Duel:Reginae v Xzavior, Match 3 of the 2016 Frostmaw Tournament

From HollowWiki
Duelists: Reginae v Xzavior
Duel: Traditional 3 rounds with final defense, 15 minute post limit
Stakes: Auto-hit to the winner
Judges: Josleen, Pilar, and Sabrina

Lake Frysta

After venturing for some time down the path, you finally reach a large clearing as the secretive mountain path opens up to reveal a hidden lake among the frosty hills. Mostly frozen over, the sizable lake surface is spotted by a sparse number of ice fishing huts. It becomes rather apparent that the ice must be of considerable thickness to support these giant-scale fishing shanties; the largest among them lined along the northern wall by various designs of fishing poles which appear to be for sale. To the west, a semi-solid water fall spills over low cliffs, capped with a thin layer of glistening ice.

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As if Aramoth himself gave his blessing for this duel, a light dusting of snow is visible on the surface of the frigid landmark that is Lake Frysta. A small crowd has gathered around a good distance from the actual lake itself, for fear of interrupting the contestants or falling prey to the legendary Frystallian Fish that was said to dwell somewhere beneath the ice. The top of the lake is frozen solid enough to support the various fishing huts that were now cleared away from the battle Arena. Reginae finds herself waiting near the middle of the lake, slithering around on snow white scales that mess with the snowy surface surrounding. It is only when Xzavior makes his entrance that the crowd roars in anticipation, making the naga woman grin. Once he makes his way closer to his chosen starting point for the match a hush falls over the crowd. Venders that had been selling never-cooling enchanted hot chocolate can no longer be heard. No sound exists in the space beyond the low tense murmurs of the spectators and the semi-solid water fall to the west. Reginae looks Xzavior over, anxious to see how he planned to fight this battle with her. Her lips twitch in an uncharastically confident smile as she lunges towards him in her first attack. The icy surface of the lake does not slow the rapid motion of her muscular lower half as she springs with deadly speed towards the male. Her claws are extended as she surrenders to the momentum the ice is offering and glides in his direction. There wouldn't be any turning on a dime, but the lack of control is almost worth the break neck speed at which she's approaching him; fangs extended, with the intent to knock him flat on his back and pin him in the first go 'round.


Xzavior placed his hands on his sides as he looked around at the crowd. He's never really made a spectacle of himself. Well, other then that one time with those giants. That was also during a fight too. He returned her confident look with his own. He was about to fight in his own terrein. He knew that she was an illusionist but wasn't sure how she would go about using that with her attack as she made her advance. As soon as she came close enough he lept out of the way with ease and slid across the ice for a moment. With that he launched himself at her summoning a staff of ice and with a faint shimmering shifted to his humanoid form, complete with an all white suit. As he got close he made an uppercut swing a trail of snow trailing behind it. Though it didn't look like much where ever it hit instant;y froze over.


Reginae barreled towards him, looking back over her shoulder as he moved out the way, twisting her humanoid torso in an effect to redirect the propellant that was her tail into changing course. The reaction was not instantaneous, the slickness of the ice varying across the snow powdered sections. Reginae's figure eventually turned just in time to meet the trail of snow emitting form Xzavior's staff and appeared to freeze on the spot. A shell of ice encased her form, which toppled over and shattered like glass against the lake's surface. A single sound pieced the silence that followed this early victory. From behind an Illusionary barrier of ice appeared another Reginae. This one was clapping her hands together, but she wore an identically smug grin. It was clear in that moment that Xzavior had 'frozen' an Illusionary opponent. While this knowledge sinks in to the surrounding crowd, the flesh and blood version of the naga woman begins shape shifting. Her limbs splay and contract. White grayish feathers sprout from odd places in her previous reptilian and human skin but she stays roughly average human standing height in her new form; the infamously mocked Tundra Duck, native of the most frigid regions of Frostmaw. With the transformation complete, she chooses to keep her distance in this next attack, and attempts to mimic the well known concussive cry. If this mimicry is successful it will resemble a hybrid somewhere between that of a normal duck quacking and a piercing screech. The vibrations are known of knocking enemies unconscious, with the side effect of knocking the user back a few more steps as the Tundra duck would, normally, stun their opponent and escape. Reginae's aim is more along the lines of knocking Xzavior unconscious.


Xzavior was a bit surprised to see that his initial had actually hit her but gave a dry look as she began clapping mockingly. He raised a brow as she began shifting into a large bird. Tilting his head to the side he waited a moment to see exactly what she was planning before recognising the bird that once caused him a bit of trouble the first few months in his stay at Frostmaw. Clasping his hands to his head he did his best to block out the sound with a grunt, he felt like his eardrums would burst. He quickly flicked out his staff and a pillar of ice formed from the lake beneath her to try and slam into her jaw hopefully quieting the knock out screech


Reginae was being pushed back by the sound waves she was producing, the distance of each knockback varying, based on the vibrations of each individual sound as it pulsed through her body. The inconsistent nature of the noise made her mini fly pattern chaotic but the ice pillar did it's best to halt her. Her back slammed into the pillar, Xzavior's judgment had only been off by a fraction. If she'd squawked when she should have squeaked, she would not be a snake-shifted-duck-cabob. The deafening sound she produced stopped. The wind had been knocked out of her lungs and she crumbles to the base of the pillar, shifting back into her normal form and gasping slightly for breath. It was clear that she was exhausting her resources quickly. The small clouds of air that passed between her lips increased in size and she rose to her fe- er, tail, panting visibly, even from the viewpoint of those spectators in the back row. There was no smug smile on her face anymore. She's already shifted...shifting again would be risky. It made more sense for her to try and grapple with him before her strength depleted entirely. Getting close would be tricky too. Soon after she's back up, the full weight of her muscular tail is slamming down on the ice coating of the lake below them. Small cracks and fissures appear but her shoulders are slumping. It's taking a toll on her to use this much strength on such thick ice. Clearly, she was out of her element in this fight. The cracks increase in size, creating a spider web as they crackle like iced lightening around her and then towards the only other weak point in the ice; around Xzavior. Was this really happening or was it her Illusionary magic? If it succeeded, he would be plunged into the ice below, to fight the flora and fauna of Frostmaw's Legendary Lake Frysta.


Xzavior rubbed his temples as the noise finally stopped. He was starting to sway and wasn't sure just how long he could hold against the vibrations. Looking to Reginae as she shifted back he watched her carefully not fully trusting her act of exhaustion. He had fought with an illusionist before and wasn't too keen to fall for another small trick. As she slammed her tail onto the ice he watched the lake shatter surround him with disdain and shifted back into his naga form and began to freeze the lake even further from beneath him so even if it wasn't a trick he would still be standing on his own platform of ice. Lifting his hand up the ice beneath Reginae would begin to creep up her tail and encase her from the waist up.


Reginae was too exhausted to cast another illusion so she had turned to the only thing she had left in this battle; her strength. Thick chunks of splintered ice flew into the air, dusting her with crystallized remnants before Xzavior began his platform. The air puffing between her lips came in shorter bursts but still she thrashed until the ice inched acrossed her scales. When the enchanted ice makes contact with her humanoid torso, she grits her teeth and muffles the urge to scream. The extreme cold of the ice starts to leave angry red burns in her skin. Regi stopped moving completely and drew in a unnaturally deep breath, pressing the palms of her hands together with closed eyes. The ice grows, taking advantage of her stillness to encroach to her shoulders. Her humanoid arms thrust out suddenly and with such force that the ice stops growing at her waist line, eventually flaking off her scales and releasing her from Xzavior's final attack.


Xzavior wins.