OLWEN vs VEHARA

PLACE: The Rajan Arena.
EVENT: The Rajan Rumble 2024.
JUDGES: The Assembly of Judges.
WINNER: Olwen.

ROOM DESCRIPTION: The Rajan Arena is old and dusty, the floor comprised of solid umber stone. There is an inch-thick layer of fine sand scattered all throughout, making the clean up of blood and sweat easier for the employees of the arena after a hard battle has ensued. The walls tower high, flags emblazoned with a dark dragon design flapping in the breeze from the pillars atop the western wall. The stands are also high above the arena floor, boasting enough room to host half of the populace if necessary, the benches solid stone and likely requiring patrons of each fight to bring their own cushions for comfort. In the middle of the arena is a brightly burning flame in a pit, and all fighters are instructed that if they have a serious wound or even just a painful one, they can climb into the firepit and the flames will heal their ails. That is, if their opponent doesn't get to them first.

Despite the arena being generally sunny, there's a slight chill in the air that is uncharacteristic of Rajan this time of year. There's low humidity and in the distance, clouds can be seen forming, signaling that it may rain.
There is a pit in the middle of the arena floor that is lit with a pinkish-purple flame. It is apparently the only way to heal during the duel.
The Rajan Arena is set up to give you a random, temporary power that goes away after the end of the duel. I need both combatants to type generate a power before beginning. Use of the power is mandatory at least once, but preferred throughout the duel. Other abilities that your character has are still allowed as well.
Healing items and abilities will not work in this duel, so if you need to heal, type stand in the flame to see how much you are healed prior to writing any healing posts. The pit in the middle hosts a healing flame that can help you along your way, with a randomized percentage between 0 - 100 percent. Utilizing the healing pit is not mandatory.
Please keep posts between 15-20 minutes. Failure to follow this rule may lead to disqualification.
Familiarize yourself with the IC and OOC rules listed on the blog post on the front page.
Winner of the coin toss gets to decide who posts first. Following the duel, Victoria will MUDmail the duel page link to the AOJ. When a verdict has been reached, she will announce it, so please be patient.
Good luck, combatants!

Victoria says : I need both parties to type generate a power.

Cecile is in the stands as before, cheering Olwen on and also wishing Vehara well, out of politeness.

Standing directly in the middle of the burning pit, Vehara receives a special, temporary ability for the duration of her duel: TELEKINESIS.
OOC: The ability can be used defensively or offensively, just keep it fair.
Use of the power/ability is mandatory at least once, but preferably all throughout the duel.
Knowledge of how to best utilize the temporary power comes with it, including how to use it at all.

Standing directly in the middle of the burning pit, Olwen receives a special, temporary ability for the duration of her duel: VAMPIRIC ABILITIES.
OOC: The ability can be used defensively or offensively, just keep it fair.
Use of the power/ability is mandatory at least once, but preferably all throughout the duel.
Knowledge of how to best utilize the temporary power comes with it, including how to use it at all.

Olwen says [to Vehara] : Alrigh', Gorgeous. Heads or tails?
Vehara says [to Olwen] : Tails.
Wielding a coin, Olwen flips it, letting it smack against the back of her hand. When she lifts her hand to expose the results, the following is revealed:
The coin is clearly TAILS.
Victoria says [to Vehara] : Do you want to go first or second?
Vehara says [to Victoria] : I'll go first.

The Duel

Vehara stands opposite of the arena from Olwen, dressed a bit differently today than she was for her encounter with Sabin. She appears to be wearing some sort of black cloak that disguises her body and any potential weapons that may be hidden. ?Alright, lets get this started?? She mutters, reaching up and flicking her hood back to reveal her ebon skinned face and that equally dark hair. Noting her acquisition of teleknetic powers, the half-drow forgoes their use for the moment as she sprints towards Olwen, her form becoming little more than a blur as she slashes the space between them in mere seconds. Closing in on her half-gnome opponent, she abandons her feet in a elegant leap, her hands moving swiftly inside her cloak to grasp something unseen as she lands in front of Olwen with predatory grace. Smashing her closed fist against her thigh, a barely audible ?crunch? is heard as the unseen egg is crushed in her grasp before she casts her hand out toward the woman?s face, revealing a caustic mixture of blinding agents; sand, bits of spice and fine shavings of glass among them. With her opponent hopefully blinded, Vehara?s sleeves roll back to reveal a pair of diminuitive crossbows fixed to her wrists, each of them primed and ready with a tiny bolt laced with nefarious poison. She doesn?t even need to manually trigger them, instead relying on her gifted ability of teleknesis to do that for her - the small projects fire out with a ?click?, aiming each one for the half-gnome?s shoulders. Should they strike true, Olwen will find her muscles growing sluggish and burning the more the toxin courses its way through her veins.

Olwen is dressed much the same as her battle with Osyth, a sleek outfit comprised of a rather comfortable blouse bedecked in leather armor - all fitted to allow for movement of the half-Gnome during battle. She carries her trusty sword and is armed to the teeth with daggers, the pockets of her belt weighed down with projectiles for possible use later. She studies Vehara's approach, one gloved hand moving with a speed she isn't used to, seeking to block the onslaught of her opponent's caustic egg attack. However, flecks of it manage to paint her face in places, glass cutting into flesh that appears to mend itself just as easily, or at least much faster than she is used to. Although, not without a small wince and curse from the burning pain, rivulets of blood formed on skin that is normally milky and smooth. "Huh, well I'll be damned!" is said with a grin. The woman then darts to the side quickly, a bit clumsy from getting used to such new speed abilities. One of Vehara's bolts manage to nick her shoulder, pumping a toxin into her bloodstream. She could feel the burn of it, yet also feel the cleansing of her newfound vampiric powers. It manages to slow her for a time, so she needs to act quickly enough. Reaching into a container on her weapon's belt, the woman rolls what appears to be tiny metal balls around in her hand. Her natural explosive abilities work into the metal, charging them. Steadying them on one palm, Olwen flicks one after another at her opponent. Given the vampire strength, they are fired with the force of bullets and will explode on impact, if they manage to hit Vehara.

Vehara discards the crossbows from her wrists now that they?re empty, her keen eyes studying Olwen and awaiting the first sign of any retaliation on her part. Knowing those tiny metal shells are likely to be charged with explosives, the half-drow eschews her usual rapid movement, conserving stamina and instead relying on her telekinetic abilities to deal with this particular attack; many of them fly off course and explode against the ground away from Vehara, kicking up plumes of dust and dirt but otherwise leaving her unharmed. Because of that obscuring dust however, she fails to notice the last metal ball until it is too late, cursing beneath her breath and bringing her arms up to shield her face; the tiny explosive makes contact with her chest, rupturing into a ball of fire that scorches through her cloak and burns the leather armor obscured underneath, her skin searing and blistering with painful burns. Staggering back and crying out, Vehara forces herself to ignore the pain, forcing it into the back of her mind while she uses the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosions to her advantage to conceal her movements. Gritting her teeth through the pain, the vigilante assassin unveils a pair of daggers, casting them in Olwen?s direction with frightening speed; they seem to miss however, sticking into the arena wall behind her. Unfortunate, or odd. Tapping her feet against the arena floor, Vehara?s boots unveil a pair of razor sharp tips at the crowns, triggered by the simple motion. Rushing Olwen again, Vehara?s legs move with swiftness and precision as she kicks out at the gnome?s knees and and stomach in rapid succession, aiming to tear flesh and smash bone. Narrowing her eyes to call upon her newfound abilities, Vehara triggers those daggers stuck into the arena, pulling themselves free and streaking towards Olwen?s back so she faces a two pronged assault.

Stepping into the flames, Olwen is healed exactly 53 percent.

Olwen could feel the sluggishness of the gifted vampiric healing, whether by the magic of the arena or of the healing flame. Either way, she needed to get to that healing pit and purge herself of the residual toxin. She could feel her muscles wanting to numb, the burn of that nick that was bleeding at her shoulder now. She watches Vehara like a hawk, grinning at the explosion that manages to find her opponent's chest. A chuckle is heard, then another when the daggers supposedly miss her. "Nice aimin', ma'am. Migh' try ta hit me next time, eh?" Comes the goad from the half-gnome. Vehara's boots are seen and the woman goes into a small daydream about how she needs to get herself a pair of those, which causes one of the blades to hit her leg and force a sound of pain from the tiny warrior. She is much more attune to the Vigilante's attacks now and artfully attempts to dodge the next, only to have it connect with her side in a spray of blood and pain. Now this was personal. Olwen uses her uninjured leg to try and throw herself into the air, finding the movement to not be as easy as she once hoped. So with her plan changed, she explodes into a cloud of screeching bats, the all appear to have tufts of white hair on their heads and a thirst for vengeance. Flying toward, Vehara, the tiny critters seek to bite and claw at her face. If that wasn't enough, Olwen comes back together completely, to try and attach herself to Vehara's back. Given the chance, she will attempt to sink her new fangs into the ebony skin of her opponent's neck. The daggers are seen and if she is indeed on Vehara, she will try and pull her toward the flying daggers. Of course, no one is perfect, so a dagger finds itself buried in Olwen's arm. Calling upon the bats again, she will fly toward the healing flames to seek their care. With half of her stamina back, she feels a new energy surge inside of her.

Stepping into the flames, Vehara is healed exactly 57 percent.

Vehara appears confounded when Olwen explodes into a cloud of bats, shaking her head in disbelief. ?Who ever heard of a goddamn vampiric gnome?? Casting her confusion aside, the half-drow explodes into a flurry of deft movements to evade the incoming swarm, although some of them manage to scratch and bite at her face regardless; the wounds aren?t heavy, but they are annoying and draw rivulets of crimson that drip to the arena floor. Batting the last one aside, Vehara is not exactly prepared for another bout of sudden movement with the pain she still feels from Olwen?s previous explosive attack and as such the woman latches on, those fangs sinking into her smoothly skinned throat. Howling with pain and fury, Vehara twists this way and that, narrowly avoiding her own dagger while her fist comes up to aim at Olwen?s face in some vain attempt to struggle her off. Just before it would make contact however, the vampiric gnome is again in a swarm of bats, leaving Vehara bleeding from the face and neck; the neck wound is a more pressing issue, bringing her hand up to exert pressure on the wound to stem the flow of blood. Knowing she herself needs healing and that Olwen isn?t exactly pressuring her at the moment, Vehara beats a hasty retreat, blood seeping through the fingers on her neck as she dives into the healing circle. Her level of recovery is similar to Olwen?s own; not compete, but the wounds on her neck stitch themselves together and the burns and blisters gently lessen, although they still provide a throbbing pain that pulses through her body. Rising to her feet and stepping out of the circle, the vigilante shakes her head and reaches down to her belt to take hold of her favored weapon, the kusari-gama, a chained instrument with a small scythe at one end and a hefty weight at the other. ?Enough.? She growls, bringing the chained weapon unfurling with a swift motion - the weighted end crashes toward Olwen several times in impossibly quick fashion, aiming to crush her face and ribs respectively. Regardless of whether the weight connects or not, Vehara calls on her telekinetic abilities once more, making the chain seem to move with lifelike intelligence as it seeks to snake itself around Olwen?s legs. With her opponent hopefully reeling and restrained, the half-drow brings the scythe into motion in a flurry of strikes aimed at carving Olwen up like a festive pumpkin. Her breathing is notably labored and though the strikes are quick they aren?t moving with the sheer speed Vehara is used to; apparently the healing did more to address her injuries than her stamina.

Vehara appears confounded when Olwen explodes into a cloud of bats, shaking her head in disbelief. ?Who ever heard of a goddamn vampiric gnome?? Casting her confusion aside, the half-drow explodes into a flurry of deft movements to evade the incoming swarm, although some of them manage to scratch and bite at her face regardless; the wounds aren?t heavy, but they are annoying and draw rivulets of crimson that drip to the arena floor. Batting the last one aside, Vehara is not exactly prepared for another bout of sudden movement with the pain she still feels from Olwen?s previous explosive attack and as such the woman latches on, those fangs sinking into her smoothly skinned throat. Howling with pain and fury, Vehara twists this way and that, narrowly avoiding her own dagger while her fist comes up to aim at Olwen?s face in some vain attempt to struggle her off. Just before it would make contact however, the vampiric gnome is again in a swarm of bats, leaving Vehara bleeding from the face and neck; the neck wound is a more pressing issue, bringing her hand up to exert pressure on the wound to stem the flow of blood. Knowing she herself needs healing and that Olwen isn?t exactly pressuring her at the moment, Vehara beats a hasty retreat, blood seeping through the fingers on her neck as she dives into the healing circle. Her level of recovery is similar to Olwen?s own; not compete, but the wounds on her neck stitch themselves together and the burns and blisters gently lessen, although they still provide a throbbing pain that pulses through her body. Rising to her feet and stepping out of the circle, the vigilante shakes her head and reaches down to her belt to take hold of her favored weapon, the kusari-gama, a chained instrument with a small scythe at one end and a hefty weight at the other. ?Enough.? She growls, bringing the chained weapon unfurling with a swift motion - the weighted end crashes toward Olwen several times in impossibly quick fashion, aiming to crush her face and ribs respectively. Regardless of whether the weight connects or not, Vehara calls on her telekinetic abilities once more, making the chain seem to move with lifelike intelligence as it seeks to snake itself around Olwen?s legs. With her opponent hopefully reeling and restrained, the half-drow brings the scythe into motion in a flurry of strikes aimed at carving Olwen up like a festive pumpkin. Her breathing is notably labored and though the strikes are quick they aren?t moving with the sheer speed Vehara is used to; apparently the healing did more to address her injuries than her stamina.

The clouds darken to a medium gray, a light sprinkling of rain heralding a stronger downpour.

Olwen is still aggravated by the pain blooming from her injuries, the healing flames weren't perfect, but they did manage to do some good. She hacks and spits off to the side in a not so lady-like fashion, swigging at her flask to wash the taste of blood from her mouth - though alcohol mixing with the blood is a lot tastier than she could have imagined, must be the vampire thirst. "Aye, it's enough when I say, Lass." she chuckles deeply, grinning like a deviant. "We're jus' gettin's started!" The Kusari-Gama does manage to strike her a couple of times, causing the Half-gnome to curse. And that chain does wrap around with a snake-like intelligence. Olwen does her best to dodge the chain, reaching out to grab it in a flurry of motion. "Ever been undergroun'?" She asks, kicking her feet at the soil a few times and then spinning. Given she has the vampiric speed and agility, those boots are soon kicking up dust. The Vampiric gnome digs into the soil, traversing it as easily as a fish in water. Vehara will either be forced to relinquish her chain, or be pulled beneath into the ground and on a small adventure with the crazy woman. As if that wasn't enough, she turns beneath the soil and aims a punch right for Vehara's face, the hit charged with strength and explosives.

Vehara normally would release the chain in time, but the injuries and the mental fatigue that is setting in from using her gifted telekinesis is taking a toll on her. Like a fisherman - or woman, in this case - that has hooked a fish much too large, the half-drow is yanked beneath the soil, the coarse sand and dust raking at her face as she is dragged into the earth. Scowling, Vehara closes her eyes and braces for the punch, doing as much as she can to bring an arm up to block; it doesn?t do much good since the blow is enhanced with literally explosive strength and power, sending her tumbling away from Olwen beneath the ground in a flurry of blood, smoke and muffled curses. Still having hold of the chain, Vehara uses the last of her mental strength to force it to extract her from the earth like a rope, dragging her onto the arena floor. She lies there on her her fists and knees, her ebon skinned face reddened and caked with burns and abrasions as she huffs for breath. Luckily, it seems this duel is at its end.

End Duel

Cecile makes sure to congratulate both combatants on a fight well done, and to thank them for the show.
A medic with knowledge of both magical and traditional healing is sent out into the arena to tend to both duelists, if they so desire.
Olwen pants, digging herself out of the soil with the same sort of fatigue. "Damn, Lass. Yer worse for wear. Need a healin'?" Pulling herself up with some discomfort, she seeks the medics.
Olwen blows a kiss to Cecile.

Last modified on June 14, 2024, 17:21:11