The Labradorite reared back again, and though every neuron was firing blinding hot white, shocking Hunter's nerves, he scrambled. Claws scrapped at the earth, feet slipping and sliding on blood and oil.

Stop moving. A plea that fell on deaf ears, panicked ears, ears that were shut off as the mind switched entirely to flight mode. There was no time to think, to contemplate or rationalize what was happening, and so instinct was the only functioning remainder in Hunter's bloodstream.

The muck of the arena floor drove the splinters deeper into his palms as he stumbled to his feet. Behind him, a violent thud shuttered through the earth, but Hunter had gotten momentum. Flinging himself forward with wild abandon, the wind and glitter and the roar of the crowd slicing across his face as he threw himself across the arena at a full pelt. Shock neutered the pain. There was no time for pain. No time for thoughts.

Hunter had to get away.

Hunter had to--

Their time was up.

@V-Labradorite-One

ROUND 5/5

ATTEMPT: get away get away get away!
DEFENSE: scrambling away
INJURIES: jarred elbow, out of zappy juice, bruised/bleeding hands, broken tail

Yaaaaaawn.

Semifinals, and these two were barely touching each other until right before Nemean had stood up and started getting ready to pat Draconua awake. (ASLEEP AGAIN?! HOW DID SHE FALL ASLEEP AGAIN?!? EVEN IF SHE WAS AS BORED AS NEMEAN WAS, SHE STILL HAD A JOB TO DO!!!) They were stringing her along, along, until...

Ohohohoh... a juicy bargain—and it was DENIED! With a stomp on the tail and retaliating spear no less. "That one deserves a promotion!" she yowled sidelong at Vargas, and glanced at the spot where Vakornol Had Once Been, the ghost of a cheered insult on her tongue. Right. Executed in three seconds flat.

... anyways. They had a schedule to keep!

As she sent a (presumably) illusory firework directly at the Sleeping Chaos, the fairy zipped into the air and mimed a ticking clock: "SNOOZE. FEST! SNOOZE. FEST! SNOOZE. FEST!" The percussion thumped and hollered as she gave a loud imitative snore. The firework exploded into a thousand colors and even more sparks and crackling glitters. "GIVE IT SOME GODDAMN SPICE DRACCY," she howled as said Horrible Menace roared awake in sheer shock, "THIS ISN'T THE SEMIFINALS FOR NOTHING; SHOULD'VE TAKEN THAT DEAL BEFORE IT ALL WENT UP IN FLAMES..."

Pun intended.

"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—" Wheeze. Koff! Koff! Koff! "—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

________

Draconua has been called upon to present an arena hazard! The magic attempt will be considered a success, and the roll will indicate the severity of the hazard. Hunter and Labradorite must now double-post each round: one roll to continue the fight and then a second roll to avoid the hazard. The first to be struck by the hazard before fight's end will be returned to their chrysalis or killed by it, and loses. (Should both fail to dodge, the lower roll will be struck and eliminated.)

If both survive the first round of Sudden Death, then they will enter Sudden Sudden Death, and whoever rolls lowest numerically will be struck and eliminated.

One moment, she's the sleeping tiger at the bottom of a nice, hay-padded cage.

Next, the ringmaster's cracking a rainbow-colored whip directly in her face and setting her off like the Matador does to an uncastrated and wild bull.

Needless to say, Draconua wasted no time in turning her annoyance to the field with a shrieking roar. It was quite polite of her practice targets to be practically on top of one another; it allowed her to send a column of Chaotic fire down upon them with a single shuddering breath. Wings flared up, chest swelled, and out the hazard goes, spewing and flash-frying the sand into embers and corrupted ash.

@V-Labradorite-One @Hunter

Yeah. You know how this is going.

It was too late.

Fire spewed from somewhere above, violet and black and burningly cold. It was very suddenly aware of how flammable it was. The whites of it's eyes would've flashed it they weren't made of solid crimson. A gurgling gasp. The purple gembound was getting away. It had to catch up.

It felt all too heavy and slow as it charged forward. Like it was wading through it's own oil. This had gone on too long. The world was ending. It had to end this.

It crumpled.

ROUND 6/5

ATTEMPT: Tackle Em
DEFENSE: Oil, Back spikes (broken)
INJURIES: Tired + Broken spikes and wounds from prev fights, zapped tail, bruised from fall, throat stab

Gurgling, bubbling wheezing. It's throat felt like it was on fire. It's legs felt like it was on fire. It'd back felt like it was on fire. It only just then registered the fire falling upon it's hide. Corrupt icy fire made quick work of it's oil-soaked hide. It's jaws gaped open in a silent roar of agony.

It had collapsed close enough to Hunter to act as a shield. It couldn't see him, but it knew (it hoped) that he was there. It hoped the selenite was safe.

It could feel the blue gemstone crackling over it's chest. Surging over it like a cool wave. It was not able to fight any longer.

@Hunter

Exit thread via chrysalis

Hunter ran. The crowd roared. Nemean's shrill voice screeched above, and it was enough to send him skidding to a halt, eyes snapping up to see where Draconua would descend, to watch for the flames that would come roaring down.

The earth trembled. Wide eyes caught movement behind, the massive looming shadow of Labradorite crashing toward him. His hands shot out in the way, eyes jamming shut as panic took hold. He expected them both to be burnt to a crisp then--

Thump. Hunter's foe collapsed in a lump beside him. His eyes opened with surprise, but he had not another second to even swallow the information before the screeching hiss and crackling pops of oil set aflame screamed through his ears.

@V-Labradorite-One

ROUND 6/5

ATTEMPT: block the (failed) body slam!
DEFENSE: arms up panic
INJURIES: jarred elbow, out of zappy juice, bruised/bleeding hands, broken tail

Hellfire descended, pouring down in molten clumps over the arena. It bathed every surface, washing away the sounds of Nemean, of the crowd, drowning out the smell of corn dogs and blood for the choking smog of oil and hair aflame.

Hunter jerked into motion as a stray burst caught him in the shoulder, shocking sense into him. He threw himself toward Labradorite, who's oil made for a delicious fuel for the ravenous hellfire. Common sense was promptly abandonned, as foolishly, pointlessly, he slammed his beaten and bruised arms into the flames even as they scorched his skin and ravenously turned fur into cinders.

It was, ultimately, a truly fruitless effort. The sheen of stone was beginning to grow over Labradorite even as he began to smother the flames. Some part of his mind had sense enough to scream that his foe would survive, that it wouldn't die, but it didn't reach the overclocked, freaked out rest of him to stop. He couldn't stop. The flames were eating away at his flesh, but he soldiered on-- and the unbelievable part of it all was that Hunter was actually putting out some of the cursed flames through this effort.

At some point he had collapsed to his knees. Right around the time that Nemean was calling to remove the chrysalis before it rooted. He had stopped the flames around himself-- somehow still was alive and breathing himself despite the serious burns up both arms. His nerves were shot. Didn't even register, really, when his opponent was pulled away.

Shock had him staring down the smoldering remains of the arena. They'd have to drag him away too, but damn if he wasn't still alive.

@V-Labradorite-One

ROUND sudden death

ATTEMPT: reduce the damage the flames cause with... uhh... his bare hands

((Both posts were made from my phone in bed so... Aaa. But sgadhafahafbf. It is done ghffvfa))

DEATHMATCH

A pair of spotlights ignited the dim light of the arena, and swept to and fro before converging on Hunter. Hunter, burnt and on his knees. Hunter, indeed alive, staring at the great labradorite gemstone before him. The way the light struck it, it looked beautiful: a quite literal gem of streaked blues and subtle greens and golds in the center of the blood-soaked, scorched arena.

"AND THERE WE HAVE IT, FOLKS! OUR WINNER: THE HUNTERRRRR OF WILD BEASTS!" Nemean turned to Vargas, covering her pink microphone (manifested from thin air) to squint at him. Her voice was thankfully, then, not broadcasted as she said: "Your dude lost to that-? Either he's REALLY good or your guy suuuuuuuucks!" She tittered, then peered back down. The "crowd goes wild" sounds--a loud rush of hissing AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!--were interrupted by the fanfare of deafening trumpets and the blood-rush beat of drums. "TAKE A BOW, HUNTER--IF YOU CAN STAND UP! -If not we'll get someone out there."

They had to move the chrysalis anyway.

"NICE JOB, DRAC!" Nemean added, with a shout and a pump of one tiny fist into the air. "Really, you kinda won half of these. We should have a drink some time."

The spotlights swept away, leaving Hunter and the chrysalis in the dark again, but the music was blaring, and someone was calling out that the cotton candy was freshly made.

_____________

DEATHMATCH WINNER: HUNTER

Character: V-Labradorite-One Age: +5 (17 Cycles, Capped) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: - Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: +15 Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: - Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +6 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +10 Penalties: - Total: 39

Character: Hunter Age: +5 (20 Cycles, Capped) Magic Level: +3 (Brawler) ROUND 1 Attempt: +13 Penalties: - ROUND 2 Attempt: - Penalties: - ROUND 3 Attempt: +11 Penalties: - ROUND 4 Attempt: +12 Penalties: - ROUND 5 Attempt: +16 Penalties: - Total: 60

NUMERICAL WINNER: Hunter

Upon awakening from his chrysalis, V-Labradorite-One will find itself afflicted with a new chrysalis consequence of severe severity.

V-Labradorite-One will find all pigment missing from its right leg. Whether this leaves it white, translucent or tinted by its blood is dependent upon its skin structure.

Glitch — Pigment may disappear from areas of the Gembound. Will affect dye. This consequence cannot be healed through future chrysalises.

tag updated with consequence roll
@V-Labradorite-One