[Round 2] Hallowed Ground

[southern belle]

OoC: Yes, I'm actually starting it for once... try not to act too surprised. XD Good luck Knives, Librarian.

BiC: Great shafts of light flooded a building that, despite (or perhaps because of?) its beautiful murals, gold trim, and all around amazing architecture, seemed predisposed to be gloomy. The great arched dome ceiling did nothing but make any who entered feel small and insignificant, and the gilded walls could make even the best-dressed feel like a dirty child standing amidst gems.

Windows were in plentiful supply in the massive hall, but even they were high and unapproachable -- little more than tiny slits up near the ceiling. They offered no reprieve from the grandness of the hall, no view to the outside world. All they did was let a few cold, lofty beams of light soar high above anyone who might be inside.

The fact that it had been abandoned for decades, leaving dust thick upon every surface, did not much help matters.

Bella had been standing in the great doorway, staring at the old church in awe. She stirred at last, walking forward into the building and leaving the heavy oak doors standing open behind her. Her footsteps, light as they were, echoed through the great hall. The noise seemed almost a form of sacrilege, as if it was a sin to even think about breaking the silence in here. Bella shook her head to shake off the goosebumps. “It’s just a building,” she told herself, walking forward.

Shortly after that altercation on the beach, the tracker had been approached by a familiar figure. A mischievous looking young man wearing a vest with the letter ‘A’ embroidered on it in silver thread. It had taken her a moment to recognize him, and once she had her eyes widened with surprise. The messenger had grinned, holding an envelope out to her.

Knowing immediately what it meant, Bella had taken the envelope, wondering who she would be facing this time. The letter had been annoyingly vague, telling her only that her opponents would be two, and that they would face one another in the abandoned church just outside Granbury. It had taken the tracker the better part of two weeks to reach the place, and she found herself wishing more than once that the people who organized this tournament could at least provide some transportation for its participants.

Now she stood in a cold, lofty church, waiting for her opponents to arrive. Her weapons were loose, ready to be drawn in an instant. She had her pouch of seeds and cuttings, though she did not think she’d get much use out of it – not unless the battle progressed outdoors. The Hylian waited, looking around her as she did so. She was just thinking on how often the battle locations in these tournaments were in odd places when footsteps rang out through the building. She turned quickly to see the first of her opponents standing in the open doorway.

[Lady Knives]

Perched high in the ancient rafters of the forsaken cathedral, Knives gazed down, watching as a young, childish-looking woman stood at the near center of the holy chamber. Regardless of how long this place had been left for dead, its exuberance remained, the spirit of the former caretaker still thriving in each pier, bench, and the decaying bibles left in their splintering wooden compartments. Her mere presance aggravated the divinity of this place, casting a nefarious cloud of sin upon the godly hall. The brilliance of the sanctuary's golden adornments dulled as soon as the young woman's eyes had opened, the air becoming stale and frozen. Its high-rise, arched ceiling darkened as the heiress rose, casting a large, menacing shadow over the young tracker and the large cross fastened upon the opposing wall.

The flaxen rays of light that dwindled above grayed out, and darkness enveloped a large portion of the massive hall. Not a single word escaped Knives' lips; she simply watched, waiting for the girl's reaction.

This challenge had posessed an unpleasant feel from the start, from the person who delivered the letter, to the place where the fight was to take place. There was something about the whole situation that made the demoness curious, something that sucked her in. Maybe it was the beast within, longing to be in the heat of battle once more, or perhaps her own barbaric thirst for violence. There had been no indication of who had sent the invitation, and that was what drove her mad. Just who was it who organized this, and how did they know who she was?

She had only been in this realm for a few days before the messenger had come, as if she had been pin-pointed and sought out straight away. There were nothing but strange human-like beings here, and even stranger creatures. Not a single demon as far as the eye could see, but plenty of sinful entities dormant within the occupants of this realm.

'If there are no fiends wandering throughout this realm, how did this church come to be abandoned?' Her thought was interrupted by the resounding footsteps of the second adversary, which caused her to avert her gaze toward the entrance.

Finding that both of the competitors had finally arrived, she kicked off from the wooden beam, splitting it in two and causing the nearly-century old structure to groan. Her descent was short, her landing causing a large cloud of dust and particles to fly up around her. Behind her fell two large, wooden rafters with a deep boom, thundering off the thick walls and roaring about the chamber.

[Librairian]

OoC: It is an honor to compete alongside you two. May the best move on.

BiC: How? How was it possible for a person to be so… Well, it’s hard to describe. His stance, so solid, so firm in its place. Each of his feet set shoulder length apart, with the curve in his boots fitting perfectly against the curve of the high tree branch he stood upon. One hand, covered with a metal glove, rests against the last few feet of the trunk, holding him steady, though he would not have wobbled an inch had his arms been crossed, at his sides, or even behind his head. The other hand remains near his hip, balled into a fist. He looks forward from the top of the tree into the slowly setting sun, his sunglasses reflecting the calm orange glow. The wind blows calmly, letting his cape flutter just slightly.

How? How was it possible for a person to be so… Awesome. Knowing exactly how opportune the situation was, Shisho assumed a dramatic pose. Taking in location, time, and weather conditions, he came up with the appropriate position. Standing while looking into the distance with a furrowed brow was always a winner when in a high up place. It combined a feeling of drama with a look of thoughtfulness that just exuded coolness, like he had an important decision to make that would change the course of his life. Ah, he looked about as impressive as one person could look. Well, at least, he thought he looked that way. A skinny, pale, pointy eared Mage could only look so good.

But for a moment, he was as brilliant and beautiful (Again, within his own mind) as any other living being could be. Alright, back to business, he thought after the moment had passed. He enjoyed imagining himself unsurpassable in beauty, but that was no reason to delay what was at hand. From the high tree he stood at the top of, he looked down at the forgotten structure before him. Down, really, wasn’t right. The steeples and spires did rise above where he stood, but the bulk of the building remained just below his feet. Perhaps that was why the sacred looking sanctuary was forgotten: Absurdly tall trees. All the same, it was old in appearance, but not dilapidated in the least. What a shame that such a place would be lost to the public.

The reason he was looking down, more so, the reason he was there at all was a matter he didn’t fully understand. A mysterious figure… No, not mysterious. Mysterious would imply that the figure was a mystery. Little that had to do with race or creature recognition was a mystery to Shisho, who liked to call himself, when he though over his index of knowledge, a lore expert. It was a member of a rare race, mostly unknown to those who didn’t have any higher education. It’s occupation was perhaps as a hunter or a messenger, which would explain it’s business with the wandering Mage. It delivered him a simple envelope, marked with a plain seal, containing a simple message.

And so, he looked down on the unknown structure, as per the instructions he received. All he had to do from there was go in. What would be inside? Surely there would be a forlorn spirit or two that could use his unique type of help to pass on into the next life. There always was in places such as that. That would give him the opportunity to perform more good deeds, an admirable reason to receive a message to go there. With that in mind, he jumped from his lofty heights, landing with a spring as he cast his jumping spell. The doors of the place weren’t the heaviest he‘d moved, but still something of a challenge to open. The inside was impressive, but so was the cutie honey that was there to greet him.