<marquee bgcolor=black><font color=red><b><font size=+1>!!DO NOT POST HERE UNLESS YOU HAVE CLEARANCE FROM A JUDGE!!</font></b></font></marquee>
<marquee bgcolor=white><font color=black>Please do not respond here, but instead go to one of the links at the bottom of the post. Thanks! This thread is open to everyone! </font></marquee>

It is early morning in the forest as you quietly walk along a worn stone path. The trees grow close to the edges, covered in moss and vines that hang down from their branches. Tinted green light specked with gold brightens your path as the sunbeams make their way through the clutter of leaves.

It is not long before the trees thin and then begin to part, revealing a massive stone coliseum blocking the way. Its highest walls are beginning to crumble a bit as ivy creeps up the structure’s hulking mass, but the base and archways stand straight and rigid, as if held there by magic. Curiosity surmounting caution, you step into the largest stone archway.

On your right is a wall posted with a few large parchment signs. You glance over them, seeing if you can identify what this place is used for. “Battle Arenaâ€￾ is posted in large letters at the top of one signs, followed by some other information and an arrow pointing forwards.

Read the Signs

<i>Battle Arena!</i> You think as you head towards the other end of the corridor where sunlight is streaming in unhindered. Never have you seen an arena this great in size before. <i>Perhaps they are mistaken...</i>

On your way, you pass a few wooden doorways. Stopping to read a sign hung on one to your left you see the words “<b>Head of Events</b>â€￾ printed largely on the door. The door is mostly closed and the room is dark, so you continue on. Another door to your right reads “<b>Judges Chambers</b>â€￾. You pay it no mind. The next door on the left, however, catches your attention. Sprightly folk music drifts out, and looking in you see that this room has been modeled as a Tavern. Sure enough, the hanging sign reads “Forger’s Tavern and Innâ€￾.

A stout looking dwarf with a bushy beard gives you a wave and a smile as he polishes a mug. He then turns back to the half-elf girl he had been talking to, giving a rumble of laughter as she says something inaudible to your ears. Her pretty smile and auburn hair are the last things your eyes catch sight of before you have moved on once more.

Finally, you reach the end of the corridor. Opened up before you is a large arena, circled by a wall of stands for viewing. It is split into five different sections, each of them a circle cut from the stone and filled with dirt or sand. Stones fallen from the higher walls are dispersed randomly among the rings. The ring that connects to your corridor is the largest. The other four, being connected to smaller archways, are equal in size.

There are a few people milling in the stands and others are gathered around another large sign reading “<b>Contestant Sign-Up Information</b>â€￾. Quickly you make a decision as to which group you would like to join.

Join the Stands/Head to Forger's Tavern and Inn
Read the Sign-Up Information

Serenity’s footfalls echoed loudly across the open stands, her boots crunching harshly against newly wetted dirt and gravel. The rain from the night before hadn’t been much, but it was enough to turn the Arena floor into mud.

<i>This should be interesting... </i>

She looked across the Arena to where Elysian sat in the stands, reading a book in the early morning light as she waited for her training session to begin. Clean, white robes sat across the Druid’s shoulders. Serenity’s mouth twisted into an amused grin as she assessed Elysian’s attire. Her own armor was brown leather, sturdy and impervious to the stain a wad of slick mud would make. But Elysian’s...

<i>Lesson number one... </i>

Leaning over, Serenity scooped a handful of the muck into one hand, grimacing slightly as muddy water ran down her arm. Pushing off the ground, she flew just high enough to quietly relieve some of the distance, putting herself directly above Elysian. A small holding spell was carefully placed on the soggy dirt so it would be well prepared to make a long flight. With a well-practiced aim, she dropped the semi-stiff ball so it would fall straight down, smiling at the soft, squishy noise it made as it hit solid mass.

as Serenity drifts slowly back to the ground, a golden gleam fro the other end of the stands temporarily blinds her.Malchios flashes his trademark grin at her as he watches Elysian grimace at the muck on her robes. He jumped over the rows of stands to the actual rim of the arena.

Sorry about the um.... er...

Malchios blushed as he mumbled something under his breath.

_________________
you can't go on a ride; you're already on one

OOC: Malchios, what part of do not post here without judges consent do you not understand? Until further notice you are stricken from all of my threads. Don't post in them. Any of them. End of story.

Arriving early, Elysian sat down and pulled out her newly purchaced copy of Battling for Dummies. It was high time she learned how to do it properly she told herself, and Serenity would be a good and patient instructor.

Her newly ironed robes were practially florescent in the morning sun, being so white and clean. It had taken several days for the seamstress to get them to her and Elysian was excited at the chance to finally wear them. It always made her feel more confident to know she looked good when she didn't know what she was doing. It felt as if she had more of a grip on the situation.

It was the section on biting ones opponent that did her in. Even though she certainly wouldn't be doing any of that, it was fascinating to read about the various methods of such an attack. She had obviously been entirely too engrossed though, for she should have heard Serenity's entrance... or at least have seen it.

The mud dropped perfectly into her neatly braided hair, spattering tiny droplets down her back and onto her knees. The book was protected by an anti-harm spell and so dissolved most of the mud that came down Elysian's front. Being somewhat of a fanatic about the written word, she was for once justified in her anal-retentive tendencies towards her books.

Still, she was pissed.

Yuck....hey...that was NOT cool!

When Serenity didn't answer being too busy laughing Elysian slammed her book shut, got to her feet, and brushed the mud out of her hair the best she could.

Really, I thought you were going to at least be nice to me! How was throwing mud at me necessary!?

Elysian stood definantly on the edge of the great arena, waiting for an answer from her now somber friend.

<font color=dark red>Yuck... hey... that was NOT cool!</font>

Serenity clutched her stomach in silent laughter as mud dripped down from Elysian’s hair. She tumbled forward and lost her balance, causing her to do a summersault in midair. It was a few seconds of glaring from Elysian before she could settle down and right herself.

<font color=dark red>Really, I thought you were going to at least be nice to me! How was throwing mud at me necessary!?</font>

Serenity coughed in a poor attempt to cover up the remaining tendrils of laughter creeping into her voice. Brushing herself off, she lowered her altitude and sat in perfect posture before Elysian, feigning seriousness.

<font color=purple>Well, it was a perfect example of why you should keep an eye on your opponent at all times. Had you been paying attention to me and not this book...</font>

The book flew up from where Elysian had set it down and landed in Serenity’s outstretched hand. Curiously, she opened the cover, her face puckering into a look of disapproval.

<font color=purple>“Battling for Dummiesâ€￾? Where on earth did you get this waste of parchment paper? Don’t tell me you’ve been buying from that dodgy old merchant again? The one who sells those horrible romance novels?</font>

Her fingers flipped quickly across the pages, fluttering them from one side of the book to the other as she scanned them. Disgusted with what she saw, she carelessly threw it over her shoulder, wiping her muddy hands clean on her pants as if it was the book that had dirtied them.

<font color=purple>Now then, lets get started. The first thing we are going to practice at is grounded fighting.</font>

Her boots hit the ground with a crunch and she moved gracefully into a pensive gait. She gestured for Elysian to follow her out into the middle of the largest Battle Ring.

<font color=purple>Now, the ground is more of a place for hand-to-hand combat and close range attacks for fighter types. You don’t get the same space and distance as you do in the air. There are advantages, however. On the ground there are more obstacles to block your opponents attacks with and make it harder for them to reach you. </font>

She gestured to the rubble scattered around the arena,

<font color=purple>Hiding behind a rock can give you that split second interval you need to catch your breath or power up your spells. You can even hole up if you need to, using missile weapons like slings and arrows while remaining protected. This is especially useful for Mages, Priests, and other magic users, as we would rather avoid physical contact. </font>

She scratched at her head thoughtfully.

<font color=purple>Not having to levitate also allows us to completely concentrate on the spell at hand, though I find I can fly faster than I can run. And this is all taking for granted that your opponent is grounded as well. Fighting off an aerial attack from the ground is a distinct disadvantage in most cases...</font>

Slowing her walk, Serenity shook herself from her train of thought and turned to face Elysian.

<font color=purple>I’m getting ahead of myself! Why don’t you show me the weapons you’ve brought with you?</font>

Elysian produced her dagger, the only weapon that she carried in secret. Serenity could already see the druid's staff in her right hand.

You've seen both of these before Serenity...but if you must see them again, your wish is my command

Serenity took the dagger from Elysian, running a pale finger along the sharp blade.

You carry a staff primarily used for healing and a dagger void of any magic...hmmm

Elysian smiled. I never said this was going to be easy. But I must learn, and my staff will make up for whatever the dagger lacks.

Still fingering the dagger, Serenity began to slowly circle her pupil. Elysian held still.

What is it you would have me learn?

OOC: Um, that was me. It some how signed me out. Grrr.

Christian looked over to the larger, central arena and spotted a hovering Serenity drop something down towards the stands. He smirked to himself and decided that it was time for him to being his own training session.

A soft gust of wind caused small amounts of sand to billow over the arena, the circular shape of it creating small whirlwinds around the edges. All through the arena, small chunks of what looked like stone walls and some large rocks had been dumped all around the arena, making it almost maze like. He realised that if a heavy magic user like Scryser didn't stay on his toes and lost site of Christian for a second, then a nimble, athletic and well trained commando style fighter such as himself could easily sneak around the arena and strike more or less at will.

Christian himself had opted for a slight change in attire to suit the occasion, one might say. Rather than the usual pitch black body suit, that would attract the eye and the heat of such a clear day, Christian had opted for a more light tiger-stripe colour attire that matched his fair features and lightly tanned skin. Also, his arms were showing as the top was sleeveless.

He took a few steps into the arena, one hand on either side of his body, resting gently on his twin blades. He couldn't see Scryser, but his common sense and general awareness told him that he must be around somewhere.

<font color=blue>"Are you ready?" </font> Christian called out, his voice echoing around the small and relitively empty arena, that housed only the most die-hard Tourniquet fans this afternoon.

Black*Dolphy padded forward, all 4 legs stirrin up the dust of t' arena. form was almost pitch black, co'ering muscles.
ooc - shi's non-anthro

ic continued -

noticeing Serenity, Elysian and many others in the arena, shi decided to just watch, as the heat of the day was affecting hir most perilously.
flopping down, form rose in short breathes as shi panted.

_________________
The skeletons are playing a jig for you ...
... let's give 'em a merry dance
Aka Respergo

"Actually," a voice rang out. "It's now Nightshade."
Jumping in surprise, Christian swore under his breath and turned around suddenly, expecting someone to be there.
"The Forestmaster never reveals his location under some circumstances." The same voice rang out. "Now, should the training session begin?"
A sudden gust of wind caused the sand to float up, revealing a dark shape inside the brick wall itself! It was Nightshade!!
Swearing in surprise, Nightshade jumped down from his hiding place and drew his staff.
"Now the training session should begin..." Nightshade muttered with an arrogant smirk...

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

OCC: Silver - Orbs... Can't you read or are you just stupid? We've already had one person banned from threads for wandering into the battle arena when they are not participating in a battle! Go to the Forgers Tavern/Peanut Gallery thread if you wish to comment on a battle. These threads are for people who are participating in battles ONLY. Do not reply to this post, do not post in the Battle Arena again unless you have an opponent and the battle has been approved by a Judge. Do not reply here for ANY reason, and READ the OCC counter-part to EVERY IC thread BEFORE going ANYWHERE near it. If something like this happens again you will risk being banned from certain threads. And a general tip: we only speak English on these boards, so try to use full words and sentances ALL the time. This isn't some pathetic Neopets RPG. And if you're going to include an OCC note either do it brackets or do it at the beginning and/or end of a post only. I thank you in advance for your cooperation or bid you farewell in advance when you get kicked off the site.


Asp... what trees? Who said anything about trees? THERE ARE NO TREES! We are fighting in a SANDY arena, surrounded by a BRICK WALL. I described the layout already and there were NO trees. A judge watching this match would instantly mark you down for something like that, okay? You have to make sure you read what the other RPers put and use your common sense, alright? It's one of the most important aspects of RP. Now, little OCC tips and comments are going to be posted in <font color=red> red</font>, 'cos I wanna make this seem semi-realistic, without diving into full on OCC comments like this too often.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Christian looked dully at 'Nightshade' and idly itched the side of his face with his white and silver blade.

<font color=blue>"Uh, yeah, I think I'll be the judge of that."</font> He said, somewhat timidly.

<font color=blue>"So, Nightshade, huh? What inspired the change? I kinda liked 'Scryser'..."</font> Christian rambled briefly. <font color=blue>"Whatever. Anyway, this is your first arena battle, so first I wanna teach you about paying attention to and using the enviroment.<font color=red>(Though you did that quite well by commenting on the sand. Making the Judge aware that you are taking the enviroment they have set into you into account will earn you some kudos, which is why you have to be careful not to talk about the trees in a sandy enviroment! lol.)</font> As you can see here, we have a lot of rubble lying around, which means you'll have to change your game plan. Be patient, aware and ready to engage in close-quarters combat at any moment! In a more open enviroment, of course, things would be more frenzied."</font> Christian explained.

<font color=blue>"But the golden rule of combat is to pay attention to your opponent! If they're doing better than you are, then you'll have to switch to a more defensive style until you can pick up the pace a little. Don't ever forget that!" <font color=red>(If you can see that your opponent is RPing better than you are, and you switch to a more defensive style, the Judge will take note of this and that'll allow you some lieniancy to get back into the fight. If, however, you can't see it and make your character do some ridiculously powerful attack, the Judge will take this as you either not paying attention or just being ignorant and that'll go against you.)</font>

"So, as far as I'm concerned, we can either check your close combat skills now... or we can vanish into this maze of debris and see how you handle moving around, trying to outsmart your foe. Up to you."</font> Christian offered.

Serenity tossed the dagger upwards, watching it tumble, then catching it with magic. It hovered in the air, vertical to the ground, just a small distance from her outstretched finger. She tipped the handle so it was facing Elysian.

<font color=purple>I’m guessing you were limited in enchanting your weapons by the Druids.</font>

She raised an eyebrow, giving Elysian a familiar look.

<font color=purple>Don’t you think it’s time you’ve moved on from that? They don’t control you anymore. Their code is no longer yours to follow...</font>

Serenity took a step back as Elysian took the dagger, searching the Druid’s face for emotion.

<center>~~~</center>
<font color=gray>OOC: + Silver - Orbs +, do not post in here again.</font>

"So," Nightshade asked. "When do we start?"

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

Christian stared blankly at Nightshade while he waited for his cranial functions to kick in.

<font color=red>Haven't got the hang of the whole 'reading other people's posts' thing have you? In the last post, Christian stated that they could either try a close-combat battle or they could move around the debris trying to out-wit each other and that Nightshade could decide which one he wanted to do.

"Fine, fine," Nightshade said with a laugh, "Just kidding around."

"I want to...Move around the debris!!" He smiled as he produced an answer.

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

Christian's eyebrow flickered breifly as he digested Nightshade's answer.

<font color=blue>"Okay then."</font> He replied darkly, as he slowly stepped back, then turned around and slowly walked round a peice of debris.

<font color=blue>"Catch me if you can."</font> He dared, knowing full well that Nightshade's best chance stood in trying to beat Christian at his own stealthy game rather than chasing him around. <font color=blue>"Head off in the opposite direction for a few metres, then there should be sufficeint space between us to make this interesting."</font> He suggested.

Christian vanished into the maze of debris, instinctivly keeping low and checking around each corner before proceeding. He didn't draw his weapons, but still kept one hand on a sword hilt at all times. It could be quickly drawn in an emergancy and until then a drawn weapon would only serve as a possible clue to his position if it knocked against a rock or got caught in the sun, causing a glare to light up where he was, for example.


<font color=red>Okay, this is designed to improve the CONTEXT of your writing. If you can desribe what your character is doing and describe the surroundings well, this will show you're a good wirter and earn you kudos with the Judge. If you honestly think you're RPing so much better than me that your character should be allowed to attack, then do so. If, however, you attack and you are not RPing to a high standard, this will work against you and throw you into a combat situation where your opponent has the advantage. If you RP like a dumbass, then I will take the oppertunity to attack. For more information on how RPs are judged, check Serenity's OCC thread on the Battle Arena.

Nightshade walked slowly across the sandy ground, keeping his staff low, and kept his left hand on his sword hilt as well.

Glancing around, Nightshade threw a small dagger on where he heard the shuffling of shoes on sand.



Ohh...So close!

Nightshade's dagger had missed Christian by centemeters! But, in fact, a sharp intake of breath immediately told Nightshade that Christian must be in the area he assumed.

"Midnight!" Nightshade whispered.

His spell turned the brightly lit arena into a foggy "black stage."

Feeling his way across the brick wall, Nightshade moved swiftly and silently toward Christian's position.

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

<font color=red> Not bad, not bad at all. Be careful about rushing into things though...</font>


Christian heard the whistling of the dagger and swiftly moved behind a chunk of cracked debris. The dagger hurtled past his face and clattered to the ground. He hadn't realised how close it was and let out a short gasp.

Growling to himself breifly for letting his guard down like that, Christian decided it was time to capitalize on Nightshade's first big mistake...

He slowly crept around to the other side of the debris. He was surprised when darkness suddenly befell the entire arena, but this time, he kept himself quiet. There would not be another trip like that. In fact, Christian smiled to himself... Nightshade had given Christian a weapon more effective than any staff or sword...

He had given him shadows.

Staying low, and in darkness, Christian hovered silently around the side of the debris, keeping his eyes locked on the direction that the dagger had been thrown from.

Just as he suspected; Nightshade was moving off from the exact position that Christian had predicting, using the trajectory and accuracy of the thrown dagger as clues.

Christian took a long, low strife and stepped out from behind the debris just as Nightshade passed by. Christian held his breath... he was an inch from Nightshade's head.

Then, in one swift movement, Christian drew Hope and whipped his arm up under Nightshade's armpit, holding Hope to his throat, and ran his other hand up Nightshade's other arm, twisting his middle finger back so he couldn't move his free hand.

<font color=blue>"Don't ever give your position away like that. You have to be as unpredictable as you can."</font> Christian told him.

Nightshade struggled for a moment, before Christian released him and shoved him forwards, causing to sprawl over. When Nightshade turned to face Christian again... he had vanished into the shadows behind another dark chunk of rubble.

Elysian gingerly took back her dagger, unsure of how to respond. Suddenly interested in the proceedings of their neighbors, she turned her face from Serenity’s watchful gaze.

Serenity waited.

Sighing deeply, Elysian turned back to her friend, still unsure of what to say.

It is true that their rules are not mine to follow anymore, but…they were apart of me for so long…it’s hard to separate my beliefs from theirs…I guess. She smiled lamely.

Anyways, what would you have me do to this dagger? I know how to use it well enough without magic, which you know perfectly well.

I want you to make it sharper, finer…cleaner. I want you to use your imagination.

Elysian’s eyebrows rose. This certainly was out of her normal scope.

Ooookkkk. Turning back to the dagger in her hand, she set down her staff in order to have both hands free.

Serenity clucked. Set down your weapon again and it’s mine.

Elysian rolled her eyes in agitation. This wasn’t as much fun as she thought it’d be. Vanishing her staff, she again turned to her dagger.

Her mind blanked. This seemed an impossible task, considering she was mostly trained in the art of healing.

Healing…it was possible to hone a potion she knew…to make it finer, stronger. Smiling to herself, she turned to the dagger yet again. Closing her eyes, Elysian reached inside herself, tracing the magic until she found was she was looking for. The dagger began to glow bright green.

Opening her eyes, Elysian smiled at Serenity. The dagger was no longer glowing but now had a faint green tinge to it.

Try it.

Elysian’s smile quickly melted. She would not hurt someone unnecessarily. Looking around, she was struck by a thought.

The dagger glided through the wooden bleacher with ease. The cut was so fine, Serenity and Elysian had to bend closer to see it. Elysian beamed in triumph.

"Lightbring."

The arena was suddenly brightly lit again. Jumping on to the brick wall, Nightshade could easily see the position of Christian.

"Enshroud."

Nightshade was made invisible. Laughing silently, Nightshade drew his staff ("enshrouded") and walked calmly toward Christian.

"Hover."

Nightshade was now walking on the air, making it so Christian could not hear the shuffling of shoes.

Drawing his sword as well, Nightshade advanced on the unwary Christian...

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

OOC: Okay, before I reply to Elysian's post, let me advise you on something Aspaheir. You <i>really</i> need to get out of the habit of screaming out what you are going to do before you do it. This is not Yu Gi Oh... lol. There is no way that Christian would not have heard that and turned around to stop you, if not just smite you where you stand. You gave away your location!! Now, before he comes back to post, edit your post above and try something more stealthy. Set up a trap, but don't go for a direct attack. Christian is stronger than you and writes at a higher level, but you can get him if you are tricky and play hide and go seek!

OCC: Let her make the mistake, it'll make the lesson stick.

<font color=red>Sneaky. I kinda like it. Remember what I said before though, don't rush along too quickly.</font>

Christian shielded his eyes for a second as he got used to the light. He heard Nightshade shout some more and his eyes widened briefly... he suddenly became aware that he was trouble. This was a vaugly intelligent strategy by Nightshade.

Christian growled as his sixth sense warned him of Nightshade's approach... then something suddenly dawned on him.

It would take timing, and he might only have one shot... Christian backed up for a few metres until his back was covered by the arena wall and then he crouched down low, forcing Love into the sand at an angel and then slowly stood back up.

His sixth sense buzzed with the warning of imminent attack, but Christian held his ground and waiting for just a little longer...

And then stamped on the hilt of Love, flinging the sword into the air and allowing for an easy catch, but at the same time, it also hurled a chunk of sand into the path ahead of him.

Nightshade let out a cry at a clump of sand smacked into him and clung onto his body, revealing his shape. While he was still distracted, Christian hurriedly ran and luanched himself at Nightshade, smashing into him, knocking him out of the air and crashing into the ground, pinning him down and breaking the concertration needed to hold the enshroud and hover spells.

<font color=blue>"There's always someone smarter."</font> Christian smirked at the splutering Nightshade beneath him. <font color=blue>"That was a nice try though, good to see you're using your head... somewhat..."</font>

Christian rolled over and flipped himself into the air, drawing both his swords in midspin, and spun to face Nightshade on the ground.

<font color=blue>"If you've had enough of this we could always try something else."</font> He offered.

OCC: Nightshade wasn't shouting it out loud, Serenity, he can whisper, can't he??

Wiping blood from his mouth, Nightshade sheathed his sword and muttered, "Let's fight each other face-to-face..."

_________________
Two roads diverged in a yellow road,
And I, I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference... -Robert Frost

*Del walks into the arena that serina assigned to Draches and him. He looks around wondering where his combatant has gone too. Perhaps Draches has become a sissy or maybe he is just taking his time. Either way, Del is not happy with the wait.*
Draches! Show your pansy self!!