ORIGIN - [Event] THE CHAMPION, UNBOUND

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It has to be true

The ice shield crumbles just in time for him to watch as Saran'zol truly falls apart. The other combatants got in their final blows, and the glowing wounds covering Saran'zol multiplied and widened, glowing with a vivid red energy. His squishy alien eyes reflexively schlorped back into face at the bright glare. He didn't need any further warning- Saran'zol was finally going down, but not without a bang, it seemed.

One of the harder-hitting combatants- the gigantic antlered fish-dragon- had left incapacitated, and far too close to the epicenter to react in time. Phelix was much farther away and able to escape the blast. In a moment of foolish generosity, his magic surged to protect her, instead- a wall of soothing ice suddenly blocking the fire that sought to consume her.

But he overestimated his own ability to defend himself. The explosion moved far too far, and even with the distance it quickly caught and consumed him.

I'm counting on you
To be my wings and my eyes

[changing roll to Glaciate so i can protect @Gaheris ]

Not with a bang, but with a-

Gaheris' head made hard contact with the ground, the crushing grip around her neck suddenly absent. There were red lights flashing just behind her, the Champion finally coming apart.

His whole body was burning long before the explosion. He tried, still - crawling away from the epicentre inch by inch, black eyes glazed over in fear and pain. Too little too late.

Such a shame. He'd gotten so far.

Saran'zol's meat began to blast away from his body right in front of Relic, which was a good sign it was time to run as far as possible, now.

This explosion was different from the others, in the fact it was worse somehow. She was very familiar with the feeling of a burnt ass, and could recognise the telltale sign and smell of it wafting from her hind legs.

Again, better than the alternative. She noted the opal chrysalis behind her, and knew she should be feeling something about azrael's loss - satisfaction, pity, respect? - but her brain had yet to catch up to her. Maybe it never would.

Shrike didn't try to fly too far--she was too close, as it was, too fangs-deep in trying to drive for a kill.

When the pulse grew, when blood red light ignited around her, she reacted defensively: dodging upward, shoving herself higher with a wingbeat for momentum before folding those wings before her. With luck, she'd move with any blast and the wings would take any serious damage. Those... could always mend.

But it was hard not to keep her eyes on Saran'zol, to watch the fruits of all their labor. To watch the mighty fall, torn down by the combined claws and fangs arrayed against him.

When the worst passed, she'd unfold her wings and hover for a moment, slithering in the air, a serpentine shape both bloodstained and pearlescent. Then, she'd survey what remained. But for now... she weathered the magic storm.

His quick action had proven enough for at least one more time, the blade never getting the chance to part Fahl's scales. But that jolt of energy that'd powered his feet evaporated as soon as it'd been expended, and he was once again battling not only Saran'zol, but the heavy onset of exhaustion. Unsteadiness exerted itself again over his steps, not ideal as the champion the group faced lost further control of himself. What had been a light show of impending defeat exploded into a blinding wall of red that screamed danger if he didn't distance himself soon.

No time for a single breath, let alone to think. He operated on pure instinct, jumped, and yanked a solution out of the magic dwelling inside him. Stronger than the previous desperate attempts, his wings of light manifested themselves swiftly, each feather bright enough one might almost be fooled into believing them solid. They flapped, carrying him beyond the height his leap would've taken him. Hopefully they brought him to a safe space to hover in and wait while the chaos faded away.

Audland probably couldn't have stopped the explosion, even if his spell had decided to go outward to the target instead of looping back around to its caster. Audland had experienced visions of chaos or unreality before, sometimes so severe they covered his entire vision. But having Saran'zol here; the chaos, the energy expelling in every direction, only exacerbated the situation.

A split second before the explosion reaches the group, time seems to stop for Audland. It doesn't stop in reality, mind you. The laws of physics and whatever happened to Saran'zol (what did happen to Saran'zol?) had no time nor patience to wait for the stupid blue ball that was now just standing there, appearing to accept the force wave of the explosion with open arms.

But for Audland, it looked like the world was being sewn together somehow with another one; one he'd never been to before, except in these sorts of hallucinations. The figures of rock and gembound around him, they were changing, too. Forms altering into monsters, monsters like Audland; no rhyme or reason to their violence; designs driven only by the mad craving for blood, oil, and death. Claws raised and teeth bared. Smoking, gory bodies littered the floor. Bodies, not chrysalises. Who knew what was going on there. And before them, a large bath of voidlight showered its negative rays upon them all. To Audland, it looked like a bright, inviting door.

Somehow, despite the battlefield raging around Audland, he perceived the world as though it were utterly quiet. He perceived as though he had a moment of time to draw a hand up to his face, to pull down one cheek and the lid under one eye; to feign boredom with this scene. He perceived himself walking forward, though he did not perceive his feet ever actually touching the ground. His perceptions, these falsehoods, they fooled him into walking closer and closer to that door—the source of the explosion.

A single roar shot through Audland's world of make believe, causing him to snap his head in its direction. Irritated, he thought to silence the noise by reaching out a hand and attempting to remove what had caused it. The "what" just so happened to be... Azrael.

For a moment, Audland would wear an expression of twisted annoyance, as though he were looking at a cockroach, or an obnoxious stranger on the street. Then, the recognition would hit, the illusion would dissolve, and Audland's expression would fall. It have been possible for an onlooker to have caught the shock and even genuine fear in Audland's eyes, in the milliseconds before the unbound light swallowed his body whole. The explosion would consume every part of him in seconds, until the radiant red light followed by a rapid entourage of oilstone finally reached the very tips of his outstretched claws.

- exit via chrysalis -
@Azrael (holy smorks)

OOC: Audland hallucinates and gets himself chrysalized. It was decided between jaymie and I that Auddie could do this.

EDIT: AUUUUGHH this was supposed to be an Energy of the Void roll. soory cj …

THE CHAMPION, UNBOUND

As the light began to fade, leaving a pitch black charred blast upon the ground in its wake, Saran'zol fell to his knees. The light was receding from him and growing dimmer with each second, until it finally revealed what was left of the Unbound Champion. He was burned and bloodied, barely recognizable, most of his armored plates and spikes blown clean off, bones peeking out of exposed skin in places, but still alive. The red glow dissipated completely - it no longer poured from his body, save for lingering red sparks that still bounced over his remains.

Red eyes blinked blearily open, foggy and filled with agony, but they still rested upon the gembound still gathered there, still up and awake and alive. Although half of his skull was exposed, and much of his face covered in black blood, he still managed the ghost of a smile. "Thank you..." His voice was smooth and free from the crackling static, free of the energy at last. The oilstone at his naval trembled and then a single surge of red sparks split the stone and he slumped forward.

There was a loud clatter as his bladed staff fell to the ground next to him, damaged and ashen but still gleaming dangerously. Even in death, he clutched it, but before the eyes of the gembound, his skin began to rapidly dissolve into steaming black oil. It seemed the energy had taken its toll on him.

Within seconds, only his bones remained. The Unbound Champion was free.

RELIC 8/20	AZRAEL 12/20	SHRIKE 13/20
FAHL 20/20	GAHERIS 8/20	PHELIX ▼Unconscious 0/20
BAUXITE T-ONE ▼Unconscious 0/20	NIDHOGG ▼Unconscious 0/20	AUDLAND ▼Unconscious 0/20

[ ACTION LOG ]

> Azrael fails to dodge, but Audland saves him from damage, taking the blast instead!
> Audland falls unconscious!
> Gaheris fails to dodge, but Phelix blocks the damage for her in time.
> Phelix falls unconscious!
> Relic, Shrike, Audland, and Fahl dodge the blast!

@Phelix will awaken with the following special chrysalis consequence:

Glitch: Phelix will display either red glowing cracks or patches of coloration either steel gray, red, or black.

@Audland will awaken with the following special chrysalis consequence:

Vampire: At times, Audland will begin to feel extremely overloaded and energetic for a while. Red sparks will jump from his gemstone and it may be accompanied by headaches, pain, or fatigue afterwards.

Tectus had stood watching from above the forum, watching each of the gembound fight, impressed (and disappointed, in the case of her own spawn falling first) and relieved that most of them had made it out of the fight intact. There hadn't been any actual deaths, which she most certainly hadn't wanted.

And Saran'zol had been put to use, as he wanted. And he rested now...as he deserved.

She rose to her feet and carefully lowered herself back into the center of the forum, landing with a large thump on the ground. Striding forward, she glanced towards each of the chrysalis scattering the field - they had fought well, but they had not persevered. A pity.

The Overseer stopped in front of the valkhound's remains, a creature that she had known a long time ago - he had served her dutifully and while she wouldn't have counted him a friend, she knew him as trustworthy and honorable. That had been rare.

Silently, she reached forward and pulled the oilstone pieces towards her - each of them still sparked with his energy. A wry grin pulled at the edges of her mouth. Of course, he would not be written out of history so easily.

She held her head up and swivelled around to all of the gembound. "Well done!" she boomed. "You've all proven yourselves WORTHY. Know that you go from here champions, and with a champion's experience! And some of you...have earned something more." Her eyes fell upon three of them - she'd been watching them closely, and while they had their moments of failure, each of them had taken risks and dealt devastating blows to the unbound champion.

With delicate claws, she picked up one of the Oilstone pieces and held it out to Azrael. "While you did not go unharmed, you were brave and fearless. Devastating blows and flames tore the Champion down from his strength. Carry your strength, and his, onward." Oh, yeah, she was really good at this giving motivational speeches shit, huh?

She looked towards Saran'zol again and noticed a black and red metal band in the oil - ah, she had been wondering where that was! Perhaps it had been hidden under his plates, or the mutation had grown over it? Either way, it was a worthy prize.

She picked the band up, along with the second oilstone shard and held it out to Fahl. "You started the fight off with a devastating blow. You were quick, and took up the targets of many of his attacks without feeling a single cut of his blade. You were the only one here to remain unharmed - I commend you for that and your survivability."

And finally...her eyes rested on the staff. She reached forward and delicately picked it up in her mouth and turned towards Gaheris. She set it down, along with the third oilstone shard, in front of her. "Such strength we saw from you today! Not only a constant target, but pushing his blows right back at him! Your mastery of magic is commendable - while blades may not be your strength, I hope you will find use of it, even if just as a momento." She gave a last nod and circled back to the center.

"You have ALL done well, never forget that. Should you ever need anything of the Task Force, or should you ever wish to join us, each one of you will be welcomed as friends. If you are ever looking for work, you need only come find me."

With that, she stepped back, standing near the corpse and would speak to any of the gembound that lingered.

She intended to wait until they were gone to pay her final respects.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have best Saran'zol and completed THE CHAMPION, UNBOUND! Everyone that participated in the battle, upon exiting the thread, can claim for a very long thread. All surviving gembound will receive 100 magicka and the following specialty spell:

Secret Handshake: Low Intensity Manipulation. A mysterious and over-complicated gesture known only to veterans of the Orion arena matches. Grants access to the backstage area of the arena at any time, with all its food, drink and party music.

Additionally, the top three placing gembound will receive the following rewards:

1st. Gaheris: Guaranteed revive Oilstone shard + Second Claw
2nd. Fahl: Guaranteed revive Oilstone shard + Cuff of Regeneration
3rd. Azrael: Guaranteed revive Oilstone shard

All rewards and magicka will be handed out shortly, as well as achievements once they're ready!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Second Claw, the Blades of Saran'zol

A sturdy staff made of wood and metal, affixed with wicked blades on both ends and set with blood-red rubies at the base of each blade. It's moderately warm to the touch and those that hold it know no fear in battle.

ELEMENT: :animal:

MAGIC LEVEL: 60
DURABILITY: 20
SPECIAL: Grants the use of the technique Rip while wielding, if not already known. When successfully used through the staff, it can strike a second time for half damage.

MATERIAL: Dark Metal, Stained Wood, Ruby
ATTACK: 15
ADDED: Reduces fear in battle.
DEFENSE: 5
WEIGHT: 15
EQUIP: Weapon

Currently owned by: Gaheris

@Relic (Gaheris) @Shrike @Fahl @Azrael

Shrike had enjoyed that. Sure, there were chrysalises littering the sand, but that was part of the fun of it. Bloodlust still blazed in her, and she was half-blind to the announcements and the proclamations, the praise of those who had done best. She just looked around, the festering corruption in her raging through her thudding heart, adrenaline spiking it higher: she wanted more.

Her eyes settled on the melting Champion. Everything he'd been was collapsing, and for a moment she was hoping for some souvenir, or some item of power to take away from it. But the Oil pooling there at once struck her as a waste.

She went for it without thinking to ask, and when Tectus stopped her, she at least thought to explain. "It shouldn't go to waste. That power--it should live on in us. We proved ourselves," she insisted. But rather than well-spoken, it was half-guttural, thrilled through with that lingering chaos.

Shrike wouldn't fight Tectus over it, of course; as chaotic as she was in the moment, she bore the Overseer no ill will, and this was her event. But it seemed a waste to leave all that power draining into the arena floor to be forgotten.

He thought it was over. He saw the wave of energy coming and braced himself to take it because he was too slow and he was going to fail...

But then, oppressive nothing. His eyes blinked open and he saw nothing but void. Darkness. But not his darkness, not the comforting embrace of his own shadows, but a yawning grave emptiness. He didn't know how he'd gotten there, or how to escape - he struggled and fought but he could not free himself from here.

And then, mere seconds later, he was back, stumbling to the ground and breathing in fresh air again, confused.

The Unbound Champion was dead. The fight was over. He'd completely missed the last few seconds of the fight to...whatever it was. But it had saved him. He whipped around, trying to figure out who had cast the spell and his eyes fell on the oilstone chrysalis.

Had that one...saved him?

They'd wrestled, he remembered. The large, sturdy one that he'd struggled to get a single blow to effect. What had spurred him to do that?

Azrael accepted the oilstone shard but felt a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't think he deserved this. Not when he had to be saved. But...he could not lie, he liked the thought of taking Saran'zol's power as his own. Into a new life - him and the Unbound Champion combined...that would be a potent match.

He glanced at the smoldering pile of oil once more, gripping the shard tight. That had been a good fight. Perhaps he, Azrael, could have done better and he dearly wished that the champion had thought to strike at him more often, but he could not change what had happened. He had gotten through with the victors. That was what mattered.

He was the first to back out, without a word to the others - they too had done well, but the Overseer had already offered her congratulations to them. And Azrael felt ashamed for his own failures. He would train more, fight more, and he wouldn't fail like that again.

*exit

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It has to be true

I'm counting on youTo be my wings and my eyes

I'm counting on you
To be my wings and my eyes