2006 TOA R1: Lost Sol v. Malevolence

[LocoColt04]

OOC: Again, I apologize for the delay. Have a glance at the Information thread if you're curious about why. In any case, let's get things going. Though it goes without saying, be sure to double check the TOA rules and have another glance through the thread about what we look for when judging -- it should help you out. Since it's already after 6pm CST on the 15th, I will not close the threads in exactly ten days.

Instead, the thread will be closed sometime on 26 Jun 2006. Judging will occur as soon as possible and the quarterfinals will go up immediately afterward.

Keep your eyes on the Information thread; all important updates will continue to go into that thread. If there are any questions, feel free to PM or utilize the Q&A thread, which will remain open. But enough of the formalities.

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The night was calm, but overcast. The moon shone brightly through the thin layer of clouds, rising and fading as the gentle breeze moved southward. The courtyard was quiet. The thin trees loomed menacingly overhead, amplified by the eerie darkness about them. A pair of leaves danced beneath a stone bench.

Much of the ground was covered in stone. It was muggy, but not quite damp enough for dew to form. Each of the courtyard's four small gardens was home to a tree; each garden was located in one of the four corners. The rest of the space was open, aside from a bench here or a pile of leaves there. The only real obstruction was the oversized stone birdbath located in the exact center. (OOC: use this however you wish, but do not destroy it)

Each wall of the courtyard held four small torches. Despite the large, open area in the middle, the lighting was quite fair -- perhaps the full moon could be thanked for that. There were two entrances; one on the east wall, leading into the dining and kitchen areas, and one on the west wall, leading into one of the main living areas. All of the bedrooms were upstairs. The entire first level of the estate was filled with common rooms, furniture, and doors to the outer estate. (OOC: you can destroy whatever you want inside the house, so long as you don't burn the place down)

The wind grew calm. Three figures appeared in a window upstairs. The unknown men, assumed to be the hosts of this tournament, stood calmly, watching over the courtyard. A voice rang out from above. "BEGIN!"

Two fighters stepped into the courtyard; one from the east, and one from the west.

[Malevolence]

((OOC: For anyone who’s seen my writing befor,e my style has changed a lot for this tournament, and in general, so, this is definitely going to seem…different. Mostly shorter and more concise.))

Masashi walked into the arena from the west. Across from him, with the slowly rising moon behind him, was his opponent. He was of a short stature, but obviously sinewy, and full of pent-up strength. The barely-visible moon cast beams of light off the edges of his opponent’s finely polished lamellar shirt, leaving firefly spots on the ground around him. Masashi’s lamellar was glowing a different color the gold and red trim bathing the ground around him in a warm glow not unlike that of the torches around the edges of the arena.

Wasting no time with introductions, Masashi reached over and wrapped his right hand around the hilt of Tengu, strapped at his left side. In a slow motion, he turned his left side toward his opponent, and slid his left foot out slowly, kicking up a low cloud of dust that blew softly toward his opponent. He then pulled Ki’rin from his belt with his left hand, leaving his right firmly closed around Tengu. Before moving any further, he said what he did before all of his battles, be they with opposing armies or with a single opponent:

“I pray now to the forces that guide my hand. Let the wind be swift by the air and my sword, and let the air be clear through the sky and mine eyes. May my blade be cleansed in blood of mine enemy, and may his blade never but even taste of my soul.”

Masashi then looked up, and made the first move. Leaping forward on his offset foot, Masashi broke into a run. The white clay of the arena floor blew up in a cloud behind him as he ran, leaving the west end of the arena engulfed in a cloudy white fog. At the leading edge of this cloud was Masashi, quickly drawing Tengu from his waist. Using his skill in iaido, Masashi made a quick slash at his opponent’s neck, in an attempt to bring the first round of this tournament to a quick, essentially painless, and honorable end.

[Lost Sol]

OOC: Sorry if I'm a little dense, but am I the one fighting in this? I thought there was going to be announcements of who's fighting who in the first round.

[LocoColt04]

Okay, congratulations, everyone. These first rounds, overall, were quite impressive. Judgement will come within the next three days, and the second round will start at that time. So, if you would please, just keep an eye on your threads, and the second round will start later this week!


...Lost Sol, I sent a PM to every single member prior to the start of the tournament. I cannot help if you had no access to a computer. There was the announcement, and if you missed it, I'm sorry -- but when you registered, you did so under the assumption that you would have access to a computer throughout the tournament. That was one of the requirements for signing up.

On the bright side, that makes this an easy round to judge.

Malevolence will proceed to the quarterfinals.