Duel:Jaxson v Kreekitaka, Match 8 of the 2023 Titans of Winter Tournament
Duelists: Jaxson vs Kreekitaka Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 20 minute posting limit. Stakes: Standard, autohit delivered by winner with allowance for final reply. Judges: Orikahn, Kasyr, and Quintessa.
Grand Cenrili Arena
Fully restored, this grand Arena appears to be the focal point of Cenrili entertainment. Marble Columns and arches awe and amaze your eyes as you enter through one of the two large archways, iron gates are swung open on either side permitting entry. Your eyes fall on some of the ancient stone seats that have been lined with soft material in specially sealed off areas for the well off.
Jaxson steps into the arena through the long walkway from where he had been previously stationed. The Cenrillian noble had volunteered last minute to replace a contestant who had dropped out due to unforeseen events and was lucky enough to be ready, willing and a bit familiar with this entire setup. Add in being a local, and well, he just fit right in. As the Mayor of Cenril announces each combatants names the sorcerer begins his walk out into the combat zone, his timing was as close to perfection as possible for just as Val finishes saying their names Jax comes into view and is welcomed by thunderous cheers and just as daunting boos from Kree fans. Garbed in a well-made dark blue long-coat, shirt and vest combo (as per his norm) the only difference seems to be instead of dress pants he opted for protective leather leggings and instead of his wingtip shoes he has a pair of well gripped combat boots. One could look good and still be battle ready, yeah? The spellslinger’s eyes look out about the crowd for a moment to take it all in, nothing ever like being in front of a home crowd, the feeling was almost electrical. And so, after a fair share of moments playing up the crowd, tossing winks towards maidens and salutes towards friends, the chosen of the Sea Primordial and Heir of the Ravencroft legacy takes his place to await the mayor’s announcement of the challenge, the anticipation building as the pre battle nerves build just as much as the excitement does. A gleam in the man’s eyes could be seen if one looked closely...
Kreekitaka is here, though it's nearly impossible to see him from the stands. The uyeer is a scant three inches tall--a lingering consequence of the tragedy for which this tournament is raising funds to repair. Maybe some of that will go to restoring Kree's usual size, maybe not. One thing, however, is certain. He's not here alone. Resting on the ground below him, its enormous wings shimmering in the afternoon sun, is a creature of impossible size. Vast fields of feathery scales drift lightly up and down, shooting dazzling blue sparkles around the arena. A limb larger than Kree lazily brushes one of its antennae as Radiance Of Kings idly cleans itself--okay, alright, fine, it's impossibly large in comparison to Kree. In reality, it's a moth. An ice moth, from Frostmaw, built to withstand the cold, maybe a foot across. Kree raised this one from an egg, just like he would have any of the various dinosaurs he kept with him once before. Even though his size may have been diminished, his instinct to capture and ride large beasts into conflict has not, and despite his mount's delicate appearance he felt confident in the tricks it had up its sleeve.. He waved to the crowd and offered a salute to his opponent, but if he had anything to say it was utterly lost in the vast open space.
Valrae || “Contestants,” The mayor addressed the two in the center of the arena now, her eyes lingering on the Ravencroft heir for only a heartbeat. “Tonight,” As she spoke, the mages and witches that were often seen moving about to manipulate the arena took their places and filled the cold night air with the simmering promise of magic. Dark clouds heavy with snow gathered above them, releasing a flurry of heavy snow almost immediately. A thick sheet of black ice quickly grew over the arena floor. It was being covered quickly with fresh snowfall, making it even harder to find steady purchase on the floor. “You will battle amidst a Frostmawian snow storm.” But that wasn’t the only twist that awaited the pair. As the storm picked up in the center of the arena, Snowflake Imps were being released. Small white creatures that would blend seamlessly into the storm, waiting with meanly gleaming eyes and sharp teeth to devil the two contestants with the only goal of menacing and pain. While even one of the smaller beasts could pose a serious threat to an inexperienced traveler, a group of them could prove even more of a deadly challenge. “But be warned, you are not alone.” This was all Valrae offered them before dropping her hand. “Begin.”
Round One
Jaxson action‘s blue eyes watch as the magic that transforms the battlefield into a winter wonderland full of murderous imps and deathly slick black ice, admiration for such skill and use noted only briefly before things begin. Wasting no time, those cerulean eyes fall upon the miniscule form of Kree before the sorcerer takes a quick glance about and delves into his own arcane abilities to kick off tonight’s event. With a flourish of his wrist does his summon up the wyrd-wood wand he has been using as of late into his right hand, using it to carve articulate motions with the now illuminating tip to fashion upon the bottom of his boots some blades. Yes, since they would be in a rink, the man decides skating shall be his best form of transportation. A moment to catch his balance, gaze to settle upon his opponent and Jax tosses back both hands behind him and unleashes a powerful blast of magical energy to propel him forth with startling speed. Having grown up ice skating the man quickly finds his rhythm, placing foot after foot in proper sequence he glides forth smoothly towards the right end of the arena’s edge, and right towards two of those devilish imps whom await him with bewildered looks as if he had just delivered himself up like a Hollow door-dash! But, using his momentum and experience skating, the sorcerer brings himself to a sudden stop, sending a thick blanket of snow and ice shavings over the imps just as he brings his wand forward with a spell at the ready. The first is a stunning spell to immobilize his prey (the imps) before he’d then cast about them a levitation spell to have them hover above the ground several feet. The nobleman takes a moment to twirl the devils about for show and a single purpose: to really piss them off. Then, with a quick look over towards Kree (or more the moth in which he saw his opponent riding) the sorcerer hurls the imps towards his opponent. The imps travel through the snow filled air, and as they near their intended target Jaxson unleashes two final spells upon them: A multiplication charm, causing Kree to now face a furious horde of eight pissed off imps, as well as a release from the immobilization spell used previously to keep them in line. Rage fills the imps with murderous intent, and coming out of the chaos of Jax’s spell the first thing they see is a beautiful moth with a small creature that looks like dinner sitting atop it, and the horde descends upon the crustaceous warrior with primal ferocity.
Kreekitaka couldn't have felt more at home in this environment. Well, actually, he could have been underwater, but that wouldn't have done for Radiance Of Kings. Urging his mount up into the air, the blue moth left a trail of snowflakes behind it as its body leeched what little heat there was from the air around it. As his opponent began to cross the ice below him with a surge of impressive speed and agility, collecting a pile of those icy imps to fling right back at his face, Kree hauled out his jawblade and began rhythmically thumping it against his other claw. The weapon, which ordinarily would be an absolutely brutal warclub, was now little more than a serrated stinger--but its teeth had already been sharp before he'd been shrunken, and here at the scale of an insect his weapon had an edge fit to slice like an obsidian scalpel. Here came the imps, now multiplied, descending on him like a wave! Kree waited until the very last second, directing Radiance Of Kings to surround itself in a shell of hardened frost, and then activated the enchantment on his jawblade that released the kinetic energy he'd built up in it by hitting his arm. With a sound like a loud snapping of fingers, he hurled himself upward. The recoil launched his mount downward, leaving an empty space where the imps were about to collide. Comically, they'd crash into each other--except for one, who Kree crashed into before plunging the teeth of his jawblade into its hide and riding down its chest, flaying it alive as if he was pulling its skin open with a zipper. The sound of leather being torn in two echoed throughout the arena, and the sudden scent of blood awoke a primal frenzy in the imps, which turned to savage each other. Kree leaped off of the imp he'd just Pirates Of The Caribbean'd, tracking the limbs of each imp carefully and making sure he collided with them. Bam, kicked by one. Bonk, headbutted by another. Biff, a slap. With every hit, he felt himself rattled slightly, but doggedly he held on. It helped being so small--he had hardly any inertia and was able to change directions quickly. It also helped that he made sure to position his jawblade so that it could charge up more from these comparatively massive hits he was taking, rather than just his little ones. Finally ready, he landed in the palm of an imp just as it was preparing to slap its neighbor in the face, and used that motion to catapult him in Jaxson's direction, using the jawblade's explosion of force once again to fling him like a -bullet- directly at the man's exposed neck. Sure, maybe he couldn't strangle him with his claws--but having your jugular attacked with surgical precision wasn't exactly a picnic either.
Round Two
Jaxson tries to watch as best he can events unfold as the imps fell upon his foe, but the storm that was set upon them as part of the condition seems to only be getting worse and worse by the second. Tempestuous winds pick up, the clouds above grow darker and the snow falls heavier than before, creating an ever-growing darkness about the arena that makes sight further than a few feet out in front of oneself neigh impossible. But battle experience is a real thing, and the sounds of conflict and carnage signal a direction, and only a fool would believe anyone would have been so easily defeated by such a tactic so early in a fight. So, the sorcerer prepares himself for the sure to come retaliation, readying a protection spell before him that forms a shield out of ethereal energy just a few moments before Kree’s propulsion would send him into it, shattering it like glass due to the sheer force in which the uyeer travels. The resulting impact causes Jaxson to be tossed back like a ragdoll into the arena’s thick and sturdy wall, as well as sending various sized shards of that black ice to litter all around the two opponents. A sickening ‘THUD!’ almost drowns out Jax’s own cry of anguish and surely ribs were cracked at the very least from such a forceful crash. And due to him being on skates, his climb back to his feet was shaky at best, but he manages. The storm rages on still, pain courses through his body, sending waves of excruciating pain to ravage his entire left side, making his chest tight and movement hard. Damn this storm! He’s lost his foe, but given the closeness to the wall the assumption he was close was almost an assured. And so, with that in mind the Ravencroft heir goes back on the offensive, concentrating through the pain to once more bring that wand he had luckily managed to keep hold of to work as he unleashes his next attack. Channeling his magic, the sorcerer’s attention becomes fixated on the larger chunks of black ice littering the arena floor. Using his wand, the spellslinger uses his abilities to fashion a sphere around Kree’s last known position, forming a globe of that dangerous ice to hopefully entrap his dangerous foe, then with his free hand he’d twist it about as he speaks the proper words of magic to cause the winds within to build up at dangerous speeds, creating within a swirling mass of those slamming black ice shards and snow. The result? Kree will find himself trapped within his own snow globe, filled with raging winds that carry about razor sharp shards of ice that are concealed by snow. In his size the uyeer would find it a hard press feat to navigate such an environment without his mount, but for the moment Jaxson hopes his attempt to entomb the damnable cretin is enough, for as he battles holding the concentration needed to keep this spell intact against the ravishing waves fo pain he experiences with each passing second...
Kreekitaka crunched against the barrier and fell back into the snow, rolling a little and struggling back to his feet, dazed from the impact. Noting with some satisfaction that his impact had left his opponent stunned as well, he took a moment to signal for his mount and regain his faculties--but it seemed he was too late, as the ice rose up around him and the winds began to howl. Flattening his paddles against his sides for a bit of extra protection from the tiny shards of ice that whirled around him like little knives, he tried and failed to find his footing as the ice grew more slick below him. He tumbled and rolled, spinning a few times, trying to work out how to get out of this--and that's when he saw it. Crashing against one of the walls with his jawblade below him, he lifted his paddles, catching the whirling wind--and riding it in a circle, hugging the icy sphere's walls. Faster and faster he spun. holding onto his jawblade's button so that it would constantly reflect the energy it collected outward. Instead of a snap, one could slowly hear it humming quietly. As the speed of his entrapment increased, so did the pitch of his jawblade. Before long, the sphere was shrieking as if it was a cube, and that's when it annihilated itself, fracturing against its own natural frequency. The high-speed winds and icy shards on the inside propelled blades of the sphere's outside in every direction like a grenade, hurling deadly shrapnel towards the one who conjured it. As for Kree, he was flung laterally from the sphere and ended up buried into the snow with a tiny sound that only Radiance Of Kings would be able to hear. The ice moth, also very used to this exact weather, vanished into the storm like an imp.
Round Three
Jaxson struggles with each passing second to maintain the spell in which he has trapped his opponent, hoping the squall within would bring an end to this fight. But there was something happening within the trapped chaos the sorcerer could feel. A build up that clashed with his own magical energies that was reaching terminal mass, and thankful for the storm hiding his features because Jaxson’s face becomes one of sheer terror as realization hits of what is about to happen. As if fate would have it, right before the globe would shatter, the remaining imps that had won the war over who got to devour the carcass of Kree’s earlier victim arrive, having followed the sound of battle and the presence of magic like wolves upon a fresh scent. Their eyes fall upon the back of the only visible person at the moment, Jax, and they burst into moment like a pack of jackals upon him in hopes of a more filling meal. Quick thinking has the nobleman know trying to hold in what's coming is folly, and so he uses his quick wits to cast a spell in the last remaining seconds before the explosion. The nature of it? Simple. He switches location with the imps, leaving them to absorb the brunt of the explosion, but more importantly the majority of the shrapnel that comes along with it. The resulting carnage has parents shielding the eyes of their children, as blood, guts and all manner of gore is sent hurling out into the arena. As for Jax? He isn’t home free, as such an explosion still sends the man once more flying back due to the shockwave. Shards of that black ice still find him, cutting his right side, left leg and left cheek, while one larger chunk buries itself into his left shoulder cavity. Oh yes, the poor man survived but is a bit worse for wear at the moment. It is here that a new battle commences, one within, for his own lacking has the Sea Primordial’s rage building within him, causing the already dark clouds to build up at her anger, thunder booming within them her cry for action. Something changes about Jax, as Eldritch power starts to course about him. His wounds, while still great, seems to start to mend just enough for him to rise back to hit feet. He extends out his right hand and from the darkness about them materializes the Trident of the Primordial. This instrument is taken hold of, causing the buildup of eldritch power to channel into it, and the Ravencroft heir. This boost gives Jax enough strength to carry on the fight, and that he does, for without hesitation does the man call upon the primordial’s wrath, pointing his trident up into the air towards those dark clouds. And in answer to her servant's plea does she answer. From the heavens descends upon the sorcerer a powerful blast of lightning right upon the points of his weapon, charging it with elemental power that he quickly unleashes upon his opponent! The resulting blast of electricity surges forth in a brilliant display of raw power, illuminating the bleak landscape momentarily as the lightning bolt flies towards Kree with supernatural speed and power, fully intent to roast the damned miniscule monster alive with all the rage filled power of the sea primordial itself.
Kreekitaka was nursing a wound of his own, he realized. Popping out of the snow, there was a faint trail of blue-green blood leaking from one of his gills. No time to worry about that, however. His opponent seemed to be powering up some kind of attack--but the brilliant illumination of the lightning striking down from on high gave him an idea. Tapping his jawblade as quickly as he could to build up power, he let out a complex series of percussive sounds and leaped into the air. Swooping underneath him, Radiance Of Kings flared its wings in exactly the way they instinctively did as a defensive measure, exactly as the lightning illuminated the entire arena again. The glow reflected off of each feather, every scale, every clinging bit of frost. It bounced through the storm, turning every piece of ice and every snowflake into a spotlight. The lightning flash was bright, it's true, but Radiance Of Kings lived up to its name a thousand times over as the entire arena became a flashbang grenade, between the immense flare of light and thunderclap that accompanied the lightning. At the same moment, Kreekitaka brought his jawblade down and shattered the shell of ice around his pet, creating an instantaneous separation between rider, moth and lightning. The electricity arced between the ice, and sizzled both crab and mount, cooking them briefly--or at least, cooking Kree briefly. Radiance Of Kings absorbed the heat like it did all other heat--and then, turning its wings again, it unleashed all its pent-up thermal energy in a pair of white-hot beams from its eyes, aiming to retaliate against the man who had tried to strike it down with a lightning bolt.
Final Defense:
Jaxson is at peak exhaustion from a combination of the damage taken from battle but also the immense strain of channeling the power that just coursed through him. And as the lightning blast was sent forth to do the work it was called upon to do, Jax’s injury riddled form was saved by it. For just as the flashbang from Kree would erupt the area in brilliant light, so was Jaxson sent flying backwards due to the force on his own attack. Why? He was still on those skates! Panic sets in before he even realizes this, for his attention was also upon the rebounding effects the small moth managed to send forth! A truly amazing creature to be sure, but no time to dwell upon such matters for the nobleman has had enough of having his body slammed into walls and tossed about this day! Taking a firmer grip on the trident he still holds; the man slams down the three-pointed polearm into the black ice for a twofold effect. One: To slow himself down and two: To yank up from the ground a large chunk of black ice that acts as shield from the rebounded power the moth unleashed! Once more is the Ravencroft heir subject to being at the brunt of another collision of opposing magics, as his icy-ward is shattered to bits! Leaving the man standing by the sheer force of his will alone. Breaths come in ragged grasps, pain returns as the temporary boon he received previously wanes, and a trail of blood flows from his cheek as well as other wounds once more. It seems the pair are almost at a stalemate, leaving Jax with one last idea. Like the tournaments of old does he charge his foe, building momentum with every slide of those skates that seem to be holding up despite all odds. As if torn from a children’s take does Jaxson rush his foe, trident raised like a lance as he seeks to dismount his foe or be defeated in turn! Fate would decide whom she favors now, as surely the pair have used up all the tricks they held up their sleeves? Either way this fight would surely come to its end, for Jaxson feels his strength wane with every passing second...
Winner: Jaxson
Auto Hit:
Jaxson‘s charge brings him to his foe within moments but to him it felt like an eternity, for each passing moment he was riddled with pain and losing his strength. But carry on my wayward son! The sorcerer pushes through it all to reach the uyeer, and when he does....he hears the call for victory sound and he stops again as he did before with the imps, sending a blanket of ice and snow cascading over his foe. A moment is taken to stand there, towering over the hovering miniature creature and his moth mount, before the man simply ‘boops!’ the little crab with the tip of his finger right on the nose with his free hand index finger and says. “Well fought stranger...” Through bated, pain filled breaths. Knowing this is all for charity there is no ill will against his foe, no matter the damage the little bugger caused him. Using his trident as a crutch and paddle, the Cenrillian noble skate/pushes himself back towards the tunnel in which he entered, waves offered as much as injuries would allow. He had helped raise funds for a good cause, and won in front of the home crowd, that was more than enough for him. His next stop will be to see a healer, and maybe cry a little in that tunnel (once out of prying eyesight of course). The pain he is in was incredible.
Kreekitaka entered the final charge with the same energy that he'd have entered any final charge at full size. Sure, he was a bit sizzled, more discombobulated than he'd like to admit, and actively bleeding from a gill, but his jawblade thumped all the same, a percussive song in time with the beating of his mount's wings. The giant may have a powerful weapon, but the slightest miscalculation would mean the uyeer would have victory--and then the horns sounded and everything came crashing to a halt. Even Radiance Of Kings fluttered confused for a moment as the winner was announced--moments before the final blow was actually struck, on either side! This was an insult and an outrage to the uyeer, who was used to ending his battles with the sickening crack of fist against bone. To be -booped- on top of that was even more insulting. Kree used every bit of restraint he had to keep from amputating the man's finger. "You were a worHHHTHy foe," he ground out, though his ire wasn't really directed at Jaxson. He'd done his fair share of boops in the past, and he understood their place--even if they were humiliating. Instead, he drove Radiance Of Kings in search of the hornblower, or possibly Valrae herself. Somebody was getting -pinched-.
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