Archon-arena #5 and #6, Site on site

Right, here is Fight Seven. Hopefully I've been able to write in the syle of AFG's previous fight to help with the flow. Critiques are welcome!


Dagul Morkinnson, the Ironbeard of Kazad Dolvir took three steps into the arena. None could deny the dwarf�fs skill and valor for he showed it on his face, an amalgam of scar tissue and sun beaten skin complemented the fact that one eye, and both ears had been lost some time ago. He hefted his might axe Nalrik over his shoulder waiting for his opponent to come in.

At first there was silence. Undaunted the dwarf kept his nerves knowing that the fight would come to him. As the patrons began to stir a strong, a smooth voice bounced from all corners of the stadium. �gHave you ever defeated a god?�h The rich laughter filled Dagul�fs ear. He slowly began to move his left foot backwards, getting into a defensive stance. �gI have lived longer than your entire race�fs existence. I watched as your ancestors were first sired. I laughed as your creators looked down upon your kind with disappointment.�h Dagul rolled his shoulder back gripping his axe tighter. The runes began to spark. �gI came here to see what fighters this Cult of yours could bring, only to find it too to be a disappointment.�h Upon these words, Dagul smiled, barring his teeth at this unknown assailant. �gWell, I will commend you for one thing. You have ssspine.�h

From the ground burst the Emperor Snake, Allie. Her rich, green scales glimmered in the light, her cold, menacing eyes focused on the dwarf charging straight for her. Dagul brought his gaze p to see hers, smiling at him.

The dwarf threw his gauntlet up, catching the brunt of Allie�fs strike. Scales as hard as diamonds dented gromril and shattered bone sending the dwarf sprawling on the ground. Dagul rolled, catching himself in time to bring his axe up as Allie whipped her tail around for a second strike, this one coming from above. Dagul snatched the tip, catching it between his iron clad boots.

Allie has never bothered to learn Khazalid, seeing the dwarf race as hardly worth any interest. If she had, the words the veteran barked would have meant something. Dagul brought his axe down with his left, taking a five inches off the beast. Allie brought her head back and howled inaudibly to all but the keenest of hearing.

Dagul charged again, jumping onto the back of the snake as she moved moved, holding on. Allie snapped at the dwarf, yet he held tight, throwing his legs out of the way, trying to get solid footing so he could strike. He risked a glance at his surrounding, just in time to see the ground coming. He let go as Allie entered the earth.

The Ironbeard fell to one knee, breathing heavy. The first blow had shattered his arm. He felt the fragmets of bone spread throughout his arm. If it had hit his artery, he would have been dead by now. He closed his eyes, straining to listen to the great reptile. It seemed to be everywhere. �gHmph.�h

Allie burst behind him, sending dirt and bits of metal flying. She looked at him hungrily, watching as he spun around, watching as he let go of his rune axe. The axe went true striking the snake�fs crown, catching the front of her protective carapace. Her skull rattled violently, her crown vibrated. The axe ricocheted off up to the ceiling leaving Dagul defenseless.

Dagul dove to his right, landing on his bad arm as Allie struck out. He kept moving as she tried to snatch him again. He hopped forward as she came from behind. The dwarf spun around, realizing what the Queen of Snakes had done. She was all around him now. Allie contracted her muscles catching Dagul. With only his head showing, Allie squeezed harder, watching as the Dwarf�fs head turned a deep shade of purple as he tried to break free. He choked for words that did not come, a trickled of blood coming from his ears and nose. With one last sickening crunch of metal and meat, she released her grip.

To the audience�fs amazement, Morkinnson landed on his feet. His lungs punctured, most his bones broken, he took two steps forward in vain before he collapsed dead.

Auraifka stood up. �gThe Ironbeard has fallen. Long live the Queen.�h


Allie, Queen of Snakes strikes first
Allie: 3 hits �¨ 2 wounds �¨ 0 armour saves passed (0 from the reroll) �¨ 1 ward save passed
Dagul: 3 hits �¨ 1 wound �¨ 0 armour saves passed �¨ 0 ward saves passed
D: 3 hits �¨ 0 wounds
A: 3 hits �¨ 3 wounds �¨ 1 armour save passed (0 from the reroll) �¨ 2 ward saves passed
A: 3 hits �¨ 2 wounds �¨ 0 armour saves passed (2 from the reroll)
D: 3 hits �¨ 2 wounds �¨ 0 armour saves passed �¨ 1 ward save passed.
D: 1 hit �¨ 0 wounds
A: 4 hits �¨ 3 wounds �¨ 0 armour saves passed (2 from the reroll) �¨ 2 ward saves passed
A: 4 hits �¨ 4 wounds �¨ 2 armour saves passed (0 from the reroll) �¨ 0 ward saves passed.

Epic!

I don't like Dwarfs.

Well, as promised, I'd use my newfound extra time to good use. Here is the result:
As Jalleg the Abomination entered the arena, the previously rowdy crowd became deathly hushed, watching in shock. There had been some atrociously looking figures before, but this one took the cake.

The creature was vaguely humanoid in appearance, taking the obviously morphed shape of a fallen knight of the Empire. His swampy green exterior took varying shades and shimmered in a faintly metallic way. With his plate-bearing right hand, he unsheathed a massive sword, bearing a supernatural glow that unnerved even the bravest onlooker. Strapped to his left arm was a large spiked shield with any inscriptions now indecipherable over the centuries of shapeshifting, depending on what entity had been controlling him at the time. Auraifka leaned towards Milo and muttered “so that's they call him 'the Abomination.'”

The silence that met him was incredible. Jalleg's body made a slurping noise as he turned his head around to the three other main gates in turn, all of which had been opened. Instantly, a yawping warrior leapt out of the east gate and sprinted towards the thing, steps inflated by blood-frenzied springs. The greenskin was about seven feet tall, decked out primarily in thick cloth, dark green skin made to look more intimidating by tribal piercings and illuminated markings. Grimzag Skulltaker's head could barely be seen under the bleached and faintly bloodstained sabrestusk skull, also serving to amplify his guttural screams of primal dominance. His leathery left arm bore a large shield of old planks bound together by cheap rope. As he approached Jalleg, he leapt, swinging his double-edged battleaxe with the force of the ancients.

However, Jalleg saw the blow coming, and swivelled to face the charge of the orc head-on. With a lunge, he leapt forwards, head lowered, and drove his supernatural blade through the orc's gut, splashing blood all over the arena floor and onto Jalleg, which simply dissolved into his form. The axe kept its path going, but narrowly missed the abomination, who had kept low.

With that, Jalleg stood back upright, removing his blade with a sharp tug, releasing a spurt of thick, dark blood. In a second, his shield vanished into his left arm and the fingers and palm on his left hand became an array of porcupine quills. He slammed the mutations into the orc's side, piercing it in a multitude of places. Dragging them downwards and removing them stunned Grimzag for long enough that he could step back out of the way.

Now siezing the initiative, Grimzag pursued the mutation, using his momentum to get a decent swing on the creature's side. As the blow struck,a splattering noise could be heard, though Jalleg's form looked unchanged – for his standards anyway. Sensing no real change in this creature, Grimzag cried out and slammed his head into the abomination, decorative skull piercing the thing, and started to push his now pinned opponent into the arena wall.

Sensing himself outmuscled, Jalleg's face erupted into a mass of tentacles which worked their way around the orc's neck. As their powerful forms tightened, the greenskin stopped moving. Letting go of his axe, he fell forwards, leaving barely enough time for Jalleg to change form and pull himself free before the great creature fell lifeless.

Jalleg: 3 hits → 1 wound → failed armour → failed ward → 2 wounds left
Horse: 1 hit → 1 wound → failed armour → failed ward → 1 wound left
Grimzag: (4) 6 hits → 3 hit/3 miss from AoD → 3 wounds → 2 passed armour saves → 1 passed ward save → 2 wounds left
J: 1 hit → 0 wounds → 1 wound left
H: 0 hits → 1 wound left
G: (3) 3 hits (two 1s) → 2 hit/1 miss from AoD → 0 wounds
Father of Blades: 1 wound → failed armour → failed ward → Grimzag dies

Victory to Jalleg the Abomination!

***

This was an interesting one to write for. It was Jalleg's first appearance (a very odd character too if I may say so), and I'd never had a Father of Blades death before either. As such, writing this proved to be an entertaining challenge, and hopefully he'll stick around a bit longer.

Again, hopefully you enjoyed the fight. As I said, I have a two week reprieve now, so hopefully I'll be able to get a bit of work done on this.

Next up: Grimzag vs Ashiendel

-AFG//

That's 3 wins in a row for Rezephua! Huzzah! It's great to be on the (so far) winning team, even if I'm stuck paired with Sentinel...

Arena #5, Round 1, Fight 3: Ashiendel vs Gorgrim, Da Biggest, Baddest Gobbo

“Alright folks, we apologise for the stalls the arena has recently seen,” announced Auraifka. “But rest assured that we will get under way as soon as possible.”

With that, his herald called out. “Presenting Gorgrim, the Biggest, Baddest Gobbo who will be fighting the sensei Ashiendel!”

The east gate opened, and a green-cloaked elf walked purposefully into the arena. His finely crafted sword was held at the ready. Though he had a blindfold, he was able to 'feel' what was going on. The hostile crowd, hungry for blood. The great expansive space with no-one else for some distance. It was all very strange. Where could his opponent be?

All three remaining gates opened at once, and Ashiendel sprung to the defensive, prepared for something to attack him from somewhere. From the south gate strode a proud-looking goblin who was very lavishly dressed, decked out in scavenged armour and fancy cloth that he'd looted. In his right hand was a rickety spear and he seemed fairly content with the shield strapped tightly to his left arm.

Ashiendel stood very carefully, listening for the pattering of the creature's feet. However, that infuriating crowd was roaring incoherently. How was he supposed to know what was going on now? His frustrations were soon ended, however, with the creaking of armour but a few feet behind him.

“Yaaahhhhhh!!!” Gorgrim cried out in his high-pitched voice as he leapt towards the elf, thrusting his spear forwards. Just in time, the elf managed to swivel around, realise what was going on, then edge to the right, narrowly avoiding being skewered.

First attempt thwarted, the warboss turned around to face the elf again, surprised to see the black cloth where his eyes should be. So he's one ov dem... he mused to himself, not really knowing who “dem” included. Keeping his shield close, he lunged his spear towards the elf. This time, however, he knew full well that the blow was coming and effortlessly deflected it with his sword.

Coming onto the offensive, Ashiendel took a quick swing at the goblin's head, forcing him to raise his shield. The next blow was a forehand slash towards the creature's left side, but Gorgrim blocked it with his spear. The blows continued for a while, with Gorgrim unable to react quick enough to get back on the offensive. Meanwhile, he was slowly being pushed into the corner as he stepped back to prevent himself from being incapacitated.

Glancing back, the goblin realised he would soon be pinned against the wall. With nothing left to lose, he leapt back to avoid the sword, then rushed forwards in a last-ditch counterattack. Using his full strength, he swung the shield at the elf's head.

Sensing something coming towards him quickly, Ashiendel ducked back and blocked the blow with his sword. Gorgrim's offensive continued, however, lunging his spear at the elf's exposed belly. Realising the initial blow was a red herring, Ashiendel reached down and grabbed the spear as he twisted his body around to avoid being stabbed. A short, silent pause occurred, before the elf twisted the spear outwards, bringing the goblin's arm with it

Gorgrim squealed as the sharp pain shot up his arm, and his head was angled to match the arm. This was the perfect position for Ashiendel to strike from. With two movements, he pulled his sword back, and stabbed just below the noise. The sword sliced the tip of the creature's throat and continued up into his mouth through the bottom. Shortly after, the sword emerged from Gorgrim's skull just to the left of his nose. The crowd's barbaric screams of blood completely drowned out the goblin's cries of pain.


***

Ashiendel: (2) 3 hits → 6 hits → 3 wounds (1KB) → 2 passed armour → KB becomes 2 wounds
Gorgrim: 1 hit → 1 wound
Wolf: 0 hits
A: (3) 1 hit → 0 wounds → fails
G: 0 hits
W: 0 hits
A: (3) 4 hits → 2 wounds, re-roll of a 1 is failed, (1KB) → fails armour → 2 wounds (KB)

Victory to Ashiendel!

While I was expecting Ashiendel to win this pretty comfortably, I didn't think he'd take three rounds to do it, or that he'd survive two rounds of attacks.

As to the writeup, I think you can tell, I'm losing interest in the standard AoD duel. I'll finish this to the best of my abilities, but after this, I'll probably pull a Sentinel and retire to doing small, specialist ones.

'Not really knwing who 'dem' included'. Great.

This post has been edited by Soveder on Sep 3 2009, 10:10 AM

Right folks, here is a brief insight into my life at the moment.

To those who don't know, I'm in Year 13 at school (senior year) right now. That means a few things:
-I want to make this year count more than the previous years have; I'm aiming to get into the top 5% of NZ students my age this year as well as topping the class in two specific subjects. This also means I'll be doing a lot more work than the average student, including a 6th exam subject due to the fact that I was placed in an accelerated class some years back.
-The school I'm at has a LOT of internal assessments. This means that I get accredited for a lot of my work throughout the year as opposed to completely panicking come exams. While this has its advantages such as easing a lot of exam pressure (I've already passed the year, and should get an endorsement pretty easily), it does mean that schoolwork remains a high priority throughout the year, taking up a lot of time that could otherwise be spent working on this.
-I will be headed to university next year. For those not in the know, this is expensive, especially given that I want to do two degrees conjoint, one of which being Law. Don't get me started on accommodation costs. This means that another priority of mine includes getting enrolled for the relevant degrees next year, applying for accommodation halls and private/university scholarships. This takes up time.
This leads me to the big one,
-With Russell McVeagh Law declining my application for a scholarship and a job there, this puts more pressure on me to do well in the public scholarship exams (essentially me doing two years' worth of exams within a month or so). Two of the three such exams I'll be sitting are in English and Classical Studies, which will involve upwards of 3,000 words to be written in three hours. This will be a huge shock to my system as this will all be handwritten, and I've used my laptop all year. A lot of my time will, therefore, have to go into getting good at writing the things, and quickly. Added to this the fact that I'll have to learn one Classics paper from scratch due to it not being on the school curriculum.

Now, these big exams begin November 14, but the trial exams begin in a month, and I'd like to do well in them as well. As such, my priorities are completely academic now. I did really want to get this finished before commencing study, but this, I can see, will really not end up happening.

@Chili or other staff member, it might be best to move this into the sacrificial pit until my time clears up (December, most likely). However, I will get back to it, I promise, and I can upkeep said promise with the fact that my two-month holiday will become a three-month one due to the transition next year.

Cheers,
-AFG//

You know, sometimes it would be nice if people gave us a good reason for ditching an AoD, rather than just ignoring it...




On a more serious note, best of luck in the next few months AFG - I finished my senior year this time last year and I'm glad it's out of the way, very stressful. But, I'm sure you'll do fine

You could always do this instead of sleeping. Seriously though, best of luck!

^That's the way I'm handling my senior year right now.. XD

Sentinel. If I'm not allowed to post lolcats, you're just straight banned from all images.

No worries, AFG. Consider it moved.