Round 3 OCL: Sir Marte versus Paliskobengar: The Duel in the Discorded Archipelago

Below a violet star and blackened blue sky, storms roiled above the cracking islands of the Discorded Archipelago, bursting forth with flame. From below steam from the boiling seas rises, while dust devils scatter dirt across the grassy plains. Winds screeched, rocks cracked, and thunder boomed; islands rendered into constant, shifting chaos in a vicious maelstrom. In most circumstances, this would be the opposite of the ideal for an event. However, for an elemental tournament, particular one focused on dealing with these powerful forces of nature, there could be no better place.

Upon a tall island, two duelists stood across from one another-Sir Marte of House Raddiche, a rabbitfolk noble and spellblade of earthen magics, and Paliskobengar (or Paiko for short) a dimensional half-drakon and crystal caster. Through his large spectacles, Sir Marte looks across at his opponent- a slight, short being, purple haired and wearing a gilded lilac gi. Smiling, he shouted out to him, waving his hand, “Well, quite lovely weather we are having, aren’t we?”

Paiko looked about, seeing the chaotic storm brewing about them  and the boiling sea below. Around him spirals of dust spun about. “I…don’t see what exactly you mean…” he said. “It doesn’t seem that good at all…” 

Sir Marte, now grinning, summoned a large sphere of stone to rise from the ground, piercing through dirt and glowing with maroon energy. “Well, it’s about to get a bit more rocky!” he said, before slinging it towards him.

The half-drakon’s eyes widened before leaping out of the way of the attack and rolling to the side, causing the boulder to slam into the ground. The island began to crack, as bits of it started tumbling off into the boiling waters, splashing with a vicious hiss. Paiko got to his feet and touched the ground, violet lines racing from his fingertips towards Sir Marte.

The rabbitfolk was brash and confident, but not too foolish to mistake size with inability, and thus quickly summoned a pair of earthen spheres below his feet to rapidly lift him up before a spike of violet crystal sprouted beneath his feet. “Ha ha! Looks like you’ll have to try harder next time!” he said, grinning down  at his opponent. The island began to split apart, while pillars of flame started spurting from beneath.

However, as the rabbitfolk looked down,  he saw Paiko upon a rising pillar of amethyst, moving towards him with a crystalline bow. Sir Marte’s eyes widened: he had heard that his opponent was only limited to small crystals, but this was quite a bit larger than he had thought. Quickly, he summoned another rock and hurled it, but its impact left much to be desired, merely lodging into its walls, while Paiko conjured from his turret a set of arrows. Sir Marte quickly positioned his sword before him as he summoned another earthen sphere from the ground, while the half-drakon broke off one of the arrow crystals and aimed his bow at one of his opponent’s legs.

Then, they let loose.

As the arrow flew, it suddenly curved towards the Mithral blade and shattered against it while the stone sphere hurtled down towards Paiko. The half-drakon quickly slid down the pillar as the stone smashed into its tip, sending shards down behind him. “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” he muttered to himself as bits of crystal scattered about him. He quickly leapt off before a fiery gout erupted below him, landing just a few steps away from the island’s crumbling edge.

Sir Marte was only fairing slightly better, as when the arrow struck his blade, it had pushed him back- slipping on the unsteady rock, he had barely time to catch hold of it, hanging on for dear life with just one hand as it spirited its way upwards towards the clouds while the other one slammed down into the ground below him, causing another break. Grasping on to both his blade and the earthen sphere, his red mohawk waving in the wind, he let out a vicious yell as he stabbed his blade into the rock. He rotated it about as it veered around the crumbing island, before slamming into the cliffside of the island. 

As the island shook, the earth beneath Paiko’s feet collapsed. He scrambled, trying to find ground to stand on, but he misjudged his steady footing and fell. However, before he landed in the boiling waters below, a hand caught his arm. Looking up, mouth agape, he saw the stern face of Sir Marte, clutching still to his sword lodged into the earthen sphere. “Hold on tight, lad!” he shouted, before swinging the half drakon over onto his back. Wordlessly, the half-drakon wrapped his arms around the rabbitfolk’s torso tightly, squeezing maybe a little too hard. Then, Sir Marte shot off from the island as it crumbled behind him into the seas, the two leaving behind the vicious maelstrom.