Tantalum

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

I'm also a little concerned with getting this RP to go in some sort of direction soon. With the information we have right now, it's really limiting what sorts of characters I can introduce here. Factions sound great right about now, so long as it won't clash with what LeeRoy has planned.

Either way, I'll probably have a new character up soon. Aiming for T4-T5 so they'd actually have a chance against the bosses. Anyone else down for some Extreme hunting once that's set?

Northwestern Ash Valley

Forum downtime made that more difficult to post than it needed to be.

But, awesome. My first complete fight on here, and it only took the best of five years, hah. Simply hoping this outro can compare to the slick intro you had earlier.

Take any amount of time in your next post if you make a followup, I guess. Mikael won't be much more than a mangled corpse if The Weeper finds him.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Mikael stepped after The Weeper, his knife rallied to slash down upon the swordsman as he made distance -- or at least were his intentions, as his hasted movement brought torment upon him like never before.
He held frozen on the spot, needing the entirety of his strength just to stay standing. To make a sudden motion with a sword going through him was an act which he instantly regretted. His blood was running more freely now, as an inch-thick puddle of the vile substance encircled his feet. Every involuntary movement only widened his wound, causing anguish beyond his comprehension.
His knife was tossed to the side such that he could take hold of the sword's hilt; alas, he had not the focus to steady it, nor the strength to extract it from himself. His consciousness had not faded in the slightest, and the trauma only drove him further towards a state of helplessness. Against his will he crashed onto one knee, and succumbed to a kneel soon after.

Three fingers held limply from a monstrous mass of destructive energy, overshadowing its caster with its foreboding purple haze. The sphere had grown to twice as large as Mikael was tall. It made him smirk at the very sight of it, despite how much it pained him to do so. It was a shallow consolation, but perhaps he would leave his mark after all.
Still he watched the fleeting victor, for this was simply all he could do. He glanced down with contracted eyes, observing the simplistic instrument of his undoing. Perhaps his actions had been justified, but to Mikael, there was but one deduction which bore importance to him.

'He fears death as much as I do.'

His body jolted, accompanied by abhorrent groans and splatters. His arm withdrew against his chest, as if the action had the slightest chance of prolonging his life. It was not an end he was content with, but neither one he could be completely ashamed of. Inevitably, his parting breath took the form of a single word, uttered with the same pitying tone he used upon meeting his killer.

"...Hypocrite."

The ground quaked with a violent uproar of shards and dust, bellowing in abundance above the valley. A magenta blaze lit the very clouds, and a crackle of residual sparks showered upon the stony battlefield.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Ahah, so much for me sorting that schedule. D:

Likely just a few posts until Mikael's bloodstream falls to cardiac arrest, unless your character ends it even sooner. His slow bleeding and circulation could keep him going just a little longer, or so I figure. Still, I'd say this is a pretty enjoyable outcome.

Northwestern Ash Valley

The Weeper continued his assault without pause, reeling back for a lethally placed thrust. In his lowered state, Mikael pushed away from the left, forcing his upper body opposite. Timed alongside his foe's movements, his dagger swung across to parry the blade; however, by vast underestimation, it was not enough.

The sword pierced cleanly through leather, flesh and bone alike. Exiting through his back, the vile equivalent of Mikael's blood was reluctant to separate from its tip.

As fate would have it, his strength was nothing to The Weeper's expertise, and even less in his injured state. His actions had served only to redirect the blade to his left side, running through his respective lung in favour of his heart. His face was flushed with agony beyond description, and every repeated attempt to scream was cut short by impulsed ventilation. There was no doubt that what stood before The Weeper was a dead man... and yet, he was standing.

His footing held firm upon the jagged floor, even as his resistance caused him to impale himself further on the blade. In sheer instinctual awareness, his knife swept outwards and across, aiming to slash the wrist which caused his impalement. Due to the nature of Mikael's vitals, The Weeper may have unexpected difficulty retrieving his sword in a single motion.

Reddish purple sparks surged violently along his form, glowing within his veins, blazing through his fleeting life fluids. Paused at a two-foot diameter, his Plasma Sphere barely clung beneath his fingertips.

Northwestern Ash Valley

"You're annoying." Mikael vented through loosely clenched teeth, with eyes sternly affixed to his foe's mocking mask. "What does it matter? Your sword won't break me."

Though annoyance was all he dared to show, his thoughts were in complete disarray, almost bringing him to doubt his own words. However, The Weeper made it clear to Mikael that now was not the time to meditate. His monstrous speed was able to close the gap instantly; although Mikael could follow his movements, it left him no room for options, cornering him into a single action. His right leg switched back as the swordsman swept close, and a falling crouch pulled him narrowly under the lethal blade. His knife was raised high to his right, holding his balance and only defence; even if he was able to counter, the difference in reach made it unwise.

Steadily, the realisation began to sink in. The hasted breaths, his impulsed actions, his unsteady heartbeat; recognised not from personal experience, but from familiar observance. For the first time in memory, Mikael was experiencing the very emotions which he lived to inflict.
He was not fearful, nor did he consider himself disadvantaged by his injuries. But somehow, his foe had broken into his psyche, far more effectively than he was able, and even without his awareness.
Even as he tried to deny the notion, what lingered was a distinct feeling of reverence for his assaulter, and confusion in his own ability and judgement. Combined, the two of these instilled fear, which led to restrained alarm. But as long as Mikael was conscious, he would not give in.

A third Energy Sphere materialised in front of him, hanging from his limp arm. In his vulnerable state, he would surely not get a chance for another.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Sleep schedule's been haywire as of late. Hopefully got that sorted today, so I can finally pick up the pace on this again.

Your damage in the last post might've been a little overkill, what with that sphere only being slightly larger than the first one =S. It might not have hit The Weeper at all, had he not moved backwards to dodge. I guess I'm fine with it if you are, though.

Northwestern Ash Valley

The ground quaked, and the Weeper was tossed from his second Plasma Sphere, caught within its outskirts. Mikael came to a standstill at the explosion's border, needing not fear his own calculated weapon. He landed low and uneasy from his earlier pace, straining himself a little as he misjudged the impact. Parkour may have been a second nature to him, but it was apparent that his pain threshold left much to be desired.

Trails of an inconsistent, murky red trickled ever steadily from his puncture wound, barely reaching down to his elbow. While not his first time taking a bullet, it was a feeling he could never get accustomed to. His shoulder and fingers could move, but much to his irritation, his middle joint would not cooperate.
"B*stard." Mikael was sure to make his curses audible, despite his weighted breathing. Indirect hits hardly phased his opponent at all, and with that mask he wore, he couldn't even tell if they were trying.

Having little choice, he snatched his knife into his non-dominant hand. The scrape through his right arm was more excruciating, but it remained functional at the least. With the next opening he made, Mikael did not intend to hold back in the slightest; if The Weeper could not be whittled down, he would simply make sure his next attack shattered him whole.

Northwestern Ash Valley

The Weeper paced back in preparation as Mikael approached. His gun had been withdrawn in favour of his sword - a considerably lesser threat, but nonetheless one which he would have trouble dealing with up close. Even before his approach, he had kept it in his best interests not to let such a situation happen.
His Plasma Sphere was released from his right hand, carefully timed as he made his final step. His left knee swung outwards, effortlessly volleying the explosive mass straight towards the sword-wielder's lower.

The sphere would not detonate upon contact, unless The Weeper were to contest it with his strength. Regardless, Mikael's transfer of force had considerably slowed his travel; combined with the size and density of his projectile, he was certain to have interrupted any chance of being attacked from the front. Should the swordsman happen to evade, the sphere would roll ten feet past his prior position, primed to detonate precisely two seconds later.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Ack, also missed this post earlier.

I overlooked The Weeper being able to recover that fast. It seemed fairly drawn out in your wording, but Mikael was also knocked back a further distance than him, so it adds up.
He does charge the spheres pretty quickly, but yes, not quite that fast. It may still have made sense if I had Mikael charge the second sphere while flying back from the first, as I had planned... but apparently I didn't write that. That right there's probably thrown the match already, since he'll have to be a whole lot more reckless now. Hopefully this edit suffices.

For the record, The Weeper's sword would probably slice open Mikael's spheres (though that would be bad for both of them), and a few direct shots could destroy a smaller sphere. I don't think there's any risk of this ability causing a stalemate.