Dark Tragedy and Dium vs. Power Shot and Zorolo (Village)

[Aex]

People walked, going on with their chores and hassles. It was just another day from which no good would come. The sun had forgotten about the tiny village, and showed no signs which pointed to its return. Had it not been for the occasional rays of light on a cloudy day, they’d have assumed that the sun had died. For you see, it was replaced by nothing but foul weather and gloomy outlooks.

The tiny village, a stranger to most aspects of modern technology, sat smugly within its nest. Mountains could be seen from every border, giving way to trees and endless seas of green. Contact from outside populations rarely made it to the tiny place, if ever. The people did not mind though, for, although gloomy, their lives were quiet. It was what most of them wanted, after all, to simply be able to exist amongst few others.

Some knew, however, that a day would come when their peaceful habits would be compromised. Such a day they dreaded. They dreaded the day when an outsider would find his or her way into their small but respectable ranks, and cause trouble. Perhaps more than one outsider? After all, not many can destroy what one town has maintained for so long simply by bickering with his or herself. Yes, four strangers would arrive that day on the cold stone streets, unbeknownst to the villagers. But why?

[Evaline]

OoC: Tick-tock, tick-tock, time is running out... Yeah. >>

BiC:
A woman stood at the foot of the village, staring at all the souls lingering around the small buildings. It was a typical village, with a small market, and homes spread out among the ground. The atmosphere was a bit chilly, considering only small rays of light appeared onto the land. The light shined through the clouds as if they were all many cracked open doors, leading into a brightly lit room. It was like the entrance to Heaven, to the place where trapped souls could be free. But alas, Heaven is far away. Maybe even a mythical Utopia. The woman personally didn't believe in Heaven. Or anything, for that matter. It was pointless to believe in anything at all. Believing was just hoping, after all.

The area was a peaceful place. Oblivious to the ugly thing called War, and it's side-kick Violence. It seemed like a paradise. It seemed that it wore a barrier to repel any wicked events that could cause hate or crime. The place only accepted love. True love.

So why was an assassin here?

Kariette, the woman, had no business in this place. No one to kill, no one to fight, nothing needed to be done. She needed to merely cross the town, to get to the village next to it. That’s where she had plans.

Just take another route. Kariette thought to herself. If she were to cross the town, she’d have to put up with all the people. The laughter, the smiles, the “Hey, miss! Would you like to try some of our vegetables?” that the marketers would call out to her. And the fearsome faces of the children staring at her two swords, and her shoes that could easily crush their little hands into pieces.

Kariette skimmed the small field that she was standing in slowly. She could just trot around the outskirts, instead. Or she could take a nearby path that lead to another village, and cut through that one. But either choice took too long. She needed to be in the next village as soon as possible. And having pathetic annoying goons make her take another path was just stupid. She chose to cross the village, of course. It was the easiest option.

Kariette gripped her right sword softly and inhaled. She paced through the back exit of the village quickly. Walking at such a rate would get her through the village in about ten to fifteen minutes.

As predicted, salesmen called out to her, as they do to everyone. Voices that sounded too happy, too oblivious, too fake hit the air.

"Aw, miss! That's some pretty hair you have! It'd be a shame to get it all wet! Would you like to buy one of these marvelous umbrellas?"

"Dear, you're very skinny! Try some of my fish! You need more weight on you!"

"Those clothes of yours are dirty! You should try one of these gorgeous robes I've made...! I'll give you a discount!"

Kariette ignored them all. They were all so desperate. If she wanted what they sold, then she would go up to them and buy it! Fools.

Kariette stared ahead of her. She only had about seven minutes to go, and almost through the market. It'd would all be over, soon. Of course, more people continued to sell a bunch of different things to her. All except the last one. The last wasn't happy, or oblivious, or fake.. The voice wasn't trying to sell anything. It was trying to save her life.

"Lady, watch out!!"

[Zorolo]

OoC: Power Shot-sama, I know you said wait for both of them to post, but I am running out of time. Using Zorlo, link in sig, fear his lack luster awesomeness.

BiC: Zorlo shot awake after a good nights sleep in his room in the dome. He had returned only the day before and now knew what he must do. He looked upon the door that lead out of his room and saw a small brown monkey regurgitating a letter. Such a thing was not odd to him, it was how he found the letters that appeared in his room. The groggy warrior was always surprised by this, no matter how many times he had seen it. Slowly moving himself to the edge of his bed, he leapt at the monkey as it attached the letter to his door, but it dodged as he lunged at it. The monkey easily jumped over him and scurried up the nearest tree into the treetop canopy of the fencer's room. He couldn't but resist reading this letter, mostly after the last one had brought him to this place again.

"I can't believe I'm here again. Why did I come here again, every-time I'm here, something odd always happens," the fencer grasping the letter upon his door. He looked upon the front and instantly recognized the monogram, it was not his master, but that of another, the symbol was that of the yin-yang symbol. "It is not possible, why would he have need to get ahold of me?" In a scurry, the green haired man shredded the envelope and pulled from it what mattered to him, the letter. His eyes scanned it for any reason why this person would have to contact him, any cause why said person would need his assistance. The fencer read the letter to himself and was completely intent on why he had received it.

Zorlo,

A tournament for the ages has begun and you have been drawn to aid someone. Come to my chambers and I shall introduce you to whom it is you shall be working with.

The Encorna.

The fencer went pale... paler. His eyes went wide and he felt faint, he had once again found himself doing the immortal's bidding. Once again, it seemed, the fencer's partner would be one of the great master's students, as he had assisted a few before, and was even in an alliance with one of the immortal's students, Nikudemon, who Zorlo knew was more powerful than himself. As the fencer traversed the hall ways in search of the Encorna's room, he thought about what had brought him to this point, why he had returned to the dome in the first place.
***
It had been little more then a cool autumn day the day before the fencer's return, and yet he found himself doing what he always did, looking for adventure. It had been a while since he had left the Dome, and thought little about what had transpired there, it was better to be left unsaid, for he was most frightful then. He lay in the middle of a meadow, now covered with the falling leaves of summer and the bright colors that meant winter drew near. As his mind wandered through what he was really doing, which consisted mostly of looking for someone, he found an irresistible urge to think about what had happened to him to this point in his life, but as he did so, he heard a noise that attracted his attention.

There he was again, the letter spawning monkey from the fencer's room, and it had found him in this place. But how did he get out of the Dome? The green haired man wondered as he got up and chased the monkey, who again scurried off without a trace. After it escaped him, he returned to the letter that was left for him. He looked down and bent over to pick it up and see what the Dome wanted of him now. He opened the letter and instantly recognized who this letter was from.

Zorlo,

I need you to return to the Dome. A tournament that will last through the ages is about to begin, and you are to be a part of it, but before you can, you must meet your partner.

Your Master, Jacentar.

The green attired man slapped his hand on his forehead as he read the letter. "Just great, how in the name of the gods do they expect me to do that trick. Last time I found the Dome, it was a coincidence," He said as a massive orange door appeared. He knew what that door was and knew where it would take him. He didn't think twice as he opened the door and entered where it took him, the Dome.
***
After a few moments of thought, the fencer arrived upon a massive door, and the only reason Zorlo even had the idea this was the Encorna's room was because of the Nikudemon shaped hole in the balcony and the marks of black paint from his sword. "Wow, this could get tricky, and I don't want to waste to much energy before the tournament starts, so," he said as he sat down and awaited who it was that would be fighting by his side.

As he sat down, the sound of the door opening was heard, and the fencer's eyes were drawn to see who appeared...

OoC: And that is where I end it. Sorry again Power Shot-sama. Hope this was a good opening. Longest thing I've done in a while, doesn't mean it was any good though.

[Power Shot]

"You understand your mission, do you not?"

The words slipped off the big man's tongue softly, yet clear enough that anyone in the vast palace could hear. Of course, none of the Encorna's students were there, they were all off training, and battling. He had his room to himself, for a change. The giant surveyed the second figure, a dark knight, deciding if he truly was the best choice for the mission. If anything, Chronos would be more than able to handle anything that came his way, if only he could master himself.

The Encorna was a figure of presence, but Chronos refused to bow to the eternal being. The massively built giant stood silently, hidden in the folds of his coat, his black mask facing forward. Chronos was the ideal specimen to send to do battle, he was a warrior without the needs of humanity. He did not tire, he barely slept, he was perfect.

And yet he was not. As Kenjin studied him, he remembered that Chronos was not fit psychologically. Losing his memories had given him a lack of purpose, something Kenjin had tried to place in the iron-hard warrior. He hoped that, by sending Chronos with Zorlo, perhaps he could find a new sense of purpose.

"Yes, Kenjin." The powerful voice vibrated through the room, dulled with monotone, but with an echo that commanded even Kenjin's respect. It was dark, and soulless, but with a tingle of presence that the Encorna knew he had. It was muffled, thanks to the black mask that covered his face, but Kenjin heard it clearly. "I will take the deshi, and guide him through the battle. And in exchange, you will show me another vision. We have an accord."

Kenjin bowed in agreement. "Go then. Our business is finished." Chronos nodded, and took a step back, a heavy noise issuing from his hard iron boots clunking on the polished floor of the palace. He turned around, and walked from the Encorna's presence, not in the least intimidated by his power. He supposed that was what Kenjin liked about him, he was fearless and wasn't scared of him. Chronos liked that about himself too.

He stepped in front of the doors, considering what he should do. He could always kick the doors out of his way, but that hardly seemed needed. Chronos raised his index finger, and gave the iron-wrought doors a cold, hard tap. He heard the metal clang as his finger changed, forming into harder steel then the door's as the slightest touch, a vibrant noise that echoed through the palace.

The doors swung open to admit him out.

***

Zorlo looked in surprise as a warrior he knew emerged from the doors. Clad all in black, the only part of his flesh that the swordsman could see was the copper-colored hair, short cropped and sticking up. His right hand was held up in front of his face, a single finger sticking out in the direction the door had been before opening.

"Are you Zorlo?" the warrior asked, in a harsh, dark voice that made Zorlo snap to attention. "The fencer the Encorna mentioned?" Zorlo nodded, stunned at the tall figure. Chronos turned to face the youth, his shadow casting around Zorlo's features. "You know who I am, correct?"

"You are one of Master Encorna's allies," Zorlo answered. "You are Chronos."

"Very good youth." Chronos held out his arm, and touched Zorlo gently on the eyes with one of his gloved hands. Zorlo did not question what the metal fighter was doing, but his eyes widened when metal began to lace around the glove, pooling on his face. He felt the cool sting, and a slight tingle, as it touched him. After a moment, the tingle was gone, and the hand withdrew, metal sliding up its black material to wherever it came from. "You shall come with me, Kenjin has felt it unnecessary to attend this tournament, so he has sent us in his stead. Look out for me, and I will look out for you. Come."

Without another word, Chronos turned and walked through another of the Dome's sprawling corridors. Zorlo followed, and together, they found the door that would take them to the arena that fate had chosen. It was a small door, Chronos' massive frame was bigger than it, but the dark knight said nothing about it, certain as always that this was the door that would take them through. Zorlo glanced over the carved surface, spying the yin-yang symbol which marked it as Kenjin's.

"Are you ready?" Chronos asked, not taking his gaze off the surface.

Zorlo nodded. "I am, Chronos. Let's get going."

Chronos placed a giant hand over the handle of the door, and both warriors took a deep breath before walking through the vortex the door led to.

***

Chronos opened the other end of the door, Zorlo and himself surrounded by small, wooden buildings. "A village," he muttered. "Take note of every detail, Zorlo." He bent to the ground, placing his hand firmly on the ground. Metal flowed to the earth, just as it had with Zorlo's face. Just as before, Chronos saw everything that the village had to offer. He took note of the places, people, and where their challengers were located. He rose, keeping his vision on the village ground. Zorlo noticed that he wasn't looking at anything with his eyes, which he presumed were under the mask he was wearing.

"At the market," he said, after a short time. "We will find our quarries there. Get moving." He began to walk, Zorlo taking note that each time his feet hit the ground, they left giant imprints. Both warriors moved forward, passing through the townspeople without a glance. The villagers looked them over, maybe gave a second glance, but mostly ignored them. Chronos liked that just fine, he was at his best when not noticed. The iron giant walked slowly, and deliberately, in contrast to Zorlo, who was anxious to begin fighting. Chronos just wanted it to be over.

When Zorlo saw her, he knew instantly that she was one of the opponents. Chronos regarded her, taking note of the swords that she had on ready. "Now, Zorlo, take no one in this battle lightly. Understand?" Zorlo nodded, and Chronos imitated the motion. "Have at it then."

Chronos had already spotted the second person, who was watching Zorlo run speedily in the girl's direction. He knew that the person would intervene, which was why he was there. Chronos cracked his knuckles, metal snaps issuing in the air around him. Zorlo had his rapier out, getting ready for the first slash.

"Lady, watch out!" the second opponent shouted, and the woman knew instinctively that the voice was speaking to her. Both of the blades were drawn, and she spun around to face Zorlo, blocking the rapier with both swords. While one sword distracted Zorlo, the other was freed, and began moving in the direction of the swordsman's head.

Chronos blurred, in a single instant turning deep gray. He emerged just in front of the sword tip, and grabbed it roughly with one of his hands. The opponent's face twisted in mild surprise, an expression that Chronos did not find appealing. "Watch your own back too, Zorlo," he muttered, before he tightened his grip on the sword tip, and threw the girl into the second opponent. "I'm not a babysitter."

Zorlo stared in shock at the display of strength for a moment, before their opponents got their second wind, and started towards them.

OoC: I'm bad at opening posts. Plus, DIUM hasn't posted yet, so I didn't have much to work on.

[DIUM]

OoC: Took me long enough.

BiC: Wen had taken a shortcut (possibly a shortcut... a detour anyway) through the forest when he got the message. He had smelled the message, or the messenger, long before that; the aroma of burnt fruit and oil invaded his nose and took presidence over the usual smell of pine and animal waste. When he had determined that his stalker was harmless, and he demanded that he show himself, he was slightlysurprised to find that the strong stench was emanating from a small boy.

"Mr. Grove is it? Are you? 'scuse me." The boy shuffled a bit on the composted ground. "Sir?"

"I... guess." Wen hadn't been called by his last name in a while. "Why?"

The boy's left orange eye twitched beneath his dirty long hair. He was covered in soot and grease, and his tattered clothing looked much too small for him; they were probably hand me downs from either a much older sister or even his mother. The skirt had held up fairly well, considering. He handed him a paper, without an answer.

One side was blank, clearly showing ripples from where the boy had been gripping it. Wen turned it over to find a short notice. He read it quickly.

It was startling news, but Wen took it almost apathetically. It didn't tell of the writer, though, which was disconcerting. "Who gave you this?"

The boy coughed. "She said, she said she wouldn't pay if I said. She said."

"But how would she know if you told way out here?" Wen thought about unsheathing a knife, to make a statement and move things along, but decided against it.

The orange eyes that looked back at Wen told him that this wasn't a line of questioning to be pursued. "She SAID."

"Alright," said Wen, conceding without a fight. "Um, I don't have any money..." Wen didn't know too much about social procedure when it came tomessengers , but he assumed some sort of tip was involved. The boy may or may not have been expecting anything, but at this point he decided to run off.

Wen stood still for a moment, blank faced and silent. He cracked his neck. Then he started walking again, but with a different destination. He had juggled the idea of a tournament in his mind, and had decided that it was the most interesting thing to happen in a long time. Interesting, figured Wen, was as good as it was going to get for a while.

Now Wen was the messenger, and his message was for a woman named Kariette.

*****

Wen's Note told him that he was part of a huge tournament, the likes of which he had never heard of. It warned him briefly about danger, and a threat to his life, which he ignored. It also told him to go to a village where he will meet a partner.

Wen looked down at the note again to for more information. "You will know her when you see her." didn't help much, but it was all he had to go on.

There was nothing special about the place it had told him to go. The weather was strange, but despite himself Wen found the dark clouds pretty. Curtains of light shone down on the market, highlighting the various merchants in a natural spotlight.

A ray of light found a shiny man, who glittered in the corner of Wen's eye. He shifted his attention in that direction, and quickly made sense of events unfolding in front of him. The shiny man talked to another man, who was armed, and he ran off. The armed man was running for... a woman, or a girl. Was this a criminal? Asassassin? No... a contender.

That was her. Wen started towards the scene. "Lady, watch out!"

The woman Kariette acted fast at the call. In seconds she was prepared to kill the man who attacked her, edging her sword for a fatal blow while she kept him at bay. A few more seconds passed, and the tables turn yet again; the metal man was between the two, holding his opponent by her sword. He mumbled something to his accomplice. He then threw the girl right at Wen.

Dust flew as they both hit the ground. There was a few screams; the market was emptying itself in fright. Nobody wanted to be around any of these people, some even more than others. Wen took precious little time for explanations.

"Hi, I'm Wen. We're all part of some cosmically arranged tournament, or something." He helped her up as he rose from the ground, gripping his long stilleto blade in his right hand. "...and that's all the explanation we have time for right now."

He bit down on dust, tightened his fist around the grooves in his knife, and ran towards his opponents. Kariette followed behind him. The green haired opponent was almost unprepared for a strike, but managed to counter Wen with his sword before the knife reached his neck. This left him in a compromising position, though, holding the small blade at bay with his much longer rapier very close to his neck. Wen reached for his second knife, when the metal man intervened; Wen felt a strong jab to his side that felt crippling, and he withdrew defensively to recover.

From behind him, Kariette emerged to engage the green haired fencer again. This time he was much more prepared for her attack, though, and the clang of parrying swordsmen filled the street.

Wen shook off the pain and shifted his focus to the metal man. A quick search didn't show any point of weakness... at this point, Wen had no idea how to fight this thing. He charged at him only to slide away from the man's attack, barely, and jab at him from behind. The blade clanged and deflected, leaving a small dent. The metal man turned around.

OoC: Sorry about all the backtracking, but you know how these intro posts are.

[Zorolo]

Zorlo smiled, for this had been the second time that Chronos had saved him. The dark knight's action were only caused by the orders his master gave him, but the fencer did not care, for it was this man that kept him alive. It seemed the battles had simmered down to one on ones as the dark clad man was fighting the knife wizard. This left the fencer in trouble, for again, he had drawn a woman to battle.

"Oh joy, I hate having to find loopholes in my honor," the fencer told her glumly. She gave him a cold look, similar to the one she gave him every third second. That glare, the green haired man thought as he slid his right hand into his buckler and strapping it to his arm. That is the glare that Celia gives me. I get that odd feeling that they have a lot in common. As the honor bound warrior looked upon the white haired woman, he smiled, like always. "Before we begin miss, what is you name?" She simply ignored the fencer's question. A lot of similarities here. Zorlo laughed as the emotionless appearing girl struck.

Watching her in silence, the brave one worked out his plan. Alright, time to analyze her skills, he thought as she began slashing at him wildly. He merely stepped back, still smiling as she slashed wildly at him, aiming for his head and chest, two areas that wounds tended to lead to death. He merely stepped back, avoiding her attacks as very simply, but as always, something stepped in as he tripped over something and fell on his back. Dammit, why is my luck so bad? He wondered as he pointed her sword at his face.

"Die," she told him swinging her other sword at him. The fencer swung his blade and deflected her sword as it came towards him and then jumped back, upon the roof of a building. He looked at her, he was still happy to be fighting her, even if it was hard for him to strike due namely to his honor code.

Fighting a woman again, such is my fate. My code of honor makes this slightly tricky, but I am sure that someone trying to kill me supports the reason to fight a woman clause. Now then, to what I have learned: She is skilled at close range combat like I am. She is an expert with two weapons, unlike me, that could be a fun fight actually, I'll do that later. She is fast, but not that fast, he thought as she jumped upon the roof and charged at him.

She swung her swords in an "X" fashion and heard the clang as they hit his chest. She looked angry with slight surprise, but nothing outstanding about her agitation. She finished pulling her blades through as the boy's shirt ripped and revealed the armor he wore under his shirt. The tightly interwoven chain-mail under his shirt shone brightly in the sun as it was still upon them. The fencer had not stopped smiling since she had first attacked, and it was obvious she was getting madder by the second.

"Defeating me is not such an easy task, eh?" He asked her happily. She didn't respond, and looked at him blankly, readying herself for round two with him. "I'll strike first this time," he told the black clad assassin as he suddenly shot forwards at high speed. Before the girl knew what happened, the once mockery of a warrior stood in front of her face, still smiling as he kneed her in the stomach, launching her back slightly. She backflipped and landed on the edge of the roof and struck back against him.

Her attacks were both quick and precise, any person with eyes could see this, and this fencer was always ready for a new challenge. She appeared in front of him and began to attack furiously as with her swords, which only found the fencer's buckler there to deflect him. Each of her attacks pushed him back slightly as she kept her attacks quick and powerful. After a few attacks, the green attired man was at the edge, and the girl now pounded harder, in an attempt to dislodge her foe from this perch.

Zorlo's smile became larger and he kept his shield up, defending the himself from her attacks until she got wise and brought her sword around, knocking his shield out of her way and went in to finish him... Again. The swordsman's blade moved fast as it stopped her sword, but she kept pushing as he fell to one knee and was about to be pushed off to, what appeared to be, a painful fall. She pushed hard against his blade with her own and then struck down upon him with her other katana, throwing him off.

The green haired man's green eyes fell upon the girl that looked down on him as he fell. Suddenly, he flipped over and landed on his feet, albeit slightly disoriented. "You are good, miss, but I am not so easily defeated," the fencer said as his smile kept glowing. From that perch, she there is only one method of attack. Downwards! He thought with great happiness as a cunning thought came to him. He would wait for her to attack and see if it would work.

The white haired girl was easily a match for a normal person, but this fencer was different, he was by no means a normal human... Well, not any more. She was emotionless, unlike the woman Zorlo was used to traveling with, and this made her slightly more dangerous... Well, that and the fact that she was a master of hand to hand combat and not magic. He smiled as she attacked, leaping from where she stood and swinging her twin swords down at him. He smiled as the blades struck the ground and kicked up a huge amount of dust, but from within the dust, something shot from within it.

What had emerged from the dust was the white haired girl, for when she had attacked, her blades had hit the ground, and the fencer had slipped under her and knocked her into the air. She had lost her blades and landed on a roof, her light build barely made a stir as it hit the house. "Sorry miss, but I'm not going to lose, even if it means striking a girl. Please forgive me," he told her as he stood silently, watching her.

[Evaline]

Kariette could only glare at him. Her two swords were long gone. She could fight him with her hands, but not while he had that sword. She needed a weapon. Glancing down at the man, she saw he was standing right by her swords. She couln't jump down and get them. Only a fool would do that. And she was no fool.

She hastily searched the roof tops for anything she could use as a weapon. But alas, what kind of weapon would be on a-? She hissed, knowing there was nothing. She had to get off the roof.

Just as she was about to jump off, the green haired man got on. Little did he know, that was rather fortunate for her. Kneeling down slightly, Kariette jumped off the roof, and onto another one. As she ran across it, she realized something bad.

The roof top she was on had aged. It looked over sixty years old. Surely it couldn't hold her weight. She needed to get off. But the only other roof nearby was the one the man was lurking on. It wasn't long before she finally heard a crunching noise, and fell into the building.

She wobbled a few moments after landing on her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut as a big bolt of shock ran through her body. It felt as if millions of leeches were crawling in her veins. Luckily, the feeling lasted only a few seconds.

"Hey!!!" An elder man cried behind her. "This is my shop! This is my home! Lady, you're going to have to pay for-!!"

Kariette sprinted out the door, ignoring him. She didn't have time for chit-chat.

She searched for her kantanas. They were nowhere nearby. It was likely they were on the other side of the building. She could get them later. She just needed a weapon--any weapon--at the moment. She ran across the street of the market, and climbed onto another roof. She would be able to see any weapon if she were higher up.

Kariette looked over at the green haired guy. He was already getting off the roof, starting to chase after her. If she didn't find something soon, he would seriously be able to kill her.

She began to run again, speculating all of her possibilities.

Let's see... She began. How could I defeat him, anyway? The only way I could wound him is by chopping his head off. And I'm not going to do that if this is only a tournament.

Kariette growled at that thought. Why hadn't she seen this tournament coming? Teacher signed her up for it, no doubt. He knew she wouldn't have wanted to be in this thing. So he lied to her and sent her on a fake mission. How typical. She shook her head. It wasn't the time to be thinking about Teacher when her life was at stake. This man really would kill her.

She was too busy thinking when a hand shot up from the edge of the roof and grabbed onto her ankle, making her fall over. The owner of the hand climbed onto the roof and laughed. It was the man.

He let go of her, but she was still pinned to the shingles, seeing as he was standing right above her, with the tip of his sword dangling over her forehead.

"You're trapped," he grinned, laughter glinting in his eyes. "I guess you're not very skilled in fighting!" With that, he thrust the sword down.

Kariette rolled, but not soon enough. His sword cut into her left arm, ripping the skin apart. She bit her lip in agony, hating the pain that her nerves caught onto. Blood freed from her body, like ants running away from a stepped on ant hill.

She glared up at the man. He has a smug look on his face, but seemed satisfied that he wounded her. Even if she were to get her swords back, she now, she could only use one.

Having nothing else to do, she lifted up her legs and pushed the man back with her feet. He stumbled, and fell over. She got up and ran again.

She jumped onto a house, one that looked sturdy. An old cimney was connected to it, some of it's bricks were warped and crumbling. A perfect weapon, at the moment. She grabbed onto a top brick and yanked it hard. Even though the chimney was old, it's cement that held the bricks together was still doing it's job. No matter how hard she yanked, none of the bricks would break away. Kariette had no other choice but to force them to. Quickly, she pounded her heel against the wall. The whole thing fell inward, and she caught two of the bricks just in time.

She faced the man. He caught on to her plan and backed away. She jumped onto the roof he was on, and threw one of the bricks at him. He dodged it.

"Damn," Kariette whispered. She had only one more brick. If she missed... She closed her eyes and chucked it, hoping for the best.

She heard an unpleasant noise, the sound of cement hitting bone. She opened her eyes to see the man knocked unconcious. She didn't throw it very hard, so he would be awake and alert in five minutes or so. Not much time to spare.

She ran over to his body and kneeled next to it. She turned him over and analyzed how his armor was on. After figuring out how to take it off, she did so. It wasn't easy, seeing as there was a lot of strain on her injured arm. But still, it was do-able. She got up and dragged it to the edge as fast as possible. A few moments later, with a big push, the chainmail fell off the roof and landed on the ground with a big clank. He was armorless, for now.

"Where's my armor?" the voice of the man asked. Kariette spun around and saw he was already standing, with his sword pointing at her. She grumbled, ignoring his question, and jumped off the roof. Now all she needed was her own swords.

OoC: Sorry it's kinda long.

[Power Shot]

OoC: Just a slight note, Chronos can't be dented.

BiC:

Chronos took precisely one look at the stranger before deciding that he did not like it when someone attempted to stab him. He stared down at the opponent, the wind blowing his darkened coat before him. His shrouded face took in the detail of the new warrior. He noted the blades, and disregarded them.

"Draw your weapon," the knivesman ordered, crouching into a strange stance.

Chronos crossed his arms in response. "You are not worth the effort," he growled softly, with the hint of malice to give the stranger cause for concern. "When Kenjin commissioned me for this battle, I was promised a true opponent. I am disappointed in the choice. Bring back your friend."

A flicker of annoyance crossed in the fighter's brown eyes. "Bring it on, metal one."

"That is not my designation," Chronos muttered quietly, taking a step forward. "I am known as Chronos. Zorlo is my ward here." The opponent didn't really seem to care.

"Well, Chronos," he answered, "I am known as Wen. Now how's about we start fighting?"

Chronos issued a low chuckle from within his cowl. "Bring it on, if that is your desire. But you will not beat me, I am unbreakable. Still, you may provide amusement, if only for a little while."

His words had the desired effect, Wen rushing forward with both blades pointed directly at the section of Chronos' chest where his arms were folded. The metal warrior did not budge, didn't even tilt his head to acknowledge that Wen was attacking. His head was stiffly pointed forward, staring blankly into space.

CLANG.

Wen's arms jarred in response as the steel met the black armor of the dark knight. The knives cut through the cloth, but something else was blocking his ability to pierce the skin, just like before. The metal vibrated, running up Wen's arms, shaking his shoulder sockets. He looked down, his brown eyes widening his surprise. His knives were slightly bent at the tips due to the strange armor.

"Gonna have to try better then that." Chronos' voice issued in a dull drone, one arm extending to grab the knivesman's face. Wen was lifted from the ground, feeling a dark tingle on his eyes, before he was hurled into a wooden building, breaking through the small house walls like they were paper instead of hardened oak. He was dazed only for a moment, before he was up and moving, darting out from the house and away from the dark knight.

But he wasn't running away, far from it. He was hiding, at least long enough to determine what it was he was up against, how it was able to stop his weapons, and how he was supposed to deal with the living weapon. He could see the warrior Chronos looking for him, the cowl-covered head swerving around searching for him. Wen grinned, at least he couldn't find him.

Chronos moved out of view, but Wen was confident that the metalhead was not able to see him. He had hidden well. He took a deep breath, exhaling. Something was seriously wrong with his opponent. He didn't seem to have any emotion, and looked at him like a toy. It annoyed him a little, to be treated like that.

That was the last thought he remembered having before he was suddenly moving again.

He wasn't sure how Chronos did it, but the giant found him exactly one second later. A looming shadow shot up from above him, and he was moving. It came out from above him, falling from the roofs silently. Wen got out just in time before a massive hand crushed the spot where his head had been moments before.

Chronos roared. Wen barely had time to get out of the way before a hulking fist slammed through the wall behind Wen. The black gauntlet shot through the wood, and the second one came up after the left one, grabbing Wen by the strands of his hair.

Wen retaliated, slashing with both his blades. Chronos removed his hand from the wall, and tossed Wen into the open. People panicked, and fled as the dark knight approached. Wen leapt from the ground, fighting stance poised. Chronos stopped, right as he was about to strike. Wen was confused, the armored fighter had ground to a halt.

"Catch you later," he muttered, turning around and bounding away.

Wen stood in stunned silence, as his partner rushed forward, searching for her weapons.

***

"Zorlo, move!" Chronos ordered the youth, who was searching for his missing armor. Chronos searched, and found it discarded by the other fighter, the female, in the streets. The swordsman spun round, and clasped it back onto himself, looking annoyed at himself. "What's wrong?"

The swordsman shrugged. "I was knocked out, I think. And she did it."

"It just means you have more to learn, youth Zorlo, just as I do." Chronos clasped his shoulder. "But we can't stop to philosophize now, we have a fight to win. I told Kenjin I would protect you, so now we fight as a unit. Use your abilities wisely, and battle with honor. Never let up."

Zorlo nodded. Following Chronos, he rushed to the battleground, making sure not to pace himself faster then the metal warrior. The two opponents were where Chronos had left Wen, standing in wait for them. Chronos stopped, and braced his mammoth hands into fists the size of hams.

Zorlo stood in the dark knight's shadow, his weapons glinting in the sunlight. Chronos folded his arms, a statue against whatever the other two planned to throw at them. "Think you can handle them, Zorlo?" Chronos growled, with such ferocity that he made the swordsman flinch slightly.

He grinned in response. "Not a problem, Chronos," he answered, twirling his sword. Chronos gave Zorlo a second's head start, then ran after the pupil towards the enemies.

OoC: I hope that was all right. I feel so nervous.

[DIUM]

The situation allowed Wen and Kariette to convene for a few minutes, and they both embraced the chance. They had barely met each other, and they both knew what a huge disadvantage that was. The first exchange was probably inevitable.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me about this earlier? Before I was attacked? That would have helped a lot."

Wen breathed deeply. It pained him slightly when he exhaled. "You're Kariette, right? I hope you're Kariette." He wasn't answering her question, which Kariette found annoying. "...because if you aren't Kariette, than I'm doing this for no reason at all," he paused and laughed. "Which is as good a reason as any, I suppose."

A look of comprehension appeared on Kariette's otherwise extremely straight face. "Yes, I am she. And I guess you know as little as I do about this pointless competition?"

"I don't know about pointless." Wen was watching their opponents. They too were having a brief chat, but it wouldn't be long before they came back to strike.

"You're annoying, you know?" said Kariette, although it was apparent that it didn't take much to annoy her. Still, Wen had a way of not communicating well that put most shut-ins to shame. Perhaps foolishly, Kariette pursued. "It is pointless, though. Really. Is there any point you can see?"

"No," said Wen truthfully, "not as much as I can see a real point in anything. But it's something to do, and somebody wants us to be doing it." Wen's thoughts went to the anonymous letter for a second. "We'll make whoever that is happy. And in some way, I don't know, I find this entertaining. You probably find that weird, but somehow part of me is having a bit of fun. Can you imagine me thinking this violence is fun?"

Kariette almost smiled, which was an event and very noticeable. Obviously Kariette was a person for whom 'almost smiling' happened once a blue moon, and was (ironically) frowned upon. "I can imagine that, yes."

"Here we go again." Knives in hand, Wen was once again ready for an attack. The green combatant was charging, and the metal one called Chronos wasn't far behind. "The shiny guy there pisses me off. I don't know how to beat him, or even if he can be beaten." Wen remembered that his blades had been damaged; he would have to live with that. "What's the scoop on Zorlo the green?"

Now Kariette was ready for impact as well, wielding her recently recovered katana. She kept her answer brief. "He's a hypocrite." (See OoC)

There was no time for a response. Kariette was engaged by Zorlo, once again parrying each others strikes but now much faster. Zorlo was more obviously swift than before.

"I don't appreciate being stripped by a woman I hardly know." The fencer's smile had lessened considerably, but it was still there. "If you think that trick will win you anything, I'm afraid you're mistaken."

Wen saw an opportunity, and took measures to seize it. Knowing very well that Chronos would attempt to cripple him in a few seconds, he sheathed his long stilleto and replaced it with the dagger he had stashed behind him. He stood at ready as Chronos stopped to meet him.

"I find your persistence with your small bladed weapons amusing." Chronos didn't chuckle, but a chuckle seemed to be implied. "I might allow this to last longer, for my own amusement." Wen tried to ignore these taunts, and he stood his ground. The metal man lost patience, and hurled his giant hands at Wen. He moved back, dodging the blow, and started to circle around his very largeopponent. A second blow almost knocked Wen off his feet, but he absorbed most of the impact, and he continued his defensive strafing. Chronos was now facing away from Kariette and Zorlo, and was readying himself for a much deadlier advance. He bellowed, "you can only dodge me for so long, Wen".

"I agree." Wen charged to meet that of Chronos', but he ducked under his attack and stabbed Zorlo, who was fighting behind him, in the side.

Blood began to ooze freely; he probably hit a vein. Wen couldn't observe much else before he felt the wind knocked out of him from behind, and he flew several feet into the dirt again. He gasped for breath, stood up as best he could, and turned around. Great, he got in a cheap shot. It was becoming increasinglyapparent that even with cheap shots, their chances were slim.

OoC: More talking then fighting. Oh well. A few notes: I know Kariette has two katana, but I refuse to say "katanas". The plural of katana is katana. Also, Kariette callse Zorlo a hypocrite not because he is, but because of him smiling while telling her that he hates to fight woman. It seemed a little two faced to me, I thought Kariette would think so too.

[Zorolo]

OoC: One thing DIUM, if your gonna stab a person, tell them where the hell you stabbed them. Now I have to improvise.

BiC: Zorlo had been hit in the lower back by the blade of the cowardly Wen. He was distracted as his sword and shield were looked with the white haired woman's. Zorlo still smiled, although the pain eating at his back was aggravating, the small dagger had hit one of the openings in the mail and had distracted the fencer. By now, the girl had forced him down to one knee again, her swords pressed upon his blade, trying to defeat him and help her weakling of an ally. He tried to focus, but as he did, the pain grew sharper and sharper. Blood stained his armor and he wasn't fighting her under an equal playing field. His smile widened again as a dark figure appeared behind the young girl. His shadow engulfed both warriors with ease, and he did not move at first. The smile soon turned sly as the fencer pushed the woman's blades from him with great effort.

Chronos had already moved behind her as he clasped her arms and help her up. His grip almost instantaneously caused her to drop her swords and cries of pain to emerge from her mouth. With one swift movement, the dark knight let go of one arm and threw the girl upon her ally. During this spectacle, the fencer was scurrying to remove the blade in his back, but to no avail. The green haired man stood up and looked upon the massive metal giant.

"Master Chronos, thank you again," he said as he bowed. the large man said nothing, nor did he move as their foes scrambled to get back up. The fencer stabbed his blade into the ground and then moved his open hand and grasped the dagger, removing it from him and throwing it on the ground in anger. "He's gonna pay for a cheap trick like that. But first, it is time for a change," the green clothed man muttered as he removed his buckler and returned it to its respective place on his belt and drew his short sword. "Style Two: Dual Wielding: Offense," Zorlo said as he drew his rapier from the ground and looked at his foes as they charged. The fencer's arms were held back, ready to strike, but suddenly, the large man stepped in front of him. Again, the wordless giant took the foes on. He crossed his arms and when the arrived within range of him, he backhanded them backwards and through a house. The fencer's eyes went wide with shock at such an insane feet of power.

The two foes stood up, they had fallen silent, nothing they did seemed to bother or hurt Chronos, aside from their excessive talking and the fencer's lack of experience. The both rose, clearing the broken wood and the pain they felt away as they looked at the black clad giant man, how had taken no visible damage, unlike the person he was assigned to protect. Zorlo jumped over the giant man and rushed his foe. This battle was so exhilarating that he didn't want the excitement and fun to end. His love of battle, even against the fact he hated having to fight a woman, again, made this battle greatly worth it. Chronos began to follow the fencer shortly after, giving the fencer a chance to fight and prove his metal may be worth something.

The fencer's blades landed between his foes as the fanned out. His armor and swords shining in the fading light of day as the girl swung her blades, colliding with his rapier, and the man thrusted at him with his daggers as the fencer's short sword fended off what little reach they gave the man. With a sudden movement, the fencer spun and released his aura as he did so, creating a massive circular Air Slash from his two weapons. "Air Impact," he said as he looked at them.

Suddenly, something stopped the fencer's glory as he received a quick sweep kick from the white haired woman, who restrained him by clamping his neck. The knife warrior took what few seconds they had and began thrust his dagger downwards, right at the fencer's skull. Without a seconds pause, his arm had stopped, and again, it was the dark warrior that had saved the seemingly worthless ally's life. Zorlo's relief showed in his smile as he spun his short sword around and thrusted the ruby at the end into the girl's top leg, forcing her to release the hold. The metaskinned warrior threw his foe again, only a few feet, keeping him close enough to finish dealing with in time. The fencer jumped backwards towards the dark man again and looked at him.

"Sorry again Master Chronos, I am not a very good partner. I'll try harder not to hold you back though," Zorlo said in a slightly out of breath and weak voice. He spun his swords and looked at his foes. The odd combination of the metal man and the small and weak fencer would prove to be a harder and more powerful combination then one would have expected.

OoC: Shot, Hope I represented the Chronos right. He is a hard person to get down. Poor man having to baby sit Zorlo.

[Power Shot]

Chronos braced his hand, and punched. The lady who followed Zorlo seemed rather eager to finish him off, but the metal warrior would have none of that. The other, Wen, stood back, calculating his options. The girl, on the other hand, was driven by something Chronos could not sense, something akin to the giant. She had dusted off the damage she had been receiving like it was nothing, not part of her concern. She was the real threat, not Wen, for she could keep coming. Out of the corner of his vision, Chronos could see Wen panting after his ordeal with the metal fighter, try and he might to hide it.

"Take the other," he grunted, ordering Zorlo towards Wen. "I'll handle the girl." Zorlo obeyed, and instantly rushed in Wen's direction, intent on bringing the knivesman down. Chronos turned, and focused his cowled face onto the girl. She was looking at him, judging from a distance what kind of challenge he would be, but in a vacent, uninterested way that suggested that she did not care what kind of challenge he would be, becuase it made no difference to her.

Chronos liked that.

And that was why, when she attacked him, Chronos missed his punch, the girl ducking under him speedily. The youth was much faster then he, and he knew without being told that she had ripped a seam in his coat, hearing the fabric shred as she went. Chronos turned round to face her, but she was already gone, behind him once more. Curse me speed, the giant thought. While it was true she hadn't damaged him in any way, the same was true that he had not damaged her.

Not a flicker of emotion could be read on her face as she came at him again, reminding Chronos more and more about his own condition. When she hit him again, and he had failed to send her flying into the nearest house, he had figured out that she was not going down because there was no concept in her mind for such an event. He could have broken her legs, she would probably still keep coming. An interesting theory, Chronos noted. He would be sure to attempt at testing it.

But the girl was too fast for the hulking warrior. The MetaSkin that had bonded to his body made him so heavy and slow. With momentum, he could catch her, but as it was at the moment, such an event did not seem likely to happen. Unless...

When the girl came again for another wave of attacks, Chronos was ready for them. He knew she would sneak by him, thereby adding to the holes in his clothing, but that was a sacrifice that needed to be made. When he heard the rip as the silver swords passed through, metal instantly started to go to work. From the hole in his pants that the woman had created, gray matter shot out, binding to her body much more quickly than Chronos ever could. It forced her to stop, and lifted her into the air, gathering along her chest and shoulders. She kicked, but there was nothing she could do.

"First and foremost," Chronos muttered to her in a low growl, "I'm not a gentleman like Zorlo. Do not expect the same results from a battle with me."

The metal then began to pick up speed, sending the girl straight at Chronos. The dark knight braced again, holding up the powerful right arm whose fingers were clenched in a fist. He thought he heard a slight groan before she connected, and he unleashed the hell that was a full force punch. Her head snapped back with a resounding echo, Chronos could see the pain that vibrated through her.

The girl fell to the ground, damaged but not out. It would take a great deal more to halt her. But she would not rise for several minutes at least, so Chronos turned to help Zorlo.

OoC: Hitting people is fun...

[DIUM]

OoC: Sorry for not being more specific, but I thought I specified a hit in the side. Meh. Whatever.

BiC:

At this point Wen had finally done what any sensible person would do, and question why he was there.

He rewielded his main weaponry. They were damaged a bit, the longer of the two had a significant bend in it from attempting to damage the metal monstrosity. They would work though, and well; he was no stranger to sub-par tools.

Wen's face was blank. He watched his partner, a master swordswoman he realized, fighting Chronos and was captivated. But he managed to pull away his pained stare, and refocus on the other one, the green one.

He spat. What hit the ground was more red than usual. Wen took no notice. His opponent was angry, no, furious; but he did not attack immediately. He stared Wen down. Wen just stared at nothing in particular.

Zorlo lifted his rapier, and shifted his left foot back in position. A smile did not appear as it did when he fought Kariette.

Wen, deep in thought, didn't move. "Hmm. Excuse me. About the stab."

"There is no honor in fighting you." Blood still ran from the swordsman's wound, but was at a trickle now. "But it is painfully necessary that you go down."

"Does it anger you that you have been switched to the B battle? The lesser of opponents?" Wen said this half mindedly and out of curiosity, and there was no intention to provoke. To Zorlo, however, this seemed like a taunt. He ran at him.

"No, fool. You anger me." There was a jab at Wen, quick and potentially deadly, at his heart. Something in Wen clicked, and his body dropped to the ground to dodge the attack. His pain had washed over him, and his arms started to move with very little mental input. He wanted to block the second attack, so his arm raised without effort to block another incoming blow with his knife. Several other attacks were avoided in this matter. As if a dormant auto-pilot was activated, Wen was defending himself rigorously, yet his mind wandered.

Wen knew he couldn't keep this up for long. Whatever he was doing now was a last-ditch defense mechanism against power he wasn't ready to face. The metal man was very obviously beyond his comprehension, but even Kariette and this fencing warrior were in some ways in a different league than him. This was a tournament to find a champion amongst champions. So why on earth was he part of it?

"Aarh!" The side of the rapier came down hard against Wen's shoulder, barely biting through his leather armor, but more effectively knocking sense back into him. Pain came rushing back into Wen's chest, head, and now his left arm.

"Why don't you fight me, coward?" Zorlo did not like being fought by a man who ignored him. Wen sympathized.

"Sorry." Wen charged at Zorlo, startling him but not hitting him. "...again."

Their blades matched against each other once more. Wen decided that he wasn't going to go down without a fight, as corny as that sounded even to him. Unfortunately, his chances dropped even lower as Chronos towered over them.

OoC: Wen just used a power I will give him in the future called total mind control, or something like that. He obviously hasn't mastered it, or even knows what it is, so he can't do it on purpose. Besides, in this early form it didn't really help him much at all, except to help him gather his thoughts.

[Evaline]

OoC: Sorry guys.

BiC:
Kariette decided she did not like the tin man. Or in this case, metal man. He was selfish, and sadistic.

What an a-!

Her thoughts were interrupted when the heartless man lifted her up off the ground and threw her down the street. She rolled a bit before stopping. Pain washed through her body like it was cleansing her sorrow-filled soul. Her right side ached, and she silently groaned.

Get up. Her mind screamed. Kariette ignored the voice. She wanted stay where she was. Where her body could relax. Her eyelids fluttered shut slowly. It'd be a nice place to sleep.

But just then, the metal man lifted her into the air again, ready to throw her. The wake up call kicked her body back into motion, and she squirmed. She wished she wasn't in this situation. She wished the man would just go away.

She was once again thrown, as she expected. More waves of pain hit her. But she didn't cry out. That'd be a sign of weakness.

Shakily, she stood up, and ran in the oppisite direction of him. Her legs continuously begged to give out, but she still ran. If Kariette wanted him to go away, she'd have to do it herself.

Kariette made her way down the street, heading back toward the market. She searched both sides of the street. Eventually, her eyes found it. A bar.

Her arm ripped open the door and went inside.

She looked around and saw the counter, with a bartender behind it. He looked her up and down before yelling, "Lady, get out! You