Battleground from a Dream (Anyone)

OoC: This is my first attempt at a RPG Battle. I tried a RPG Crossroads story, but I think it failed after a while, so I'm going to try this to see the BA universe more clearly. This is set after "Weird Land", which is referred to as a dream. Character in sig.

BiC: "Gadget, what are you doing?" Dilnos asked as he walked down the hallway. He stopped at the corner and looked, surprised.

It was a few days since he had the dream that he was in Hyrule. He remembered the dream, but he didn't want to tell his closest friend or even his wife. He felt that if he told them, then they'll send through treatment to find out how he got it.

Right now, he was watching Gadget, who was busy building a weird gate.

"Ever heard of alternate universes?" Gadget asked him from behind the structure.

"I think so. Aren't those the universes that were created based on the choices one makes?" All he could see was her tail, which was busy swishing every minute or so.

"Something like that. I did some researching and learned that people are able to go to other places, provided the right thing happened,"

He forced himself to remember the dream. He was ported to Hyrule by Firoh after he broke the Magnif to pieces. Luckily, the Magnif was alright, but he felt that it could happen one day.

"What 'right thing', may I ask?" he decided to ask.

"Like stepping through a wormhole, or jumping into a portal, that sort of 'right thing',"

"Ah, now may I ask what are you doing?"

"Simple. I made a battleground for you,"

"What for?" He was baffled.

"Firoh is a tough person to kill. You know how many people tried?" Gadget's voice sounded serious.

"I don't know, a lot,"

"Exactly..."

He heard a sort of rumbling noise come out of the gate-like object.

"What's happening?" Dilnos asked, fear entering his mind.

She walked out from behind it. She had dust all over her mechanic's suit, the goggles she had on, and whatever fur was visible.

"Here," she said, handing Dilnos a weird band-like object.

"What's this for?" he asked.

"It's a porting device,"

"A whatta device?"

"It's a device that'll bring you back if you get injured or something,"

"Ah, then what's that?"Dilnos said, pointing to the gate-like thing.

"Oh, that's the portal that'll take you to the battlefield,"

"Ah,"

Gadget walked over to the machine and pushed some buttons. All of a sudden, a portal appeared within the device.

"Now what?" Dilnos asked, trying to cope with his current fate.

"I made it so that there are two portals attached. This one gets you to the battleground, and the other one randomly pops up in another universe,"

"Ah, but what are the chances it'll stop at Hyrule?" he blurted out.

"Hyrule?" Gadget asked, baffled.

Forgot, Dilnos thought, I never mentioned Hyrule or my dream to her.

"Well, considering if this 'Hyrule' place exist, it'll be a one times ten to the negative one hudred chance that it'll stop there," she said in a tone of voice that suggested that Dilnos was going crazy.

"One times ten to the power of negative what?" Dilnos asked.

"Actually, it's more of a 'not a remote chance' kind of--"

"Sorry to interrupt you," Dilnos said, cutting Gadget's sentence off, "but can I go now?"

"Sure,"

Dilnos walked up to the portal and checked to see if he had everything he'll need. He had the Magnif and the Gravity Gauntlet, which were what he needed.

He turned around to look at Gadget, who was smiling at him. He returned it and said, "Wish me luck,"

He stepped in.

When he emerged a moment later, he saw that the place had a sort of foresty look to it. To his right, he saw trees as high as a twenty-story building. To his left, he saw a rather huge fortress, just like the one from his dream.

"This is all wrong," a voice in his head said.

"Hello? Who's there?" Dilnos asked, not sure if it was his own thought.

"Oh, hi, Dilnos. It's Gadget. Look, the whole place is wrong..."

"What's wrong with trees and a fortress?" he asked stupidly.

"It's not what I programmed it to be like. It's supposed to be set within Antalta. What did you do, Dilnos?" the last sentence had an accusing tone in it.

"I don't know," Dilnos lied, although he hated to do it.

"Oh well. Your challenger should be here any minute,"

I hope it's soon, he thought, because I'm ready.

OoC: Sorry if it's long, but I had a lot of time on my hand. Hope to get a response soon.

OOC: I'll join in with Scythius. Link in sig.

IC:

Scythius sighed, as he gazed down the road ahead. He sat astride his black warhorse, who was in a trot. The sound of hoofs against stone echoed through the valley he was in. For ten days, he had been on the run from one of Gren's hunting parties. He glanced back over his shoulder. About twenty miles behind him, sitting at the top of the hill the descended in to the valley, was a line of thirty horsemen. They were riding hard, hoping to get within striking distance of Scythius. The Black King's horse needed rest, however, and for now could only go a steady trot.

Surely they must be getting tired by now, thought Scythius as he tried to coax some speed out of his horse, to now avail. A trumpet sounded off in the distance, signaling for the hunters to urge their horses to sprint the rest of the distance to their pray. Another sound was heard: dogs barking. The hunting dogs of Gren, beaten and starved to near death, were rabid and feral. A howl emanated from behind him, as the dogs started to give chase. Scythius pushed his horse, and they reached the top of the hill, leading out of the valley. As soon as they were out of the line of sight of their pursuers, Scythius kicked his heels in to his horse. With a neigh of protest, the warhorse increased his speed. Scythius angled it towards the only landmark in this forest; a fortress. As he approached the grey wall of stones, it appeared empty, as if it was abandoned long ago. He led his horse around to a grove of trees a mile away, and quickly tied it up, slapping its feed bag on. He then sprinted back to the fortress, kicking an old window in. The wooden boards gave way, and Scythius launched himself inside.

Once indoors, he glanced around for a place to hide. As he did so, he heard three sharp trumpet sounds, followed by a horn. Scythius knew that this was the signal to fan out and search the area. Scythius bolted for the main door, and opened it wide.

"Grimstalf!"

The two handed sword appeared in his hands, as he started to carve a symbol in to the doorway. It took him ten minutes to complete, with many glances over his shoulder. Once it was done, he ran back in and closed the door, hiding with Grimstalf still drawn.

Two hunters approached the door with a hunting dog tied to a chain.

"Finch, you take a look inside."

"Damn it, Earl, can't you see the mark of Kear etched on to the door? Surely the Spirit of Abandonment will have his vengeance on us if we enter!"

They glanced at each other, and grinned.

"Send in the dog!" they said together.

So, they took out a piece of meat from a saddlebag, and threw it in to a broken in window. With a bark, the dog gave chase. It leaped in to the window. Then there was the sound of the dog yelping from within the walls, and a few moments later, the dog's corpse was chucked out of the window, along with a voice.

"I am Kear. You dare foul one of my domains with a scrawny canine?! You shall face my wrath!"

Finch and Earl jumped on their horses and made a run for it, the sound of their panicked voices fading in to the distance.

Scythius would have laughed if he was able to. Instead, he climbed the stairs in to a bedroom, dis-armored, and went to sleep, the sound of the hunting party's trumpet fading in to the distance.

The next morning, Scythius put his armor back on and was about to leave the room when he glanced out of the window. A young man was walking towards the fortress, dressed in strange clothes. Scythius cursed.

This must be a member of the hunting party, left behind to finish the search, Scythius thought. Well, I can easily handle one of Gren's minions.

Scythius went down the stairs, calling for Regald. The two handed axe appeared in his hands, and he stood in the main lobby, ready to kill this man the moment he walked through the door.

"You sure my opponent's coming?" Dilnos asked. He had waited for a few minutes already, and he thought something was wrong.

"He or she should be here by now," Gadget said, her voice entering his head.

"Well... I think I'll just go into the fortress next to me. It'll be a long wait..."

With that said, he entered the fortress, pausing at the doorway to think really quick. He felt his senses kick in. A trap? he thought.

"Gadget?"

"Yeah?" She sounded worried.

"Can you talk to me later on?"

"Why?"

"I'll need my thought for this..."

His mind felt a sharp kick. He now knew that something was wrong, but what?

He entered the place. It had a touch of the creeps all over the room. In front of him, he saw some stairs. To his left, he could see some tables. To his right, he saw more tables. He also thought he saw someone in front of him, holding a two-handed axe. He chose to ignore that fact, thinking that it was just a statue.

Wow, he thought, Whoever lived here sure didn't like a calm atmosphere.

He walked forward a few feet and stepped on some wooden boards. He crouched down and looked at them. They had a battered look to them, as if someone threw a weight into it. Looking at the fact that it also had break marks, he realized that somebody broke in.

But who?

His senses were still kicking his mind, and now they were giving him a headache. He chose to activate the Gravity Guantlets at that moment. Good thing too, because the next minute,the statue jumped out in front of him, swinging the axe at him. Dilnos barely had enough time to roll out of the way, pulling out the Magnif as he got back up.

"Summon Dog!" he called. His sword changed into Zooidia, glowing as it did so. The next moment, a dog appeared next to him. The dog had its teeth bared, rearing to fight.

"Heel," he said to the dog, then turning to the man, he asked, "Who are you?"

Scythius glanced between the dog and the man. The youth had moved with amazing agility...it was almost as if he had known there was danger. Well, perhaps the mark on the door had scared him. Perhaps a bit of fear could scare the whelp off.

"I am Kear, Spirit of Abandonment. Vacate this place now, be--"

"Spirit of what?"

Scythius was taken by surprise by this statement. Could it be that this man doesn't even know about the spirits?

"F-fear me! Behold my mighty power! Tremble with fe--"

"Look, I don't need this right now. Just spell it out for me in plain english, alright?"

"Insolent cur! You and your mutt will face a thousand death--"

"Look, are you the one sent here to fight me, or not?"

Scythius glared at the man. Was he simply ignorant on the spirits, or defiant? Either way, he should be made to pay.

"Listen well, wretch. By the time I am done with you and your pet, you'll beg for mercy in the form of a swift death."

The dog whimpered, as the boy patted him on the head.

"So, you ARE the opponent I was promised!"

"Promised? I don't know what you're talking about, heathen, but know that you have not only met an opponent: you have met your doom. Behold, youngling, for they will know that Scythius is your slayer!"

"Scythius, eh? A little flamboyant for my tastes. I'm Dilnos, your opponent, I suppose. I--"

"Face my wrath, boy!"

With that, Scythius lunged forward, swinging out with Regald. The axe sailed through the air, only to be dodged by Dilnos. Suddenly, the dog was upon him, tearing at his armor. Scythius shook the dog off, but that did nothing more than provoke it. With teeth bared, it prepared for a second assault.

Dilnos approached him from the other side, Magnif drawn. Scythius was now caught between two opponents, and needed to act fast.

"Regald's Fury!" He called out, as he launched his axe at Dilnos(7). Dilnos rolled underneath the axe, keeping low to the ground. At the same time, Scythius turned and grabbed the dog by the neck. The dog howled as it tried to lash out at Scythius, to no avail. Just as Regald neared Scythius on its return to him, the Black King threw the poor canine at the axe. With a yelp, the dog was killed as the whirling axe connected and passed through him to Scythius.

With a grunt, Scythius caught Regald, and looked around. Dilnos had disappeared. Just as Scythius thought he was victorious, he heard a scream from behind. Dilnos ambushed him, hitting him in the back with Magnif. Scythius lurched over, turning around as he did so.

"Grimstalf!"

Regald turned in to mist, only to reform in to Grimstalf. Scythius raised the two handed sword high, ready for battle with this new foe.

"Iron Slash!" Dilnos called. The Magnif changed into Sawyior, and he swung it at the "spirit", hoping to cut the blade in half. He hit the blade and bounced off it.

Strange, he thought, That usually works.

He chose to step back and try something.

"Electrocute!" he called, pointing his sword at the opponent. It changed into Shocko and fired a bolt of lightning at the "spirit".

"Hey, Dilnos," Gadget popped into his mind at that exact moment.

The bolt missed its target.

"What, Gadget?" Dilnos said, annoyed.

"Well, I was looking at the portal's gate, and I realize--"

"Hold that thought!" Dilnos said as he rolled away from his opponent.

"Summon Cat!" he called as he got up. His sword changed into Zooidia, and a grey-and white domestic cat appeared by his side.

"Go on," he said to Gadget as the cat rushed up to the man.

"Well, I realized that there was two ways you found your opponent: either he slipped through the second portal by breaking into the fortress, or--" he heard her gulp, "--or you slipped into the other one by accident,"

Sometimes she didn't make sense.

"Huh?" he asked.

He then saw the cat he summoned get killed by the man's sword.

"Great..." he said afterwards, "This is what I got for wanting to kill Firoh?"

Scythius looked up, his cold gaze glaring at Dilnos through his visor. He started his walk towards Dilnos, the enchantment on Grimstalf slowing him down. As he walked, he let the sword trail on the ground behind him. Just before he got within striking distance of Dilnos, he swept the sword up, sparks flying as it scraped against the ground. He raised it high, swinging it down. The youth swung his blade upwards, parrying Grimstalf. As Scythius swung Grimstalf up for another blow, Magnif changed in to Rocko. Just as Grimstalf began its descent, a wall of earth ripped through the floor, coming up to block the attack. Scythius was so startled he fell over, quickly picking himself up.

It seems as if the boy can channel the elements he thought, walking towards Dilnos. Once again, Grimstalf was cast down on the boy, and again, Dilnos parried the blow. It seemed that although Scythius was delivering the stronger and swifter blows, Dilnos was able to anticipate his every move and avoid it accordingly. Scythius tried many creative attacks, but it was as if Dilnos had a precognition on every move made against him.

Perhaps he does, Scythius pondered, halfway between slashes. Perhaps he can sense the future. Perhaps this is a spirit, come to kill me for impersonating Kear.

Finally, Scythius decided that his best shot was to open up a breach in Dilnos's seemingly impenetrable defense.

"Sweeping Strike!" Scythius yelled, as he quickly aimed for Dilnos's feet(5). Dilnos was caught off guard by the lightning quick blow, and was tossed to his feet. Scythius towered over the man, lifting Grimstalf in the hopes of finishing him off with Impale. But the youth had a trick up his sleeve, rolling underneath Scythius's legs. Scythius howled in anger, as he was slashed yet again on the back with Magnif. He feel to his knees, as Dilnos jumped on his back, knee first. Magnif changed to Sawyior. He pointed the blade at the back of Scythius's neck, ready for the finishing blow.

"How's it going in there, Dilnos? Is every--" Gadget piped in.

This distraction was what Scythius needed. He shook Dilnos off of his back, like a dog does when he dries off.

"You certainly are a worth opponent, Dilnos." he remarked, as he picked himself up and turned to the man, who was also getting back on his feet. "I will have fun destroying you. At least you have proven to me that you will die with honor, and not like a coward."

He brandished Grimstalf, waving it in the air. Both of them had almost been killed, but that did nothing more than to feed the bloodlust that grew in him during battle. It was time to kill this man, or die trying.

As his opponent swung the sword down on Dilnos, he managed to dodge. The attempt was bad, though, as his opponent scored a cut on his left thigh.

Man, I'm getting tired... he thought.

Being shook off the "spirit's" back tired him a lot.

"Very good, mister. Just don't let me hit you," Dilnos said as he brought the sword down on his opponent's weapon. He lost his grip, and the weapon was thrown near the doorway.

"Regald!" the man yelled.

Dilnos watched as the sword disappeared. He was even more surprised when a two-handed axe appeared in the "spirit's" hands.

"Regald's Fury!" the man said as he threw his axe at Dilnos(2).

Dilnos was smart enough to dodge the thrown axe.

"Flare Whip!" Dilnos called. closing his right fist. A long line of fire appeared in his hand. He then swung it at the man, scoring a hit on the chest.

It wasn't enough to knock him back, though. The axe returned to the man's hands a second after Dilnos used Flare Whip.

"Man, he's something," he heard Gadget say.

"What now, Gadget?" he asked, a little irritated. The last time they spoke, he got shook off the man's back.

"He can change his weapons at will,"

"So?"

"So, he could hit you with anything--"

"Hold that thought," he told her. He then powered up the Gravity Gauntlets.

"What are you doing?" Gadget asked, confused.

"This," he replied as he threw his right fist at the man. He scored directly on the chest, sending the man to the wall near the stairs.

Strange, he thought as the blow connected, he didn't even try to dodge or block. What's he up to?

Scythius picked himself up with a grunt. He glanced back at the damage to the wall he had crashed in to. He had been tossed back in to a door, the wooden fragments down sticking out at points. If he hadn't been wearing armor, he would have been seriously injured. This gave him an idea. One more question still remained, however: how did Dilnos punch so hard? He didn't look like a heavyweight; not by a long shot. Scythius suspected that even a heavyweight couldn't punch 275 lbs of metal that far and with that much force. Scythius eyed the strange gauntlets the youth was wearing; the only piece of clothing that looked semi-normal in Scythius's eyes. An enchantment, perhaps? Then what was its drawback?

Scythius circled Dilnos, keeping an eye on not only Magnif, but the Gravity Gauntlets. It was time to play defensive and put his plan to action.

"Durgrum and Audulf!" he yelled, as Regald dissipated in to the form of his trusty sword and shield.

Once again Scythius circled, taking a few cautionary stabs here and there. Dilnos suddenly struck out, smashing again and again against Audulf. The shield blocked every blow, and Scythius retaliated with a few swift blows. All of them were dodged, as Scythius slowly advanced. Durgrum was easy to avoid, so Dilnos just kept backing up, taking a few slashes where he could.

Scythius suddenly saw the opportunity he was looking for.

"Shield Bash!" he roared, smashing Audulf at Dilnos with all his might (1). Unfortunately for Scythius, he was met by the Gravity Gauntlet, which Dilnos had punched Scythius with at the exact second he used Shield Bash. The Gravity Gauntlet hit Audulf dead-center, and a loud Boom! echoed throughout the fortress. Scythius was sent sailing backwards, his arm numb from the force of the blow. He crashed in to a table, smashing through it.

Dilnos was sent exactly were Scythius had planned: the wreckage of the wooden door Scythius had been knocked back in to. Dilnos had a stroke of luck, however: he didn't hit any of the big wooden stakes. He did, however, receive several cuts and scrapes.

Scythius's arm was still numb: so numb, in fact, that he decided that he couldn't use his shield for a while.

"Regald!" he called, as the two handed axe appeared in his hands. He then began to run towards Dilnos, who was just picking himself out of the rubble.

Man, he's good, Dilnos thought as he dodged the axe's blow. He was semi-aware that he had several cuts and bruises, but he had to get the Magnif back, quickly. He charged a fireball in his left hand and a touch of static shock in his right. Then he fused them together by clapping hard. The two elements fused into plasma, a nifty thing he could perform with.

He rolled over to the Magnif before the axe could hit him again and picked it up. He felt a burning sensation in both hands. When he looked, he saw that the Gravity Gauntlets were missing some platings. He realized that by picking up the Magnif while he had plasma ready had caused him to burn himself.

He shook off the pain and put the Magnif away for now.

"Volcanic Eruption!" he shouted.

There was a slight rumbling, but it soon turned into a rather large explosion, sending both fighters into separate rooms. Dilnos put out his fists, smashing through the doorway being blocked by the broken shards of wood. When he got up, he saw that he was in a rather creepy room. It had a huge bed with black covers over it. Behind it was a window that had been boarded up for reasons he couldn't think of at the moment.

Then he got an idea. He dived onto the bed and laid on it, trying not to make a sound. He hoped to catch his opponent offguard with a well-placed shock to the back.

He heard footsteps coming into the room. He slowed his breath down so he couldn't be heard.

He then let out a heavy breath.

Scythius entered the bedroom, and looked around. The bedroom had a creepy vibe to it, and Scythius scowled as he looked around for his opponent. Suddenly, a heavy breath was let out.

Scythius's head turned to the direction of the breathing, as Dilnos suddenly burst out from the covers, jumping high in the air. In his hand was the flame whip from earlier, summoned again at the height of his jump. He spun around, and lashed out with this whip. It struck Scythius across the face, as he advanced on Dilnos. He yelled as his helmet heated up, sending intense heat directly at his face. In his anger, Scythius paid no attention to his slipping sanity. Once he got close to Dilnos, he raised Regald.

"Hamstring!" he yelled, slashing the back of Dilnos's leg, leaving a nasty cut(0 Insanity time!). Dilnos clutched his leg in pain, as he looked down at the cut. It was long, and bleeding, but not too deep. He wouldn't bleed to death, but until he got used to the pain, he would limp slightly. He looked back at his opponent, who was crouching on the ground.

Scythius squeezed his eyes shut, trying in a futile attempt to drive Atreich back. Nothing could save him, however, as a thousand whisperes bombarded him.

OOC: Sorry, short one this time.

OoC: Don't worry. The fight's awesome.

BiC: As he clutched his leg, Dilnos wondered what was taking his opponent so long to strike.

"Uh, Dilnos?" Gadget said as he felt her presence in his mind.

"Yes?" he yelled as he got up, pain going away very slowly.

"This 'spirit' you're fighting is immobile right now,"

"What does that mean?" he said as calm as he could in his current situation. He was breathing heavily from that encounter.

Just before he could do something to nudge his opponent into shape, the man snapped at him, weapon on the way to Dilnos's body. He put up another earth wall with Rocko and tried to keep it there. The force of the attacks, coupled with the fact that he was tired and had a cut on his hamstring, forced him to do something drastic.

He used the Gravity Gauntlet on his left hand to break open the board covering the window. As sunlight flooded into the room, he chose to jump out and use Stratnus. He flew over to the entrance and landed, rolling inside. He had his opponent right where he wanted him. He charged up a ball of fire and shot it at the man. He missed by a few inches, hitting the head of an unlit torch.

"Dilnos," he heard from inside his head. The voice didn't sound like Gadget, but rather like...

"Ardnal?" he asked in desperation. What was he doing, talking to him while he was in a fight? he thought.

"Dilnos, you need to exploit the man by sending him into another pause," Ardnal said as Dilnos saw his opponent turn around and look at him.

"How?" he asked as he readied the Magnif for another flurry of strike.

"He's a bit like you. Only he's a little less stable,"

"How would I fight him in my condition?"

There was a slight pause.

"Use your Berserk Mode. You wouldn't feel much pain until after you snap out of it. You can't use the Magnif, though,"

"Oh, and you want me to fight like that?"

"Not much options, other than get killed or something,"

"I'll try," Dilnos said. He closed his eyes and put the Magnif away.

Berserk, berserk, berserk. Come on, go berserk. he thought.

He felt a tingling feeling and opened his eyes. Now he was THE beast of the battle.

OoC: Again, great battle. One question: has Scythius ever faced a human who can go berserk?

OOC: Nope, he never has.

IC:

The now insane Scythius ran at his opponent, who was now also running at him, a wild look in his eyes. The two clashed, both releasing feral growls as they began to fight. Scythius ran with Regald, swinging it wildly. He made no attempts to be accurate, and his attacks were a lot slower and weaker than before. Dilnos held out both of his hands, and a lightning bolt ripped through the ceiling, striking Scythius. Scythius didn't react in anyway, even though the electricity was being conducted through his armor.

Dilnos powered up the Gravity Gaunlets, sending a punch at Scythius. Scythius didn't seem to even attempt to avoid the blow, as it hit him straight in the chest. He was forced back, flying in to a wall behind him. He picked himself up, as Dilnos ran and jumped in to the air. Scythius once again swung and missed his target, and Dilnos punched Scythius in the head. Scythius recoiled from the force of the blow, and roared again. He launched a flurry of blows at Dilnos, all but one of which hit, and that one did very little damage. Scythius was punched again and again, at his opponent's mercy.

Just before Scythius regained his sanity, he swung Regald out in front of him, forcing Dilnos to hop back out of the axe's path. Scythius then crouched down on the floor, pushing back Atreich from his mind. For another five seconds, he was immobile, as Dilnos gave him another punch. Scythius then lay down on the floor, the beating from his insanity taking its toll on him (10). He cryed out in anguish, as he picked himself up. Although wounded, he still had the will to live, and he was going to win this; one way or the other.

OoC: Sorry for the break in action. I was busy with some things.

BiC: After entering Berserk Mode, Dilnos opened up communications inside his mind.

"Um, how long until I get out of this, Ardnal?" he said.

"Maybe three minutes," Ardnal said.

"Any ideas how to win this?"

"Maybe a good punch could work," Gadget piped in.

"Uh, last time I checked, I can't control myself in my berserk state,"

"Well, it was a good suggestion..."

"Ardnal, any other ideas?"

He got no response for a while.

"Sorry, Dilnos, but he had to use the restroom," Gadget said after a while.

"Darn..."

"Two minutes remaining,"

"For what?"

"Until you get out of berserk status,"

Just then, he saw that his opponent had gotten up and was holding the axe in his hands.

They both ran towards each other.

Scythius swung his axe out, trying to land a hit. He could tell that Dilnos was surprised that he suddenly was giving out accurate and powerful swings.

Perhaps I can use this to my advantage thought Scythius, as he changed Regald in to Grimstalf. He deflected punch after punch from the Gravity Gauntlets with Grimstalf, but never activated an ability. A plan was forming in his mind, a plan that had a chance of killing off the scrawny whelp.

Dilnos seemed to have no fear anymore, and his attacks seemed a lot stronger. Scythius was getting tired just trying to deflect the blows, not getting a chance to strike back himself. It was as if Dilnos was Insane as well, but without the drawbacks. After two minutes, Scythius's arm was feeling painful. Suddenly, the beatings stopped, as Dilnos's face twitched. The almost demonic gleam in his eye faded, as his expresion turned from one of anger to one of exhaustion.

This was exactly the opportunity Scythius had been waiting for. With a weary sigh, he held Grimstalf out.

"Ghost!" he shouted, as he dissipated in to a heavy mist, Grimstalf floating in the air (0, Insanity time after Ghost). The mist reformed in to the shape of Scythius, however this time he was floating a foot off the ground, and transparent. He laughed chillingly as a black ring surrounded the immediate area.

Dilnos glanced around in panic as ghostly arms reached out of the circle. They felt around his legs, as they grabbed on with a vice like grip. He tried punching them off, but without success, the Gauntlets passing right through them. Scythius floated over to Dilnos, who aimed punches at him, but they all failed. Another laugh rang out, a laugh that made Dilnos shudder with fear. Scythius drew Grimstalf back, and aimed at the immobile Dilnos.

"Ghost Strike" he stated in a ragged, echoing voice, as he plunged Grimstalf in to Dilnos. It went right through his cloths, piercing his left shoulder. With a cry of pain from Dilnos, Scythius retracted the blade. The black circle disappeared, and the ghostly hands departed. Dilnos, clutching his shoulder, made a run for it. He panted as he started to run, and Scythius smiled. He still had two more Ghost Strikes before he returned to the land of the living and suffered the consequences of his transformation. He glided after Dilnos, the cold, manical laughter ringing out through the air.

Dilnos's innards weren't having a good time. After exiting Berserk Mode, he felt like he was going to puke. Combine that with his slashed left shoulder, the exhaustion he had from running so much, all the scrapes and bruises on his whole body, his cut hamstring, and a rapidly deteriating will to fight, and he felt like sparing his opponent the pleasure of killing him by doing it himself.

"Life signs are going down..." he heard Gadget say in what was left of his sanity.

"Dilnos, you need to end it in a tie, now," Ardnal said.

"How?" Dilnos said, breathing heavily as he did so, "He's basically a ghost now,"

There was a pause.

"True," Gadget said after a while.

He ducked into the room where he had hidden behind the curtains on the bed. Then he decided to use Rocko to set up a barrier in the doorframe.

He ducked underneath the bed, ready to run if the moment came.

I'm not liking this, he thought as he heard the barrier break.

As he heard his opponent come in, he rolled out from underneath the bed and tried to run through the doorway. Unfortunately for him, his opponent's ghostly hands grabbed his left leg, which had his hamstring injury. He tried using the Magnif to cut the hands off, but as he pulled it out, he realized that if the Gravity Gauntlets couldn't knock them off their grips, then neither would the Magnif.

Just then, he felt his injury get reopened as the opponent's weapon recut his hamstring. The gripping hands let go, and he decided that the only thing he could do now was to try a quick idea.

"Summon Dog!" he called, and a rottweiler appeared next to him. The dog had its teeth bared, ready to fight.

"Attack him," Dilnos said.

The rottweiler ran up to his opponent, ready to protect Dilnos.

Scythius drew his head back with some satisfaction. Another perfect cut, and this time opening a previous wound. Now a dog stood in his way. Scythius smirked. A dog again?

The dog rushed at him, teeth bared. It jumped out at him, and yelped as it passed right through him, crashing to the ground. It sprang up again, a feral look in its eye, as it sprinted towards Scythius again. This time Scythius didn't even look at it, as it was little more than a nuisance, biting at his heels. Another haunting laugh echoed through the air, as he glided after his limping opponent.

Dilnos was getting desperate now. He picked up a few books from the shelves, tossing them at Scythius. Scythius laughed as they uselessly slipped through him. Dilnos picked up a dusty leather-bound tome, throwing it at Scythius just like the other books. This one, however, had a secret. When it hit Scythius, the book stopped in mid-air, and opened. This book was actually a spellbook, which had been collecting dust on the shelves for some time now.

Scythius curiously poked the book with a ghostly finger. Suddenly, the spell inside the book was unleashed, as a beam of bright red light hit him directly in the chest. Scythius howled in pain, as the beam passed right through him. It seemed to cause no harm, however Scythius felt intense pain in his wounded chest.

Dilnos's face looked optimistic for the first time in a while. He's weak against magic!.

He raised his hands, and a lightning bolt struck Scythius. Another howl of pain rung out, as the air started to smell of smoke. Scythius turned furiously towards Dilnos, gliding as fast as he could. A fireball struck his left arm, coaxing another frantic shout from the ghost. Scythius closed the distance, and raised Grimstalf high. He grabbed Dilnos by the neck, lifting him up a foot off the ground.

"Let this be a lesson to you, boy! Those who are older and wiser will always triumph over the young and foolhardy!"

Scythius then raised his sword and performed his final ghost strike, stabbing Dilnos through the thigh. Dilnos then fell to the ground and looked up, stunned by the pain. Scythius's form vanished in to thin air, only to consolidate and solidify in to the form of human Scythius, who was gasping on the ground. The dog, which had previously been of no threat, was now tearing at his armor with its teeth, mauling the helpless Scythius.

His wounds from the magic were now clearly visible as burn marks, still slightly smoking. However, the biggest danger to Scythius now lay within his mind, as Atreich was taking over. Scythius's face contorted underneath his helmet as he struggled in vain to fight off the Spirit of Madness. (Insanity Time!)

Oh yeah? Dilnos retorted to his opponent's quote in his mind.

He realized that the man had hurt him beyond support, but now he felt his Gravity Gauntlets act up. He felt a field of gravity slowly cover his whole body, from his head to his feet. He then decided that now would be the best time to strike, but how?

He got an idea immediately. He pulled out the Magnif and changed it to Zooidia.

"Summon Ostrich!" Dilnos called. He watched as the dog disappear, and looked to his left in time to see an ostrich appear.

His opponent got up, a look of ferocity in his eye. Dilnos saw the chance now.

"Volt Shock!" he yelled next, pointing his right hand at his opponent.

As a bolt of lightning flew from his fingertips, the ostrich bent its head down low enough for Dilnos to get a grip. He got up slowly, the injuries he received becoming extra painful. He didn't dare give up, unless his opponent gets in the last strike. He saw the bolt hit his opponent square in the chest, flipping over on to his back. Dilnos knew that he himself was good at Thunder magic, so he expected his opponent to stay down for a while.

"There," Dilnos said to nobody in particular, "It's done,"

He later found out the truth when his opponent tried to get up. With the ostrich holding him up, he walked painfully to the man and put his left foot on the man's back, his entire body screaming with pain as he did it. The man fell back down.

"Listen here, Scythius," he said, remembering the man's name from before the fight started, "I have a hunch that something terrible happened to you a long time ago, and it's made you into the being you are now. Looking at you, you'd like death to fall on you because it could be the only way you'll be at peace, but because you fight like a hero, I don't have the guts to kill a good opponent. You fought well, and now I'll leave you with the promise of fighting you in the near future. Good day," Dilnos turned and was about to start walking when his senses kicked back in. He jumped in time to see Scythius strike the ostrich in the leg. When he landed on his feet, the burden of being tired took its toll. He fell asleep and started to fall backward. His body hit the floor first, followed by his left arm.
************************************************** ***************
When he opened his eyes a while later, he was in a room inside what he knew to be his house.His wounds were covered with bandages, and he was laying on a rather fluffy bed with a fluffy pillow behind his head. Above his head, he could see a fan spinning its blades. The room itself was blue with a black sqare on the wall in front of him. He got up slowly, the pain he felt earlier weakening. He walked over to a window that was next to the bed. He could see the street outside. He could see the people of the city walking humbly across the street. He was so absorbed in it that he failed to hear the door open until he heard a female voice say to him, "Dilnos,"

He turned around and saw Gadget standing behind him, holding out the band-like object she gave him earlier. The thing was now destroyed.

"This band saved your life, Dilnos," she started, "When you fell over, the band flew out of your left pocket, your left hand managed to hit it as it fell. It then proceeded to bring you home. Here, take it," She held it out some more. Dilnos grabbed it gently and put it back in his pocket.

"Now, you need to get some shut-eye. That fight you did took out most of your energy," She said. She turned around and started to walk out, pausing to turn around.

"Don't worry, Dilnos. You'll be all right," she added as she turned back around and walked out the door. Dilnos resumed looking out the window, but now a thought entered his head: Is Scythius alright?

OoC: Great fight, Alatian! You sure know how to use your character well. Good luck in the future.

Scythius picked himself up off the ground, brushing himself off. He looked around with bated breath, his eyes swiveling around as he looked his opponent. He tried to lift Grimstalf up, but felt a sudden weight on it. He tensed as he looked down, to find the carcass of what looked like a bird with a long neck. He withdrew Grimstalf from the mess of blood and feathers, and searched the room. No matter were he looked, the boy was nowhere to be seen.

Perhaps he gave up Scythius thought with glee. If I'm not dead, then he must have summoned the strange bird and fled, using it as a scapegoat. With his conclusion drawn, Scythius did a brisk check of the fortress, exploring the dark and cold rooms of its imposing figure before giving up and walking out the door. He put his hands over his eyes as the glaring light struck him. As he waited for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness, he mulled over the battle.

Dilnos was a strange opponent: he looked and acted like no youth Scythius had ever seen, dressed in strange garments and with such an unusual weapon. His magical abilities could at least be explained: such people pop up from time to time, it isn't entirely rare. However, he couldn't think of an explanation for the amazing sword and gauntlets the man possessed. The sword seemed to be able to change form at will, and had magic imbued in to it. The only logical explanation is an enchantment: and that would require Dilnos to defeat a spirit and perform a complex ritual to encase it in an object. This seemed unlikely, as Dilnos had no idea what a spirit was, let alone the ritual to power his sword with it. Another enigma was those gauntlets. This was the only piece of clothing that Scythius recognized. They, like the sword, had strange powers. Once again, the only explanation for their feats of strength was an enchantment, which again seemed unlikely. One last explanation remained: he was a thief, and had stolen these objects of power. This theory actually made a little sense, for a magician like Dilnos would certainly have the power to steal things from rich fools who horde artifacts for their own amusement.

Scythius trudged through the forest until he found his horse, still tied up to the tree. Scythius saddled up on to the stallion, as started out of the valley at a steady pace. As he stared down the path ahead of him, he thought back on his theory. If Dilnos was a thief, then that was all the more reason to defeat him; to be ignorant of the spirits is one thing, but to steal their souls and use them for evil intent is another. Scythius forced his horse to speed up, a look of determination in his eye.

OOC: Great battle! It was really fun, you did great! I hope to battle you again soon!