2017-06-29: Affixed On A Fixing
- Log: 2017-06-29 Affixed On A Fixing
- Cast: Arleph Ardan, Ethius Hesiod, Riesenlied, Noeline
- Where: Lacour - Arms Coliseum
- Date: 2017-06-29
- Summary: Match 14 of the Lacour Tournament of Arms. Two Symbologists of enviable ability enter, but one seems to have ideas contrary to the spirit of the games.
========================================<* Lacour - Arms Coliseum *>========================================
Situated immediately adjacent to Lacour Castle, the Arms Coliseum is a temple to the pursuit of perfection in physical prowess. Built more than three centuries ago by King Etienne I, the Coliseum is laid over with ancient Symbols that blunt weapons and protect combatants on the brink of death, allowing competitors to fight to the best of their ability without fear of killing their opponents.
The Coliseum is the site of the annual Lacour Tournament of Arms, a competition that fuels the spirit of martial artists and weapons merchants both. The Tournament is a spectacle that draws visitors and competitors from across Filgaia, and is the major event on the continent while it is running. A series of smaller tournaments are organized throughout the year; entering as a combatant is free of charge, but spectators pay a nominal fee that nonetheless provides a significant boost to Lacour's coffers.
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s8YkgEYlvY
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Some matches happened earlier. They were exciting! The order of events are kind of in a flux, but, this is coming up close to the end of Round 1.
"One Mr. Ethius Hesiod," states a guardsman standing before the very gates, "you are up next."
The white-haired Symbologist of mystery sits quietly. He's been there since after the opening bout. He's been sitting in that same spot on the bench, virtually unmoving, watching as the others before him filtered out the gates. Many exchanged well-wishes. Some were content to sit there and pray to whatever Guardian was listening (if any). Some sneered and threatened.
Ethius didn't... do much of anything.
"Y'hear that? That's yooooou~" Coos one Dagor Edda, who is set next to take on Alisha Diphda right after this bout. These two are the last ones in the gladiators' lobby. "Don't ya wanna have a good luck kiss before you head on out?"
Ethius says nothing.
"Awww, you must be so scared..."
"Go." The Guardsman opens the gates. Ethius stands up, crappy old bronze spear in hand, as he strides on out into the open floor without even paying the pink-haired competitor any mind on his part. She might be smitten by his playing hard-to-get-a-dialogue-box-from!
"AND NOOOOOOWWWW, ENTERING THE ARENA," shouts the announcer, "SPONSORED BY THE ANTIQUE STORE 'OLD RUSTY' - 'hello, how much time do I have to submit a slogan, I didn't think I'd ever get a sponsor and need some more time to think about it,'" the announcer has a quick laugh, as does most of the crowd.
"'Antique Store'?" A balding middle-aged man with an abomination of a purplish toupee on their head sinks. "That's, that's... um... harsh." Poor guy. Moving on.
"ETHIUS... HESIOD!!" The announcer calls, and there's cheers.
Ethius stands with the butt of the spear firmly pressed against the ground as he stands underneath the evening skies and the applause of many, exactly as unreadable as he always is - aside from turning his head over to the seating arranged for the robed figures in charge of the exciting field transformation feature of this year, before closing his eyes.
"AND HERE COMES HIS OPPONENT...!"
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Arleph is not quite certain why he agreed to even be in this tournament to begin with. Perhaps it was the prize money. Maybe it was just another excuse to get a look at other sorts of fighters around. Or maybe, just a brief spout of instant insanity.
Whatever the case may be, he spends his time waiting for his fight to happen in meditation, seated on the ground with his legs crossed, hands on his lap while he waits, ears twitching while he listens in on the sounds outside. Ethius. That man is going to have to answer for a few things, ever since the Metal Demon attack.
Outside, the announcer continues on.
"COMING FOR IBN KADR," The voice lowers, off camera to whispers. "Where the hell is even that? I never heard of th--" Some off microphone ushing pushes him back to speak into the speaker. "SPONSORED BY HIS OWN FORTUNE AND GUTS, I ANNOUNCE YOU... DOOOOOCTOR ARLEEEEEEEEPH ARDAAAAN!"
The Symbologist, pushes himself up to get through the gates, ignoring the jeers of is own guards, his eyes focused as he steps into the sands of the arena, as if it were. His coat billows in the wake of his movement, Arleph tightening his black, runed gloves against his hand, looking ahead at the mysterious man ahead of him.
"Ethius." Arleph says, bowing his head once, not leaving his gaze away from him. He's seen the sort of symbology he could do. This could be dangerous, if he decided he tried to pull that sort of shit on him. he'd be be ready to counter them, just in case. "Nice spear."
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It is a nice spear... from the perspective of a historian. It's a great look into how metalworking was performed with bronze... how long ago, now? The sort of weapon that's meant to be on display in a museum, and not at all taken into anything resembling a modern battle.
Curiously, for being sponsored, Ethius is lacking in any additional equipment outside of this spear. He's just in his usual attaire.
Ethius doesn't return any sort of polite greeting towards Arleph - or much of anything at all, outside of those eyes of his bearing down upon the good doctor. Not even a 'thanks.' Is he really that all-business, today? What's his angle here? Does he have something to prove? With half of his face hidden, it's impossible to get a read on what the sight of Arleph even elicits in him.
His stance does not change.
"AND NOW, THE NEXT ROUND OF THE LACOUR TOURNAMENT OF ARMS COMMENCES IN... THREE... TWO... ONE..."
Not a change in Ethius' body language. No nervous twitch, no telling movement. His nerves are kept not under check - they seem to be under lock, key, and underwater safe patrolled by sharks.
"GO!!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
An unassuming figure is seated not far away from the spectacle of the match to come; a hooded one, garbed in the traditional travelling garments of the Ellurians, easily identifiable as one of the many tribes that roam around the Northern Steppes. But underneath, Riesenlied quietly contemplates, whispering, "... Arleph Ardan ... so he was the one who spoke out when Gylfi was slain..." She pauses. Dialogue was always something she was interested in. But would he extend the courtesy to her? "Ibn Kadr... I wonder where that may be from?"
The other figure, of course, is one of mystery to her, and though they parted on... what could be considered neutral terms, Riesenlied didn't feel satisfied. "Ethius Hesiod... Technology Hunter..." she murmurs still. "For what purpose do you come here?"
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
The apperance of the spear is troubling. Is it a foci of something in particular? Why is he even bringing it into a fight? Either it have some significance, or resonance with his symbology, or...
The fight starts. Arleph remains as he is, tightening his other glove with his fingers wriggling against them, snapping them back into shape. That's been the useful part of his clothing, at least. They've weathered wear, tear and repaired from them during the wastes, even after battle. Might not be worth for armor, but...
"Quiet as ever." Ardan comments, taking a few steps to the side, studying Ethius carefully. Then maybe he ought to be quiet, too.
The Symbologist swing one hand suddenly to one side, using his free hand to clasp at the wrist of his first one. A symbology circle appears around both arms, a bright pool of blue light manifesting above his hands, then he pulls with one of them. A long tendril of water, flowing and living comes out and he swings it above to snap it in Ethius' direction. Time to see his reflexes. What this is about.
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Water Whip!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Seated primly next to Riesenlied - and as such, summarily destroying at least one aspect of her disguise - is the flamboyantly dressed Crimson Noble, her figure standing out amidst the crowd thanks to her vibrant dress of crimsons and blacks. Today, for the sake of the sun, she's even bought a matching parasol, leaning it amicably on one shoulder as her pods float around her.
She's already watching with interest, humming quietly to herself as she offers the woman next to her one of a plates-worth of macaroons. "Quite an odd place for him to be, hm? He barely seems to be giving it a serious try, at least from appearance's sake."
GS: Ethius Hesiod guards a hit from Arleph Ardan's Water Whip for 57 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
To what purpose, indeed, does the Technology Hunter come here? To have his name shouted out in the open - he didn't even go through the trouble of giving himself a fake identity... an odd lapse in judgment, or some calculated strategy?
The audience has all the time in the world to speculate, but for the man of mystery on the arena ground, there is no such luxury to be granted. The outdated garbage in his hand is taken in both hands as the tendril of water comes towards him. He gives the weapon a quick twirl to disperse much of its force up and down the length of its shaft, but it seems to strong to stand against without giving up ground, as he staggers back two steps--
No, six steps, back up against the wall, letting out an audible grunt. Huh. He brings his right hand off the spear, resting it up against the inner wall of the arena.
"THIS ARENA'S NOT MADE OF ROPES, BUT BOY, LOOKS LIKE THE DOCTOR'S ABOUT PUSHED THAT GUY INTO IT!"
Ethius' facial expression remains unchanged as he walks across the arena sideways around its perimeter. His eyes leave Arleph for a moment, up towards the stands - did he see the two of them? His eyes linger in that direction so briefly as to be inconclusive - before bringing it back down upon Arleph.
Arleph has himself a tactical advantage if he's thinking of chaining spells. Ethius doesn't seem to have seen it fit to start casting. If he intends to close in on Arleph, he's got some ground to cover before he could...
"Far Point!" Ethius calls as he takes the weapon in both hands, leaning forward as he stretches his body to its utmost limits of flexibility and wingspan, as the (dulled) point of the spear seems to be headed straight for Arleph's chest.
This would be a dangerous blow, but...
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Arleph Ardan with For Paint!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... I suppose he has never been, but... the kind of magics wielded by both of these men..." Riesenlied muses for a moment, lacing her hands together. "I remember what he did to the Gylfi Cannon. They aren't to be underestimated, the both of them." There's a very faint sigh as she permits herself to look up just a little. Riesenlied's mood has been quite somber here, being in Lacour -- she was here just a month ago, when she permitted herself the audacity of speaking to the King to express her intent of stopping war... it feels so long ago, now. So wearisome.
DC: MISS! Arleph Ardan completely evades For Paint from Ethius Hesiod!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline pauses for a long moment, then leans forward to peer around the hood and meet Riesenlied's gaze. "... if you need to rest, I can keep watch," she offers quietly, and a hand gently rests atop Riesenlied's hood to pet it. "The Ebony Wings will grow into their own, in time. You haven't lost the chance to prove yourself true just yet."
With a huff, she looks back at the Arena. "Really, now. I can't tell if this is for amusement, or not."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
This would be a very dangerous blow. Despite his symbology, 'beat nerd with weapon' is still a world wide valid tactic against most, if not all, spell caster as a universal constant. Oh, sure, he knows basic CQC, like anybody that's out to be in space ought to just from general tutoring, but 'spears' are still a thing that's not usually thrown his way. Still, he can see the use of some level of technique when he sees one.
The Doctor's eyes widens for a moment, hardening into focus as Ethius charges. A brief glow underneath his clothing happens, with a slight pool of blue light gathering underneath his feet as he pushes himself away from the spear thrust. The spell makes him slide further back than it was really needed, giving him more space to weave his spell. The Water Whip trails back behind him, leaving the ground it skids against soaked.
With his free hand, he flexes his index and pinkie finger, twisting his wrist around then violently swing his arm upward. The trail of sliding water writhe, shudder, then erupts upward into a forward whirlpoll, following a complex pattern that the audience can clearly see. It swings outward against Ethius and keeps a facing, whirling around the Symbologist as he stops into an halt.
Even less might even see that the pattern in question overlaps into one another, into the vague shape of a symbology circle crest. It's very pretty and artistic!
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Patterned Whirlpool!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
GS: Ethius Hesiod guards a hit from Arleph Ardan's Patterned Whirlpool for 34 hit points!
GS: Arleph Ardan takes Cover! He gains 50 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Ethius withdraws the spear back, and stabs it against the very ground when he sees the Doctor call forth a whirlpool to take him off his feet. It's a decisive and competent defense against having his feet pulled out from under him by the current, but he finds himself pulled to a kneel as Arleph puts on a most beautiful show out of his grasp of the element of water.
"THE GOOD DOCTOR LOOKS LIKE HE'S ABOUT READY TO WASH OUT THE COMPETITION! YOU KNOW, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA, FOLKS - A BATTLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A RAGING MAELSTROM OF WIND AND RAIN!" Except they are nowhere near that.
A number of hooded figures lift up something in their hands each - a card? - and begin chanting, as the very terrain underneath Ethius and Arleph shifts and changes. Is that... is that sand underneath their feet?
A cool breeze whips through them. There's the scent of salt. The outer edge of the arena appears to have violent, tossing waves of seawater crashing against the 'coast.' The scent is there. The sight is there. The feel... isn't, exactly, but two out of three... wow!
Is it possible for any sorcery to do this?! This might pique Arleph's attention later.
Unfortunately, once he has his legs to move again, Ethius decides to move towards the corner of the circle closest to where the hooded figures are casting. Arleph's not going to be able to barge in and get a closer look. A feigned rain pours down upon the both of them - this very environment appears to strongly favor Arleph.
Ethius' eyes close as he lifts up his free hand in a series of simple gestures.
To Arleph, this is noticeable - some of the gestures in question are almost exactly a match, one for one, for that spell that saw the Metal Beast writhe and spasm painfully. He might even catch sight of the granular particles surrounding him. Could it be...?
"-ve Dust!" Ethius calls to a discharge of the expected lights and patterns of Symbology, pointing his free hand outwards at the Doctor as he runs the risk of being... pelted by the sorcerous equivalent of a handful of sand being thrown at him?
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Arleph Ardan with Grove Dust!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied lets out a cough that soft belies her nature, sniffling for a bit. True to Noeline's assessment, she might be feeling quite under the weather at present, just one of the dreadful states that she enters when imbalances and impurities in her body get too much. "... no, it's fine," she insists. "This is rest enough, is it not? So Arleph's element is water... he wields it very skillfully, as one would a whip."
A pause. "And the other... Ethius... it is undoubtedly earth or fire." A pause. "No... it may be more like ash and soot... that which remains when fire has consumed it all. I wonder... what is his connection to it?"
GS: CRITICAL! Arleph Ardan takes a glancing hit from Ethius Hesiod's Grove Dust for 17 hit points!
GS: Jam! Statuses applied to Arleph Ardan!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
"... are you sure it really counts as rest when you're that worried?" the Crimson Noble wonders aloud, fussing over the other woman rather fondly; she settles for leaning slightly against Riesenlied, an arm around her waist. "I suppose I should say that Arleph's motions are more reminiscent of water, certainly. I'm not entirely clear, but I imagine it is helping direct the flow of it all. As for Ethius... 'fire' is indisputable. But for someone who I thought was a historian, I can't help but feel rather upset about him."
She pauses - and her eyebrows go way, way up as the arena shifts in tone and structure and even sensation. "Oh..." she breathes, the honest noise of someone who absolutely loves being genuinely surprised by human capability. "Well, now, isn't that an amazing little trick? I'd heard someone mumble something about lava earlier, but I couldn't quite believe it.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
The environment may strongly favour Arleph, it does not mean that everything will go according to his plan, or his favour. The change of environment is pretty stunning for him. He's going to have to get into this later, when the fighting is over. This is the sort of... quasi magic that he would be very much interested to look into.
The sandblast slams into the intricate patterns of water in front of Arleph, muddying the water and falling inert. Still a large amount of it remains standing, protecting the symbologist in the process.
"OH HO! BUT THE MYSTERIOUS SPEARMAN IS NOT TO BE LEFT BEHIND, MUDDYING ARDAN'S WATERS WITH HIS SANDSTORM!"
"Mgn!" Arleph lets out. Good. His shields are holding. That's good. He makes a quick assessment of his situation, most notably the Symbologist' own spells. Something is off.
The cool breeze makes his jacket billow as he moves back, the whirlpool following him still and leaving a trail of wet sand in his wake. Ardan's eyes are narrowed on his opponment, frowning. He keeps a good watch on him to be able to counter some of his more... devious spells.
"That was some interesting spells you used in the invasion. Metal Demons or not..." Arleph says, spreading his arms once more to, a large gathering of water pooling in front of his Whirlpool Shield, folding upon itself. "They were pretty ... unique."
The condensation explodes outward violently into a thick pressure blasts of water aimed at Ethius, wetting the newly formed sand in it's path.
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Pressure Cannon!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
GS: CRITICAL! Ethius Hesiod critically Guards a hit from Arleph Ardan's Pressure Cannon for 25 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
The tattoos visible upon Ethius' forearm light up as he utters some things lost to the projected weather going aroudn them. It's not immediately clear what's going on with what he's casting with the highly pressurized water blasts bearing down upon him, but his outstretched hand seems to be alight with... something... as the pressurized water seems to evaporate instantly upon coming close to him.
Then he suddenly leaps backwards into the 'water,' slamming his upper back painfully against the wall and slumping down underneath the chanting of the hooded figures.
These two events make no sense, side by side - he seemed to have that particular volley well in hand...?
"M-My guy is winning, right," the middle-aged owner of Old Rusty panics where he sits, "please, um, please... t-tell me the guy who came outta nowhere that day wantin' to be sponsored is... a-actually... puttin' up a, a fight." The sponsor looks positively dejected, slumping in their seat.
"I TAKE THAT BACK, OUR SPEAR-WIELDING CHALLENGER LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT GONNA KEEP HIS HEAD ABOVE WATER! I'D HATE TO BE THE GUY THAT RUNS 'OLD RUSTY' RIGHT NOW!"
Said sponsor buries his face in his hands.
Ethius, for being outwardly mocked by the announcer and being hurled into the wall like that, appears remarkably calm. Arleph's words carry up and around the howling make-believe storm (the howling itself is real, and ought to pursue a solo act), as the white-haired Symbologist rises again.
His head turns back over his shoulder, towards the chanting people in the robes above. Hm. What about them? His free hand surges forth again, to another casting attempt - going by the lights visible from his forearms. He is casting a spell, right?
It's easy to miss, with the visual clutter of the feigned island storm. The air grows a bit hotter, a bit more uncomfortable. Just a bit. Arleph seems intent on opening a dialogue about that day.
Ethius' silence might be more telling than anything he might say, as his fingers curl and point in an esoteric sequence.
"WHAT IS HE EVEN DOING, ANYWAY?" The announcer asks. "I DON'T SEE ANY EXPLOSIONS HAPPENING! OUR SPONSOR HAS BEEN PRETTY STRICT ABOUT ENSURING A MINIMUM EXPLOSIVE QUOTIENT OF ALL SORCERERS HERE!"
Disappointingly, there is only an imperceiptible raise in temperature.
Also, a few Symbology glyphs flash about the outside of the arena, but this is probably unrelated.
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Arleph Ardan with Overreheat!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... that dramatic elevation in temperature..." Riesenlied muses, spotting what the announcer does not necessarily do so. "I can't imagine what it might do to gunsmoke ARMs and even Metal Demon-era ARMs... caught unaware, it could cause more than a malfunction -- it could cause an explosion at the user's very own hands..." She drapes her hand to her forehead for a moment. "And that pressure... it might even be pressure enough to cut through solid steel."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
With a smirk, Noeline glances across, offering another macaroon. ... someone is certainly doing her best to pamper Riesenlied, even if she's a little busy focusing on the match. "Interesting, isn't it? You would normally expect water to be the insidious, subtle one - and fire to be the one making a big show and burning all in its path. Here, at least, we're seeing quite the reverse."
"But, really, that calm is something else. Can you say either of us would hold our head nearly as well, given these circumstances?" She pauses for a moment, and then slowly narrows her eyes as her brow furrows. "... and yet, it still feels like preparation, more than anything else, hm? Perhaps it would be best to keep our heads a little down," she adds, too lightly for the words.
GS: Arleph Ardan takes a glancing hit from Ethius Hesiod's Overreheat for 18 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
There's a lot going on. On one hand, there is something bizzare about Ethiu's behavior. He know for a fact that this mean is far better at fighting and Symbology than he is displaying here. This causes Arleph's mind to raise a flag. Is he planning something or accumulating for something specific?
For two, the test on the barriers around the arena was also noticed. Was Ethius just as curious as he was about it? Was he checking if it was some technology of some kind? It's hard to tell. More interestignly, he used a lightning spell to counter his water pressure cannon. That, too, is very good to know. The rise in temperature makes more water of his whirlpool vanish. By this point, the intricate patterns are starting to become threadbare, not as beautiful as they were or protective. Still, they soldier on.
"Curious about the shield, too, huh? You tried to fried the place, didn't you?" Arleph says, causally, tightening his gloves again with the symbological symbols on them glowing for another brief moment. He keeps talking, taking a brief moment to mutter some words of weaving while he waves a hand in a half circle. A glowing crescent grows in the path of his movement, filling out into a blade. Swiftly, Arleph swings a flattene dhand in Ethius' direction. The water cutter flies against him, piercing through the air. For now, he'll keep quiet on the man's own self-inflicted bungles.
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Aqua Cutters!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
GS: Ethius Hesiod takes a solid hit from Arleph Ardan's Aqua Cutters for 93 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
Up until now, Ethius seems to have been able to blend a medium between a skillful defense and yet appear as though he's been overly affected by Arleph's potent spellcasting. Here, it seems the former is lost as the slicing water cutter grinds against him, pinning him up against the wall he's been holding position at. He can't quite muster a meaningful defense, unable to raise his arms up and over the whirling watery blade that carves away at him.
"IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ABOUT TIME FOR THE DOCTOR'S PATIENT TO GO TAKE TWO AND CALL HIM IN THE MORNING, WASHING THAT MEDICINE DOWN WITH THE TASTE OF DEFEAT... UNLESS HE'S GOT SOME ACE UP HIS SLEEVE!"
Musing about irony in personalities between elemental specialists aside... on Ethius' end, he's been sort of unsporting - he's been standing in the raging 'water' and not even pretending to uphold the illusion of that particular feature. This stuff costs 100 gella a second to keep up! He should respect the effort that goes into its upkeep, let alone its construction! It's some kind of modern sorcery miracle, is what it is...
...but he also doesn't seem intent to move from this spot, as he goes to a kneel.
He taps the butt of his spear against the ground, defying the faux-liquid nature of the water swishing around him. The graphical splash that comes from this denial looks especially unnatural.
Arleph's questions do not get a direct vocal answer. The white-haired Symbologist's eyes close. A light starts to glow again from the tattoos visible upon his forearms.
A sorcerous pattern forms on the ground, a match in the complexity and luminosity of the symbols the Doctor before him can put out. Mathematically perfect shapes of complexity extend all about him (and up the wall).
"I call to a star that enables the patterns of life itself, its existence itself an unstable, unsustainable chaos..."
The runic lights grow more intense.
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Probable Precursor to a Raid Wipe!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
GS: Ethius Hesiod takes a solid hit from Ethius Hesiod's Probable Precursor to a Raid Wipe for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's eyes widen for a moment -- her flinch getting ever stronger as she stammers, "... would you use that kind of power, here?" There's a haggard noise as she leans back, taking the macaroon kind of lightly but placing it in her palm rather than taking it into her mouth. "... those symbols... there is a precision within them... denaturing the very fabrics of the world we live in..."
Her headache is growing by the moment. Is it the runes that she's sensing something from?
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline is not the sort to mutter a quiet 'oh hells', but she certainly does right now, the words hidden under her breath as she squints against the urgent warning at the back of her mind. Well, not quite a warning, so much as the sudden raucous laughter of Duras Drum knowing he's going to get to see a real sight. "--down," she mutters after a moment, dropping slightly in her seat and tugging Riesenlied with her. "I do not trust him to not sweep it across the crowd in our direction, frankly."
"And here I thought you'd be cagey with that power," she mutters, almost sounding angry. "But to turn it on a human just because you've got a forcefield-- really, now."
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Something deep within Arleph's mind trigger at the sight of the sorcerous patterns that Ethius conjures up. Sure, Ethius have been throwing this fight -- which is somewhat insulting to him, now that he thinks about it on a superficial level -- but suddenly resotring to this sort of high Arts is somewhat baffling.
Also, worrying. For him.
"Oh for the love of...!" Ardan lets out,letting the raging torrents around him to keep going, keeping his ground. He lifts a foot, nosily slamming it into the ground. The shields will probably hold for the audience, if he don't flub it up, so he have to worry about himself.
The Doctor swings his arms back, waving them into wide arcs until he rest them at his hips, fists tighte into a defensive position. Symbological circles spreads from his foot, one sliding to the side into a 45 degree arc, kicking water and sand up.
"FROM THE PRIMORDIAL TIMES LIFE CRAWLED FROM THE SEA!" Arleph intones, his voice suddenly booming, foam building up at his feet, bubbles multiplicating at an alarming rate and spreading out to his general vincinity -- and not an insignificant amount to the wards themselves, as if giving an preemptive layer of protection. The foam fizzle upward to cover the shape of the symbologist, leaving only space for his nose, mouth, eyes and ears, the rest being a sort of fizzy, foamy suit of armor. "MAY THE FIRST CONSEQUENCES OF LIFE PRESERVE MY OWN!"
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Arleph Ardan with Multilayered Foam!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
GS: Arleph Ardan heals Arleph Ardan! He gains 200 temporary hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
It builds, and builds, and builds.
The chanting stops by signal of an unseen handler, allowing the rainy maelstrom illusion to disperse as to better allow the sight of these two Symbologists put up their very finest.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN AND EVERYONE ELSE I WOULD LIKE TO REMIND YOU THAT THE COLISEUM THAT HOSTS THE TOURNAMENT OF ARMS IS BUILT WITH PROTECTIVE WARDS TO PREVENT COLLATERAL DAMAGE AND MORTAL HARM TO BOTH THE AUDIENCE AND THE COMBATANTS!"
Arleph can sense it. There's a feeling in the air of... something expanding in scope. Is it a trick of the dispersing illusory sorcery, or is there a sudden thickness in the air? Something directed. Something all-encompassing. The good doctor, a master of Symbology, has himself a killer grasp of when a Symbologist seems willing to channel their all... four-fold. This must be something tremendous, as Ethius' power appears to build ever higher and higher, one hand raised up high. Just reading Ethius' face, he does not seem to care to account for the protective lather that Arleph has worked himself up into. Does he believe it will be of absolutely zero factor to the delivery of this spell?
"TO BE PERFECTLY HONEST THIS IS A LEGAL REQUIREMENT TO SAY AND I CAN'T VOUCH FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS BECAUSE HOLY MOTHER OF BOMB WHAT COMES NEXT IS NOT OUR FAULT!"
"Relieve your caseless pressure at my ball, and lathe them in the unrest rained maelstrom of your reminisce...!" Ethius' voice grows louder, even through the bandanna wrapped around his face, swinging his hand down towards the ground as he adopts a crouch. The hand parts down in the middle, between the middle and ring finger.
"I ALSO DISAVOW KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT COMES NEXT AND AM MAKING AN EDUCATED GUESS! ALSO IT APPEARS THE SPONSOR OF OLD RUSTY IS CURRENTLY COWERING UNDER MY TABLE! IF I EXPLODE IT'S AWESOME BUT ALSO HIS FAULT!"
"S O L A R - - - S T O R M ! !" Comes Ethius' final shout, as it all bears down upon where Arleph stands. What's it? There's a light, there's a sense of change in the air pressure, it's all coming down...
GS: Ethius Hesiod has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has activated a Force Action!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has attacked Arleph Ardan with Subpar Storm!
GS: Ethius Hesiod has completed his action.
GS: Arleph Ardan takes a solid hit from Ethius Hesiod's Subpar Storm for 0 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
There is light. Smoke! Aether! Condensing vis! And then ...!
Nothing.
The light show happens. The terrifing amount of aether that were summoned comes to ahead, the Solar Storm -- another sign that Ethius is, in face, not from this planet, using a science phenomenon in symbology --. There is some heat, some pop, a litany of fizzles in the arena. The arena is surprised. Most surprised, however, is Arleph.
Surprised and slightly insulted. Okay. Make that insulted a lot.
The Foam-covered Symbologist stands there, immobile for the first few moment after the blinding flash happen, where the appocalyse didn't explode all around him and instead ... fizzled. He know what happened. He precisely know what happened and this confirms everything he was seeing up until now. So, he's been holding back. For what?
Oh. Screw it. He don't care right now.
He want to lose that much, right? Fine.
Arleph takes a step forward, slamming into the muddy sand, snapping a finger while rising up his fist. "FINE! IF THAT WHAT YOU WANT! FROST WAVE!"
From the remains of the water around him, pooled from his foam, a strema of sharp, spiky ice condenses along the trail of water he left, soaring at the other Symbologist's direction.
GS: Arleph Ardan has attacked Ethius Hesiod with Frost Wave!
GS: Arleph Ardan has completed his action.
GS: Ethius Hesiod guards a hit from Arleph Ardan's Frost Wave for 58 hit points!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied finds herself weakly rising from her seated position, despite what Noeline urges her to do. Some part of her is already wishing to well up the spiral barrier of light that she's recently managed to create, to protect the audience from whatever fallout this man clearly intends--
--and--
--nothing happens.
There's a foolish look of surprise from Riesenlied.
"... what... happened?" she asks to herself, feeling the first trailing motes of photons seep away from her.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline looks no less surprised than her compatriot, though her expression has anger and irritation laced into it much more than Riese's - together with the presence of mind to tug Riesenlied back down, soothing the errant photonic light with a hand on Riese's arm. "... a feint?..." she mumbles to herself, mostly in thought. "I wonder... It certainly seemed genuine enough when he was casting it." A pause, and she frowns as Arleph explodes into angered motion, and the twintailed spy lets out a deep sigh. "... while I would like to imagine the barrier around this place is simply that good - I suspect that Mr. Hesoid is doing his very best to learn about other forms of magic. Largely, by annoying them enough into throwing their biggest techniques out," she adds with a grumble.
Or he's making a point, in a highly visible location. A declaration from off-planet, of 'hello I'm here'? But if that's the case, why worry about Diablo so, and take such an interest in the Metal Demons? The demon herself narrows her eyes for a moment, lapsing into quiet thought.
<Pose Tracker> Ethius Hesiod has posed.
A whole lot of nothing, is all it boils down to. No protective sigils flash, nothing melts into a toxic fume-spewing mass of slag, nothing. Ethius remains crouched at the tail end of that casting posture.
Perplexingly, the mysterious man's eyes remain the same. No hint of amusement, no shock, nothing - a sense that almost every movement he's made in their encounter was meticulously planned. Building up towards a specific rhythm that, undoubtedly, seems to end in his defeat.
What kind of purpose does that even serve?
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? HEY! YOU SPONSORED THIS GUY AND I THINK YOU JUST PEED YOURSELF SO I THINK YOU DESERVE TO EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
The meek, pathetic middle-aged lump of fat and denial of early onset male pattern baldness looks up from where he took cover.
"Uhhh, I, I don't know, he just... came off the street one day--"
"OLD RUSTY IS SO DESPERATE FOR BUSINESS YOU WERE TAKING RANDOM WHACKJOBS OFF THE STREET? WOW! HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?"
"Uhhh, my, my prices are... l-lower than the competition, because--"
"BECAUSE IT'S OLD GARBAGE!! WE'RE NOT HERE TO BUILD A FANCY ARMORY OUTTA OUR GRANDPA'S JUNK! WE'RE HERE TO SEE BLOOD! EXCITEMENT! AND ALSO THAT GUY GET TOTALLY PLASTERED BY A WAVE OF ICE!"
Funny the announcer should mention. Ethius brings his crappy bronze spear up in a defensive posture, diagonally pointed up over his left shoulder all the way down to his right knee as he swings the butt into the sharp ice construct.
It fractures into an uncountable number of tiny frosty shards. What light remains reflects off of them as they fill the air of the coliseum pit, slamming into the protective wards into beautiful snowflakes that soon melt back into the aether.
"DID THAT GET HIM YET? I THINK IT DID. I FEEL CONFIDENT CALLING IT IN FAVOR OF THE DOCTOR!"
Ethius stands up and staggers back. The body motions are perfectly convincing, but those eyes of his - still looking. Unclouded, undistracted. There seems to be a purpose to every which way his eyes look as he staggers back, back, back...
...and flops nonchalantly onto his back.
"YOU KNOW HE KIND OF WENT DOWN EASY!" The announcer says. "WHAT WAS HIS NAME? ETHIUS HESIOD? WELL I SAY THAT'S GOT TO BE THE MOST PATHETIC SHOWING IN THIS ENTIRE TOURNAMENT LIKE, EVER! LIKE WE SHOULD PUT THAT IN THE DICTIONARY NEXT TO 'BIGHIUS JOKEIOD' WHICH IS NOW A WORD!"
"B-But it's d-double elmination, uhhh, m-maybe I can set him up with... the... armor he didn't wear--" The owner of Old Rusty stammers.
"AH WHO GIVES A BLAST?! BIG EXPLOSIVE ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO THE GOOD DOCTOR!! YOU KNOW WHO THIS IS SPONSORED BY! I WANT TO SAY IT BUT MY THROAT HURTS AND I CAN'T PRONOUNCE THE RESTRICTED SYMBOL!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's breaths are a little light as she lowers herself back onto the seat, rubbing at her forehead and dabbing gently at how the world seems to be spinning. She didn't think herself mistaken. She could sense it... the air pressure, the changes in temperature... and the echoing from the runes...
"... I-- do need to rest now, I think," she admits weakly, to Noeline.
<Pose Tracker> Arleph Ardan has posed.
Arleph watches Ethius. There's still some annoyance in his gaze, lowering his hand and crossing them. So, he threw the fight, Arleph muses. There's no way that fizzle was accidental and it does prove to him that the man can do some Great Arts. That's fine. So can he. What's more worrying to him is that he THREW THE FIGHT.
For a sponsor, it seems, by the sound of it, that was very surprised to be offered a sponsorship. Still covered in foam, Arleph pops his knuckles, wave a hand at crowd -- which might be him just dismissing one of his charms on himself -- and begins to walk off out of the arena when he is declared the victor.
Then he stops, suddenly, his brows furrowed for a moment, his eyes scanning up through the crowd, as if he was trying to find something, something that was bothering him.
For a very brief moment, through this scanning, he stops in the general area of Riesenlied and Noeline.
Then he moves on, continuing his stalking out of the arena.