Alasielisella

Alasiel vs. Elisella:


Ellodin twirls his spear, watching the ribbons on the haft.

Ellodin ceases his play, ramming the butt of the spear into the stage.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "And for our second duel for the day and the third of this month, we have Exemplars Elisella and Alasiel! Please, enter the proving ground!"

Alasiel rotates her shoulders casually, letting out a quiet breath as she steps forward from the crowd.

Elisella nods solemnly, striding forth from her place next to Stheno towards the center of the arena, her heels clicking imperiously as she lowers her blade, offering a formal bow towards Alasiel.

Ellodin contemplates Elisella and Alasiel in turn.

Alasiel takes her place across the arena from Elisella and bows respectfully towards her.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Wonderful! Then without further ado, let us begin our declarations. What style will each of you represent today?"

Elisella, Purifier says softly to you with a lilting Haraekanewa accent, "Infernal."

Alasiel says to you, "Depthswalker."

Ellodin nods contemplatively.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Now, would you two prefer to fight in this arena or another?"

Alasiel says, "I'd prefer the geyser field, if Exemplar Elisella also finds that acceptable."

Elisella, Purifier says softly with a lilting Haraekanewa accent, "Of course."

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Wonderful! Let us rise, and let us move."

Ellodin shuffles across the field, examining his changed footing. He looks at Elisella and Alasiel.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Now, as Alasiel has chosen the arena, the call of the coin will go to Elisella. Heads or tails?"

Elisella, Purifier says softly with a lilting Haraekanewa accent, "Tails."

Ellodin flips a golden sovereign up in the air and watch, mesmerised, as it spins rapidly through its arc. It hits the ground and you see that the heads side is facing up.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "It seems Alasiel wins the choice."

You say to Alasiel in a loud, clear voice, "Will you take the initiative on the first move or defer to Elisella?"

Alasiel says to you, "I will begin."

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Excellent!"

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Then please, make your final preparations and say the words, beginning with Alasiel. Remember that, like the last, this duel is fought to three victories."

Alasiel glances at Talamond with a quick smile before turning her full attention to Elisella. "For the thrill of battle."

Elisella nods silently, hoisting her blade upon her shoulder with one hand as she gazes impassively towards Alasiel, responding "And the rush of challenge."

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Let the best duellist win!"

Alasiel mutters something inaudible under her breath. Her scythe gives off one, brilliant flash before returning to its original shadowy form. A moment later, her entire form seems to blur and become indistinct. With inhuman speed, she darts across the arena, running towards Elisella. Pulling her arm back, she slashes her scythe directly toward Elisella in one powerful swing.

Elisella's lips curl into a wry smirk as she allows the scythe to slice deeply into her flesh. As blood trickles from the wound, she lets out a laugh suffused with unholy might, life essence coalescing through her form to quickly reknit and clot the laceration seamlessly, as if it had not happened at all.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Alasiel begins with a swift attack...but Elisella defends successfully, showing no wounds!"

Her face hardening after the brief moment of amusement, Elisella takes a step backward before she twists her body around, her blade dipping as she grasps it with her other hand. Using her momentum to carry herself forward, Elisella aims the obsidian edge of her bastard sword towards Alasiel's knees.

Alasiel watches her opponent with narrowed eyes, taking in her movement. As Elisella approaches, Alasiel lunges toward her again with a swift blow of her scythe. Instead of making contact with her target, however, her scythe meets Elisella's bastard sword, the blow merely deflecting off each other.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Elisella began her counter-attack, but Alasiel showed great heart in pressing her attack after the first failure!"

Alasiel slices a hand through the air to point at Elisella imperiously, and time suddenly seems to slow down around her. Alasiel quickly shifts her grip on her dagger, and in one fluid motion, slices it toward Elisella's neck.

Elisella's lips purse in frustration as she regains her balance. Feeling time begin to slow around her, she instinctively turns her left shoulder towards Alasiel. With a low cry of exertion, she thrusts her body forward, brunting the blow of the dagger into the thick pauldron of her chitinous armour as she rams her shoulder into Alasiel's chest.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "But the two are of like mind again! They both take minor injuries, but nothing that'll slow them down going forward."

Elisella takes one hand away from her sword as she lifts it in an imperious gesture, her lips moving in silent prayer towards the Malevolent One. By her command, the ground cracks and fractures beneath Alasiel's feet as rotting limbs and hands covered in diseased maggots erupt, grasping towards Alasiel's feet and legs while the pestilent insects lurch towards Alasiel in infected hunger.

Alasiel produces a bloodstained bone phylactery wreathed in shadows from her pocket. She raises a dagger and slashes it down swiftly towards the phylactery, but the phylactery goes flying from her hand as the hands pull at her feet, throwing her off-balance and making her stumble.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Elisella's attack comes a little too swiftly for Alasiel's great preparations, and the Infernal takes the advantage once more!"

Alasiel beats her wings powerfully and rises into the firmament, coming to a hover. She watches Elisella for a moment, and then shifting the grip on her dagger, abruptly folds her wings and allows herself to fall towards her opponent, thrusting the dagger downwards toward Elisella's head.

Seeing Alasiel caught off-balance, Elisella attempts to drive her blade straight into her opponent's gut. As Alasiel rises into the air, she lunges forward, her blade sparking visibly as it drives against the empty stone. With a low exhalation of frustration, Elisella glances upward, quickly lifting her blade to deflect the dagger as it plunges into her less armoured right shoulder, blood trickling from the wound as she lets out a gasp of pain.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "But Elisella is unable to press her advantage successfully! Alasiel lands her first strike of the match!"

Elisella glares at Alasiel with barely restrained fury as she clutches at her bleeding shoulder, hands quickly moving back to her blade as her knuckles tighten and pop audibly despite the din of the geysers, lifting it into a firm ready stance as she takes a step backwards in preparation of the next attack.

Alasiel kicks off the ground again and comes to a low hover. She raises her arms skyward with a slight smirk, and about her swirls a spinning vortex of shadows that begins to drag Elisella towards her. As Elisella's defensive stance is disrupted, Alasiel slices her scythe toward the human, cutting into her flesh.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Alasiel turns the tide! Alasiel turns the tide! Her strike pierces Elisella's guard, and the two stand on the brink!"

Her arms still raised, Alasiel closes her eyes briefly. After a barely perceptible pause, darkness descends upon the entire arena, obscuring her from view.

Elisella's lips curl into a warm and disarming smile as she casts her sword to the side, making no attempt to staunch the bleeding wound as she begins to turn pale and shiver. Her eyes close as she strides towards Alasiel's last known position, her steps quickly becoming more hesitant and deliberate as she bleeds out. As darkness envelops the entire arena, Elisella draws in a deep breath before crying out with the last of her strength in a single word: "Vengeance." Suddenly, Elisella's form crumples as her ribcage erupts in a grotesque explosion of viscera and gore, the razor sharp shards of her bones seeking Alasiel unerringly, piercing the darkness and the Depthswalker's form. As Elisella crumples to the floor, a pallid mist emerges from her heart, lifting her broken form back onto her feet as her wounds reknit, leaving her hale and alive as a smirk of victory crosses her face.

Ellodin raises a hand to ward off any stray shards.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "But Alasiel's decision to summon darkness seems to matter naught in the face of a Necromancer who is able to summon the night! Elisella employs the eerie power of self-destruction, an oath of vengeance, and the soul's cage to find victory!"

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "When both are able, please bow to each other to conclude. And I believe our last quarterfinal is scheduled for next month?"

Elisella smiles wanly as she offers a formal bow towards Alasiel, her own blood and viscera sliding off of her armour as she does so.

Alasiel staggers to her feet, grimacing as she pulls the bloody shard of bone out of her abdomen. She bows toward Elisella rather stiffly, pressing a hand over the wound to attempt to stanch the bleeding.

Elisella, Purifier says to Alasiel with a lilting Haraekanewa accent, "Well fought."

Alasiel says to Elisella, "And you as well."

Ellodin smiles broadly at the decorum of the two duellists.

Ellodin says in a loud, clear voice, "Excellent!"