Fresh Blood Series 1.2: Moira V Astor

[DragonWithTheS]

The keen eyes of the dragon shone out of the gloom that shrouded the arena. Below the screaming crowd, the arena floor was a mass of swirling fog and darkness. Only a few softly glowing crystals on the ground illuminated the area, working with the mists to create a shifting panorama of phantasmal forms. The Battlefield itself was fairly straightforward; sandy, mostly even ground with only the small light crystals to break up the even flooring. Preparing to speak, Shib drew himself up and roared, silencing the crowd and causing the crystals to flare into blinding illumination. The new light reflected off of and burned away the mist, giving the arena the appearance of a massive spotlight.

"Gods! Champions! Behold, the palace of mists. This difficult arena will oscillate between shifting darkness and mist and the brilliant illumination you see below you whenever a crystal is struck, giving fighters some say over the battlefield. Today, we have 2 fighters who I am sure will both take advantage of this arena's unique feature.

On the left; the mythos hunter from a world of fear and shadows; slayer of Auroch the Many-legged! (At this, Shib gave a slight nod to the disgruntled spider-cow spirit seated nearby.) Moira Kelly the Hunter!

And to my right; A man shrouded in mystery, born of a disaster that killed hundreds; eternally bound to and altered by forces from beyond time. The Phantom stalker, Astor of the Pathos!

Fighters prepare yourselves for battle!"
[I need an introductory post from both of you describing your entrance into the arena and then I will start the timer. and let you know who is going first].

[Moira Kelly]

Moira strolls into the arena through the front gate, looking around and noting the many crystals. As she walked by she casually kicked one of the gems on the ground, noting that it illuminated when she did. She looked around at the crowd, this was a very new experience for her, she was used to her fights being a little more private. It was common practice to make sure as few people as possible were near any beasts in the area before she tried to put them down.

She caught the eye of her old co...cow-spider? In the crowd. She couldn't tell if she was excited or worried that she had also somehow made it to this plane. She gave a quick wave to her either way, regardless of what she had become, she had still been her favorite cow, and Moira had her to thank for her starting her career as a hunter.

There wasn't much in the way of cover or foliage to assist her, but she would make do with what she had available. She drew her new found sword and grabbed a handful of caltrops. She was ready, or as ready as she could be.

[Astor of the Paphos]

The change of brightness was utterly blinding. The jump to the arena Astor could handle, but damn that was bright. It took him a moment to adjust as he blearily made out the form of Moira in the distance. Cold sweat began to bead on his fore-head from the growing sense of dread. He knew he was in an arena, he knew he was brought here to fight for the entertainment of Cosmological beings beyond comprehension, but he never really let it sink in that he would really be Fighting.

Perhaps it was the roar of the crowd at the sound of his name, or perhaps the way the arena seemed to be set under a spotlight, but Astor began to get that familiar feeling. He was entertaining, like he had done all his life. His heart hardened. After scanning the arena in awe for a brief moment, he took a couple steps forward, pulled out a couple daggers from the folds of his wrappings and took a deep bow at the crowd and the dragon before him.

"I've never considered myself much of a warrior, but I can put on a show at least" he thought.

[DragonWithTheS]

"Astor, the initiative is yours. This battle is officially begun at 11:23 and will be stopped at 12:23.
FIGHT!"

[Astor of the Paphos]

The darkness and the mist would scare most, but Astor saw them as sources of safety, they would be the cowl to protect him. "stay fast, stay low" he muttered to himself. He spun in a dance and threw out several daggers around the arena, feigning poor accuracy, attempting to land them on the crystals, closest to Moira. From her point of view, he must either be the most incompetent knife thrower ever, or drunk. Both the showman and the hunter should know, preparation is key.

[Moira Kelly]

Moira didn't flinch as the knifes came flying towards her. Her eyes quickly flicked towards the lights before fixating on her "prey." As the lights faded she entered a crouched stance and sprang forward, using her immense strength to propel her towards Aster with startling speed. She kept her sword poised, ready to strike with one hand and with the other she flung the caltrops hard at Aster's body.

[Astor of the Paphos]

"Oh dear that sword is big..." he thought. He was caught off guard by her startling speed, their was so much distance between them, but she closed it like some otherworldly cougar. He reacted as best he could, kicking the crystal next to him, plunging the area into darkness. With a soft deep hum, and a slight crack he jumped to the daggers he threw behind the huntress. quickly scrambling to kick the crystal now near him.

[Moira Kelly]

Her caltrops hurdled past where Astor was harmlessly as Moira came to a stop searching the arena hurriedly for her opponent. As he kicked the gem near him her eyes were drawn to the new light source.

This was frustrating, she thought, There has to be a better way. Then inspiration struck, she took the flask that the Morrigan had given her and coated her blade with the alcohol. Taking a caltrop from her pocket she used it to create a spark and ignite the blade. "A torch can be a hunter's best friend," she said proudly, brandishing her flaming great sword.

She grabbed the bear trap from her hip and again sprung towards her opponent, brandishing her flaming sword and bear trap.

[Astor of the Paphos]

The flames on her sword sprang to life and illuminated the darkness of the arena, his cover of darkness was mute now. He had to play a dangerous game of "don't die" with a woman who had appeared to survive much longer than him, in a much more dangerous world. Astor panicked, adrenaline fueling his wide-eyed expression. No room in his mind for thoughts of anything but survival, he threw two daggers at Moira, back-stepping out of reflex before warping to another nearby crystal, shining brightly. It wouldn't hide him, but the minor directional change might help throw her off.

[Moira Kelly]

The daggers struck Moira's arm brandishing the bear trap, sinking to the hilt. "SHIT!" The pain distracted her from her 'flight' and caused her to stumble on the landing. "JUST HOLD FECKING STILL!" Her accent slipping out in her frustration.

This technique wasn't working. She needed a new plan. She holstered the bear trap and grabbed the roll of razor wire. She deftly wrapped it around the closest crystal to her and began quickly moving from crystal to crystal, threading the wire between them. She managed to create a small circle around herself, standing in the middle she brandished her flaming sword and hurled a caltrop at Aster.

[Astor of the Paphos]

"This is it!" he thought. All the muscles in Astor's body tensed in anticipation as he coiled back. He wasn't a large man, but his slender frame held more strength than one would expect. He would could get in close now, he could finish this!

The pounding of his own heart thudded in his ears, drowning out the crowd. This was a time for brinkmanship, and he wouldn't back down. Astor Warped to the dagger that was embedded in Moira. Materializing with his hand around it, he pulled.

[Moira Kelly]

"I got you now you slimy little git!" She quickly spun, using the momentum to shake loose Aster and his blades, sending them flying towards the razor wire. As he fell she dropped her sword in favor of grabbing the bear trap off of her hip and bringing it down towards Aster's descending chest.

[Astor of the Paphos]

Astor held on to the dagger as she spun. It ripped free from her arm, but he barely had time to register the spatter of blood against his face as he flew towards the razor wire. His instincts told him to roll, he hoped to avoid just catching on the worst of the wire and instead use his spin to avoid putting too much friction between him and the blades. The thought was cut short as he was slammed with a hunk of metal. The metal alone caught him in the side and wouldn't have been too much, but the jaws that proceeded down on his abdomen was, in-fact, too much. Every synapse in his mind fired at once it seemed, he growled in pain, throwing his new metal apendage wire-ward and continuing to roll over it. He quickly got to his hands and knees, retching in the sands. "bad, bad idea, not close, not close" he warped to the farthest dagger he had and tried to stand.

[DragonWithTheS]

HALT

[DragonWithTheS]

The mighty bellow of Shib's voice split the mists and banished the otherworldy darkness, allowing the arena to be bathed in a soft natural light that streamed in through the open top of the arena. The battlefield, covered in traps and wire with two bright splatterings of blood, was revealed clearly to the assembled gods and spirits, and they waited to hear the dragon's judgement.

"In a close bout of tactical placement and precise movement, every small advantage matters. This fight was a bit closer than I thought it would be, certainly. I award the victory to Moira Kelly! She will be advancing onto the second round of the Fresh Blood Series! Good job fighters. You have shown us all your worth today."

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