Scene #6969: Warriors Of Light And Dark... And A Princess

Owner	Pose
Riku	It's another day in the Shrine of Adversity. While not bandaged up anymore after having had A Very Bad, No Good, Terrible Christmas, Riku is still really only cleared for light duty. Still, this doesn't keep him from telling some new arrivals to stop by the Shrine so he can test their capabilities. He'd been going stir crazy in Outer Heaven Medical anyway. The Heartbrand of Darkness is leaning against the wall next to the entrance of one of the battlefields, waiting for the others to arrive.
Amelris Belthrone	Amelris looks something like a tourist at the moment. That's probably not new to most people here. The Red Mage is wandering into the arena with his arms behind his back, a tiny, glowing green fuzzy thing with long ears following him at the heel, with a gem at the center of it's forhead. "My, my, my, my!" The Miqo'te exclaims, looking around at the entrance of the battlefields. "This IS quite a sight!" He looks at the wall, lifting a gloved hand at the youth. "Hello there! I imagine you are Riku, then?"
Sarracenia	Unfortunately for Riku, the amazing Princess Sarracenia has followed him to the Shrine after having heard about his plan to test some of their new recruits in battle. She walks in wearing her usual battle attire and carrying her massive hammer. She gives her hair a toss and hmphs at him, then smirks lightly. "So, we will be fighting? I must admit I like putting those who are rude to me in their place." she says. She makes her way further into the arena and looks around. "So, should we select a large grassy field? An urban setting? Perhaps mountains?" she asks. She blinks as she notices Amelris, then smiles and gives a flamboyant curtsey. "Greetings! I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew."
Alruna Greengate	Alruna strolls, or ambles, alongside the shorter catman, into the arena. Her brows climb as she traces around the sheer scale of the architecture, letting out a low whistle. A far cry from the bloodsands, she thinks to herself, unconsciously resting a hand on the pommel of her sword. Drawn back by the sound of voices, she steps up beside Amelris and gives a little wave and a beaming smile. "Hello!"
Riku	Riku seems to be highly intent at trying to pay as little attention to the flamboyant Sarracenia as much as possible. He even makes a point of not looking at her as she arrives. "So, you two are the new adventurers, huh?" He pushes off the wall and nods to the paid. "Yeah. I'm Riku." He says without much preamble. Unlike the others, he seems decked out in... casual modern clothing. Not what you'd expect for fighting, but hey, whatever works right? "I know this is probably pretty sudden, but I've been sitting around for a couple weeks and need to get back to exercising. You guys are going to want an idea of what you're going to be dealing with in the Multiverse. Also, I want to see what you guys can do. I've seen that N'raha guy fight. He's pretty good." He turns and pokes at the control panel for the blank arena. "Let's see..." He presses some more buttons, and the dark arena area changes, morphing into a classical Coliseum atmosphere with sandy ground and high-def manufactured audience cheers from above. "This seems like more your style, right?" He says, stepping into the battleground proper. "As for me..." There is a flash of black flame around him that roils, engulfing his clothing and replacing it with a strange purple muscle-suit. "I've been looking forward to some exercse." He looks over his shoulder. "Feel free to take a swing at me when you're ready. Whichever of you want to take a shot at me, anyway."
N'Raha	N'raha is here to see what all the hubbub is about, honestly, and he's brought snacks. Snacks include a little cooler full of drinks and a basket of jerky and rice crackers and other savory stuff. A bunch of the people Raha recognizes, of course, but it's the two new Adventurers that he's worried and interested in. A long little murmur as he shuffles in to the side, his knit sweatshirt looking taut on his frame as he finds a seat, and opens up the cooler.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang's in the stands, watching the group arrive. She's got her right arm in a sling, and a few bandages here and there, but otherwise looks as chipper as always. She's even got a bag of popcorn that's tucked into the crook of her injured arm, which she's munching on with her other hand. "This is gonna be good~." she chirps to herself. "Wish I could join in, but Dad'd kill me."
Alruna Greengate	Alruna blinks. This is...some /formidable/ magic. Magitek. Both! She breathes in deeply through her nostrils, and punches a fist into a hand. "Things changed a lot while I was gone." Amelris has Riku, so her eyes settle on Sarracenia. "Lets tangle, princess." she says, a fire in her eyes. The girl in green unhooks her shield and draws her sword, bouncing a bit on her toes to get her heart pumping.
Amelris Belthrone	"Princess Sarracenia!" Amelris gives the Princess a polite bow, hand on his heart. "Yes, truly, a good blessing of having meet all of you. This IS quite the building, I have to say." He straightens, giving a look over his shoulder at the taller Highlander, his tail trailing behind him. He stops, watching Riku play with the controls, shaking his head. "Oh please, that's hardly unexpected. I've been itching to take a swing at some people ever since I've arrived. It IS terribly exciting to battle new people using techniques you've never seen before. Do not worry yourself." The Red Mage looks up at the blank area being morphed into a sort of agora Coliseum, Amelris letting out a low, appreciative whistle at the display of technology. Or magic. Or magitek. He's not sure and quite frankly, he don't really care either. He steps into the sands at a slow pace, popping his collar up. Causally, he stretch out a hand next to him, where a long pale blue metal rapier pops into existence in a puff of light. The pommel, a shiny gem encased in the same metal of the blade, snaps off and floats a few inches over his lifted, open palm next to him. Amelris points his weapon in Riku's direction in a Fencer style, free hand up and 'holding' the gem. "Very well, then! LET US BE OFF!" In a snap moment, the Miqo'te combine Caster Gem and Rapier back into one strange staff, glowing dark energy as he channel a spell, thrusting out a palm at Riku. It is a small fireball, a streak of flame following it. Then, he takes another step, lifting his Staff Sword up exchanging hands, a large stream of rocks lifting out of the ground and following in the wake of the previous Fireball.
Linehart	The Mirror Knight just kind of emerges from one of the reflective metal stands. It's weird. It's just weird to see - a tan, white-haired, reasonably tall man (though not as tall as he is in his armor by a fair amount - weird), just emerging out of a reflection on a bench. He doesn't pull himself out or anything like that, either - it's just that one minute the bench is normal, the next there's an image of him in it, and then he's standing in front of it. It's also just weird to see him out of his omnipresent Evil Knight armor. Where the Evil Knight armor exudes an aura of darkness and maliciousness, a walking warlord in iron obsidian, the unarmored Linehart has a much more...well, perhaps not heroic aspect, but perhaps protagonistic? Or maybe simply 'personable.' His hair is long and white, flowing down his back; his single eye is a sharp blue, a patch over the other. The clothes he is wearing are Sundew Kingdom clothes, male fashion, an ill-fitting and flowing red outfit that sort of clashes with his dark skin and white hair. He has no visible weapons. The Mirror Knight sits down next to Yang with a polite, formal bow, and a Pardon me, my la-, a textbox that cuts itself off before it finishes, like somebody hurriedly closing the window. It even comes with a 'bwip' in person. I'm not much of a fan of bloodsport, but I suppose I owe it to myself to learn about the rest of my party. And the Princess apparently is happy for me to watch her, so I may as well. It is some measure of repayment for her kindness when first I arrived. His Everpresent Boss Music, the ominous tones that accompany him everywhere and follow him around without clear source, is dull and quiet, reserved. He's neither especially excited nor embarassed, evidently; just here.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia frowns lightly as Riku barely acknowledges her. He usually at least insults her or something! Where's the negative attention?! She huffs softly before looking toward Amelris and Alruna. She looks the pair over, then smirks as Alruna speaks up. "Spirit! That is good." she says, then her smirk turns to a bit of a predatory grin. "I hope you are ready~" she adds in a sing-song kind of tone as she twirls her hammer around herself. A hammer as tall as she is and with a head that looks much heavier than the princess. She smiles to Amelris as he bows to her in such a proper manner. "The Shrine of Adversity is wonderful! I visit here quite often to...relieve stress." She looks at Riku pointedly when she mentions stress. After that, the princess returns her gaze to Alruna. "Letting me go first, huh? You must be confident." she says, then...reaches into the small satchel purse around her shoulders and pulls out a black spherical creature with big cute yellow boots and big black eyes. "Bob-ombs are so cute, aren't they?" she asks, nuzzling against it lightly before grinning. "And they just love meeting new people!" she adds as she throws it. Naturally, it explodes on contact, whether that is with the ground or with Alruna. And Sarra waves to Linehart afterwords! And Yang and N'Raha since they are there.
N'Raha	Raha shuffles over towards Yang and hands the young lady a rolanberry fizz, and then looks to some of the others as well. Linehart in particular gets a LOOK, what with the whole... 'i'm the antagonist' vibe he's throwing off. And the boss music. His hands twitch a bit, but he settles in as best as he can... Especially when Amelris starts up with the Red Magic. There's a little thrill in his body, seeing the Eorzean working his trade, his ears pinning back against his head a little bit. Not out of anger, but.... excitement. Goodness. He might have some more help out here.
Riku	The ominous boss music is fitting at the moment. Despite the situation, it certainly looks like a dashing Crimson Duelist is facing off against some kind of horrible dark varlet of some kind. Riku doesn't answer the poinged glance from Sarracenia, he's occupied at the moment. But the dramatic actions from the Edgy Teen seems to have incited the Crimson Duelist to leap right into action! The unique style doesn't go unnoticed. "What the hell is that?" Riku asks... And then he watches the way that the Miqo'te uses the combined blade and gem to channel magic. "What?!" He says, surprised... And with a wash of black fire, an ominous blade manfests in his hand of bone and batwing, the Soul Eater slashing through the fireball and sending it blasting around him moments before the barrage of rocks begin crashing into his guard, the Heartbrand immediately parrying and deflecting a good number of them away, sending them in all directions. When the bombardment ends, Riku is left standing there scorched and lightly pummelled... But smiling. "Nice." He says. "Looks like this is going to be /interesting/! My turn!" There is a sudden yawning of blackness as Riku opens a corridor into the Darkness, vanishing into it. This is where someone expects him to appear behind them. He doesn't. He pops out to Amelris' right side, suddenly cleaving past the Red Mage with a single iaijutsu-style slice from his Heartbrand, the air splitting into an arc of blackness as he comes to a stop.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang blinks a bit as Linehart appears in his weird Mirror Knight way. "Hey bud. Blood sport's ain't really what the Shrine is... sure ya get a bit roughed up and sore, but the place is really interesting cuz it can 'rewind' you back to before the fight started. It's based off some really cool tech from the old superfactions, before a bunch of stuff happened and we got the Paladins, Concord and us." she explains. Raha offers her a drink, and she awkwardly accepts it, setting it on the armrest of her seat. "You know these guys catman?" she asks the Warrior, turning back to watch the fights going on. "Kick her ass Sarra!" she bellows, whooping at the Bob-omb throw.
Alruna Greengate	Alruna is not the soul of chivalrous behavious that Amelris or Linehart might be. She clanks and creaks a bit as she warms up, but spares no courtesies for the nobility. Ah well. And if she had any hesitations about fighting the princess (she doesn't), they wouldn't have lasted through that. Alruna tries to bat the bomb away from her but discovers the 'in contact' property of the thing. A conflagration engulfs her, leaving the adventurer smoking slightly and grimacing. She shakes her head violently, trying to clear it, and clenches her weapons tighter. She lunges towards Sarracenia, the draconic motif on her shield glinting as she bears down on the princess, closing to engage her properly. The hard-packed dirt and sand shake beneath her footsteps as she powers towards Sarracenia.
Linehart	Linehart presses a hand against his stomach and tips his head and upper body forward at Sarracenia's wave. It's standard acknowledgement for a knight - again, one of those weird things that he just seems to know despite his oddities. His knowledge is always weirdly asynchronous. Yang calls him 'bud' and he just sort of stares at her for a moment as the music turns to the whimsical, confusing carnival-esque up and down. I meant that combat for sport in general isn't...no, it isn't important. My apologies, my- And again the text box just disappears with a bwip, and the confused, whimsical carnival music turns to something that sounds embarassed. He looks up at the ceiling, either not noticing or not caring about Raha's LOOK. He probably gets it all the time in armor, so he's not really surprised to get it out of armor.
N'Raha	Raha smiles at Yang, his tail swishing. "Sort of. They're from Eorzea. Amelris I know, the... the other person I don't." He ought to though. Theres something tickling at the back of his head as he looks to Alruna, and he taps a foot. He jams a piece of jerky in his face.
Yang Xiao Long	"Each their own." remarks Yang with a shrug that gets a faint wince out of the brawler. Raha replies, and the girl grins. "Heh, if they're half as strong as you are, they'll probably be a good sparring partner. Introduce me sometime would ya?"
Linehart	That doesn't really answer my...no, nevermind. I suppose I am growing used to this already. Linehart's music drops from the embarassed tune to his more neutral boss music as he goes back to watching the fight. There's more than a bit of discomfort on his face, even knowing that they can't actually harm himself. Indeed, after a few moments, he stands up and walks away, towards another part of the stands.
Amelris Belthrone	The Boss Music is somehow not very well noticed by Amelris. Not because it's not loud, there's that thump in the background. No, Amelris is just in the beat of the moment, his heart pounding with the nimbling sensation of aether being spent. The apperance of the youth is a little troubling, but he's seen... worse. You haven't been an adventurer until you've seen some youth thinking they are the next incarnation of edgelordery. Besides, Amelris himself is in no position to criticise anybody about their fashion sense. "What!?" Amelris exclaims, staring at the corridor of Darkness. Now, THAT part is a bit more worrying. That bit of surprise makes him look to his right in reflex, staring at Riku with his blade. There's a flash and the Red Mage vertiginously LEAPS out of close combat, his rapier swung out in a rapid cross, then leaping straight out off it a good dozen feets. He lands on the ground, skidding and holding his hand to his side. The advantage of wearing Red is that it is hard to see blod, sometimes. "That is MOST impressive, as well!" Amelris calls out, spinning his blade to collect gem and hilt again. "Let's heat this up a bit more, then!" Magic condenses, Amelris spreading out both arms in a thriumphant manner to unleash one blast of purple, red energy at Riku, one that explodes out into a geometric pattern -- an octogon, should he care. The Miqo'te takes another step forward, spinning deftly on himself, as if to give himself momentum and lifting his rapier rod, a violent gust of wind erupting from below the Dark Warrior. IN THE STANDS: N'Raha will feel a cold, wet nose poking at him. As well a glow. Upon examination, an emerald carbuncle is sitting there, fur bouncing and staring up at him. It seems to be begging.
Sarracenia	Sarracenia displays surprising grace and finesse despite the massive hammer she wields, spinning like a ballerina to move with and parry the incoming attack from Alruna. The hit sends her sliding back with a wince of her own, but her pirouetting brings her around and right back toward Alruna. "Not one for conversation during combat? A pity, but to each their own." the princess says. She comes spinning in, her rotation speed increasing some until the motion of her hammer is a blur around her, and like a battle top she seeks to bounce off of Alrune a few times and deal heavy hammer blows in the process. "But, speech during battle can be quite important! It can push an opponent off balance, or keep you focused!"
Riku	Riku is completely focused on the Crimson Duelist now, constantly in motion. It's clear that if he lets Amelris land a solid attack he's probably going to get blasted off his feet from the quick and versatile magical bombardments that he seems to have. The next magical strike takes Riku by surprise. How do you parry /that/? "AGH!" He says, sizzling as the energies crackle around him with a powerful jolt. But this time he launches directly /upwards/, leaping at distances no 15 year old could possibly do naturally. Unfortunately for him, Amelris basically has him cold as the wind blasts up from below, turning a controlled arc into a wild flight that sends him bouncing off of an invisible barrier above and plummetint to the sand. He crashes down into it, landing in a three-point stance as his free hand comes up and wipes blood off of his face. "Gggh. I can't get a good read on you." Riku says. "You have a lot of tricks in that bag of yours... But I'm not out of them either." As he speaks, Riku's shadow stretches out over the sand. It might be easy to not notice, but Amelris probably will quickly when a muscular black arm smashes up out of the darkness from behind the Red Mage, blasting him forward while Riku dashes, slashing through where Amelris would pass if the launch hits with another of those void cleaves. But it doesn't stop there. The arm rises, Riku bouncing off of the raised palm, and he turns to slash back through Amelris's position once more, using intense speed to try to aqir juggle the catman before he hits the ground or uses some crazy red mage air recovery maneuver.
Alruna Greengate	Alruna seems a bit more at home in hand-to-hand, a smile curling her lips as they lock for a moment, and then the princess yields some ground. "Most people don't want to have a conversation." Alruna shrugs, conceding that she's not that good in the mid-fight banter department. Perhaps Amelris can teach her. Alruna exhales slowly, planting her foot forward and bracing for the impact as the princess spins herself up to eyeblurring speeds and starts approaching her. Sparks burst off her black-enamelled shield as she endures the onslaught, deafening blows drowning out the creak of leather straps and clothing bunching around her muscles. At some critical point, she shoves her shield forward and just stops the hammer dead, leaving Sarracenia motionless. Alruna sucks a breath between her teeth. "You might be right though-" The adventurer's sword plunges past the princess's hammer, an uncanny black-limned-with-purple cloud of aether radiating from it as Alruna tries to carve off some of Sarracenia's armour.
Sarracenia	CLANG!! The resounding impact of metal on metal rings like a church bell through the arena as Sarracenia's hammer is stopped cold, and she feels like she is vibrating after the impact. Her teeth clench and she hangs on for dear life against the vibrations. This leaves her guard quite open when Alruna counter-attacks, and the princess draws in a sharp, pained breath as that sword carves not only into the leather battle dress that Sarracenia is wearing, but opens a noticable gash in the princess's side. She pivots her hammer to knock the sword back a bit and gets some distance between them with a quick hop then mmphs and holds her side, teeth still clenched and one eye closed against the pain. "O-of course, if you are still effective I suppose that battlefield banter is not really needed." she says, trying to smirk through the pained expression. She tries to keep her distance for now, needing a moment to collect herself after that attack. She just pulls out another bob-omb and tosses it. "But we do have an audience! It is almost rude not to entertain them!"
N'Raha	N'raha is getting... engrossed in these fights. a hand reaches down to idly scritch behind the Carbuncle's ears, and he murmurs. "Hey there, little fella." He reaches back into the cooler, considers things, and considers the Carbuncle itself... And then merrily pulls out a shard of aetheric crystal, maybe the size of his thumb. The little fleck ices over merrily, and oozes with magic. He hands that down to the Summon and murmurs. "Here you go." His eyes are trying to watch Amelris' footwork and pace, and keeping track of Alruna's masterful tanking. A low huff of breath. Gods it's been a while since he got to throw down with people of his caliber.
Amelris Belthrone	Amelris lowers his weapons, the blade biting into the air with a light 'swish'. The Red Mage adjust his hat as he watches Riku struggle with the Aero, not keeping his eyes off the young man. This reminds him far, far too much like an Ascian. And yet... yet he fights nothing like one. For one, he's using a sword. Ascians are cowards and blast you only with 'dur dur, ANCIENT FLAAAAARE' and some nonsense-- "I'd say the same about you! That teleporting is very unnerving!" The Miqo'te calls out, narrowing his eyes and stepping back at the shadow... not that it's the main threat. Riku dashes and slashes through him, the Red Mage letting out a cry of surprise and pain as he stumbles back, then launched up by the following attack. During all this, Amelris didn't leave Riku out of his sight, even as he flies up in the air, some blood spraying out. He reaches an apex of the flight, his body spinning. Then his eyes narrows. There's a gleam in his eyes, a glow on his sword as he gives the young Australian a toothy, sharp grin. The feline man's eyes narrows into a narrow slit, as if a big cat predator has found a prey. A brief shock in the air follows Amelris' feets as he push his rapier out, his body crouched and LAUNCHES his entire body like a speeding, blinding arrow against Riku, his blade growing purple and red, following it up with a wide, diagonal swing. There's seemingly a lot of energy being exploded out of that swing, coming from within the Miqo'te himself. IN THE STANDS: The Carbuncle makes a noise. It's probably geometric, if someone pays attention or care. It gobbles up the aetheric crystal up in a glup, rubs against N'raha and then turns around, looking up at Yang. Look, Yang. A fluffy, adorable, glowing critter.
Yang Xiao Long	Yang looks down at the Carbuncle, and sees Raha feed it some kind of crystal. "Sorry buddy, I ain't got anything for ya." she says, reaching down with her good hand to give the little fox-like creature a scritch between the ears. "You look kinda like one of my teammate's summons... are you lost?"
Alruna Greengate	This time, Alruna is more ready for the Bob-omb. She sticks her sword into the ground and braces her shield with both arms - a glittering skein of blue energy flares out from the shield, dampening the force of the explosion as it clonks against her shield and detonates. Alruna grimaces, her teeth rattling from the force nonetheless. "I agree! Lets give our audience a show!" Springing to her feet with energy that belies her formidable, I'm-built-like-a-tank-and-move-about-as-fast-as-one appearance, Alruna drops her shield off her arm too. Sword and shield both dissolve in a burst of blueish light that erupts from her, dissipating to leave her in a much-changed set of clothing that shows off her muscular frame. "Get your umbrellas out, because it's going to RAIN FISTS!" Alruna lunges forward in another surge of motion, this time hammering on Sarracenia with gloved fists, her mustard-yellow longcoat flapping in the breeze left behind her. "Eeeee-YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" Fists fly with a blur of speed, augmented by concussive force as she wails relentlessly on Sarracenia, her hammer, and quite possibly the arena wall.
Athela Valemore	Athela Valemore had come down to the Shrine to do some training, but finds it already occupied in middle of a fight. Sarracenia and someone else sparring with-- She pauses, squinting a little. She's certain that's a Mi'quote, but that's most definately not Raha, or the one she met at the Crystal Tower. The catman she's use to seeing she hears up in the stands, as well as Yang. So she heads up there as well, waving to the two with a hand as she does. "Greetings, friends. Interesting activity going on." As usual her Vaporeon is following her, though the finned fox-like critter stops to peer with dark eyes at the other fox-like creature.
Sarracenia	"Excellent!" Sarracenia exclaims as Alruna rushes in. The princess returns to her whirling dervish style, spinning gracefully and energetically as all those hits come in and flourishing her hammer around herself in the process. And somehow, every one of those incoming hits impacts only the hammer. Sarracenia herself manages to avoid any direct hits. "Hahaha! Impressive! But, now it is my turn!" The princess twirls away, then hops back to get even a bit more distance. She twirls her hammer before bringing it to bear in front of her. "I hope you feel honored! I do not use this attack on most people!" she says as her hammer starts to glow with a flowing prismatic aura. An aura that slowly flows over Sarracenia, causing her hair and the fringes of her dress to float a bit like they are in zero gravity. The glow infuses her eyes, then there is a burst of energy and...she rushes forward, hammering up and down like a woman possessed! Which really isn't far from the truth. She has unleashed the power of the DK Hammer! Thunderous hits rain down around Alruna, each one cracking the ground. This hammer frenzy lasts may seem like forever in the heat of battle, but in reality is only about 30 seconds. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sarracenia's crazed, somewhat sadistic laughter fills the air along with the hammer blows.
Riku	If Riku had ever met an Ascian, he probably would have a lot of Squinty-Eye Time to process the general asshatery of the followers of Zodiark. However, he's got a dangerously flamboyant cat to deal with at the moment and it's proving to be something of an issue. "You'll have to get used to it." Riku says. "I'm not even close to the strongest person out there." Something that he says with a slightly measure of irritation. But even as Riku commits to the combo, Amelris takes his due. There is a burning strike in the air, the Enhanced Riposte cleaving through Riku as he passes by. The Red Mage had recovered far more quickly than he might have expected. The Heartbrand lands, hitting the sand roughly as his own blood stains the sands. "Gg.... Ghhhh!" He hisses, clutching the new wound across his chest as he struggles to pull himself together. Maybe getting out of bed early wasn't the best plan after all. "I'm not done yet! DARKNESS!" He calls out, simply... standing there. A curling surge of black flame spiralling up his arm to collect there in his palm, before he hutls the dark blast of fire right back at Amelris! Two can play at this game!
Amelris Belthrone	Amelris lands with a certain measure of grace, kicking off Riku to gain himself some distance as he skids on the sands. One hand grips at the ground, the other holding his Rapier Rod. The Miqo'te is somewhat in a dire strait himself, some blood and scourges on his body making it hard to stand up and focus. Still, he's keeping his gaze on the youth ahead of him. "Good. I'd be cross if you were kingpin of power mountain and I've only had you to surpass." Amelris replies, straightening up and facing the blast of DARK FLAMES headed at him. Gritting his teeth, he spins his rapier as he lifts his cape up, making a deft swing with his rapier to attempt cutting through the dark fire. It's successfull, to a degree: it it stull leave quite a few burns on him but DAMN didn't that look awesome. Also, that gives him a GREAT look as he comes BURSTING out of the other end of the fire ball, bits of his clothing ignited with the black flames to aim straight at Riku. The call to Darkness IS troubling, mind you. Later. Questions later. "GYAAAAH!" Amelris screams mere moment out of his emergence out of the flame, spinning his blade above him in an arc where several large bright blue blades comes out at calculated angle, screaming out in an arc to bombard over Riku's position
Alruna Greengate	Alruna hammers hard, every blow ringing out a thunderous clap of fist against metal, and doesn't stop when Sarracenia keeps blocking with that hammer of hers because when you commit to the school of cheesy one-liners, you /commit/. Her mentor would be proud of her. Sympathetic, maybe, when she fails to penetrate that defence, but proud. She breathes heavily, taking a moment to catch herself after that display, but her respite is short-lived while Sarracenia begins to float and radiate Limit Break energy. "Thal's /balls/." she mutters, countering the first couple of slams the exact same way they've just been clashing. Sarra keeps pounding, and Alruna has to start giving ground, which Sarra takes advantage of, and hammer blows start to slip by her defence, then more and more, until Alruna is getting wailed on and starting to wish she'd stayed in her armour. She's going to be feeling /that/. The princess seems to finally run out of steam, and Alruna is starting to feel fatigued as well. Alruna grins wolfishly, flexing her fingers. That looks like it took a lot out of her. She knows she's going to pay for this later, but hells, this is supposed to be for fun and they should show off what they're capable of, right? Alruna bounces on the balls of her feet and does a gymnastic cartwheel towards Sarracenia, her legs scissoring out as she does so. As she comes right side up she does a quick one-two while she's off the ground, and then another flip for a scissor-kick spin and a gymnastic pummelling to keep Sarra from regaining her footing.
Athela Valemore	Athela Valemore has settled in to watch the ongoing match-up by now, though most of her attention is on the two Erozeans. Neither of them using the same fighting style as N'Raha does. It's good to know what allies in future endeavors are capable of. Idly she reachs down to pet Sprite behind the head-fin, not minding the Vaporeon's cool and slightly damp feel.
Yang Xiao Long	When Athela shows up, Yang offers a wave of her good hand, then offers her palm up towards the Vaporeon for it to sniff. She, unfortunately, doesn't have any treats for the 'mon. Apart from her popcorn, but that's nearly empty by now.
Amelris Belthrone	MEANWHILE, IN THE STANDS: The Carbuncle looks up at Yang, insitently, closing it's eyes as he feels the scritch. Oh yeeeeeees, goood, excellent. He then turn around to face the fight itself, bouncing in place.
Amelris Belthrone	ALSO IN THE STANDS: The Carbuncle interrupts it interests on the fight to peer up at the other fox-like creature. It's staring at her with it's eyes made of emeralds, tilting it's head left and right. It sniffs back at the Pokemon. For Yang's information, a carbuncle feels like really fluffy solid light. It's really weird but really nice and soft.
Sarracenia	The princess does indeed run out of steam, both figuratively and literally. That attack takes a lot out of her, and she is left panting for breath as the aura fades away and her hair and dress once again start to obey the laws of gravity. She sees Alruna coming in for an attack, but is too tired to really defend against it with more than a token attempt. Sarracenia stumbles back after Alruna's attack, then grins despite still looking a bit tired, not to mention bruised and gashed. "I am glad to meet another fighter who appreciates the importance of style in an attack!" she says, holding that spot on her side again where Alruna slashed her earlier. "Far too many focus only on the function and not the form!" The princess reaches into her purse again, but this time she pulls out a large flower with big black eyes and a color scheme that speaks of fire. She holds it up, and it disappears in a burst of white smoke that surrounds her and leaves her in much more fiery colors as well. "And you have not forgotten to show your fiery passion, either~" she adds. Yes, it's a terrible pun, but that's part of the fun! She points a palm at Alruna and with a few arm thrusts sends some fireballs bouncing across the ground toward the warrior woman!
Riku	Riku gestures. "Come on! Is that the best you have, Crimson Duelist?!" Riku scowls, preparing to assault once again. "I want to see what you've got!" But then Amelris shows Riku isn't the only one who can cut through magic... And catches the Heartbrand off guard as the Red Mage plummets right through the flames at him. "No!" He yells, Soul Eater coming to bear instantly... And the howling mass of crystalline blades rain down, a fountain of pure, destructive light that rains down onto the Heartbrand of Darkness. The first one shatters as Riku turns it aside, but they're all too close, too fast... And he finds himself impaled with the sizzling bolts. They crush him to the ground, blasting him over and over again as he is finally pinned down. Just what he was trying to prevent from happening, happened. All too quickly, Riku is lefy lying there in a smoking arcane crater in the sand, barely mobile. Parts of his body are telling him to surrender. To just yield gracefully and give in... "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Pride says no. Youthful rage denies that option. A wave of purple-black energy surges up as Riku flips backwards from prone into the air, a hand rising as he points down at Amelris. A bolt of shearing dark rips through the air towards Amelris before he drops straight towards the Red Mage, slamming downwards with a pulsing spike of blackness erupting upwards from the blow. He spins, expertly cleaving into the Red Mage's guard over and over, harrying him and attempting to overpower the deft bladework of his foe before he thrusts out a hand. This time, the blow comes from behind, as that muscled arm slams out of the shadows once more to strike at Amelris from behind, Riku hurling another blast of Dark Fire at the Red Mage's feet to launch him before he leaps upwards, chasing Amelris into the air. "FALL!" He yells.... And then he spins, delivering a titanic vertical spinning blow that drives them both back towards the ground!
Athela Valemore	There's sniffs, and sniffing in return. Yang's scent is familiar, and Sprite gives the hand a brief nuzzle before turning her gaze back to the sniffing Carbunkle. Sniffs back, though doesn't seem to really smell anything due to the summon's unusual nature. There seems to be no threat between them though, and with a flick of her tail the Vaporeon sits down. Athela glances over. "I think I see now why people have mistaken you for some manner of elemental summon." Which, honestly, isn't entirely incorrect. Vaporeon does have a very intimate connection to Water. Then back to the blonde bombastic Hunter. "Doing well, Yang?" All things considered. But Athela is too polite to comment directly on it, instead shifting her attention back to watching the match as more of the figurative big guns are brought out.
Alruna Greengate	plack plack Alrun blinks at the bouncing fireballs - that's a new one too. Her natural instinct in the pugilist mindset is to PUNCH THEM, and mercifully, they don't explode in horrible violent bursts. The fire still coats her arms and splashes over her body briefly, but that's just a bit of a slow down for her as she closes in. "Let me show you some more burning spirit!" Alruna taunts back. Her best bet in this fight is to stay on top of Sarracenia and keep her off-balance. Fire clings to her fists, burning hot and focused and most importantly, not actually burning her as she aims a couple of body blows at the princess, trying to capitalise on the first slash she gave her. Followed by an overhead axekick that leaves a flaring crescent of fire in the path her foot travels, trying to plant her a princess tree!
Amelris Belthrone	Amelris is not in a pretty state either. Plowing through a fireball was cool as all hell, yes, but it had a cost. The Miqo'te is staggering, his ears flattened against his head, his tail low. He pants, watching the result of his Fleche Bombardment demolish Riku. It's not over, Amelris tells himself. It can't be over. Not just like that. He's going to get up right about-- It's perhaps that wariness that saves Amelris. When Riku comes up in a fit of youthful rage like a darkness-powered monster, the Red Mage is ready to bring his rapier up to bear to barry against his blows. It has a limited effect, to be quite frank: the sheer impacts of the blasts and reaving darkness, the flurry of him do manage to push him back, getting him in position just to be slammed in the back by that black hand... "NOT THIS TIME!" Amelris shouts out, turning around to face the fist, leaping out firmly a good twenty feets much like earlier, vaulting over Riku and skidding over the sand. The Rapier Rod is gathered, fused and arcane magic is poured into the weapon. He lifts it, his yellow feline eyes wide as his hair stands on end. Including his ear's fur and tail. "VERTHUNDER SECUNDO!" It's never needed to scream the name of a spell. In this instance, Amelris felt it was absolutely vital to do so. The thunder comes crackling down on Riku in a wide area, spinning and exploding around him. The Miqo'te spins, takes a step to flourish his rod upward again, screamin. "VERSTONE SECUNDO!" The Earth crackle, explodes and erupts upward into large pillars, combining with the thunder in a brief, mixture and vision of armaggedon.
Sarracenia	It isn't like fireballs are supposed to be the most dangerous thing in Pipeland, but Sarra was really hoping they would do a bit more! She's almost out of all the kinds of steam now! Alruna comes charging in again, and Sarracenia tries to spin away once more. But, the attempt isn't quite enough. She is hit squarely, knocked this way and that by the punches before with a yelp she is smashed into the ground. Not quite planted, but close! The princess groans as she gets back to her feet slowly. "Nnng...hehehe. Tenacious!" she says, smirking through all the pain and wounds. "But, I do not give up until it is all over!" Sarra hops back and plants her hammer, then reaches into her bag and pulls out...a Bullet Bill! She tosses it up, end over end, then picks up her hammer again and leaps, going into a spin in the process. As the Bullet Bill comes down, she hammers it on the flat, and with a sound very similar to a ship's cannon firing the person-sized projectile is launched at screeching speeds! Not only is there the impact to worry about, but it explodes on impact just like one of her Bob-ombs!
Riku	Riku puts his all into trying to end Amelris before he can muster another set of those devastating Red Magic spells. He's getting the idea now: He's casting in pairs. But he can't quite seem to figure out just how Amelris delivers the payloads. Still, Amelris uses another of his magical powers to skip out of melee. Riku lashes out, the shadows reaching for Amelris and wrapping around him, but it's too late. The thunder rolls, crashing down and blowing out the area he's standing in once more in furious Black Magic, only for it to be immediately balanced with White Magic crushing down on him in the aftermath. As the dust settles Riku is left knocked on his ass, breathing heavily, scorched and blackened, beaten and bloodied... And with a titanic effort of will, manages to lever himself up to one knee with his remaining strength. He focuses on Amelris, his eyes squinting... And then he sees the condition the Crimson Duelist is in. "Okay. That's enough. We don't want to overdo it." A pause. "More than we have." He grunts, and falls over... Before he chuckles for a moment. "Good fight. You're nothing like anything I've seen before."
Amelris Belthrone	The state of the Crimson Duelist...! Yeah, it's actually pretty bad. The Miqo'te is on a knee, panting out with his rapier dug into the ground. He's pretty damn well exhausted after that last bit of magic he pulled out of his ass right now. Still, it's a good tired, he feel. That was a good damn show he pulled off and he learned just how this kid fight. At least, partially. At this point, the Carbuncle wiggles, pouncing and bouncing out so adorable out of the stands to leap off to get into the arena. A bag suddenly materialise in it's cute little mouth as it makes it way to Riku and Amelris -- Riku first. "Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah." The Miqo'te calls, looking up and dropping his rapier. "Thaaaaaaaat sounds like a pretty good idea. Good fight. I wish I could say that same, but I've fought... uhm, people that had similar things to you." Causally, the Carbuncle noses into the bag, pulling out a bottle of juice. Seems like grape, brandishing it up at Riku. Can you refuse such a considerate treat from such an adorable little glowing critter, Riku?
Riku	Riku drags himself up and leans against the side of the arena, breathing as he slowly regains his strength. "Give it a minute or two. Once the fights are over, the Shrine will recover us. Somewhat." He pauses. "The Watch doesn't get the good training plan." He says with a significant amount of salt. The next thing he knows, the Carbuncle is nosing at him, offering him some grape juice. Riku stares down at it. His jaw clenches. His scowl deepens. His eyes tremble as he looks at the cute summon... Finally he takes the bottle, trying to play it off cool as he gives the thing a little petting and trying to pretend it isn't happening. "Thanks." He mutters quietly. What. He's a Heartbrand of Darkness. Not /Heartless/. He pops open the bottle then and takes a drink. "What do you mean, people who had similar things to me?" He asks Amelris. "Do you fight Heartbrands often?"
Alruna Greengate	"Stop... running-!" Alruna says in frustration, chasing after Sarra as she flits away and produces a bullet that she fires in a very unusual way at Alruna. Riku and Amelris are finished, but the arena still rumbles with the clash of violence between the women. Alruna is consumed by the explosion - another explosion - and flung out of it trailing smoke, her hair in disarray and some nasty looking burns on her exposed skin. And the spreading stain of a gut wound marring her sash. "Huuuuuuhhh, huuuugh..." She heaves lungfuls of air, pulling herself to her feet. She flexes her fingers one last time, gloves creaking as she closes them into fists. "One more, princess! I have one last hit left in me!" she declares, disregarding her injuries. This is getting stupid, well, HAS gotten stupid, but Alruna's feeling...a certain sense of pride. She has to represent for Eorzea, after all! She closes her eyes, meditating for the span of a breath. When they open again, she charges at Sarracenia again, her footsteps sounding nearly as heavy as they did when she was wearing full plate. The adventurer stops running, skidding across the sandy arena with ne hand drawn back, thrusting it forward towards Sarracenia's chest. It stops just a hairsbreadth from touching, and /then/ Alruna closes it into a fist, and launches an explosive punch into Sarra from just one inch away.
Amelris Belthrone	The Carbuncle wiggle its ears, seemingly pleased at being petted, then continues over to the Miqo'te, where he produces a brighter ye-olde bottle. Seems like orange juice. "Tell me about it." Amelris comments, popping the bottle open as he gives his pet-summon a scritch behind the ears, making it sit still and on stand-by. "At least I didn't FAINT just yet." he glugs down the bottle, breath out and looks up. "No, I wouldn't say I fight /Heartbrands/ often. However... I know some 'people' that did some similar things as you did. We call them Ascians. They're..." He hesitates. "I guess souls that takes over the bodies of others. They teleported in similar ways as you did, in a portal of darkness. They don't really use swords like you do, mind you." Amelris motions at his hat's feather. It's pretty blackened. "Or big hands of darkness, for that matter."
Sarracenia	"I am not running! I am -dancing-!" Sarracenia corrects Alruna as she lands and bounces back again, and showing off her dancing skills in the process. She actually is a trained dancer, and it shows in her movements. Right up until Alruna throws that punch. "Good! Show me what you-" Sarra blinks in surprise at where Alruna stops. For a moment, the princess thinks she has evaded something. But then, Alruna follows up with that five inch punch. The princess is hit squarely in the chest, and she lets out an 'oooph!' as the red plate of metal over her chest is dented inward all the way to the sternum beneath before she is sent tumbling across the ground. She lies there for several moments, shuddering from the pain. And then the arena resets, and Sarracenia lets out a sigh of relief as all the harm she had taken seems to simply disappear. She stands up, dusts herself off, then crosses her arms. "Hmph..." She looks like she isn't a gracious loser. But finally, she approaches Alruna. She doesn't hold out a hand, but she does at least curtsey again. "You fought well."
Alruna Greengate	Alruna hangs her head, breathing heavily, bracing herself with one hand on her knee. She's midway through the motion of popping the cork off a potion bottle when the last few minutes or so of activity just reverse themselves, and Alruna's posture immediately gets better as she can stretch and straighten without feeling shooting pain run through her limbs. Exhaling slowly, she smiles and sweeps Sarracenia off her feet for a crushing hug, setting her down again. "Thank you. You're much more dangerous than you look."
Athela Valemore	An interesting turn of events for the end of the fight, to say the least. Athela stands and claps a few times lightly. "I did not see the entire match, but it was quite impressive what I do. You all are formidable in your own right." Her Vaporeon gives a brief yip in agreement.
Riku	Riku totally didn't like petting the Carbuncle. No, stop looking at him like that, dammit. "This was just a sparring match. Don't have to fight to the death here." He says, as if he didn't just try to gut the catman. Now that the battles have ended though, the environment resets back to the base state and their strength begins to recover quickly, as if their wounds rewound... But not cleanly. There's still aches and a sense of strange fatigue that sticks to them. Riku frowns a bit, but continues sitting there... And he gives Amelris a Long Look at the mention of souls that take over the bodies of others. "Ascians, huh?" He goes quiet, taking another drink. "I guess that'll be a thing. I'll help you guys out where I can. You're part of us now."
Sarracenia	Sarracenia lets out a little 'meep' of surprise as she is picked up and hugged. She is blinking in surprise as she is set down, and soon a smile comes to her face. "Thank you." It seems the enthusiasm combined with the compliment was enough to lift the princess's bad mood at being beaten. And unlike some royalty, she doesn't seem to mind the unexpectedly casual treatment. "Well! I hope you found this beneficial. I am probably not the strongest opponent you will face, so be prepared!" She then twirls and curtseys to the crowd. "I am sure you enjoyed watching~" she calls out before giving a wink and blowing them a kiss. She returns her gaze to Alruna after that, but looks to the other fighters as well. "It has become somewhat of a custom to enjoy a meal together after a battle. Would any of you care to join me? The food stands here are rather delightful."
Amelris Belthrone	"I am pretty glad that this is not lethal, then. Considering what we threw at one another." Arleph comments, downing the rest of his drink, carefully putting the bottle back into the bag, ruffling the Carbuncle fondly. The Miqo'te grunts as he push up to his feets, dusting off the sand and other grit off his rather nice clothing, nodding stoically at Riku. "Yes, I'm afraid that'll be a thing. Don't worry, I certainly don't think your like them, because you use similar techniques." He lifts a hand, the rapier lifting to his hands, focusing his will on it for a moment. A brief spell is casted, then directed at Riku. Unlike the other spells, the light is more soft and have the clear trappings of a healing spell. "Besides, they're all a bunch of chocobo-dung eating cowards, they don't fight with swords at all." The Miqo'te grins at that.
Athela Valemore	Athela Valemore frowns faintly as Ascians are brought up. "I have assisted N'Raha in enough adventures to know of those fiends. They are a blight upon Erozea's existance." She hops down from the stands, then sweeps an arm in front of herself to bow, her cloak falling dramatically over her shoulders with the forward motion. "Athela Valemore, Knight Errant of Keldeo, Sword of the Tides and Keeper of Waterways." Good of time as any to get a proper introduction out of the way.
Alruna Greengate	The air around Alruna stirs, another swirling burst of light leaving her dressed in more casual slacks and a baggy shirt. "Please, yes." Alruna agrees to FOOD with audible gusto. She strides towards the gathering cluster to join them for post-fight plans and talk. Particularly talk of Eorzea's recent past, that draws her attention like a laser. She's not subtle about it.
Riku	"Be a crappy training area if it was." Riku agreed. When Amelris applies the cure spell, some of the lingering wounds on his body clear up significantly. Riku nods to him in thanks, and he slides back up, standing and banishing his battle suit back to the blackness OF HIS HEART, returning to his casual clothing. "Well, it looks like they cause you a lot of trouble. Good luck in cleaning all that up." At that, he turns away and begins walking off, giving a little wave. "Thanks for the fight. Was pretty interesting." He continues to pretend he doesn't hear Sarracenia's invitation, instead settling in to lean in the corner like the edgy boy he is.
Amelris Belthrone	The Miqo'te lets out a snort, shaking his head. That's an interesting trick with his clothing, that. Then again... well, he can do somewhat similar thing with his gear, so whatever. "Yeah. Good fight. Looking forward to the next one, there." Then the Red Mage takes a breath, feeling his wounds and fatigue to wash off, with that crud remaining. "Is that so, lady Valemore?" Amelris asks, smiling and snapping his weapons away in a puff of light and sparkles of aether. "I've heard of him. I've done my share of fights against the Ascians, unfortunately for them." He places his hand on his heart, then gently bows forward. "Well met, then. I am Amelris Belthrone, Crimson Duelist. A pleasure to meet you all." The Carbunckle squeaks, looking up. "...And here is Emerald Carbunckle. I call him Emeraldo."
Alruna Greengate	Alruna throws an arm around Amelris's shoulder, and the other around Sarracenia's. That was a lot harder than she usually pushes herself for 'training', but she feels pretty satisfied with the effort. "Alruna Greengate." she identifies herself, for everyone who isn't Amelris. "War-...wandering adventurer."
Sarracenia	Sarra is ignored again!! She lets out an annoyed 'mmmmph' and crosses her arms, pointedly ignoring Riku in return and even turning with her back to him. And blinking as she finally notices... Carbunckle! Her eyes widen and one can practially see the anime sparkles around her. "Amelris! What is that!" she exclaims before rushing over and attempting to capture the cute, fuzzy creature. If successful it will be subjected to tight snuggles and cheeknuzzling and other things that overenthusiastic princesses do to adorable creatures and people. Once that is over with...she kind of just hangs on to it if allowed to. "What sort of foods do you like, Alruna? Amelris?"
Athela Valemore	When the Carbuncle is mentioned the waterfox sitting nearby lets out a yip. Athela chuckles slightly. "No, I did not forget you my friend. The Vaporeon is mine own companion, Sprite. She is.. ah..." Athela pauses, never quite sure how to approach the subject. "...You would be best to research 'Pokemon' for yourself, better than any explaination I could give. They are oft utilizied similar to... Summoners, I believe you call them?" It's never easy putting it into a frame of reference for others, though this is at least a comparison she's gotten familiar with. "Her Highness is correct though," and now distracted by the cuteness that is carbunkle. "Some sustinance to off-set your workout is probably a good idea."
Amelris Belthrone	Amelris grunts in some pain when Alruna wraps an arm around him, the dignified expression on the Red Mage now somewhat tarnished. "Ahhh... well, I'm certain that I shall look into that myself, then. Your... Vaporeon certainly don't look like anything I know. At least, anything I know that is so friendly." He shrugs. "Unless you are telling me that your friend Sprite is the shard of the manifestation of a primal essence of aether tamed by mortal will." The Carbuncle is, fortunately, rather friendly and positive vis-a-vis being picked up by an overbearing princess. It squeaks, wiggle it ears briefly and just splays against the display of affection. It feels like nuzzling some very, very light feathers and fluff, cheeknuzzling sparking some adorable green puff of lights off him. "Heeeeee's... a carbuncle! This is actually an example of Arcanist magic! He's born out of rather complicated geometric magic and circles and--" He frowns, stops. No, going too far into magic explanations might be a BIT much to people you've just met. Dont ruin the nice first impression. "Ah, I do rather like spicy foods, actually. Crispy, especially."
Alruna Greengate	Sarracenia slips out of Alruna's arm because, well, it's hard to compete with a carbuncle for affection, that's fair. Alruna glances at Amelris. High dining's never figured large in her life, and she can count the number of times she's sat down for a formal meal since she left home on one hand. Maaaybe two. "Bread? Soup? A good cheese and some sausage is always nice." BOY is she in for some treats.
Athela Valemore	And this is exactly why she stumbles over this matter. "No. Though she is tightly entwined to her element of Water... I meant, in the manner as one would use to assist in battle." She gives her head a bit of a shake and relents. "If you are curious, look into it for yourself. I could never give a truly proper explaination of it all. Not when that time could be better spent with a good meal!" She can appreciate the being able to endure on what is limitedly accessable as things tend to be for wandering adventurers, but that's a good reason to indulge when you can, too.