The Deus Ex Machina Tournament - Grand Finals: Revolento vs. Shale

~Misguided Justice~

Crackling rocks of ancient stone, crystals, and blood mixed with black liquid can be seen falling from the heavens as that spectacle marked the end Round 2 of the Tournament. This display also confirmed the death of the god of gods; Xodous, the young boy's opponent in the match. Cirque only did his traditional antler toss technique that is commonly used to lift larger foes into the air as the sword cleanly slice through to make a skyward arc. In this case, Cirque didn't send Xodous aloft; instead, he used this technique to tear open the god in half. As the god's body gushed out, making a large fountain of blood and black liquid that cannot operate without the original host body to control it. With that, the god would fall to his demise. Where he would end up is unknown to anyone, not even the Armamentalist himself would care to where in the world will Xodous fall to. The god's death left most of the crowd in awe, shocked to see that the ruler of this world was taken down by a mysterious dimension jumper. Some start to become a bit worried and have slight conversations about Revolento and his victory against the god he smite earlier, they start to question if that boy will become the next god in Xodous' wake?

Overhearing some of this, the spectators have yet to understand that the boy didn't want to rule this world as a god nor does he wish to obtain that sort of title and responsibility anytime soon. Though, it's not like they're going to learn the truth. For now; he decided to go out and wait for the next battle, and probably do a bit of 'Fource Gathering' in the process. While he was out, he discovered something so 'astounding that caused him to be in such disbelief'. When he came back from his time outside of the tournament, he already saw who he had to face next.

-Final Round-
Revolento, the Young vs. Shale Ahneahe

"Oh; so it's against Shale, that woman whom I first met during that train robbery." Ah yes, this Armamentalist did cross paths with this half-elf once before, thankfully it was a vicious one. From that Cirque knows up to now; Shale mostly focus on smarts more than just brute force, her intellect even manage to out best Imorii when she came to a desperate struggle to win. It was a match made in heaven for good ol' Cirque, he just wonders what kind of tricks and equipment that the woman would bring into the match they were about to take part it. Hopefully; it wasn't something that'll turn the tides against his natural abilities. "... Right, I just remembered that our match will be taken inside some environment less arena, it may slightly hinder the boy from using his Fource abilities; but that also means that Shale wouldn't be able to use her natural tactics that she's used to. "Hmm, I guess I shouldn't use most of my power against the woman; I think it wouldn't be fair for me to simply go all out on her." He said, venturing towards the area to where the final match will begin.

A row of lights can be seen extending throughout the ceiling as it illuminates the battle ground with enough rays to see every nook and cranny of this solid steel field. It contained absolutely nothing else, other than windows that were thick enough to withstand the power of an enraged mammoth. Those windows that extended all the way to the edge of the ceiling was only enough for the spectators to gaze upon the area to their hearts contend. Now; with the lights on and he crowd awaiting for the match to begin, it was time for the fighters to step foward. Cirque; who was confident enough to actually shake the delicate hands of victory was already entering the steel arena while having his trademark sword out and ready for another battle to win once more. "I haven't had the chance to fight against a half-elf that doesn't need magic in order to trek through her way to victory. I wonder what kind of tricks she have up her sleeves? ... If she does have sleeves." The boy said, slowly approaching to the destined spot that he will await for his opponent. Once he got there; Revolento started to take into a idle stance of both attack and defense. To most people, it was near to impossible to do unless the fighter happens to have a shield equiped with a customized flintlock pistol with him. He does happen to have it. However; he doesn't really need it until the exact time it was necessary to resort back to his basic fighting style. All he needs to do now is to wait for Shale to show her face.

Guest

Somewhat of a disappointing sag hit Shale's face as the god exploded into bits. It seemed like he wouldn't have even put up half the fight his daughter did.

From the ashes and scars of battle she had risen victorious and the blood of her daughter was still burnt and scarred deep into her face. She had thought it impossible to penetrate the 'Xodous skin' at first and remove this glass without peeling off her very own skin until she had finally stumbled upon an answer: Sound.

There had been many attempts made to remove or understand the chemical makeup of the crystal but all had failed and proved unreactive until sound was applied. It was hard at first to locate the right resonance frequency to shatter the skin but like all things, not just glass, but even flesh, they all had a frequency at which they literally shook apart. He goal had not been to shatter the skin, but to find Xodous' internal resonating frequency based on the samples of crystal samples she had gathered removing from her face and sword. This insured when she would strike the god that any blunt trauma she delivered would be amplified in destructive potency as it would be striking a weakened surface.

The only problem to her plan had been; he wasn't to be her opponent. Shale really had no intention on killing what looked like a perfectly good wizard, and decent character for the little she knew of such a killer like herself, yet he of all people was closest to a dark elf. Only he, had used some arcane techniques that might require adaptation.

Her hammers were still enchanted with the same air magic draining spell that output the energy in the form a sound frequency to shatter Xodous, so she left upon the end of the match and changed the frequency to that of water. She kept her old armor, massively thick high density alloy that she had poured her heart and soul into making. Iridium was the main compound to the uniquely strong material and it weighed a massive amount, just like her body. The armor covered her trapizius, shoulders and the top half of her breasts, protecting a secret necklace below. Her shirt was simple green cotton and didn't even have sleeves or anything over the belly. She had two leather bracers to improve aim with her bow, which... she wasn't bringing. And a tight pair of brown deer hide shorts. Her boots were strong and thick, made of the iridium, sliver, vanadium, iron, nickle, silicon, phosphorous and carbon alloy. The elves of her region were not very good at making enchantments but Shale had taken the time to get her armor enchanted to resist damage. Perhaps with the addition of it's own strength the few spots it covered would be strong enough to protect her from that one devastating attack the wizard had used on Black Rock Shooter's weapon.

Now it was time for the custom gear she had brought. She kept the wizard orbs that shatter on impact exploding with elemental force. It wouldn't be useful now but it appeared he switched forms of magic and Shale knew a little from her past experience that certain magics simply did not mix.

She also had decided to wear lower torso armor, in the form of wood. Her biggest weakness was fire. Ironically this iconic fire fuel was going to be her defense against that. She also held for the first time in combat since her days in the Colosseum, her old viking shield. It was also simple and wooden. Though she had made some modifications that would be only made apparent in combat.

Shale had been privileged enough to know what type of battlefield she was to be entering so she quickly made a back track and grew a few pieces of iron wood before she entered the danger of the ring. Was this cheating? Probably... but hell Shale wasn't the one to play fair when her life was on the line.

Her favorite whip was belted... check...
Her necklace was on as always... check...
Two claymores at her side... check...
two hammers crossed upon her back... check
All iridium alloy weapons insulated with mica and padded with leather... check...
Pixies and mushrooms... check...
Mom and dad watching... check...

She gave a faint laugh at the last one; who knew what her parents were thinking.

Well then lets get this started she said within her mind. Before entering her ears peered for her opponent, normally the crafty wizard would introduce himself. Shale was pouring magical energy into the three cigar sized wooden stakes.

She listened for his heartbeat and after finding enough sounds to locate her opponent entered the field. Before her green eyes could even be seen behind her wildly flinging brown hair she had thrown the tree wooden darts at her opponent.

Without warning after crossing over half the distance to Cirque, they exploded with life ballooning from the size of a cigar into the mass of a small trees. In fact they were small trees roughly eight feet wide and thirty feet long with a thin six inch diameter trunk. Her goal wasn't to crush her opponent but that would certainly be a benefit if he wasn't prepared for three tree sized masses of wood careening through the room each weighing 800 to 1200 pounds by the time they cross the seventy feet to their target.

If her attack was successful the expanding mass would so rapidly absorb the atmosphere as it grew in mass that within a confined roof and ceiling that anyone within close proximity would suffer a near lethal drop in atmospheric pressure that would cause internal damage to both his lungs and shatter his ear drums, before the air vacuum would equalize with the surrounding atmosphere.

Of course; Revolento wouldn't allow Shale to take the first hit on him while he's awaiting for her appearance. To take time in this, he does what his mentor always recommends him of doing: 'Observing his surroundings'. Doing this process wasn't just to memorize the area around, but to also spot any hostile individual coming in to flank him. Eventually, the boy manage to catch that sneaky half-elf into his line of sight which obviously put him on high alert. It was mainly because of her vivid Life Fource along with the mixture of materials that made up her armor, which technically counts as a part of Funeral Fource, that covered the very soul of the woman's body that made it to obvious to even miss. Seeing how she was doing the whole stealth approach could only mean that a brief conversation wasn't at order, it was a shame really. But the boy knows that when it comes to fighting in the brinks of death, talking wasn't a virtue or an option at that. "Oh... she doesn't have sleeves at all." The male said within his thoughts and he gripped his weapon tightly and as we awaited for her to make the first strike, which she did. Using his gifted eyes to make note of what's being thrown at him immediately warn the Armamentalist that those wooden projectiles happen to be magic infused trees that will immediately grow once they reach a specific spot to where it'll help them grow properly. Luckily for the boy, he wasn't going to allow her to get a upper advantage in this battle... Even if it means destroying mother nature's precious children of life. It may put a burden to him, but it's not like dearest mother will punish him for this.

Channeling a green aura within his blade, Revolento crossed over to a percise area to where the darts will possibly reach and makes three quick slashes into the air to making a wave of piercing winds. To those who are afar, they may think that the male had only attack the air. In reality; he didn't at all. Instead, he swiftly sliced all three of them... Although, he didn't necessarily cut them in half. "Peuplier Renverser..." He chanted silently to himself, as the darts exploded into what it somewhat used to be a tree. Roughly the scale of 6 feet in width and not enough pounds to even find any sort of remainding nutrients, the used-to-be darts came out wilted and dry. Not only that, but the trees only exposed themselves for a while until the vanish into dust. "Shale; if you're planning to make this arena into a forest, may I suggest someone else who isn't one with it." He chuckled as those words ran through his thoughts, easing up his body as a mythical relaxation tranquilized his body with ease and control. Which mainly mean that his magical mending and might didn't need most exertion into casting a spell. Now; it was time to counteract of what she did.

From what he have studied so far, Shale only posses few magic casting abilities that are common in the wizardry forelore. Due to her connection with populous-based materials, most of her magic usually works on that. In which, Cirque temporarily placed her magical abilities to that of a Druid; a wizard that is known to use magic with the power of healing and nature. Even though she isn't a magic user, doesn't mean that she isn't dangerous--Her fight against the strange being by the name of Imorii proved that, and that fact only made this boy on his toes of ever before. If she could bring down a demon and a evolving goddess, underestimating this half-elf will only be a foolish choice. Knowing those two feats about her could only mean that her natural strength, along with her enhanced weapons only made this worse. However; thanks to the male's Orichalcum armor can easily withstand any sort of blow that Shale may use against him. Even if his armor is insanely strong, the armor can be broken if applied enough force to crack it open. The latest information that the boy have gained so far was the fact that this woman is more of a tactical fighter other than the average swinging wildly fighter who only counts on brute force than actual quick thinking and planning. Preparing themselves to deal with stronger enemies was a basic feat for warriors who start out their adventures, which was quite smart on her case.

Cirque isn't really feeling that spark that he had with Suseme just yet, he has yet to even figure out what this elf has in store for him. So; he decides to make quick swipes into the air as visible piercing winds start to close in to where Shale was located by going at a quick speed of 36 miles per hour as soon as it shot out. If the cutting winds manage to hit Shale, then her exposed parts of the woman's body will be cut up from the sharp winds. It wasn't that necessarily harmful, but it was enough to make his opponent immediately react. Truly, he wasn't looking to mainly attack the woman with this attack; he was only planning to make her move out of the way so that he could unleash his next move that wasn't as fatal as his first once. If the woman acknowledges his attack and dodges, then Cirque will shoot out a blast of blazing blue fire from out of his cursed gauntlet, in which he took from Black Rock Shooter, and sends towards the newest position that Shale ended up at. If the attack successfully hits her, then the blast will leave the woman with 1st degree burns that are obviously treatable of taken care of properly. However; if Shale acknowledges this and moves out the way, then Revolento will do what he'll usually do best. That, my friends is to where he's going to defend himself until Shale retaliates with a new attack she planned up.

Guest

It was rare that many knew the complexities of elves, and even rarer that one would know the complexities of the one of a kind species that was born from both Mellen and the strange human Zathire.

Pixies following Shale's immediately scattered to the sides as they were almost caught off guard as they entered the ring just behind her. If not for their quick wings and paranoia they would have all been killed by how quickly Cirque had responded. Not even five seconds in and the first exchanges had already taken place.

With no hesitation Shale charged directly into the wind, when the attack lashed her face it would not only do non lethal damage as Cirque intended, it would do next to none, not even breaking the skin. Elves had a natural predisposition to controlling currents. And while most only controlled currents in the form of plant life there were a few who controlled wind and water.

Shale was not one of them.

However like all elves such magics did little to no harm to them as their bodies were in perfect harmony with those forms of nature and, in part, most of the plant life they controlled stemmed from the rearranging molecules within air and water.

It could only be death magic that would have destroyed those darts for if they were simply cut up they would continue to grow, and if Cirque had used some form of light magic like she did she would simply overpower it with her massive willpower and specialization in that one field of magic. For this was her specialty, and she was daughter of Mellen: By the time her mother was 80 she had already become renown as the strongest wielder of plant magic in records amongst both druids and elves to have lived within the past 300 years, and she was still making leaps and bounds in her young 120's. Many suspected that she had already replaced the records in all history.

While Shale could not whisk her finger and paint the entire Ganondome in forest within mere seconds like her mother had in the past as part of providing the new terrain. Shale was stronger, a lot more than when she was asked by her father to throw the match against haughty and pretentious fighter Fang.

It still bothered her pride for some reason to loose by faking injury. She wasn't a twelve year old girl anymore and the stakes were set a little higher than pride now. Growing had its benefits, even the three small trees she'd poured energy into hadn't begun to toll her much yet and she new her mom was watching. Next time she wouldn't let his magic counter her. She'd simply overwhelm him.

It seemed fire came next and it was time to place the shield forward. Normally wood would burn up, but fire required oxidation, a destructive force of breaking bonds into simpler forms releasing energy. By applying life-force too the shield which caused plants to construct disorganized bonds into higher states of energy this took energy from the atmosphere rather that releasing it. In essence she prevented it from igniting. What the shield did not block was her shins and feet but they were guarded by armor and insulated with mica.

She wasted no time in throwing the rim of her Viking shield into his armor should her wild charge reach him. It was likely that she would connect her attack based on her speed and the fact that she plowed right through his attacks without wasting time dodging. If it connected it would be enough force to barrel him over and send power blunt trauma through the armor giving him most likely minor bruising and delay his actions.

As she was making this sprint if he could see past her own swarm of life magic and his attacks he would also notice the wooden armor snaking with life in a mesh like pattern. Of course she was up to something.

"Hmm, seems that isn't going to work. Pity..." Cirque sighed, it looks like he forgot to foresee that this woman happen to have a much more stronger organic system than the boy had expected. The only thing that made it even worse is that she decided to charge at him of all things necessary. The actual good thing about both of his attacks actually slowed her down for a chance to allow Cirque to escape, if it wasn't his attack then it has to be her heavy armor that she happens to carry on her body. It looks like he needs to actually take this battle a lot more seriously other than just playing it safe here and there. It was about time that there was someone who can withstand his normal magical attacks other than actually get wounded by it, it feels as if he went back and time when he had a thrill of challenging those who are stronger than him. Oh were those the days when Cirque used to be cheery and peppy, only that he rarely does it now in modern times. Back to the battle at hand, the male clicked his heels together as this marked as another cast from his spell. With this, the male's agility was much more faster than normal. Of course this speed was only temporary and it doesn't share the same aspects that people have seen from his Gale Fource, but it was only used to get out of sticky situations such as this one.

Everyone makes mistakes, and this one happens to be a good now. Now the boy knows that regular attacks such as his slicing wind technique is going to need more power in order for it to actually cut through Shale like butter. This moment would have been the most appropriate time to use his stronger magic, his explosion spells would have done the job perfectly. That is, if those spells actually damage her. As he got away to the point where he could continue being on the offensive once more, the male extend his fingers into some sort of gun hand sign and cast four small spheres of energy, shooting it towards the half-elf at high speed. If the spheres had reach her perimeter, then the spheres will ignite itself and cause a large explosion, with the approximate measurements of 8 feet in length and 10 feet in width, that will greatly damage depending on how deep inside the blast radius that she was in. If more than one of the spheres happen to catch her as well, then it'll do nothing more than given an added bonus to the damage that was dealt. More than likely, it'll knock the woman away from the explosions position. Revolento knew she wouldn't travel that far due to her heavy armor she has on her.

If she went and surprisingly dodge this attack, which in most cases; she's too reckless to even do so. Then, the other spheres that didn't ignite will begin to home towards her as they done the same process as the previous one have done. In this case, it was best for him to move away farther if Shale decides to bum rush him again. It's better to get a better view of what she's actually doing other than getting front row seats to Shale's Reign of Pain Movie in 3D. This was one of those cinemas that Cirque would not want to see in theaters during 12/21/12. Moving away much more farther to where he was about possibly 10 yards from her. Using his enhanced vision, he could see that her armor was shape shifting into a different pattern. There was something about it that was making the male feel a bit uneasy, he just doesn't know what it was that's bothering him.

Guest

The weight of the armor played no factor in Shale's speed, she was used to carrying heavy weights, in fact it had been the terrain that was the problem with the slick steel floor there was no good traction on her metal boots which were designed more for crushing into soil rocks bones and people.

That gave her an idea. She reached for a wizard orb within her pocket as the wooden shield sent out sacrificial vines to prematurely detonate the projectiles before they reached a radius that would damage it or herself. His attack was fast though, and had it not required his shots be fired from something that was pointed and aimed then she would not have gotten the time to get her vines adjusted properly to intercept them. The downside to this was she spent more effort than she needed to. She has suspected something penetrating rather than explosive, it took a lot more cellulose to prevent something from piercing compared to something that merely triggered a detonation If she'd known better she could just spam parenchyma as the bulk space filling material. Still better to error on caution.

It would be no surprise to Cirque that immensely packed within the glass sphere was elemental lightning. How fast could Cirque transform and just what sort of properties did his armor possess. Was it conductive? Time to find out.

Shale cast the shattering crystal marble upon the floor; immediately the whole room surged with lightning. Shale had the benefit of watching Cirque absorb lightning and knew this could backfire but it seemed he needed to be in certain modes of magic. How fast could he prepare, compared to someone who was always prepared for electrical attacks? They'd both have less than a second. Luckily, that is for her, mica did not conduct electricity and her metal boots would only surge upon their exterior. Shale had a feeling this wizard's mineral armor was highly metallic and just as highly conductive. If it were the electric shock would dissipate and weaken severely within the steel room but will still pack a good enough wallop to over stimulate muscle contraction signals in the calves and legs and seize up long enough to trip up and fall.

If this didn't work or even if it did, she tried another technique simultaneously sending her will to resurrect any plant fibers within his clothes. If he wore, cotton or linen, or any plant based material that was still composed of intact fibers they would begin to come to life within a mere second sending out leaves. Shale highly doubted she was lucky enough to capitalize upon such an unpredictable opportunity but all it took was one cotton sock or piece of parchment and she'd have him right where she wanted him. Right now vines were erupting all about her wooden armor, oh the joys of multitasking and how they gave her an edge in battle. Some were forming external muscles that made her stronger others were closing the distance of the retreating man.

If Cirque fell, from the shock or by the chance he had some clothing she could bind him like a straight jacket then her vines would begin to wrap about him.

"She fights so reckless, but she moves fast...!" The male said within his thoughts, seeing how magical explosions end up colliding to those vines that Shale delivered to defend herself against it. The power behind those explosives were strong as explained, the fierce power of the blast almost completely scorched the defending walls of the tendrils. It didn't reach far into it's core, but it certainly did a good number on it. Still, it doesn't help the fact that this woman completely defended herself with that wooden viking shield to the point that the defensive item is also her method of counter attacking. That is going to be a problem, especially when this shield made his fire spell rendered useless due to the plant life's abnormal ability to assimilate oxygen like an organic vacuum.

Things may seem a bit uneasy on Cirque's end to where as Shale was skilled to take on magic users like the boy himself. Then, that's when Shale starts to bring out a sphere full of electrical energy. From the looks of it, that ball looks like it was strong enough to make a strong electrical surge through most of the entire playing field. Seems that this female is either trying to electrocute the boy due to his armor being made of metal, or forcing Revolento to draw him so he could absorb it with his Gale Fource. The Orichalcum was indeed metal, but unlike most of them--this one wasn't conductible at all nor is it magnetic. The male didn't want for his armor to be a target for any stray lightning bolt to come and shock him. Sure it may provide some use when Gale Fource is activated, but that's out of the question. "Hmm, I best it's good that I should go absorb that electrical sphere once it releases and attack Shale with my enhanced speed!" The male said to himself awaiting for her to toss the sphere until...

Something within his mind calls out to him by saying-- "Cirque, that's incorrect. Think for once, why is the woman planning to use that lightning orb in the first place? Certainly she's up to something..." The voice was nothing more than his mentor, communicating with the Armamentalist by mind. His mentor has been monitoring every single fight that the boy has gone through ever since he encased his soul into the sword to what Cirque was wielding right now. After hearing those words, the boy started to come back to his senses. His mentor was right, something seemed wrong to the point where the woman just flat up started to bring that out. "Wait, then what should I do?" Cirque replied in thought. "Now Cirque; I can't just help you with every battle now. Do the exact opposite other than doing the complete obvious." Doing the exact opposite other than doing the complete obvious. That was it; this whole process that Shale was doing is only to make him use the sphere so that the elf can bring him down with one technique that she had required for his Gale Fource. Seeing how he won't let that happen, the male began to rush towards her. Once she dropped the orb to the ground, casting the spell; Revolento released a invisible wave of unimaginable power that followed with a large thumping sound. "Vent Faucille."

As the lightning was released, the invisible wave successfully moves to where the electrical energy was located and completely whipped out the element with ease. In most cases, this technique made the orb useless from the start. "That's the way to do it, boy. Now connect that with another move, but think carefully for this one." His mentor commended him for a job well done, he had a good reason of taking this boy into his wing back when he was a child. Even though; he didn't expect him to make so many wrong decisions so poorly when the battle commenced. Acknowledging his order clearly, he take one glance at that accursed shield that was in his way. It was going to be difficult to take out if those vines keep on erupting from her shield. Then, the male hatched an idea.Closing in to where the woman was, he started to notice how the opponent's shields are quickly executing their orders from the half-elf right about now. Casting quickly, his body starts to manifest into a small essence of energy that coated his skin for a few seconds; then the energy shot out a ray of blinding light that immediately illuminate the area to the point where it was greatly difficult to see through it. "Éblouir éclat." The male whispered softly to himself after the technique was sent out. This process was only to blind the woman since there was no possible way for anyone to not be fazed by a unexpected flash of light.

If the woman was blinded by the light and/or switched to a defensive maneuver, the Cirque will easily focus on the woman's shield by rotting it down with his plant destroying attack that doesn't require Funeral Fource to execute this attack. Once he got close to the point where his attack would reach, he slashed the air multiple times as cutting green winds went in order to collide with the shield. If the winds successfully hit the shield, then the tendrils that were manifesting from the shield itself will quickly rot in minutes as the smaller parts of the shield start to fade away into dust. Not only that, but it'll obviously weaken her defenses and stop the vines from trying to attack the male once it does so. If it can't operate without nutrients to help it grow throughout the inside of the cell walls, then these plants are obviously dead plants.

If the attack somewhat missed to the point where it'll slightly miss, then Revolento will start to move back and continue to do the same process over and over again until the shield is hit directly or Shale went and recovered her vision. This tactical move was almost foolproof to let it fail now. However; if the woman wasn't fazed by the light, or managed to shield her eyes from such an unpredictable attack. Then this will alert both Cirque and his mentor that they were dealing with an half-elf who has a very strong 6th sense... Obviously, there's no possible way for her to predict moves that she haven't seen before. If she did know what he was capable off, then it will seriously mark a major problem in this battle. A foe that knows his every movement is an annoying one. Even though, Cirque started to figure out that the woman was fore sighting some of his moves that she probably studied during his battles against Black Rock Shooter and Xodous. If she did, then the boy expected much from that. Who wouldn't study about their opponent when face against the odds. If the woman didn't have any preparation timing for this tournament, then the boy would have simply overwhelm her with his might and magic. As for if the moves hit as planned or failed, then the boy will retreat back and start to go into defensive procedures.

Guest

Again with that damn mouth. Every time he used it something bad had happened. Just her luck that he had no papers in his pocket, he always seemed to have a letter stashed away every-time she saw him he had a fucking letter. Whatever, she thought, this was no time to get angry. She had never even used resurrection magic in front of him, apparently he was just lucky.

These thoughts coursed through her mind as a sudden flash of magic light hit the room. In small doses the light based energy was absorbed by her but for the most part it worked perfectly making her pupils dilate. However this had no effect since she was an elf and could hear him just fine in the time her eyes readjusted. Not as if their metal boots weren't loud enough for a human as it is, but she could even hear his heartbeat, breathing, and rubbing of his joints. Her next plan as she closed the distance was having the vines on the left side of her suit grab three wizard orbs. These ones gave off no magical presence. She let the wind come at her again moving the vines out of its greenish path and quick drawing her hammer into her left hand jousted it forward to meet this wind.

As both hammers had been enchanted to absorb Xodous' shield the one held forward absorbed this wind magic, and because he was coming at her there wasn't enough traction or time to scuffle backwards with the slippery terrain, unless he used his magic and retreated again, which is what she suspected. However Shale came down hard at the same time as the vines holding the orbs also lashed at his body, making sure there wouldn't be time to sputter some phrase before her hammer struck either him or his defending weapon then him. If her hammer struck, not only would it be too hard to block for nearly anyone other than Ganon, Zathire or herself, but it would also emit vibrations that would rattle the water inside her opponent before letting the waves of blunt trauma possibly lay fracture ripples into his ribs while the water vibrations softened up his soft tissue making joints less resilient.

If he had some technique to block the hammer than the three wizard orbs held by vines would likely strike his body and reveal their mysterious ability.

The dodging vines that had grown from her right-handed shield and shot out evasively to the side were now looping behind him.

The pixies that had entered the room would retreat to a safer distance, the purple one even cowering and buzzing out the door before it slammed shut.

Cirque came in too close this time, Shale's vines had to close out the entrance to where he could have escaped, but now wasn't the time to be worried about it now; he had to make a game changer in order to burst out of this one. If it isn't the vines that he had to be concerned about, it was this half-elf's vigorous strength. "... No!" He said within his thoughts, only to be interrupted by his mentor when he immediately said-- "Quick, get out of there!" He couldn't cast a spell that fast, nor did he have the time to do that either. He just decided to take the risk and charge straight at her. "Hope this works."

Quickly switching his blade to his left hand and moving close to get into Shale's striking range; giving off a small grin, the male used his enhanced speed by moving out of the hammers way by leaping over the woman's shoulders as his cursed gauntlet latches on to her neck. With that, the gauntlet's starts to absorb her blood to the point where she was slowly starting to lose some feeling into it. While swinging all the way to her behind, the male's sword start to ignite into flames as he makes an attempt to stab the spinal cord in the process. This procedure may not effectively cut through her bone with ease, but the sword will certainly make it through her skin just because on how incredibly strong his sword can pierce through. If this male's weapon can easily rip open Xodous, then Shale's titanium body was no contest.

If the attack successfully connects to her backside, then Cirque's sword will unleash a burst of scorching fire not only to mortally damage her spinal cord; but to also burn and possibly melt away her insides. However; if Shale struggles to the point where she'll probably try to break herself free, then the boy will simply pull her down by using the super strength that he obtained by taking away the blood of shale and materializing it to increase the main functioning organ that her body focuses on to deliver attacks: The muscles. Not only that, but he'll easily constrict and suffocate her in the process. Of course, the male didn't want to just stand in one place for far to long, so he'll decided to let go and move away from her in the process. He would say-- "Merci pour vos pouvoirs, ma chère~!" as he quickly make his way out of her reach once more. The boy had no choice to let go of her anyways due to the fact that her vines and tendrils may make their way over to where he was and attack him unmercifully. Even if the attack did or didn't hit Shale, it was best to not allow let her have a hold of him.

While behind her, it would have been a great opportunity to strike her with a dangerous dose of magic. However, it was only going to make it obvious to the point where Shale will possibly intercept it. So in order to keep her guessing, he left a large sphere of energy in her wake. It didn't move to her at all, nor did it show any sort of threat for the time being. The boy decided to leave that there for future notification whenever things look grim. With that being said, he moved away from the sphere and awaited for Shale to make her next move. Of course, he would keep an watchful eye on his surroundings as well. If that's not going to help, then his mentor may intervene to assist him in mind and body.

Guest

Cirque's plan might have worked except for two factors, one Shale's hammer was coming down so jumping up would not be the right direction to go, in fact it only added his own head on collision speed to the already masterful fencing speed at which her brute strength wielded the massive device, and two she had a shield that would catch him and redirect him back into the hammer if it was her right shoulder he jumped over.

Not only did this ensure a connected hit but it would send his battered body slightly upwards and backwards and towards both the roof and looping vines. With this trap secure the vines on her external suit would lift her up to reach her ensnared target and smash him against the roof with her shield. As with all viking shields there was a blunt rounded spike that added extra weight and density to a punch.

She couldn't help but feel some pity for the wizard. It wasn't like he hadn't done her a favor in killing Xodous. It had after all been one of the reasons she came here. If he was alive but not able to move she would speak, otherwise if he was dead she would have nothing to say and if he was still struggling she'd repeat bash him against the roof until that stopped.

The plausibly spoken phrase might be: "Just why are you here wizard?"

Due to his speed and flexibility, it could have been much more easier to dodge the woman's hammer with ease and control. However; that can't be said when he shield mysteriously got in the way. That plan was going to be successful, but it seems that the boy was a bit too slow to even try to make an attempt. "]Kid, you made a good run; it's best for you to stand down now." His mentor was right, this was simply a check mate for the half-elf, and it was somewhat quick at that. Never did he ever ended up losing a battle that fast. Oh well, it couldn't be helped anyways. With that being said, he stood his ground and endured the beating to the point where else elf went and said--"Just why are you here wizard?" The young boy replied by saying-- "All of this has been some misunderstanding, ma'am. I only came here in order to improve myself in my training. I honestly didn't expect for this tournament to have rulings state to kill another person to confirm victory. That's part of the reasons that my first match is when I discovered this this. I never wanted to kill anyone without a reason, it was wrong." The boy refused to struggle any longer due to the fact that the vines were preventing his escape. Revolento didn't necessarily care at that time, he knew that he was done.

As he dropped his blade to the ground, he looked back up to the woman again and said-- "And for that wish that I was going for as I strives through this tournament was to bring back my friends and family from the dead. I guess it was probably a foolish wish as well, at least some can dream... right?"

Guest

That mysterious mesh would move into the vines securing him and she would take out her claymore pointing it at his face making sure this was no trick. After all lies were part of battle.

"I saw you use light magic wizard; it isn't common that beings of malicious content are capable to wield such spells; it takes a pure heart."

Not making any attempt to let him go or get the sword away from his face she lowered him down, still very frightened and nervous about the risk she was undergoing in making a leap of faith and trusting the same one that meant to shed her blood.

"I am not here to kill either. I am here to become strong enough to someday fight against the dark elves. If I spare your life, I expect you to own me a debt of faith and on some day of my choosing I may call you to aid me against my many assassins or perhaps a demon should the day come I discover another."

It did not seem there was any practical way to leave the room. Hopefully she did not have to kill him in order to escape without having to worry about him stabbing her in the back.

Much too her relief her mother had heard and while the borders might have stopped a rampaging mammoth it wasn't enough to stop her father. Glass shattered under the mighty sword Boneslayer and Zathire and Mellen stepped into the room.

"So you harvesting a new recruit to the team Shale?" he grinned. "Well done."

"We have another problem though", Mellen interrupted. "Imorii is not dead. While you two were busy fighting we had to kill eight small crystal spiders that were attempting to extract Xodous' core. We aren't sure how to destroy the core yet ourselves or what complications doing that might have upon this area."

The fact that she brought up the term light magic made Cirque's emotion change drastically, Shale knew deep down that the boy assumes that Revolento has a good heart. Which he does, honestly. Since the boy was possibly going to die, it didn't hurt to tell the woman the truth. "Well, ma'am. I've been practicing light magic ever since I was still a child; it was my first magical abilities at that time. So, I couldn't do nothing about it." He said, watching her have some sort of fear in her eyes. Cirque knew that he had the opprotunity to attack her with any of his spells, even went bounded by the tendrils of the vines she posses. The thing was, Cirque wasn't a dirty fighter, nor does he wish to continue this battle as of now. Not just because he's just giving up, but the fact that he wishes to leave this tournament without having to kill or be killed in the end. Now it looks like she's planning to spare his life, in exchange for assistance in the near future against the sworn enemies that she's forced to face in her entire lifetime. In cases such as this, the boy didn't have anything against this. He knew that dark elves are troublesome creatures, and he knew damn well what to do if he faces one. "Oh; if that's the case... sure, why not?"

"Oh, Miss half-elf! There's something dire that I need to alert you abo--..." The Armamentalist was interrupted by everybody's favorite super star: Zathire, that overly muscled man who drinks Ganon Milk for a damn living. Not only that, but Shale's mother Mellen decided to step into the conversation by saying what the boy had to say. "... Err, thanks for saying it for me. But seriously; you have to stop that woman, Shale! After seeing her residing in a large crystallized flower in the north, she could be planning to transform into something much more stronger than that." He cried, highly concerned about this world's safety as much as anyone here.

Guest

This surprised Shale greatly, though Imorii stemmed from a God, it was not clear if she had the ability to plan into the future or not. Though it seemed splattering her to bits was not enough.

Shale had never wanted a wish, in fact she thought it was a lie and bait to bring them here; but now it was starting to sound like a promising prospect.

In her heart Shale did not want Imorii to die. However the case of protecting the world that she loved with an aprechiation for nature that went past what humans were accustomed to meant she had to be harsh and she felt killing her was the right option.

But this possessed a question assuming the dubious promise of a wish was true, as to the limit of its power. Perhaps it wouldn't be strong enough to destroy Imorii, but if she could only guide her daughter like a responsible parent perhaps she could be given some power or chance to do this.

Shale had decided upon her wish. She wanted Imorii to be brought to an age where she could teach her like a normal parent. To be given a chance to raise her right, rather than dealing with someone who'd reached an artificial age fourteen and saw nothing other than what she could do to the world.

There was also the chance of bringing back the old friends of Cirque, but she would make sure that they specified in a way that they would deem accceptible. Shale was always cautious with these so called wishes that wishing someone back from the dead gave a twisted soul haunting a zombified corpse. None of that loophole shit was acceptable.

"You know," she finally spoke though gave none of her thoughts yet as she didn't want to influence the others ideas, "Perhaps that wish might offer some solution to this dilemma we're facing."

"No doubt dark elves have already sent there kin to gather the core," the mother added. "By the time we figure out what's going on, they've probably already discovered a way to harness its potential in their favor, and a plan to defeat us." With this she jumped out of the room, darting along the rims of the stadium seats with vast agility and looked up to the top of the stadium, where her white haired sister Negina stood. "I'd rather have the core fall into Imorii's hands than theirs." Of course only Shale would hear this last part as the distance was too far for the others at this point.

"So Cirque, if I offered to allow you your wish is there anyone who could help us with this situation?" She turned her head to the open glass breach in the wall.

After he replied she was then to say, "Either way let's go find the host and see what this whole wish thing is all about. I'm not too confident from the start that this wasn't just a trap."

When the boy was given that question, he remained silent for a brief moment. He knows someone that would help, but the chances of having him in this group is pretty slim. The man that Cirque was thinking about was none other than his mentor: Zander Sclahaba, the founder and previous leader of the Armamentalist. His powers exceeded so much to the point where Cirque's natrual abilities didn't stand a chance, he was that powerful to take on gods himself. If Cirque can best Xodous, then having that man could only mean that defeating Imorii was going to be less difficult as people thought it would be.

"Well; there is one person who we can ask, even though he might refuse his offer of revival." The male replied to Shale, looking towards his sword that was currently on the ground. "That blade conceals of my mentor: Zander X. Sclahaba, he happens to be the first man who created the class by the name of Armamentalist. Let me tell you this; the techniques you have witnessed before, he happens to posses much more powerful spells than the ones I possess." The people around him may think that the boy was actually quite crazy to have a sword for a master, but there was more than meets the eye with this blade. In order to prevent this, his mentor--who was listening to the entire conversation--began to materialize out from the sword within and appears as a shroud of blue energy.

"Greetings; denizens of this world. I would have introduce myself to you three, but I know that Revolento actually explained everything about me." The mysterious essence said, slowly manifesting a face to where he could only reveal a hollowed mask that resembles it. Unfortunately, he couldn't completely manifest his body since he's only a spirit at that time. So; shapeshifting into his original form was going to be difficult. For Cirque, however, it wasn't a problem since he could clearly see his physique with his gifted eyes. Though, the boy wasn't sure about the others around him. "I overheard that you have some sort of god problem that you all wish to deal with. As an Armamentalist, I will help you fight against this Imorii person. In a additional note, you should note that I cannot always take care of things by myself without your assistance. So; are we all clear on it? Good!" Cirque still didn't understand why his master was always quick to things, Zander didn't even allow them to have the chance to reply to that. Though, it does make sense that everyone in this world doesn't necessarily have a choice when the world is in stake.

"It's probably the best to find the host then." Cirque said, going to pick up his blade until he just noticed... The Armamentalist was still bounded by Shale's tendrils. Well, it's look like he's going to be carried for the rest of the way. Even though it's going to make his arms and legs fall asleep.

Guest

Shale let him down. With her parents having been in close proximity she felt less concerned.

"I'm not sure magic will work very good on Imorii." Shale figured he might have something argue and was hoping he did, "But either way none of this matters unless we confront the one who supposedly has the power to grant this 'wish'." It was clear from the level of distaste in her mouth when she said: 'wish', that she was pessimistic at best to whether they would get anything other than another mad dog out to make a name by killing the champion.

» The Deus Ex Machina Tournament - Round 2: Revolento vs. Xodous
» Deus Ex Machina Tournament: Origins
» The Makara Tournament! Round 1: Revolento, the Young vs. Black Rock Shooter
» Round 2: Shale vs Imorii
» Tournament: Xodous Vs Captain Abel Kaiser.