Round 1 Spectator Thread

OoC: This is the thread where people watching the fight can watch, comment, discuss and work through what's going on in the battle. Like everything else, this has certain rules that are important to note.

Rules:

1) Being an In-Character event, try to keep your character either here or in the other areas of the Dome Tournament, as continuity, although somewhat questionable, is important. Not the most important, but still important.

2) Characters watching the battle can talk among themselves but don't have to. Consider that where the character is sitting affects their ability to hear, so keep that in mind while posting here and trying to spark conversations.

3) This IS a thread for people who aren't involved in the tournament but just want their character to watch the fights, so feel free to post here with a character if you want.

4) As with everything here, these are written similarly to other posts here, so everything must be in traditional post format.

Aside from that, let the games begin. ^_^

It was a most unassuming pair of doors, not at all unusual amongst the many wooden portals that lined the halls of the Dome. The only unique feature was the large gold lettering above them, "ARENA." There was no single sound coming from the other side of the heavy oak, and all else outside was calm and fairly empty. Only one couple passed me as I stared at the the doors before me, contemplating if what lay beyond was worth the trouble of enduring a crowd.

"Why Leonna be so slow?" A small yellow paw tucked at the hem of my dress, beady black eyes looking curiously up at me. I returned the question with a sigh, bending down to reach my arm out to the over-sized rabbit. Padme, the quick little thing, darted up to cling onto my shoulder, her large back feet rubbing against the back of my dress.

"Well, I suppose we did come this far." I gathered up a fistful of my green skirt in one hand, turning the bronze handle of the door with the other. Almost immediately, a thousand cheers broke through the passageway, bright sunlight blinding through. I blinked a few times before I dared to step out onto the cobbled stone beyond the door, using my hand to shield my eyes. At first, I saw little more than the white stone archway I stood under, the sounds of cries and shouts ringing into my ears.

Yes, I had found the arena.

I stumbled forward, moving deeper into the stone passage. There was hardly any shadow here; the arch extended only a few feet in the front and back of me with both ends full of blaring sunlight. I walked towards the screams and calls, suddenly finding myself standing between two extensive rows of shallow seating. Truly, this place was massive.

The arena was an immense colosseum, a sight I had seen only in books. Rows of seating were broken up into four large tiers with enough room to seat thousands, no, tens of thousands of people. Near the top of the high walls that encircled the place, one could see finely carved boxes where finely dressed men and women sat. On he two tiers below them, more modestly dressed people were cheering the scene below as they waved handkerchiefs and banners. Below them was a ragged crowd, jumping and whooping as flames erupted from below.

Between the onlookers and the participants, there was a fifteen foot drop into the ground. Though dwarfed by the sheer size of the seating, the fighting ground must have been nearly 300 feet long. According to the action erupting down there, I had walked in during the midst of battle.

"Such brilliant architecture!" The remark deserved to be said; I decided when I reached the railing on the second tier. The faces of the crowd were brightly lit as the afternoon sun shone from above, falling even on the rose wreaths strewed across the top pillars of the arena. I might have stared at the smooth stone, the cheering masses, the sheer size of it all, had it not been for the rush of flame below.

"Woah, bigfight!" Padme excitedly tapped my shoulder, her large ears standing tall and alert upon her head. I followed her gaze, watching the two men below. Their auras were nearly dwarfed in the massive crowd of onlookers, but their fiery energy called for attention. It seemed the red haired combatant was the one attacking, and the blond...

Wait... had I seen that face before?

OoC: If there are any problemos, just give me a shout.

So this is it, Cale thought as he opened the doors to the arena and walked through. The arena. Cale's first thought was that he had no hope to find Dybia. The thought was soon blown out of his mind, though, as he took in the brilliant sight that was before him.

Never had Cale seen such a massive crowd gathered in one space. The noise, rather than getting on his nerves, brought a sort of joy to him. Just being in the place exhilarated him. So many different people crammed into one space, all to view the same thing. Cale's mind was no longer occupied with thoughts of his soon-to-be opponent, and had he not walked up to the railing to study the arena, he might have even forgotten he was competing.

The sight was amazing. The two combatants appeared to be some sort of magician and a man with wings. Even in the time he had been there, Cale still hadn't seen magic being used, and he certainly hadn't seen anyone fly. For a moment, the thought entered his head that he would be fighting here soon. This not only brought thoughts of who exactly his opponent was to his mind, but also added to the curiosity of what exactly he would have to face.

The battle itself was not particularly easy to watch. Truly, the magical feats were amazing to behold, but I could not help but wince at each strike. Both combatants were clearly very powerful, but... more power could easily mean worse injuries. One second of lost concentration, one moment of hesitation, one fumbling of the blade, and a terrible injury could occur. Were there even doctors and mages here to treat these men quickly enough should such a thing happen?

"Well... I certainly hope that is not him." I took my eyes from the battle below, tracing my fingers across the stone rail. Places like this were supposed to be exciting, but the only worthwhile feature I could put to it was its ability to drown out thought with a chorus of shouts. I would not be able to do a worthy study of the arena until it was calm and quiet; then there would be enough room and focus to take in the true nature of the place.

"Hoi! HUNTER! Padme kill! She kill!"

I turned my head just soon enough to catch Padme screaming at a nearby onlooker. Her shrill voice was the only warning I had to grab the yellow furball before she went flying at the unsuspecting archer. There was not anything particularly dangerous about him, save that one could see the bow strapped to his back, as well his arrows.

"Let Padme GO! KILLIE KILLIE KILLE!" The small creature writhed in my arms, pounding her paws in a fury. I bit my lip as I held her, wishing the battle had not riled her up and that archer had been a swordsman. It would have been an embarassing spectacle, but the noise and excitement of the arena was still directed at the combatants alone.

"Padme! No one is hunting here!" My teeth were gritted as I spoke. It was difficult simply to back away from the railing to leave the place. Hopefully, I could escape before someone else realized the creature's death wish.

In Cale's captivation with the battle and the arena, he almost didn't hear the shrill screaming coming at him from a short distance to his right. He caught a coup of 'killie's at the end, though, and turned to see a woman restraining a rather large rabbit-looking creature. The woman appeared to murmer to the strange creature in her arms.

Cale wasn't the least bit surprised at the animal's apparent determination to kill him, because he was distracted with it's bizarre appearance. It was one of the strangest things he had seen since signing up for the tournament, and he was determined to figure out what it was.

So Cale calmly walked toward the woman who was restraining it and began asking questions.

"Sorry if I'm being rude, but what is that you're holding?" Cale asked as if the rabbit-thing were just a small bird perched on her wrist. "And of course, I mean no disrespect to you, either," he said, smiling at the rabbit.

"DIE, HUMAN! PADME KILL!" Padme raged, her black eyes wide. I had to tighten my grip on her, smiling sheepishly up at the man. He had such strange dark eyes, so calm, and quite curious.

"Er... this creature is called a--"

"I KILL I KILL!"

"Haschen. They are a very intelligent species of--"

"HUMAN DIE!"

I looked up to the man with desperate embarassment, doing my upmost to be polite while holding a screaming furball. "Er... if you would be so kind... could you please reassure my friend that you are not here to hunt?"

Cale nodded to the woman. "I promise I'm not here to hunt. I only hunt when necessary, and I'd much rather forage for edible plants." He said all of this while supressing a grin. The haschen's advances struck him as more amusing than threatening.

"Sorry for the trouble," said Cale. "So how did you come across this... unique companion? Oh, my name's Cale, by the way." Cale gave her a smile and stuck out his hand.

Padme calmed into a sulky growl, her black eyes bright with suspicion. I hardly dared to let go of her, so I offered the man a wider smile instead. "Er... Cale, I must apologize for Padme's behavior. She is simply sensitive to... er... certain weapons..."

"HUMAN want truce, eh?" The yellow rabbit glared at his extended hand, looking up to properly survey him. "Strangeman must offer Trucegift!"

I sighed, shaking my head as the embarassment continued to sink in. Truly, this was a kind fellow, and Padme was making a scene out of both of us. "It is a Haschen tradition that those who wish peace with them must offer a token of their sincerity. A... herb, a fruit, a biscuit... almost anything suffices. Of course, Cale, we do not mean to disturb you, and you have been too kind already. Do excuse us." I then made again for the arena door.

"No, no, that's fine!" said Cale quickly. He didn't like the idea of someone so interesting leaving, nor did he want the haschen to continue it's disdain. "It's fine, it's fine. I have some herbs and nuts in this bag," he said, holding up the bag he carried with himself. Ordinarily, it would be heavier, but he had left his cooking supplies in the room he was using. "I'd really like to learn more about these haschens, they seem interesting. I would be glad to offer a... a trucegift."

"Ha! Strangeman be smart after all!" Padme flung her paws forward, impatiently waiting for what she deemed to be rightfully hers. I could do little more than sigh and relent, still not entirely sure that it was safe to let go.

I could only remain grateful that the archer was a kind and patient fellow. His eyes were almost like gemstones, smooth and calm with bright blue-green irises. His unkept hair and earth-colored clothes made him look very much like a man of the wilderness, and his comments even further confirmed the notion. I might have questioned how such a man had found this immensely crowded and shining arena, but this was the dome. Strange and unusual things occured every minute, much like the magical fighters below.

Cale chuckled at the haschen's eagerness to take his gift, and when the time came he let it go without hesitation. He was not in the least offended by the creature's calling him 'Strangeman', and he wasn't about to let a slightly rude rabbit keep him from making friends and gaining information.

For the first time, he noticed the woman's eyes. Their colors and pattern intrigued him, and, if he had not caught himself, he might've stared into them for a while just wondering if there was some story behind their appearance. He looked away, though, and decided he wasn't going to ask about them. Not yet, at least. Better to start with simpler questions.

"So what are your names? And how did you meet each other?" he asked her. "If it's not my place to ask, just tell me."

"O-oh, not at all, I--" Another roar from the crowd reminded me to increase the volume of my voice. As Padme dug intently into her gift to examine its contents, I felt my cheeks redden as the man's gaze fell to me. It would have been safer to find another excuse to leave, or to simply turn back to the battle below, but there was something about this man's eyes, his kind curiosity that caused me to ask questions of my own.

"I am Leonna, Sir. That rabbit's name is Padme. We met when I was travelling through Haschen territory, and she decided to join me." I hesitated for a moment, looking about the crowd and still avoiding the man's eyes.

I couldn't believe my eyes. After my discovery of magic and the Dome, I had been exposed to many strange places. But this...this was something entirely new to me. I had never before seen so many humans, creatures, people, in one place. The sheer variety of races present here was mind boggling, and I was used to seeing many different aliens. I looked around at the arena, wondering what I would see next when something caught my eye. Aside from the incredible match going on in the center of the arena, for a split second I saw a glimpse of a large crystal staff that sparked my recognition. Slowly edging my armored bulk throughout the tightly pressed crowd, I moved to get a closer look. At one point I had to activate my energy shield to make it through the wild crowd. Soon enough my suspicions were confirmed. Her appearance had changed since I had last seen her. She was wearing different clothes and her staff glowed with a different color; a pleasant light blue color. Stepping up behind her, I saw that she was conversing with a rather scraggly looking human. I did not wishing to be rude to her and her companion, but my curiosity had to be satisfied.

"Leonna? Is that you?"

OoC: In case you couldn't tell, this is Letalis. =)

"It must be nice to have such a... an exuberant friend with you. Must keep life interesting," said Cale, again smiling at the haschen. He noticed her cheeks reddening and decided to take a glance at the match so that she could have a few seconds without his eyes on her. What he saw was a bit surprising.

"Hm, quite a short match," he said. "I'm almost... disappointed. So, are you-" he was cut off in the middle of his sentence.

"Leonna, is that you?"

Cale looked away to see a large creature that must've been over two feet taller than him walk up. He knows Leonna? he thought. Suddenly his travels seemed insignificant. He had never encountered someone so... unique. Instantly he was overcome with a need to know more.

"I assume you know this man?"

OoC: Oh look we're twice as long as the battle was. And mostly with only two participants DX.

OoC: This is weird... now that the battle is over, I'm not sure if we're supposed to continue into a new thread, or what. We could try out the festival, though (which is taking place just outside of the arena).

BiC:

My arms squeezed the rabbit tightly against my chest . Not only was the deep voice directly behind me and addressing my name, it was familiar. I carefully steadied my feet before I dared to turn around, taking a deep breath to address the speaker. There could have been no means of preparing me for what I saw.

"L-L-Letalis! Oh my." Had he grown since the last time we had met? He truly was a sizeable fellow, and a warrior, if I recalled correctly. How on earth had we ended up in the same place again?

"Mmm... strange reptile, yes. He be fighter?" Padme's ears went flat as she cocked her head, staring directly up at the bizarre creature. "We go talk in better place! Strangeman come, too. Nogood to keep HUMANS not watched."

(ignore this post, but just pretend the battle actually went on for a decent length of time. Me and Unlimited were planning it out before he decided to pull out)

"You know this man?" the human that Leonna was talking to asked her. I gave a grin at his choice of words. Leonna slowly turned around at looked up at me. Was it just me, or had she gotten shorter? I decided that it didn't really matter anyway.

"L-L-Letalis! Oh my." She seemed a bit shaken to see me. It was understandable, considering I hadn't seen her in a long time, and the odds of seeing me now were astronomically low. Now that she turned around, I could see that she was holding a strange looking yellow furred creature with long ears. I was trying to figure out what this creature was when it spoke.

"Mmm... strange reptile, yes. He be fighter?" The creature's ears went flat as it inspected me critically. "We go talk in better place! Strangeman come, too. Nogood to keep HUMANS not watched." She seemed severely mistrustful of the other human that was there, the one I had not met before.

"Very well. That is fine with me, since I do not really have any where else that I need to be. Before we go, however, it would be rude of me not to introduce myself to your companion." I turned to face the human with the lanky hair. He had strange eyes, for a human anyway. I wondered briefly what could have caused such a strange eye color. "Greetings human. My name is Letalis 'Ferox. May I ask yours?" I held out my hand to shake, a strange human custom that I followed because it put them at ease.

OoC: I'm gonna pretend the fights still going! YEA!!!... cause I'm bored. *sprays with revival sauce*

BiC:
The fight was something else. Both men were packing heavy magic, one had even sprouted wings. The heavyweight title was indeed fitting. Even Zyler could admit he was hesitant to go up against either one, without his dragon, anyway. As he kept one eye on the fight, he kept the other eye perusing the crowed for someone interesting, or hot, to talk to.

After the first two he found out were already married, Zyler spotted Judo off a ways and figured he might as well say his how do’s. Coming up behind the soldier, Zyler slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Hey! Judo, right? I’m gonna defeat y—I mean—be your first opponent.” He said in a joking tone. “How goes it?”

After Judo remounted Duke, he immediately set off for the arena once more. He'd gotten a lucky break from the appearance of Dante, whom had given the knight a rather challenging, yet fun battle. Hoping he could bypass the women and girls who had cheered him on without being seen, Judo quickly trotted Duke behind buildings before they could pursue him. Kelli would certainly have a problem with them chasing him and Judo knew whenever his wife was angry or upset, she was angry or upset.

Just as Judo entered the arena grounds, he suddenly felt a hand touch his shoulder. Thinking it was probably his father, Judo whirled around to greet him, but instead found the dragon rider himself.

"Hey! Judo, right? I'm gonna defeat y--I mean--be your first opponent," he said in a joking tone. "How goes it?"

"Ah, you must be Zyler then. I'm just fine," Judo replied with a smile, ignoring the joke. "Say, I haven't seen anyone riding a dragon in a long time."

"Oh you haven't? Best way to travel, I say. I've actually come across quite a few dragon riders. Maybe I'm just traveling the right dimensions though." Zyler replied, shrugging. He glanced back at the battle as a huge fireball exploded in air and one of the contestants went flying. Lots of 'ooo's' and 'aaah's' were heard from the crowd.

"So where do you hail from? You're an elf, right?"