Duel:Reece v Satoshi (K&J)
Reece vs. Satoshi
Cold gusts sweep though this area, mingling with the overshadowing arms of the Ancient Tree. Lesser trees grow here as well, blocking the sky out even further. The golden-green leaves hold an abstinate beauty, and sereneness. What breath could have touched these aged trees, as to invigorate them with such life and radiance? Even the sweet smell that wafts between trunks and branches is of old Lore.
Reece is a Albino Avian and seems to be a Psychic Illusionist. Reece is wearing Fold-issue blessed-armor on his body, silver circlet on his head, war paint on his face, silver-hoop earring on his left ear, Mantle of Chaos on his shoulders, silver armlet on his left arm, silver armlet on his right arm, silver bracelet on his left wrist, silver bracelet on his right wrist, rune detailed-leggings on his legs, and rune inscribed-footwear on his feet. On one of his left fingers, you see mystical silver-band. On one of his right fingers, you see mystical silver-band. Reece is using Ever-Deepening Sapphire-Ring as a weapon. Reece is not using a shield. Reece has blue eyes, pale skin, and grey hair, and is single.
Satoshi is a vampiric feline and seems to be a Ice Magus. Satoshi is wearing White Magus-Long-Coat on her body, Frosted-Couatl-Feather Hairpin on her head, Snazzy Black-Leather-Goggles on her face, silken white fur on her left ear, silken white fur on her right ear, Ever-Flowing Water-Scarf on her neck, Ragged-Boundless Leather-Satchel on her shoulders, Oversized-White Furtrimmed-Sleeve on her left arm, Oversized-White Furtrimmed-Sleeve on her right arm, Long-Black Satin-Gloves on her hands, Augmented-Glacial-Bracer on her left wrist, Runic-Black-Feather Talisman on her right wrist, Fitted-Black Suede-Pants on her legs, and Wintry-Aura-Emanating Boots on her feet. On one of her left fingers, you see Amaranth-Inscribed Frost-Band. Satoshi is using Asorials' Malice as a weapon. Satoshi is using Assiduous Frost-Katana as a shield. Satoshi has amber-flecked azure eyes, pale skin, and white hair, and is married to Kasyr.
- Winner: Satoshi, unanimous vote.
Reece arrives at this designated battle-ground in much the same way as he usually does these days, seeming to appear spontaneously from an errant shaft of moonlight finding a path through the branches high above. Needless to say that at this time of day he has decided to bring night with him, the orange glow of dusk fading rapidly into the cool blue of night. Surveying the ice magus with a lance the avian makes a brief polite bow, some small part of his mind smiling at a percieved irony as a chill wind ruffles the feathers of his wings, enhancing the wraithlike image of ephemerality which he projects with his illusions. Words and patterns play through his mind but outwardly the only warning of his attack comes in the form of a hand motion, his hands resting gently by his sides briefly curling into fists and then flexing open. The ground then appears to ripple, something akin to the glitter of blue fire running across the ground and vanishing just as fast. Then, beginning right at the avian's feet, grass begins to grow... grass made of glass. All across the ground blades of glass grass push through the surface of the soil, sliding between existing blades of grass and rising slowly towards knee-height. The tinkling sound of glass on glass can be heard as the cool breeze causes them to sway and brush against each other. This is nothing though compared to the sudden roar of wind which picks up in the back ground, sweeping down through the trees to their position as the avian lifts off the ground to drift back, hopefully out of range of any immediate counter-attack. Though he doesn't really expect a counter-attack, not as an instant later the wind strikes the battlefield with all of its tremendous gale-force strength, ripping glass grass from the ground and turning the clearing into a maelstrom of jagged death.
Satoshi's amber-flecked eyes never leave the avian's wraith-like form, having crossed violent paths with him once and knowing better than to second guess him by frail image alone. And it's with this coldly calculating gaze that Satoshi's granted the slight advance warning in a seemingly harmless handgesture, her own hand slipping furtively into her satchel. The wind, however, is unexpected, especially with it taking the avian out of immediate range while also riling shards of glass, the gale abruptly hurling them through the air and straight for the unprotected feline. Well, seemingly unprotected, for with a hissed word Satoshi pulls free six vials from her satchel, flinging them at her feet with a violent gesture. The containers shatter freely, adding more glass to the area while simultaneously unleashing their contents: water, pure and frigid, and obedient to the cryomancer's given command. Swift as thought, the crackling globes of liquid swell upward as they collect fluid from the grass at Satoshi's feet, and in seconds the feline is enclosed by walls of thin ice. Much of the maelstrom loses out against the frozen barrier, but just as glass is fragile, so is hastily conjured ice, and many holes are punched through, granting slivers access to Satoshi to deliver ragged cuts haphazardly. Hissing in indignant pain, the feline is left to a rapid casting, words harsh as they order reaction from the liquids running through the veins of the nearby trees. She may not be able to reach Reece trapped as she is, but the limbs of trees can, easily, and eagerly they reach out, bark cracking in protest as wild swings at made at the frail avian in a twisted mockery of a druid's skills. And as if whipping and bludgeoning Reece isn't enough, the leaves themselves have answered the call too, tearing away from their stems and freezing solid as they throw themselves at the wraith in a returned attempt at his own razory gale.
Reece nods, satisfied both that the ice-magus was living up to exxpectations and that his attack had at least had some effect. Wily as he knows the ice-magus to be he is still surprised by the sudden flailing of that which he had foolishly assumed to be solid... the trees. The first flailing branch makes stuning impact with his wing, a sharp crack denoting the occurrence of something unpleasant, though he would later discover it to be not as bad as it sounded. Nevertheless it hurt and as the illusionist staggered forward, dropping back to the ground, the wind dies. With it the many shards of glass that remained airborne plunge earthwards and flicker into non-existence as they strike the ground. Somehow this saved him from the flailing of further branches but not from the leafy projectiles. As the first one of these glances off his 'armour' and embeds itself in his arm it gives him an idea though. As each leafy dart impacts him, either damagingly or without harm he projects the illusion of it swerving and aiming back for the feline. Though the pain from the bombardment is less than pleasant he had suffered worse in te past and that aided him now as he maintained his illusion of redirecting projectiles and an unbloodied self through sheer force of will. he even projects a smile towards the magus, certain that she would have no small amount of trouble trying to exert further control over these new icy projectiles.
Satoshi's pockmarked barrier dispells upon her hearing the winds die down, and just as she's given once more a clear view of the field she finds herself under renewed attack. The sudden onslaught of her own projectiles finding their way back to her is almost enough to make the feline balk and she takes a step back, bracer'd left arm rising toward her face in readied defense as the first of the perceived hail of leaves pelts her form and her mind registers cuts and pain. But, oddly enough, the pain halts suddenly, her vulpine ears flickering erratically as something else entirely seizes upon her mind's focus. Blood. The fledgling vampire can't mistake that scent carried on the breeze, and instinctively she's aware that she's injured the avian. With a bloodlusting mind locked entirely on that fact, there is no illusion for her to fall prey to, and it's with a feral snarl that Satoshi's suddenly darting forward, hunkered down low as she races to close the gap between herself and Reece, oblivious to the throbbing pain of many cuts covering her body. Growled words drip from her fangs in a macabre call to the blood spilling from his flesh as she moves, her focus on the substance allowing for a weak spell to be birth. Frost begins to build upon the blood, coursing rapidly within the wounds and through veins, intent upon solidifying in Reece's joints, to lock him in place just as Satoshi reaches him. And from there, the feline's magical focus is lost, her spell left to its work, as she gives herself entirely to her predatory instinct. It's a feral animal that slashes out with frigid claws for Reece, first for his calves to disable, followed by a rise in position, two strikes for the face and another for his throat before Satoshi's forward momentum carries her full-force into the wraith, intent upon barreling him over and pinning him to the ground, where claws and fangs can rake him further. Even without success however, the spells delivered priorly are more than willing to disperse by means of violent shattering within, to sever bloodstreams and tendons.
Reece blinks, taking one fatal moment more than was available to comprehend just what was happening around him. As the chill sets into his wounds he shakes himself, brushing off frost and chill as best he can. With his enchanted robe-like armour protecting his torso from succumbing to the icy magic he focuses what little magic remains to him to apply heat to his wounds, saving himself from the fate of becoming an icy statue. All of this takes far too much time though, and with a speeding vampire on his tail he didn't have a lot of that to begin with. The strike at his legs hits home, though his attempt to twist out of the way spares him the next three strokes as first his protected shoulder, and then his already injured wing take the blows aimed at his face. Where the other blow strikes or does not strike proves to be of no consequence though, the illusionist beyond feeling the pain as the combined presence of the injuries and the close proximity of the vampiress triggers the protective enchantments which he'd prepared in advance. All the stored mana within his various silver accessories bursts forth in a sheet of brilliant blue-white flame, lashing out with tongues of fire akin to those which shoot from a building in its final death throes. Grass blackens and falls to ash and the air is immediately robbed of its moisture as Reece's semi-suicidal enchantment goes off with all the force of a bomb. Needless to say in his wounded state the avian wasn't any better equipped than the ice-magus to deal with the sudden blossoming inferno that flares around them. However, after being propelled several metres trailing flame and ashen feathers he does manage to lands upright, albeit on his knees, a silver dagger held loosely in one hand, drawn from some place unknown, as he sways precariously on his position, waiting for the feline's final move... if there was one.
Satoshi's blind onslaught comes to an unexpected halt as, rather than finding flesh and blood in her claws, the feline is met with azure flames of hellish fury. With a strangled cry, the cryomancer is snapped from her feral state as she attempts to stop her forward motion and backpedal, instinctively raising arms in defense against the feared fires. The reaction is all that saves her, as the heavy coat adorning Satoshi and the glacial bracer on her left arm have long carried protective enchantments against fire, and these go into action without a need for command. Ice rapidly crawls over the mage's form, building a thick layer between her skin and the flames, absorbing the worst of the burns. And with the meeting of ice and fire comes the unavoidable result, steam, spilling forth and enveloping the singed area. Somewhere within that cloudbank lurks Satoshi, mind cleared of bloodlust and heavy with the agony of burns and cauterized wounds, steeled for revenge. The scent of ash and seared flesh overpowers the traces of Reece's blood, but the magus can still sense her magic lingering in his warmed veins, and with a snarl she pinpoints him. The avian's only warning that Satoshi is alive and fighting fit comes with an almost serpentine hiss issuing from the fog. And as those words pass through the mist, the water reacts to her commands and swiftly random tendrils take on a purposely movement, coiling inward before abruptly lashing out at Reece like ghostly limbs. Except these myriad limbs have lost their gaseous state, solidified under Satoshi's words, and it's with cruel desire that they lance toward the avian to impale his frail form upon themselves.
Reece frowns, his ears picking up the hiss with the sort of sensitivity only an owl can posses. Such is the state of that particular sense that he has to mile, for the magus gives away not only her intent but also her position. Pain like fire ripples across his skin, but he's past caring for the moment as he rises, his 'Moonblade' arcing through the air before him and leaving in its wake a trail of silvery light which is obscenely both opaque and transparent. This is the power contained within the knife, not his own, which is manipulated now. The strange trail of energy actually representing a portal of sorts, though the illusionist had never seen fit to try and pass through it himself he had found that anything else that went through did not come back. With a an almost silent buzz the rift intercepts the tendrils of watery lethality, whisking them away to Sven only knows where. Defiantly the avian remains standing after that, though he wasn't a very attractive sight, senses posed towards the feline even as the last dregs of his ability to do combat leak away.