Duel:Kuzial v Zondo
Duel Info
- Judges: Tiphareth, Thea, Asailu
- Stakes: OOCFC Round 1 Advancement
- Assigned Duel Details: Shadow gnome master illusionist, participating in a tournament to become the next Shadow King, no magical weapons, 1 completely unique Artifact-level magical item
- Rd/time: 3rds / 12 min
- Date: 07/12/2012
- Venue: Temple of Shadows
- Decision: Kuzial
Venue
Temple of Shadows
Shadow Priest is here.
Kuzial vs Zondo
Zondo glances around the stone chamber through crimson eyes, the small creature already searching for what my be an attack. Mind always needing to be at the ready is such duels as this. Mumbling a few words under his breath long, grotesque fingers begin to move in intricate patterns that would only make sense to the gnome himself. Glancing at the idol again the spell takes form. Another ray of black energy shoots forth from the idol, as it lands a shadow gnome would appear not to be what spawned. This time a gangly skeleton with with its head tilted sideways and a bone sword rises from the black pool. Socketless eyes would glance around, intent of finding something to attack. Catching sight of Kuzial the creature stalks forward towards the other gnome, raising it's weapon to strike towards the other and possibly do away with his head. Zondo watches his creation with a slight glee, only hoping to cause the other to make a fatal mistake as the gnome draws a dagger, keeping his skeleton moving forward the illusionist moves around to get behind the man and pierce him in the back of the neck.
Kuzial || Darluark appears within the unholy room prepared as best he can to destory another obstacle on his path to being the ruler of all his brethren. And it takes him little time to spy his opponent. Lips twist into an unconscious snarl as he glares at the gnome, but those eyes soon widen as the skeleton is born into wicked life before him. Darluark is quick to react, though; he focuses within himself, drawing on his own illusionary powers. They weave about his body, changing his face to exactly resemble that of Zondo's own. Not yet satisfied, the master illusionist lets his power shimmer outwards, until all the priests chanting, and all the freshly arrived gnomes, all look exactly like his opponent. Thinking himself quite clever as he is granted time from the confused skeleton's attack, he is not ready to adequately defend his opponent's strike; instead all he can do is react to the whisper of movement that signals the attack by ungracefully leaping to the left. He takes a gash to his neck, but it is a small price to pay - for now in front of the risen skeleton is the real Zondo, and though the creature may have been confused, it seems his intent is simply to kill everything; as is shown quite clearly when he again swings his sword, aiming to sever Zondo's head from its neck. During this, Darluark weaves himself into the gnomes around him, trying to lose himself in a sea of faces that each perfectly resemble Zondo's own...
Zondo looks about in wide-eyed amusement as everything about him begins to resemble him. Even as his blade makes contact with the flesh of his opponent the gnome draws back to look up and realize his own illusion is about to make quick work of him. Reacting instinctively the gnome raises his arm with the dagger to deflect the blow but not without cost, the meager dagger does little to stop the bone weapon and only manages to deflect it to his upper arm. While the blade of the illusion does not pierce his skin, it still causes a great deal of pain, causing the gnome to stumble sideways and on to the floor. Knowing that being down would be a great weakness, he glances around to try to find Darluark. Scrambling to his feet, his opposite arm paining him from the fall he moves into the sea of priests. Scanning for anything that might give away the other gnome, Zondo finds himself cursing beneath his breath. Mumbling his own spell, the flame on the candle about the room begin to grow bigger, slowly at first before spreading along the walls of the chamber until the whole room is bathes in the orange fire. The walls of fire then closes in on the room, if Zondo can not find his opponent he will just burn the entire place. Curling into a ball as the fire closes in on him, a small hole opens only big enough to pass his body before resealing so he is not consumed by his own fire as he watches from the other side. If his plan should he would hope the flames would drop the illusion of the other long enough from the gnome to strike again with his dagger.
Kuzial || Darluark feels a degree of satisfaction in watching Zondo stumble after being struck by the illusionary creation, but such a sensation doesn't last long. For soon enough tongues of flame begin to burn brighter from the candles, bathing the shadowy room in light, and soon enough the impression of heat begins to grate upon the spell caster's mind. Though he is highly proficient in the realms of illusions, he is not entirely immune to his body's natural reaction to them. As breath begins harder to come by, the illusions he crafted begins to fade. More and more faces twist back to their own, and during this time the illusionist quickly acts: The gnomish master weaves in a disgusting tongue his sickening magic. He crafts from the very air an image of unspeakable destruction and death; a hideous creature with many horns upon its head, many tongues within its mouth; scaled and snarling, it looks like a mixture between a dragon and a fermin, who was born on top of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down... with his face. The beast seems fitting in the fiery room, for he is assuredly demonic in looks. Darluark is well aware of his race's innate xenophobia for any other form of creatures, so he ensures every contour of the illusion he makes is of stark contrast to his own. When the image of the beast is done, the shadow gnome reaches around his neck and pulls forth Shadow's Respite, an ancient amulet he stole long ago whose power enables him to solidify one of his illusions; to weave truth into what is little more than a lie of his opponent's eyes... It cannot be used often, but this was a fight he needed to win, so he would use it now and end this... A brief flash is the only indication that his illusion has become real, and with a gnarled finger the shadow gnome points at Zondo and says, "Destroy him..." That is all the command the creature requires; he flows forward like a snake upon the shimmering air, his claws seeking the other gnome's flesh in an attempt to tear him apart, limb by limb. While the creature attacks, intercepting any strike from the dagger were one coming, Darluark drops down to his knees and fights against his own instincts; trying to refuse the reality of the fires even as tongues of flame begin to hideously burn his skin... without once ever truly touching them...
Zondo turns his beady eyes to the beast that appears in the center of the room. Skirting around the walls he sees a flash and then hears the command. Whatever the creature was it was going to hunt him down. Moving quickly he tries to escape the hellish beast but even as it draws closer he can feel his own magic ebbing against the fear that is the best rushing towards him. Jumping back to try to escape the claws he feels them pierce through his flesh leaving crimson rivulets to spill forth and stain the front of black robe. This could be no illusion and the realization causes his own spell to completely vanish plunging the room in momentary darkness as the light fades. The gnome moves with a surge of speed through the priests hoping to use them to slow down the hellish beast following him. Zondo begins to weave his own magic, causing shadows of images to himself to dash within the priests in all direction. Hoping to use this to provide himself a moments respite, the creature looks for the other. Finding him upon the other side of the room. Growling more to himself, he looks again at the creature, making sure it was still chasing the likenesses of himself before he turns his focus to a more complex spell. Reaching with his right hand to a ring on his left, he begins to call upon a different magic. The ring glows a gastly green color as it responds to the words flowing off the gnome's lips. In the middle of the room a creature of a different nature begins to come to life. The ring was given to him by his father, telling him what it would do and the words needed. Within the ring was trapped the creature now being drawn out. It appears in coils, a basilisk with two heads and a large flowing body. The creature was only thirty feet in length but its poison helped it to be deadly. Responding to the magic words from Zondo it begins to slither towards the form of Darluark. Each head aiming to bite into the gnome and kill him with their lethal poisons.
Kuzial || Duarlark feels a tangible snap in the air as Zondo's fiery illusion fades, and once again the room is bathed in shadows. He draws ragged breaths from his spot on the ground, and though the pain itself has faded, the memory of the agony caused by the illusionary fires is enough almost to break him... But no! He would not fail before this test. He would rule the Kingdom of Shadows as its King, or he would die trying... So with determination fueled by unending greed, Darluark pushes himself back to his feet, right in time to see the Basilisk coming towards him. The shadow illusionist knows the creature for what it is, but such knowledge is surely a double edged sword; paralyzing fear stops him seeking his magic, and like all of his race he is far from graceful. As the first head snakes towards him, Duarlark lifts his arm to fend off the strike, but instead takes it full force. The beast, apparently rather greedy as to which head gets to enjoy the meal, thrashes to the left, sending the illusionist flailing to the side of the room with blood dripping from a wound that will quickly become lethal... oh yes, he can feel the insidious poison already flowing through his system, yet he knows not all is lost... In this room, the very beacon of their shadowy power, he falls easily into his innate gifts and uses the shadows to propel himself across the room, much like a teleporting. He stays within the intangible darkness for as long as he can, before being reborn before the shadowy light, having left nothing in his wake but a pool of congealing poison - thankfully it was alien enough for it not to be carried through the spell... but the master illusionist is almost finished now. The pain of his wounds and the lingering exhasution of the poison, as briefly as it was within him, is enough to entirely rob him of his archaic gifts... so in desperation he calls his summoned creature over to keep the basilisk busy, before pulling out his own slender dagger with his good arm and brazenly charges at Zondo. He keeps his eyes almost shut, his ears deaf to anything; refusing before they are born any illusionary defences so he can get close enough to stab his dagger forward at the illusionist's throat, before wildly flailing the weapon about in an attempt to end his gnomish opponent's life in a manner more mundane than other death he has granted...
Zondo watches almost in awe as his creation would deliver its poisons on to the gnomish opponent before him. The awe only lasts a moment as the other gnome seems to vanish into the shadows. Once again Zondo turns his attentions to keeping up his own illusions that would keep the demon from killing him. After a few moments the gnome notices the creature changing to attack the basilisk it is at this time that he begins to worry. Dropping his flitting likenesses all together, he looks for the other gnome. Not really knowing what happened he turns just in time to see the other leaps forward at him. The shock causes him to backpedal a step. While it may have saved his life, the dagger does not get dodged as it strikes down into his shoulder causing a yelp of pain to echo forth for a moment before being cut off as the momentum of Darluark would cause the other gnome to fall atop of Zondo thus silencing his wail of pain and only embed the dagger to the hilt within his shoulder.
Autohit
Kuzial || Duarlark snarls at his opponent as they both fall to the ground, lodging his dagger into the man's shoulder and rendering the weapon unusable. But with the snarls behind him still in full force as Shadow's Respite's creation and the basilisk continue their battle, Duarlark knows he has time to finish this once and for all. Fighting against the exhaustion threatening his body, and the agony from his wounds; for though some are not real, they do still ache, the shadow gnome begins to craft through his archaic gifts a woven illusion all around him. Like the centre of storm he remains safe from the onslaught, yet everything else begins to shimmer... to change... to twist and dance into a hidious mixture of everything shadow-gnomes find disgusting... Elves jumping through trees, pixies having a friendly water fight, fermin eating each others' fleas, the laughter of a new child, the pride of a mother watching him walk his first steps... everything that is horrible and wrong with the world, were shadow gnomes the stick in which all else was measured. This was no direct attack on Zondo's body, but Darluark is uncaring. He would destroy the mind of his opponent and leave his flesh as little more than a rambling husk of insanity... so further on he pushes himself, twisting images amongst themselves as he rises from his spot upon the man and moves back into the web of power he weaves. The unfortunate Zondo is left where he was, though, all he can see is dancing patterns of laughter and light, kindness and compassion, each one a small pebble in the avalanche of pure grotesque filth Darluark knows will crush his opponent's mind... and he has not long to wait. Within mere moments the joyous images before Zondo are enough to break him, to batter down his walls of grotesque anger and illusionary defences, and leave him there... alive within other races' combined happiness... this is enough to cause the man to tear the dagger from his shoulder and jaggedly slice it along his own throat, ending his life rather than living in this world of putrid laughter and light... and only when he falls to the ground does Duarlark let the illusion fade... and as he stumbles back to one knee, he notices more than one of the priests has also taken their own life as a result of his attack.. something that is more than a little frowned upon! So without getting back up to his feet, he crawls out of the room and ensures next time he fights the face he wears will not be his own... Zondo's will do nicely.