Divinity

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

In terms of magical acuity, there was no question who would come out on top. Time for a practical lesson in magicamundane theory!

While Shin was correct in assuming the attack was based in magic, he had muddied the waters. This was not gestative, but transmutive. Extending crystallogenesis principles, one could weaponize even the air about them if they were creative. The crystallized oxygen was the wholly natural byproduct of placing air under incredible pressure, and altering physical matter was day one for a master transmuter such as Crystal. The hyper-thin blade may have been born of magic, but was as physical as he himself.

Given his reserved gear and weapon of choice, he examplified the monk archetype. This gave her much to work with. Yes! Like a good monk, he would be nimble and dodge and get in close! The air blade roared onward past him to the sound of metallic grinding as it carved a scar into the earth and caused water to guyser as the gardens water leylines were cut. It fizzled out a short distance later, dissipating back into a gas with quite explosive results.

Meanwhile, Shin was intent on invading her personal space. Just as he'd begin his spin she'd fling her diamond-bearing hand forward, releasing them equidistantly as they fanned out smoothly like a liquid into curved lenses, angled between them at such a degree as to deflect his blow upward.

Shin had miscalculated. By class, Crystal was considered a spell-blade. Not just a caster of spells, or a swordsman, but a spell-blade. This meant she could parry just as well as she could fuse the elements. It would be foolish for Shin to assume she'd come with a weapon if she hadn't intended on putting it through him!

By this point she had reset her stance, with her scythe-blade held afront of her chest. With his momentum stoppped or severely slowed by her immoveable wedge, her riposte would come almost instantly. The first diamond barrier would fold forward, locking the staff in place at the point of contact and perhaps hampering its morphic ability upon the target area. The other would fold over his weapon-bearing hand.

With both hands she brandished her own and cut across whatever upper section of his body was exposed to once again attempt to bisect him. She was nothing if not determined. Every inch of the halberd was deadly, and the angle of the strike would place the curved extention behind him, severely limiting retreat options. It would be quite a crippling defeat, with him all tied up like this.

Well, he still had a free hand, so perhaps it wasn't all bad.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

I'll begin writing tonight. We'll see where I end up by morning.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

Sounds like a plan.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

Lol yeah hence my final edit. All is well, then. I had a comprehension fumble.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

Redacted due to personal stupidity!

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

@LeeRoy A small point: How is Shin aware that Corban is not using his true weapon? She is morphic, so there are no physical identifiers, and Corban has arrived to duels many times with Ishtalle in similar forms.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

"Hmm."

Crystal's expression remained as it had prior to Shin's insult during. Many better men had tried to unhinge her in quite the same way; poking at his-her ego with naught more than a long stick. She would not respond in kind. The tell-tale signs of insecurity were an inflated sense of self and deep-seated superiority complexes. There were many reasons she took this form, even if some of them weren't the kinds of things you shared in good company. Resolved in her decision and satisfying several motives at once, his words would plink off her, the fate of any attack he'd bring to bear against her more than likely sharing in that regard.

Her genius was not only in her technical and martial know-how. It was good that Shin thought her stance weak. This provided the distinct advantage of surprise. And if he thought that there was no forethought placed into her positioning and footing, then he'd be at a sore disadvantage. In fact, she recalled a great terran swordsman whom's legendary slaying tehnique almost always involved leading opponents into a false sense of security to strike a final blow. Musashi Yamamoto she believed his name was? Yes! That was it. Now the gears were tumbling. In her minds eye, a revolver chamber tumbled.

Shin's most useful tool may have been his eyes, but hers was infinitely more versatile; her mind. This would become a battle between opposing ideologies.

As for her digs? She already had a contingency plan in the works. In fact, she was cooking one up right now. She was comfortable facing against any opponent using any skill and any weapon, not because of the novelty of her tools or proprietary powers, but faith in herself and her ability. Graphene threads were only a single miracle provided by Crystal's carbonic know-how. Her ability to change the name of the game on a dime would be showcased today if Shin was not careful.

Since he seemed too confused to commit to one -arrogance or modesty-, she'd take his empty forward movements as nothing more. She would mirror his passivity, but even a passive Crystal was considerably more active than most others. There would be no aura or energy fluctuation beyond the visible light as the blue dust disappeared into the atmosphere.

She let go of her blade with a single hand for a brief moment as she reached into a hidden pocket and mined forth two 250 carat diamond orbs, each pinched between two fingers, her hand slung across her chest like a claw. This would be timed wih Shin's final step forward. In like fashion, she studied his own weapon. She did not know all of its properties, but she had passing knowledge of its morphous nature. She expected point blank disarms and feints.

With a mighty diagonal swing from her top right to her bottom left, the nature of her weapon was revealed as a sheet of crystallized air rushed toward him to bisect him and whatever walls lay between them like lumber, moving at half a bullets owe. Only a few amstrongs thick, the guillotine would be virtually invisible save for the faint shimmer of reflected light.

How, she wondered, does a man fight while only half of him is present?

Arena Chat Thread

My characters are generally emotionally invested, it simply doesnt take center-stage in combat, because none of my characters exist solely for it, and their progression not entirely based on battles. To top it off, Coban as a character for all intents and purposes *is* immune to jeers, taunts, and threats of almost all types. His single greatest asset is his mind and he knows it, so hes developed his ego to a near adamantine level of resistance. His ego is as hard to pierce as any of his barriers. And they've acquired a reputation for being exceptionally hard to break.

This isnt to say he isnt ever emotionally charged and is a blank slate, though. He usually just does not venture into extremes of emotional unstibility in true cold, calculating fashion.

A Change of Pace. A Challenge for Once. Shincoco Vs Corban.

The summer breeze blew up clouds of loose dust from the coloseum floor that seemed only too right staining the dark robes of the figure whom stood on the stadium's opposite end. The way the dirt practically gravitated toward her every time she brushed it off gave the visual impression that it was literally chasing her.

Surrounding the inner ring of the arena was a garden, ripe with tulips, daisies, and even a few genuine white roses. They were beset by several fountains that circled the rim of the place, their heads all masterfully carved, depicting scenes of some benevolent god and his tales from some unknown lore. It all concocted a rather fitting setting for such an epic showdown.

"So judgemental, are we?" Came a voice like sweet honey that could have shocked or confused Shin. While the combatants had never formally met, there were plenty of outlets for keeping up with the tournament events and contestants, so gender and names were usually a given. Surely he'd have been watching from the resting rooms the only other person to progress this far from the Tv's provided, and the screens surely didnt lie. Yet the figure belonging to the voice did not lie, either. The breasts were a nice addition as well. By all means, if Shin was expecting a 'man' to show up today, he'd be rather disappointed.

"My interests lay not in Gods, but in man. Gods are only a matter of perspective. Once this ideology is discovered, one gains the ability tp put them in their place." She plucked a rose from its bed, whiffing lightly of it at her nose. "But where is your place? Buried beneath me, or trading a measure with the very gods?"

The dark robed 'Crystal' stepped out from behind a risen wall into plain sight, brandishing chocolate-brown hair and sharp, milky crimson eyes as though they were weapons themselves. However, to the weapon she came with today, they could not compare. A sleek air-blue halberd-scythe hybrid was held in a gloved hand. A set, both were adorned with a disc-shaped growth of bubble metal on the backs.

Nowhere on her was there a visible sheathe, but a single magical string connected her right index finger to her blade, and a faint blue dust ablated away from her as though she were shedding.

"Well, we have an audience to satisfy don't we?"

Placing the rose in her hair she spread her feet, bending at the knees. She turned her body so that her left shoulder would be facing shin, Weilding her weapon with both hands raised just behind the right. She was ready.

Hider

Edits: Grammer, wording, etc.

Arena Chat Thread

@LeeRoyBased on what metric or gauge? I am probably a great testament that magnanimous strength and speed are not required to defeat characters who have them. Corban's danger does not come from fancy personalized powers or catch 22's. It's sheer intellect. Brute strength is no strength against Corban, speed is moot as he has all but become immune to it through endless encounters with circle-strafers, and unless Baron is packing a nukes worth of antimagic missiles with him all the time(which would still only help marginally due to most of Corban's magic being contact-based), I wouldnt call him outclassed. Especially given the fight was PC and Corban had his Core active.