how vulnerable the damage would make him.

"Expecting another fight so soon?" The black cowl asked, eyeing the routine maintenance with some trepidation.

Redgrave let out a noise in response, some unholy cross between a snort and a scoff. "More than ever."

Batman rescinded his concern, finding some merit to the answer. Those fairies had practically come out of nowhere, almost strictly to ruin their day- were it not for the interference of that medieval warrior, the last-minute alliance of cowl and coat might've walked away with something more than their newfound injuries.

As they paced through clouds of stumps and walls of untrimmed logs, the unlikely alliance of Dante and Batman stuck together. What burned brighter than any desire to survive and win was a sense of camaraderie. However cheesy it sounded, it was the truth: the vigilante fondly recalled his former Justice League, and the devil hunter his rag-tag posse of gun-toting mercenaries. The company each of them found themselves in now was a far cry from home, but so was everything else in the Omniverse.

It would have to do.

Current party: Dante, Batman
Moving from B12 to B10

[Karl Jak]

End Day 2 - Morning

Begin Day 2 - Afternoon (12 pm to 6 pm)

This phase began 3 hours ago and will run until 430 PM CDT on June 21st

[Gamzee Makara]

And just like that, another package just for him. This one was in rather beat up cardboard box, with the words 'for whichever idiot may find this, I hope it finds you terribly' written on a little note stuck to the side with tape. Gamzee opens it up, and pockets his newest find.

*grrrwwlll*

Ah, fuck. He swear he just ate. What was this shit? Gamzee puts a hand on his belly, trying to soothe its rumblin-

Huh. That's weird. His tummy was not rumbly. Come to think of it, he really wasn't that hungry either.

fwsh-shwif

Something was padding ever so softly along behind Gamzee. A little rustle, here and there, a little disturbance in the bushes, there and here. Something was following him. He could no longer here the twitter of birds or the croaking of frogs or the chirping of insects. Just silence, as if the jungle itself was waiting for something interesting to happen - and then something interesting happened. Gamzee turns around, eyes scanning for any sort of disturbances in the Mirth, only to be greeted by a pair of luminous yellow eyes, not unlike his own.

"...Sup," Gamzee says, with a friendly little wave.

Rawr, says the jaguar, as it bursts through the fu- OH HOLY SHIT!

Suddenly, the music of life and nature return to the forest as a jungle cat begins his chase. The injured High Blood takes off at a dead sprint, or as much as he can with his leg as numbed as it was. He was practically using his staff to pole vault across the terrain, not unlike one of the monkeys that often played in the canopies above. He ignores the biting, cringe-inducing grating feeling of his knee threatening to lock up and takes off at a sprint, not sure where he's going just hopping and treading and juking and spinning and *WHUMPF*

He is sent tumbling down a natural drop off, banging his head on every branch, root, and tree trunk possible on his way down. His spinning world finally comes to a slow yet dizzying stop at the bottom of a rather large incline. He lies flat on his back, pack and staff beside him, staring up at the clouds. The jaguar peers over the 50 foot drop, and decides that this particularly lanky morsel was not worth the trouble.

Gamzee sits straight up, promptly bonking his head on yet another item drop. This one's parachute got tangled in the branches above, and was dangling from the tree like a prize at a carnival game.

Moving from B3 to B9, initiating another Item search.

[Simon]

The unlikely duo quickly left the logging facility in their wake, beginning the trudge through the thick tropical forest. The ever-present rain and humidity proved much more intense within the suffocation of plant-life.

Dante didn't personally like it- the environment just made everything damp and squishy and tough to wash out. The devil hunter couldn't say for sure how Batman (geez, that was still a dumb name) felt on the matter, considering how he wore that determined scowl as firmly as he did the face mask.

The black-cowl vigilante pulled out the digital slate again, re-affirming their destination. Just because this drop was closer to where they had come from didn't mean someone else might try and go for it. The tracker indicated they should be close, and all the two of them had to do was press on and grab it. And if there happened to be someone else there by that time, red and black would be prepared to fight.

"Get ready," Batman announced, seizing the hem of his cape and wiping off the droplets spattering onto the screen. "That item's already arrived at this point. We're going to get it, no matter what."

"Right," Dante replied in anticipation, right hand on Rebellion and the left on Ivory. It was unlikely shooting a pistol with the hunter's dumb arm would deal any notable damage, but he didn't trust that same arm to handle the brunt of Terminator, either.

Above the clamoring ambience of the forest, the shrill scream of fizzlers sang out, growing gradually louder. A tell-tale warning to the fall of a care package, as the two of them had both witnessed. They redoubled the pace, pushing through rampant foliage and over fallen trees. Breaking through the last clump of trees, both fighters witnessed the semi-clearing the package had landed in.

As well as the troll currently looting from the box.

He turned at the new rustling behind him, clearly out of fear of some wild animal. Just his luck that he only ended up with the shock of something worse. "OH FUCKING SHIT," the bloodied limping grey-skin cried out, and probably would've jumped ten feet in the air if his weak leg allowed it.

"Don't make this harder than it has to be," Batman began, stepping forward with a throwing star brandished. "We just want that item-"

"Aaah- ahaha, really-?" The troll blubbered out, somewhere between laughing and crying. Possibly both. He held out the spoils of the container in one hand, shaky hands threatening to drop it. "J-just take it, man! I've been through enough crap today, and I just had breakfast!"

The black cowl wasted no time stepping forward and swiping the item away. Dante, meanwhile, found the humiliated creature to be somewhat... compelling. Rather like Graowr, if she were more vulgar and also even more ridiculous. Whatever the case, the troll definitely did look like he'd been through hell, what with the numerous cuts and bruises alongside the swollen, useless leg. Perhaps it was compassion, or maybe something else entirely, but the son of Sparda wanted to see this kid through.

"Hey," Dante stepped forward, offering his damaged, numb arm. "You're not gonna keep going on your own with damage like that, are ya?"

The grey-skinned gremlin looked inquisitively at the man, cocking his head with a dopey expression. "Is-... is that an offer to roll with you?"

Dante and Batman move from B10 to B9. Recruiting Gamzee.