2827/TARGET: Jasper's Rookery Rumble

TARGET: Jasper's Rookery Rumble
Date of Scene:	17 August 2015
Location:	The Rookery (TR)
Synopsis:	Jasper decides to make her mark by assaulting The Rookery!
Cast of Characters:	826, 858

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Jasper (858) has posed:
     The source of all the threatening noise over the broadband is none other than, well, a giant orange titan of a woman wearing a ridiculously huge helmet, her wild mane of white hair emerging from beneath it. The helmet does nothing to hide her expression which, at the moment, is looking vaguely bored.

     She's thrown the gauntlet down. Where are the defenders? So many people have promised her a fight by doing this and, if she doesn't get one, she'll be going back to the warship mad!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Tall for a Hyur, but nearly as tall as Jasper. Bertram has come wearing robes and wielding a long, mace-like staff. He's not rushing, merely walking until he notices someone who seems to be his likely opponent. "Jasper, I take it?" The White Mage strokes his beard in thought, he's already cast a protective magical shell to surround him, aether removing energy from attacks aimed at him. A thin layer of earth and sand subtly coats him, providing more defensive strengths. "I do not desire a fight, but if you force my hand, I must needs act."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Jasper turns to look at Bertram, lips pursed, eyes squinting at him. "If you don't desire a fight," she growls out, "Then why come to the battlefield?" She slams one foot down against the earth and the ground shakes.

     "Is this it?" She makes a show of craning her neck to look behind Bertram. "One little human?" Her voice is practically dripping disdain. "Fine. You'll have some measure of respect for answering my challenge - but only one of us will be standing when I'm through with you!" She's roaring by the end of her words, and Jasper charges, quickly leaping towards Bertram, one knee raised!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"Because some things must needs be done, no matter how unpleasant they may be." Bertram answers, and then he's kneed in the gut, the protective sand and stone cracking and falling to the ground even as the White Mage is sent flying backwards. Without further delay, he starts weaving magic, he's clearly not knew to the fields of war. He calls upon the earth below them to rise up and strike Jasper, that it may harm the Gem and that the weight of the land may slow her movements.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     As Bertram goes flying, Jasper lands on her feet and continues to charge, her footfalls heavy and crushing. She's bringing her fist back for another strike when the ground itself rebels against her, throwing her down, slowing her as she tries to rise, snaring her hands and knees.

     "Neat trick!" Jasper snarls, pulling against the earth with angry grunts and growls, "But it's not going to save you!"

     As if to punctuate her words, Jasper /ignites/ in golden-white fire for a moment, burning away the ground around her so she might free herself, and then leaps at Bertram, one burning fist extended!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"It's no trick, it's Conjury." Bertram responds, raising his arm to block the burning flame with his robes. It's still a searing heat, and the suppressed wince shows it hurt, but it's clear those robes offer some protection from flame and fist. With a quick movement of his staff, the air itself lays on an assault onto Jasper, wind flowing in patterns that ought to cut and scrape, like decades of the erosion that wears down mountains condensed into a short period of time.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "It's a cheap trick!" Jasper retorts, "Fight me with your fists!" It's no surprise that she'd obviously want to fight on a level that obviously favours her size and, almost certainly, whatever experience she has.

     Still, for all her bravado, Jasper pauses as Bertram waves his staff. Maybe it's a feint? Maybe he's trying to trick her? She's not sure, but as that wind begins to whip at her with the power of concentrated erosion, Jasper roars and slams her head down.

     She catches the full power of Bertram's spell on the wicked, heavy prow of her helmet, setting its toughness against the winds and, luckily for her, seeming to deflect most of it. And then, head down, arms extended like the horns of a bull, Jasper /charges/ Bertram! She might just run right over him!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
"If I was going to fight with my fists I would have joined the Pugilist's guild." Bertram doesn't seem to be getting emotional about it, swiftly stepping aside to, to a certain degree, evade the incoming headbutt. It still hits him in the shoulder, and he's forced to stumble backwards more than he'd like. At the same time, he calls upon the next element he influences, calling forth a large amount of liquid, aimed to hit, and push away, Jasper like the water spilling forth from a breached dam.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Bertram's watery attack strikes Jasper well and true, maybe because she has her head down and was charging in a straight line. In any case, it sends her sprawling and she slams into the walls of the Grey Citadel, dust, stone and mortar raining down on her.

     Jasper's head snaps up. Water. /Water/. How she hates it, how she'd spent so long beneath the waves, chained by that pitiful Lapis! The water dripping down into her eyes and matting her hair evokes those memories of imprisonment, of being helpless, of being /weak/. Jasper strikes the walls with her fists as she rises and, for all the feral glee she displayed before, her eyes are different now.

     To put it bluntly: she's pissed.

     She charges Bertram again, but this time she pulls up just in front of him. She roars and, with each roar, slams the prow of her helmet down on Bertram! Crash! Crash! Crash!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram, unfortunately, hadn't quite anticipated this response. The first couple land solidly, though eventually he does manage to get out of range enough that it's merely a mild bruise rather than a heavy, painful bruise. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to rise your ire." He sounds pained when he says it, though not cowed. The warrior of light then calls upon the ground again, though unlike before, this time it's not aimed to slow Jasper down. Several sharp stalagmites spear out from the ground near and below Jasper, easily capable of impaling the gem if her reactions aren't fast enough.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     With her mind in the right place, maybe Jasper might have been able to react fast enough. Maybe. But not this time. The stalagmites find their mark, puncturing Jasper and impaling her. Jasper cries out, but, once more, it's more of an anguished roar - like a wounded animal - than anything that acknowledges the pain first and foremost. After a second of hanging there, Jasper's arms and fists come down on the stone that's impaled her, shattering it and leaving the majority of it hanging out of her form.

     So, she snatches Bertram up by the arm. "Apologies?! WEAK! PATHETIC!" She turns like she's putting all of her strength into an Olympic hammerthrow, spins Bertram around in a wide, dizzying arc, and then releases.

     Hopefully, sending him to collide right with the fortress walls!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Though he manages to brace himself for impact, Bertram's landing isn't as gentle as he would have preferred. More painful bruises, and his wrists are getting lacerated. "I think you need to relax, miss." He states, a subtle warning for the magic about to come. He calls upon the elements to bring forth overwhelmingly strong soothing energies. Enough to make someone weaker than Jasper fall asleep entirely. It's unlikely it'll affect her as much, but a lesser drowsiness may still work to the White Mage's advantage.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Jasper's busy pulling the rocks and stone from her body, heedless of the pain - or that it's probably worse than just leaving them in. "I think you-" She wavers on her feet as the magic falls upon her. "...you..."

     Her eyes close. The helmet vanishes from her head in a golden flash. For a moment, it seems like Bertram has actually managed to neutralise the giant Gem warrior!

     But then Jasper's eyes snap open, focusing on Bertram. "I can't be chained! I can't be contained! I can't be stopped!" Jasper growls, staggering towards Bertram. She might be awake, but she's not at the top of her game. She swings wildly at Bertram and, while she might be a bit fatigued from the spell, she still has much of her strength in those blows!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
It seems Bertram's gamble paid off. He can't avoid the attacks completely, but at least they don't hurt as much as before. He staggers back, bleeding from a hit to his nose. Again, he calls upon the wind to erode the gem's holomatter, "I don't want to chain you, I want to drive you away. If you require medical assistance, I will be glad to provide it if you pledge to leave." He looks absolutely genuine about this. "If not, tell what I assume to be your friends in the Confederacy that this is for Gaius van Baelsar."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     The winds sweep at Jasper again but, this time, she doesn't have her helmet to deflect the attack. So, Jasper raises her arms, and /pushes/ into the winds. Her arms fray and rip and tear under the assault but, step by step, Jasper closes the gap between herself and her opponent, grunting and growling.

     "I've got your pledge for you right /here/!" Jasper retorts, gripping fist in hand, and whirling about to drop her elbow onto Bertram! "And this is for /me/!"

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
Bertram blocks the elbow with his already wounded arm, resulting in a clearly audible crack. That's a broken bone. "Very well." Bertram sounds disappointed, but not surprised, and heraises his staff to call upon his healing magics, weaving the curative powers of elements into himself to hopefully great effect. "Pray don't think this is over yet, miss."

Jasper (858) has posed:
     "It's not over while I'm still breathing!" Jasper replies, and she grins and that helmet reappears over her head, a visor over her eyes. She watches Bertram with something approaching glee - because an opponent that can heal like that just means she can hit them that much harder!

     Jasper glows, alighting with white flame and golden fire once again, and this time when she charges Bertram she takes flight, leaving a bright tail behind her like a comet, and blazing a scorched line where she travels! With one shoulder down, it looks like she's going going to do her best to tackle and crush the mage!

Bertram Silent (826) has posed:
That hurt. That hurt a lot. Though not crushed, Bertram is shoved back significantly, and doesn't look to be in a good shape. And, being low on his magical reserves, Bertram does the only reasonable thing. "Fair enough, you win this day." And he starts to cast yet another spell, a magic that is designed to carry him to an aetheric beacon in a brief period of time. If uninterrupted it shouldn't take long for him to disappear into the aether. Gone.

Jasper (858) has posed:
     Perhaps luckily for Bertram, Jasper's comet charge carries her well past him. She turns on her heel, and races back towards him! "Get back here, I'm not done with you-!"

     But her hands find only air, grabbing at where he had been just moments ago.