05-06 TOA R1: Mugetsu v. Winter

[LocoColt04]

And so it begins.

Standard tournament rules apply, yada yada, etc. Be sure to glance over the Tournament Information and Standings thread one last time before beginning the fight.


First come, first serve. I'm curious to see what kind of environments you create.


THIS ROUND ENDS ON THURSDAY, 02 SEPTEMBER 2005.

[Autumn]

John Francis gazed around the relatively small room no larger than eight by eight meters in dimension, taking in the bleak yet efficient architecture. Even the edges of the equipment had been kept simple and severe. John liked that, he never enjoyed ‘beating around the bush’ and his mind was certainly purposeful and rational. As his eyes swept across the holodeck he absorbed every piece of data; storing this information in his mind perhaps for later use: such had become his nature it was merely a simple process he did wherever he went.

Being the first one to arrive meant he was given the privilege – no - the advantage of choosing the environment. The corner of his lip curved gently upwards into what could’ve been described as a rather sardonic smirk, however, the only two tournament officials in the room were busy setting up the ‘apparatus’ and had little time to look his way.

The doors on the far side of the room soon opened presenting a man dressed in the standard tournament robes indicating he was an usher and behind the usher was his opponent, Michael Kurosawa. Being the prepared man that John was, he had Kurosawa’s character researched beforehand. Only nineteen years of age this rich young thing standing ahead of him held a commendable posture and John recollected reading about Kurosawa’s hobbies. A scientific person would surely have a logical mentality. Feeling a slight admiration for this Michael Kurosawa he flashed the kid one of his friendly smiles accompanied with a neutral nod of the head. Before he had a chance to acknowledge any response he glanced to his right where one of the officials was standing patiently staring at him.

“Everything is ready, sir. This way, if you please.”

John allowed himself to be guided by the aide over to the holodeck and closed his eyes while the aides wired him in. He pushed all thoughts out of his head and visualized a void. Within his void he began to add each layer of the environment, making minute adjustments to each virtual condition until he was satisfied. His eyes opened. Whether his eyes in the real world had been opened he did not know and was something he had never been sure of, although in the newly formed virtual reality he was very sure who these eyes belonged to: his alter-ego, Veldrin.

It was an unusual night with dense clouds rolling steadily across the sky permitting beams of moonlight to occasionally radiate outwards. Veldrin was lying down on the firm bedding of the forest floor pondering uneasily about the surroundings. For a start, the animals had seemingly disappeared and it would’ve been completely silent if not for the presence of a nearby brook and a calm breeze rustling the lofty trees above. Still, to a trained ear it would be difficult to move around without giving away your location. Veldrin casually extended his arm directly in front of his face and was barely able to make out the gloved hand in the dark. Looking past his hand he noticed the moon was hidden behind thick clouds again and Veldrin had to squint hard, despite the typically sensitive vision elves possessed, just to see anything more than a few meters away. The thick, broad leaves in the upper canopy didn’t help either, adapted to capture as much light during the day but now, in the dead of the night, they were surprisingly effective at filtering out most of the sparse moonlight which escaped the clouds.

Woodland was one of the few places the Dark Elf felt he actually belonged. He disliked largely populated areas, preferring to travel around and dwell in forests while exploring the world. Forests provided most things he needed – plenty of wildlife to hunt for food and all the wood he required for building a robust shelter and producing arrows. If he ever did necessitate something the forest couldn’t provide there were small villages or traveling people close-by willing to trade their goods for his easily manufactured but nonetheless exquisite longbow. This wasn’t only his home though, it harbored many other creatures and Veldrin was ready to defend the forest to his death.

At the back of his mind a constant notion kept him alert and sharp. His instincts told him there would be trouble tonight; maybe the animals had sensed it already. He did not know the cause of his supposedly sixth sense but it often turned out to be correct.

Quickly pushing himself up off the ground Veldrin stretched his muscles and then loosened the tension developed from resting. He looked all around to no avail. The darkness made it impossible to determine whether anyone or anything was lurking in the undergrowth. Yet once again his ‘instinct’ spoke out to him:

Patience, Veldrin. Your enemy will arrive shortly.

His face hardened. So, it will be an intruder entering my home tonight.

Realizing he needed a better vantage point he scanned the vicinity for a tall tree from which he could be at an elevated position. There was one roughly two meters away. That’ll have to do. Veldrin managed to walk quietly, avoiding the fallen twigs and was certainly helped by the sheet of rotting leaves littered all over the floor.

He began climbing without considering what his actions. He had been climbing trees as a child and it was second nature by now. Working his way up effortlessly Veldrin got a chance to look at the sky. The clouds were beginning to thin out allowing more moonlight to bask the earth. He found a bulky, sturdy branch and also decided he had reached a reasonable distance upwards. Looking down he couldn’t have been more than twenty meters up, closer to fifteen. As he stood staring at the landscape Veldrin momentarily forgot his purpose. Instead he stood appreciating the serene beauty of the trees swaying in harmony to the soft wind. The wind mildly brushed against his cheek leaving a cool and crisp feeling which invigorated him and brought him back to his true aim.

The forest floor close to him was no longer a blanket of ebony. He could not define the shapes clearly but he would be able to spot anything moving in the undergrowth, be it a biped or not. Veldrin had already nocked an arrow and was primed to fire at anything resembling a hunter.

[Mugetsu]

(ooc) Good Luck

Michael awoke to a brilliant light. The kind of light you expect when one wakes in a hospital, or from a deep sleep on a summers day. This light was not calming or soothing like either of the afore mentioned ones,it was harsh and revealing. The light touched the surfaces in the room, glinting off glass, metal an finally off Michael himself. He appeared to be resonating with this light. It suddenly occured to him that he must be already entering this "Tournament of Arms". He closed his eyes and returned to the comfort that was offered to him by sleep....

In actuality, Michael Kurasawa had been sleeping for several hours and had been in the tournament for this amount of time. His 'alter-ego' was left in a sort of limbo, between worlds. This apparently wasn't normal and shouldn't happen again.

Again, the light....

A feeling of falling wrapped itself around the figure, accompanied with the clouds getting further away from him. It was in this moment that Icarus fully awakened into the 'world' created by his opponent. As he fell he felt his body twitch and spasm and adjust to the whims and desires of his creator and master.

His body was rapidly turning from its pale colour of his naked flesh into a more harsh, metallic colour. His skin grew taught and finally turned silver. His body became hard and was encased in some sort of metal, his arms and legs became heavy then light then heavy once more. A searing pain spread across his back. Two majestic wings thrust out from within the back, flexing and stretching, testing their strength.

Fade to black...

The figure realised something was wrong, he was changing again. His body was now being twisted and pulled, to and fro, heavy then light, light then............dark.

The majestic wings begun to sag, slowly they turned from a brilliant white into a grey, then a charcoal until finally they were black. Feathers fell from them in erratic patterns like holy snowflakes falling from heaven. Each fallen feather turned black and then burned. The wings became stunted and crooked until finally they were no more than haggard 'limbs' that served no purpose. Again with the pain in his back. Small bulges rushed around his back, a scream rang out.

At once, 6......7......no, 8 metallic tentacles sprouted from his back, writhing and flailing like a newborn. These tentacles began to slow their hypnotic thrashing and eventually stopped completely. Fully grown and fully ready for whatever purpose they were designed. The pain subsided, the light was gone. The sky was black........

Icarus now crouched down on the floor, around him was a dense forest, devoid of life, or so it seemed. Above his head was a thick canopy, blocking all the harsh sunlight from his blackened skin. Pushing himself upwards with what was in his hand, he glanced down at the item. It was a long, metal scythe, brutal in design. It looked extremely deadly and extremely efficient, as did its owner. Now clad all in black armour from head to toe, 8 tentacles protruding from his once angelic back. Topped off with a 'Death' lke scythe. He was ready.

Walking slowly forwards, Icarus tested the weight of his armour, tested the strength of his eyesight. Both seemed extremely good. His steps caused the twigs and fallen leaves to wither and die, his very presence seemed to sap the energy from this place. Now he searched for his opponent...

"Come now, you can't hide from Death!"

Icarus raised his scythe and prepared for the response.....

[Autumn]

[OOC: Good luck to you too. By the way, it is night time in the forest and the leaves are filtering moonlight through, not sunlight. Just so you weren't confused because I read you wrote the leaves were blocking sunlight.]


Nothing. Had he been right to trust his instinct? Yes, of course. That voice at the back of his mind was rarely wrong. Without warning the gentle breeze became a sudden gust shaking the treetops vigorously, almost causing the dark elf to lose his balance. But mingled within this sudden blast of air was the scent of something sinister, something foreign. The wind left a nefarious aftertaste on his lips.

Veldrin strained his hearing. His ears pricked up at the slightest rustle to the East. Showing no hesitation Veldrin began to fluidly dart through the trees, kicking precariously off narrow branches or swinging swiftly from one bough to the next. Gracefully moving through the air with ease his dexterity was undoubtedly something to be admired. As simple as it looked to an observer, traveling from tree to tree with the scant light available was certainly a challenge. He had to resort to his feral emotions to guide him safely towards his target amidst the shades of darkness threatening to envelop him.

He landed nimbly on a low hanging branch roughly forty feet from his quarry. No more than five meters off the ground. Veldrin could just identify a shadowy form ahead of him through the copious leaves and sprouting brushwood but whatever this thing was it was nothing like he had ever seen before. The monster appeared to consist of two separate parts: at first there was a figure resembling a human both in height and stocky build but protruding from its back were…wings? Entwined on these wings was an entity all unto itself - some kind of hydra thrashing viciously as if trying to escape before suddenly becoming placated. The elf chanced a quick glance upwards to the sky. The dense clouds were starting to thin. The moonlight caught his enemy revealing an angry glint of metal over the torso and along the wings. The “man” carried a long scythe in his hands and seemed to be familiarizing himself with it. How strange…

Veldrin knew caution would be needed. Possibilities for tackling this creature ran through his mind but finally he settled on keeping to distanced attacks, for the time being anyway. Only now did he realize his hand was firmly grasped around Drakor’s hilt, the mere presence comforting him. Reluctantly Veldrin released his hold on the sword and brought his longbow forward.

“Come now, you can’t hide from death!”

What a fool, shouting out his location so arrogantly in a silent forest! It relies too much on appearance. However, the concept of vigilance entered his thoughts again. Instinctively Veldrin had an arrow in his hand to nock. Just how strong was this horror?. Not knowing perturbed him. No matter, I’ll find out soon enough.

He was quite sure he was hidden sufficiently well behind the vegetation. Raising the longbow Veldrin drew the string back, aiming for the upper body all in one fluid motion. At the last moment his thoughts wavered. What he really needed to know was how powerful that hydra was. Adjusting ever so slightly he took aim at the left wing. Still unsure whether it was the right choice Veldrin allowed gut feeling to dictate his behavior. A brief moment of passion later the arrow had left the bow, zipping easily through the greenery directly at its target. Yet in this time another arrow had been nocked in anticipation.

[LocoColt04]

Much like the Malevolence - ultima_trev fight, this too only has one battle post. Since introductory posts don't count for anything in tournaments, that REALLY hurts you, Mugetsu. Unless Winter godmods, expect a loss here.

A breakdown, because you should get one anyway:


post001 - Winter

Brilliant, actually researching your opponent before the fight begins, and using that information in your introductory post. Since you're not controlling him during the fight itself here, it's perfectly legitimate, not to mention cool. Unlike some of the other participants, you grasped the idea of virtual reality and holodecks the way it was put together in my mind, and you put it to paper (or, well, screen) in a very well-written way. Excellent setup of both the real world and your environment of choice here.


post002 - Mugetsu

Man, what happened? This was your only post. But it was quite the amazing post. Your entrance into the environment created by Winter is emphatic and dramatic. You enter, and you make a point when you do. There's a bit of confusion in the misinterpretation of the setting, but nothing too drastic. I would've liked to see a bit more action on your part when you close off your introduction, but with him hiding, I can see why you didn't waste time searching. Shame there couldn't have been a followup post, though. This could've been a good one.


post003 - Winter

There's one glaring problem with your post -- where you aim at the end. If you'd notice, Icarus' wings have burned off completely, and in their place exist eight tentacles. Technically, based upon your post, you're aiming at nothing. Aside from that, it was beautifully written. I do have to wonder, however, if this is part of what kept Mugetsu from replying... nevertheless, since you never really had any competition here, the victory goes to you.



Victor: Winter