Grim Reaper Tournament (Round 1): Pontus Vs. Lucifer Pyrifax

[Moridin]

You have a week to check in. Last person to check in posts first. You guys decide the length and time limit. Fights must be 1-5-1 or less. Good luck to all. Any further questions, PM me or leave a post. Also, ref present.

[Pontus]

Yeah so... *subscribes to thread*

Damn, I'm screwed.

[Moridin]

Matchups were picked at random by a friend. I just gave him the numbers 1 to 13 and told him to pick random pairs and use them all except the last one which got a bye. Just give it your all.

[Meathos]

lol, Pontus, honestly, just do your best and improve. You said you wanted to improve, so, here's your ultimate crash-course in RPB.

[Scruffy]

Yeah so... *subscribes to thread*

Damn, I'm screwed.

Don't worry homes. I got your back. Us football enthusiasts have to stick together.

[Sekhmet]

~comes in to back Pontus but only to watch~

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Well, I'm here. I'll have my intro up tomorrow afternoon. I don't have a preference for match length, so I'll leave it up to you. I wouldn't mind a good ol' ten poster, personally, but we have our limits... :p

Good luck, Pontus. Expect my intro tomorrow.

[Moridin]

The final round will be a 1-10-1.

[Pontus]

10-poster = 10 each or 10 between the both of us?

I was thinking 1-3-1 or 1-4-1. I figure I'm already screwed so I might as well learn as much as possible by extending the battle a little bit.

[Havoc51]

Pontus, the max for this stage of the fight is 1-5-1. The 1-10-1 is for the final round of this tournament.

Luci said you can have whatever lenght of a fight you want, it just has to be 1-5-1 or less for now.

[Pontus]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I understood that, Havoc :P

Let's make it a 1-4-1, then. I don't have a whole lotta time on my hands but I have enough to write a battle post a week for the next month or so.

Looking forward to your intro.

[Havoc51]

Oh my bad. I thought you were saying you wanted this fight to be a 10 poster lol. Yeah, each person used to do an intro, ten attack post and a kill in the golden days but I was not around for that.

Well best of luck to both of you....mostly to pontus :)

[Underground Man]

Technically it was 10 total...so traditional "back in the day" RPBs were 1-8-1.

Best of luck to both fighters. *sets up bleachers and cooks popcorn. Then sells popcorn for an exorbitant profit.*

[Sirithe]

*Buys popcorn* Here to cheer for Ponty, your good dude, even if you lose you'll get better.

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Here we are.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Synapses... waves of frantic energy rushing between the surface and to the earth's core. He could feel the world through his fingers. Pulsing, writhing, screaming, Gaia would soon be torn asunder with the carnage created this day. A disease would be loosed upon the world as the daggers of dusk pierced the horizon, the blades of calamity carving through the immune system of the Mother Earth. Wind swept up through her lungs to help her gather, but as she would fight against the affliction spreading through the cracks in the earth like a virus through her veins, he would unleash chaos upon the world to consume the already weakened Mother. He would devour and then unite with her shell. He would destroy and create.

Lucifer hovered above the earth as she futilely tried to prevent the contagion that he would soon spread. He was a radiant creature: as the twilight bounced off his ivory skin and long platinum hair, he would seem a fallen angel, gorgeous but tragic. His ice-blue eyes showed no remorse for his undertaking. He knew that Gaia was already damned, but it would only take longer as the plague of humans infected her. His black robes were not indicative of mourning, but only to conceal the pain that this had already caused him. Lucifer had lost much, but it was here that it would all end.

His wings flew open, and feathers cracked the twilight as thousands of prismatic needles flew toward the ground. His beautiful wings refracted the light down against the white sand below him. It was in these discarded seeds of time, these fruitless pebbles upon which nothing would grow, that he would harvest his vision.

In one hand he held his weapon Redemption, the key to this day. The double-edged scythe glowed a lucid red as its fierce hunger grew stronger. Trapped within Redemption were the souls of those that Lucifer had slain. Wrapped forever now in Lucifer's destiny, they were forced to his bidding.

Lucifer opened a palm over the world. The feathers that pricked the earth began to resonate and glow brightly until their sheen enveloped the sky and earth together. Lucifer's fingers crackled with a dark energy, and the feathers in the ground began to resonate.The wind began to rush faster as Mother Earth cried in agony. Suddenly, every feather combusted, causing the sand below him to mix with the air, causing the feathers to turn into glass, creating a beautiful crystalline garden that pierced far into Mother Earth's skin.

Lucifer closed his hand, the black energy dissipating as his fingers closed upon themselves. He looked down at Redemption, and then ran a finger down the body of his weapon. The red colour of the weapon disappeared, and it began to emanate a faint purple. Suddenly, Gaia's breathing stopped, and a black wind rushed over the sands and the glass forest below. The legions of the slain once held captive in Redemption rushed out of the weapon and into his body. Lucifer pointed down at the garden, his body acting as a conduit, and the souls began to soar down toward the glass forest.

He laughed... his legion of the slain overpowered the cries of the planet, their infinite screams resounding out over the glass forest. He opened his fist above his head, and he pulled the sun out of the sky: as he closed his fist, the light disappeared from the twilight behind him, only the reverberating light from inside the forest illuminating the black below him.

He closed his eyes... the memories of the fallen were injected into his consciousness as Redemption released more souls into the prison below him. The luscious green of forests, the splattered vivacious red of a bloodstained cathedral, the lucid yellows of deserts vast... all came rushing into his mind, the barrier of his mind bursting forth with the ambitions of the forgotten.

Lucifer opened his eyes. The world outside of his glass paradise was covered in black. The white light emanating from his garden was the only source now that the twilight had been ripped from the sky. Even his beautiful wings shone only faintly. The legions were now trapped in the needles puncturing Gaia. The venom of these souls slowly began to drip into her veins.

He descended into the garden. Redemption in hand, he walked into the heart of his crystalline paradise.

"It begins..." he whispered to himself, a cruel smile creeping across his face.

Gaia screamed out loudly into the darkness, but her voice was drowned out in the chaos festering from her wound...

[Panther]

Ya know, I've been around the block a time or two here in C&CW. And I'd just like to point out for the record that you're slacking Luci. Not that I expected that you'd pour your heart and soul into the first intro post to the tourny or anything. You just kinda left me feeling unsatisfied with the post is all.

Now that I've started pushing Luci's buttons a bit... GO PONTUS! WOO!

:link:

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Ya know, I've been around the block a time or two here in C&CW. And I'd just like to point out for the record that you're slacking Luci. Not that I expected that you'd pour your heart and soul into the first intro post to the tourny or anything. You just kinda left me feeling unsatisfied with the post is all.

Now that I've started pushing Luci's buttons a bit... GO PONTUS! WOO!

:link:

I'm sorry that I disappointed you, Panther. The orchestra was only getting warmed up, but with our fight looming, I plan on pulling out all the stops, especially for an old friend in the Diablos.

[Pontus]

Damn, I've got a ****load of supporters here.

Okay, Luci, I'm going to start writing now so it should be up tonight.

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Damn, I've got a ****load of supporters here.

Okay, Luci, I'm going to start writing now so it should be up tonight.

I never realized that so many people really hated me. :cry:

[Pontus]

I don't think it's that they hate you... It's just that they all like me much better :D

[Underground Man]

We root for the underdog.

[Sekhmet]

I never realized that so many people really hated me. :cry:I don't know you very well ~tweety~

[Panther]

Yeah, I'm with Lance on this one Luci. It's not that we hate you as a person. We hate that you're seemingly undefeatable in the realm of RPB ^_^

But seeing as how I've decided to get the rust knocked off of me before the tournament gets in depth, I for one intend on forgetting that last point :D

[Moridin]

I think that's probably why myself and Auron have never finished a match. Neither one of us wants to see the outcome, ;).

[Dragon_Knight X]

I'll make a comment too... if I make it to the final match( and I'm facing you Lucifer) I intend to try my best to give you a loss. not because I don't like you, in essence I greatly admire and respect you... but I wanna try to prove that you're not unbeatable

[Moridin]

I could make this tourney more interesting and say the winner not only gets the title of Grim Reaper but also gets a match with me that I'll promise to finish. :P

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

I could make this tourney more interesting and say the winner not only gets the title of Grim Reaper but also gets a match with me that I'll promise to finish. :P

I think that you and I should just fight right now, Mori. Forget all the foreplay.

I think that you and I should just fight right now, Mori. Forget all the foreplay.

By the way, what I meant here (was posting inbetween classes), was that since you and I have tried about four times to finish a fight, that we should get it over with... :P

I wouldn't mind winning the tourney and getting another match, too. But it seems that everyone is trying to off me...

[Moridin]

Someday perhaps. Not just now though I think. Real life is a bit hectic the last few months. It's why I'm only reffing and not taking part in the tourney.

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

I do hope my opponent hasn't disappeared...

[Sekhmet]

nope he's around just not totally sure what to do... ~goes to bug him~

[Pontus]

Sorry Lucifer. I've finished 99% of the Rp, I just have to fix one part I'm hung up on. Expect it soon enough.

[Pontus]

Sorry about the wait.




Two men, engulfed by the light emitting from a lone candle perched atop one’s horse. The man on the right was fully armored in a light steel armor. The armor’s thin plates covered every major aspect of the body, but it was easily penetrated. It had lost its sheen many days ago, leaving a dull, dirty look that would not leave with a simple scrubbing. It was dirtied beyond cleaning from the weary travel in the desert. Hot days, cold nights. Long work, short rest. A black cape draped from his broad shoulders and dripped across his horse’s flank. A simple longsword was strapped across his hip in a jet black scabbard. It blended seamlessly into the darkness of the desert night against the black horse he was perched upon.

The man to the left was much different. He mounted a stunning bay horse with dark eyes and brown hair. The man had a thin beard with short streaks of gray protruding from his temples. He looked to be well into his thirties, with a slightly aged face and rounded gut. He was armed with a plate armor identical in design, but nearly twice as strong. His shield bounced rhythmically with the horse’s movements. Neither man bore a helmet. They both had hair as black as the sky on nights where the moon is gone.

The desert went on endlessly in every direction. Temperatures were dropping steadily in the harsh desert night. A crisp wind blew across the rolling planes, displacing sand from its resting place. The moon was nearly non-existent. Only a slight sliver remained in the night sky. Animals were appearing from every nook and cranny that provided shelter from the unbearable desert days. A snake began its hunt for the night’s meal, slithering off into the shadows.

“How long do you think it will be until we reach the city?” the man on the right asked.

“It’ll take tonight and tomorrow, Maxwell, I told you that already,” the man on the left replied. “We’re already pushing the limits of our horses. They aren’t used to only traveling at night, but it’s too hard for us to travel during the day.”

Maxwell Vairinius sat proudly atop his horse. It had been his father’s only a year ago, when he had been 19. Andrew Vairinius, Maxwell’s father, had died in combat one year ago. The young soldier was still unsure about what he planned on doing with the rest of his life. The military was the most obvious answer, seeing as he had it in his genetics. However, he was still unsure. Maxwell wanted nothing more than to be like his deceased father, but he always felt like he had received a rather shallow section of the gene pool when it came from his dad’s side.

There was not a soldier in training that did not know a legend of Andrew’s bravery or combat skills. This cast a rather large shadow for Maxwell to follow in, but he did not mind. He knew that there was only one way to reach the bar set by his father. Training. This is what left Maxwell and his companion on a lengthy journey to Calixia, where Maxwell would be trained by his father’s best friend.

On the battlefield, Maxwell was rash and overconfident. He rushed into situations and found that he needed to be dug out by someone else. But what would happen if there was no one else? He knew that it would one day kill him... but he could not change how he acted.

The man on the left, Aidan, spoke again. “This training will improve you a lot, you know.”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Maybe after that I’ll be able to look a man in the eye and proudly say that I was Andrew’s son. Maybe afterwards people will know of me as Maxwell Vairinius: noble soldier, instead of old man Vairinius’ boy,” Maxwell replied.

“You’re a good man, Maxwell. You need to set your own standards. Don’t follow the ones set by your father.”

“At this age, Father was twice as good as me when it came to fighting,” Maxwell said, ignoring Aidan’s advice.

“Just give it some time...”

An awkward silence followed for the next few minutes. Maxwell turned his neck back and forth as he observed the nocturnal creatures. Each and every one of them had adapted to live in the desert, and those who didn’t were killed with ease. He compared the desert animals to himself. Maxwell was the son of a noble man. Everyone expected great things from him, yet somehow he had not adapted to the pressure.

Maxwell’s military career was dragging along at a dreadfully slow pace. He had the confidence and will to be a great soldier, but everything he did seemed to come out wrong. The upcoming training was a new beginning for Maxwell. He would be able to look at combat from the perspective of a man identical to his father. But what if the key to success was experience?

There had been no wars over the past four years. A few small battles broke out, but Maxwell had never been sent into combat. War hardened a man to the point where he could look a man in the eye as he severed the man’s head. Having never been in a fight more challenging than a bar fight, Maxwell was still immature when it came to fighting.

This training will be the most important event of my life. I cannot wait to get there and start..

“What if we galloped?” Maxwell inquired with his gaze fixed on the white sand before him.

“We could get there by day-break including resting for the horses.”

“Then let’s go ” Maxwell cheered, taking off on his black stallion. Aidan followed in close pursuit, the candle extinguishing from the winds. Man and horse charged over endless mounds of sand. Neither was tired after resting through the intense day.

After only a few minutes of galloping, Maxwell spotted an odd glow in the distance. “Woah ” he shouted, calming his horse to a stop. Aidan followed suit and pointed out the distant glowing.

“What is that?” Aidan inquired.
“I’m not sure. I’m going to go check it out.”

“Don’t do it, Maxwell. There could be something much worse going on.”
“And you’re going to spend the rest of your life cowering from anything that moves?”

“I’m going to light the candle again.... Make sure you can see it or you’ll get lost.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Maxwell replied happily before taking off at a gallop. They veered off to line up with the distant glow. As Maxwell neared, he noticed a man with long platinum hair hovering above endless shards of glass. Horrifying wails and screeches followed as Maxwell grew near the giant pieces of glass. Although he did not know what was happening, Maxwell did not intend for it to continue.

Maxwell jumped off of his horse and onto the soft desert sand. He drew his longsword from its sheathe and tapped the nearest piece of glass. The small amount of noise made was drowned out from the chaos occurring. Maxwell turned and drove his blade through a shard. It exploded in a shower of crystals as a colorful mess of gas and sand dissipated into the air.

“What are you doing here? ” Maxwell shouted to the winged man above him. The man looked down and then ignored the young soldier. “I asked you a question ” Maxwell roared. He stepped over and crushed another crystal, then turned and shattered one more. The souls trapped within wailed in agony as they disappeared into the darkness.

Maxwell’s actions at last caught the attention of the winged man. The wings flapped steadily without a sound and the man uttered a single word. “Leave!”

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Sorry for the delay... college apps and SAT II. Expect a reply by Tuesday evening.

[Panther]

And Ponty, even though I'm rooting for you here. Luci here gave our fight the apology first. Being that he values our fight more.

Panthy > Ponty :link:

As you were.

[Pontus]

2000 > 2005

You're a vet, I'm relatively knew. I wouldn't have it any other way.

'Cept for that fact that this one is a Tourney

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Sorry for the extended delay. And, in my eyes, neither of you is greater than the other. :P
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


To him, the world was silent. His mind transcended into a state of delusion, as he was oblivious to the diseased earth. The crystals were channeling Gaia's energy into his body, and it was a beautiful opiate. He was drowning in Nature's vitality. As he descended into the crystalline labyrinth below, there was nothing. He could not hear the dark wind, he could not hear the screaming of Gaia, and he could not hear the souls being released into the world as Maxwell destroyed the glass prisons. Lucifer was no longer himself. He was the past, present, and future. He was nothing, and he was everything. However, his state of oblivion was only temporary.

His mind reopened to the world. He remembered who he was, and pushed the voices of Gaia's life-blood out of mind. He could hear the black wind eroding into the desert sands. He could hear Gaia calling out for help. And, he heard Maxwell's heartbeat, the mortal blood coursing through his veins as his heart beat fast out of anger and fear.

The crystalline needles splintered and fell to the ground as Maxwell pushed onward into the maze, determined to find the creature he spied in the air. However, as he began to push further inward, the world around him began to go silent. The only sounds were his quickened breath, his rapid heartbeat, and the sound of metal contacting glass. He stopped, curious but vigilant of the ominous silence.

He breathed in. In an instant, the rushing of the world erupted into his ears. He then sensed Lucifer's presence, but it was far too late. Maxwell turned around, and as he did, Redemption tore with ease through the steel into Maxwell's left shoulder. Blood spilled onto the glass, and the light emanated became a lurid red. Maxwell pushed the scythe out of his shoulder, and looked up to find... darkness. Redemption was attacking him without a master, the Stealer of Souls acting of its own accord. Enraged, his eyes danced from shadow to shadow as he parried the onslaught of the scythe's blows. Forced into a defensive stance, Maxwell winced as the weight of his long sword in both hands sent pain into his shoulder.

He had stepped too far. Lucifer emerged from the shadows behind him, and, sensing an opening, moved in for the kill. He placed his left hand onto Maxwell's wounded shoulder and sank his teeth into Maxwell's neck. Shadow energy began to pulse into Maxwell's body as Lucifer siphoned his own black vitality into Maxwell's body through his fingers and teeth. This daemonic life-force was poisonous to Maxwell, and pain surged through his body as the shadow energy coursed through Maxwell.

He removed his teeth from Maxwell's neck and his fingers from Maxwell's wound. Redemption's attacks ceased, and it hovered in the air above Maxwell. The pain was so strong it was incapacitating, and Maxwell fell to his knees, the longsword dropping from his hands. As he bled from his shoulder and neck, the shadow energy was diffusing out, but he would die long before the venom would leave Maxwell's body.

Gaia's cries had hushed when she felt Lucifer's progress interrupted. The wind had ceased ravaging the earth. Even the souls imprisoned by Lucifer watched in silent reconciliation as this mortal had challenged Lucifer. The silence had reestablished itself.

Lucifer's voice escaped him as Maxwell shaked from the poison. It was heavy and raspy out of arrogance and annoyance, but it was barely above a whisper. To Maxwell, every word caused the dulling pain to violently throb in his mind.

"You... who are you? Why would you disturb my masterpiece?"

Lucifer opened his hand and pointed a finger at Maxwell. The energy rushed back into its source, depleted and starved of the evil source upon which it thrived. Maxwell, almost delirious from the pain, vomited blood as he was forcefully reawakened by his nerves screaming from relief. He coughed, and the crimson liquid splattered upon the cold sand. Lucifer and Redemption hovered over Maxwell, both awaiting the answer to the query. Maxwell's breaths were slow as he tried desperately to pull life out of the lifeless and stagnant air around him.

However, Lucifer's impatience got the better of him. As Maxwell was gasping for air, Lucifer rushed forward and kicked Maxwell to the ground. A sharp cry rushed out of his lungs as he fell to the ground, his armor clanking as he fell atop his longsword.

"Answer me!"

Lucifer, feeling that the silence of the world was a sign of defiance, summoned Redemption into his outstretched. The beckoned weapon, disappointed at his feast being interrupted, obeyed and flew into Lucifer's fingers. Lucifer's other hand rose into the air, and with a loud hiss, a vortex opened as he opened his fingers toward the sky. The freed souls were being sucked back into Lucifer's fingers, and very quickly were they all captive again. The souls formed a mass of ectoplasmic energy, which Lucifer pointed at Maxwell.

"Your silence is disappointing, creature. What a shame. I had hoped more from your resistance."

Maxwell looked up at Lucifer contemptuously. He pushed himself up, but, as he got to his knees, Lucifer released the ball of souls toward Maxwell.

"This is the end for you, mortal."

Gaia was silent as she watched in horror as the sphere of harnessed souls soar toward Maxwell.


Damn me for typing this at one in the morning and not proofreading... there are two typos that are killing me to read over.

You'll know them when you see them, but...

"... into his outstretched [hand]."

"... harnessed souls soar[ed]..."

Feh... have fun with my post. :P

[Pontus]

Have fun with what...? Your massive god mod? Sorry but I had to say something about this. Sure you're one of the best around... but that status gives no one the right to god mod. I mean come on...this is a 1-3-1 and you've already fatally poisoned my guy, then sucked out the poison cause you don't want him to die yet. Plus, Maxwell didn't even make a single offensive gesture... I don't know but it seems a little discourtious to me.

I'll try to write something, but its hard when you wound by guy in your first attack.

[Scruffy]

Have fun with what...? Your massive god mod? Sorry but I had to say something about this. Sure you're one of the best around... but that status gives no one the right to god mod. I mean come on...this is a 1-3-1 and you've already fatally poisoned my guy, then sucked out the poison cause you don't want him to die yet. Plus, Maxwell didn't even make a single offensive gesture... I don't know but it seems a little discourtious to me.

I'll try to write something, but its hard when you wound by guy in your first attack.

That's just how it rolls in this. It's his post so he could turn you into a chicken and then turn you back except the beak and it's pretty much fair game. Use your post to go on the offensive...

My favorite color is blue. ^_^

[Lucifer Pyrifax]

Have fun with what...? Your massive god mod? Sorry but I had to say something about this. Sure you're one of the best around... but that status gives no one the right to god mod. I mean come on...this is a 1-3-1 and you've already fatally poisoned my guy, then sucked out the poison cause you don't want him to die yet. Plus, Maxwell didn't even make a single offensive gesture... I don't know but it seems a little discourtious to me.

I'll try to write something, but its hard when you wound by guy in your first attack.

Massive god mod? If I had ripped off his legs, strangled your character with them, blinded you, and then teabagged you, that would be god modding.

God modding is, for the most part, leaving your opponent no outs. Not only is your character only wounded in the shoulder, he's not poisoned, and he's certainly not dead. He has outs. Write them.

I don't mess with other players characters because that's more discourteous than anything. It wouldn't matter in the end, because my attack post would have only been lengthened by silly "your character parries Redemption's first swings," leading into longer reads than necessary.