Round 1 setting:

This arena is a wavy grassland that has sparse trees scattered about which stand at a minimum of 15 feet and at a max of 30. The time of day is twilight with both the sun and moon out but night is quick approaching. There are many sounds of different animals but visibility is good with the exception of it being nearly dark. There are cracks in the grassland that form 5 feet wide trenches and are about 6 feet deep. These are used by different animals for tunnels and hibernation. The weather is rather chilly at about 32 degrees and 25 degrees wind sheer.

Safisan gets the first move which should be none combat/prep and be purely introduction.

GOOD LUCK!!!


((I realize this is the same arena for Safisan but your opponent is different and will be the character that Tormentro originally created. If you wish to simply repost your other intro post then feel free.))

((I'll take lazy way out to ensure this goes on faster -- my mistake though, I'd yet to read this thread.))

"Target acquired."

No sound was made. With uncanny speed, Kimicho treaded the plains, reaching the accorded area just in time for twilight. Rising from his position, he stood straight for once, taking in the scenery: the area was grassy, chilly, there were exactly nine trees in a twenty meter radius from himself, all of a common species - visibly sturdy and somewhat tall, they'd likely be incorporated into his strategy sooner or later, as they gave off an ample shadow. Sounds began to emerge, but certainly not from himself: crickets chirping, squirrels foraging for nuts, and the buzzing of many flying insects. Distractions, plenty of them.

A wicked smile curved his lips, relishing the possibilities. In the end, nothing would matter, but why not have some fun with his current target? He untied the ponytail in his hair and covered his mouth with the handkerchief, ensuring he truly couldn't make a sound if he so proposed. His outfit begun to blend in just a little more with the environment as the sky grew gray, a dark blue menacing to creep over soon. The charcoal tinted clothing would soon be indistinguishable with the lack of light. It was simply a matter of waiting, pray tell, for the opponent's sake, he arrived quickly. "Hmm..." A yawn escaped him, with stretching promptly following - the myriad of concealed weapons and grown uncomfortable at the arms, this was quickly fixed however.

"How I long for my end, soon, an unfortunate man will experience it as well." Visibly calm, he was in actuality, raring to fight whatever approached him, lest he be forced to slay all the wildlife nearby to make up for it. Kimicho took a seat in the grass and rested on a tree. Instinctively, he grew wary of his surroundings: most trees were on his side of the field, with another two relatively close to that one - a tree stood five meters to his own's left, and another five meters to its right. There was a near-adjacent pair ten meters in front of him, with the remaining four in a square around the perimeter in a square, apart from each other twenty meters. Outside of this square of trees, they were more abundant and closer together, but for his strategy, they weren't necessary. I don't plan on letting you run so far.

“Marvelous, lost again.”

The perpetually mesmerizing sight of the setting sun was amiss in lieu of Hedeon’s exasperation; lost, always lost. Truthfully, he had forever been directionally challenged but, never once had he been late to a battle; this was an all time low. But as all great artisans and masters of their trades, he too had his shortcomings. Sighing softly, he walked towards the nearest tree, hoping to take a seat, rest, and gather his thoughts. Unfortunately, fate plays insidious games with those who desire war; and desire it he does. Just as he made to take a seat, from the corner of his eye he caught sight of his destination. “Excellent.” It wasn’t commonplace for forests to turn into plains, but apparently, there were exceptions. Smiling from beneath his Ragnaoise helmet, the dark green tent glistening slightly in the dimming light, he walked towards the plains, hoping his opponent hadn’t prematurely run away. Of course, Hedeon wouldn’t have blamed him.

It wasn’t long, seconds in fact, before he reached the waving grass and sparse trees. It was truly amazing how lost one good become whilst walking in nature. The birds sang, the crickets danced, and the squirrels played; yet nothing compared to the sight of the mighty sun, disappearing beneath the horizon not far from its distant cousin. “Marvelous,” he whispered, the word this time brimming with awe. Crack. Suddenly, Hedeon found himself facing the ground, falling towards it at an alarming rate. Thankfully, he reacted swiftly enough to avoid embarrassment but, he still must have looked hysterical stumbling…whoop…surprise chasm. Reacting before he had time to think, Hedeon jumped, his entire seven-foot figure leaving the ground, and barely cleared the nearly five-foot wide whole at his back. “This freaking place is delightful.”

Regaining his composure, hoping dearly that none had laid eyes on that dreadful scene, he turned to find himself face to face with his foe. If only the mysterious and darkly clad man could see the deep red flush that had overtaken his cheeks; thankfully he could not. This was no time for embarrassment, after all, it was getting dark and he had things to do. Staring starkly at the thin man to his front, approximately twenty feet away, he devised a makeshift strategy based on the scattered trees and open space. There weren’t any places to run or hide; good. Breathing deeply, all the sounds of the forest, all the sounds of the plain, all the sounds of the sky and the air dissipated, leaving only his heart beat; bump…bump…bump. He could feel the rage within his armor, the bloodlust, the fierce desire for battle. He was ready.

“Only in the wind can you fly baby bird.”

With a bleak stare, Kimicho had grown bored of the grass below him, the man of broken eyes rose to his feet, vision straying off into the distance. There was a sunset behind him - as beautiful as it may have been, it mattered little in his mind. "Hmm..." Soft, by some's definition feminine even, his voice wasn't exactly intimidating. His lack thereof however, was a whole other story. He rose in a seamless movement, standing with his back and a leg leaning on the tree now. The trenches came into view now, he'd not even paid attention to them. A mistake here is too high a price to be paying for money. There were three in his sight, one seven meters right and a little to the front of his right-hand tree, another far to his front and the last? More than six meters to his front and left, out of which came out a large, armored figure.

A subtle stumble and a certain... 'Rough' flair to his gait, Kimicho determined the man opposing him had little dexterity or stamina to sustain a fight, but suppositions meant very little. With their distance, his range was optimal, it was time to begin his true testing. Incorporating off the tree, he bent both legs slightly, shifting weight to his haunches and supporting on his ankles. From this stable position a single thin knife protruded from his right hand. Reeling back the arm, then quickly flicking it forward -the secret was in the flick- sending it flying at a high speed, aiming to strike the unknown entity's throat if everything remained as it was. Kimicho's eyes squinted, both arms rose as he shifted once more, leaving only his right side exposed.

No time for a staring contest, or so it seemed, as his unnamed opponent morphed into position. Stagnation is the start of ruin, or so Hedeon was taught in his youth. With both his Nagaoise shields, shaped liked turtle shells, placed perfectly against his shoulders, though large enough to cover the entirety of both his arms, he began to move. Turning slightly to his side, his left arm shield facing the opponent, Hedeon lifted up his right hand, revealing to the dissipating sun, though more than likely not to his opponent, the cannon under the leather covering beneath his arm. Just as his opponent’s hand flicked, Hedeon noticed something glint in the receding sun, and barely a moment later it hit the shield of his left arm. That was fast…too fast. If he hadn’t turned to prepare for an attack, that shining thing would have pierced his neck. Apparently this guy wanted a quick fight.

“Humph,” he mumbled under his breath, “so be it.” Firing the cannon once, he aimed for the ground directly in the middle of his opponent and him, and firing a second time, in quick succession, he aimed directly for his opponent. Of course, he had used both rounds loaded, and would have to reload the cannon on this arm, but they weren’t exactly his favorite weapon anyhow. The timing wasn’t perfect, but the ball that hit the ground made a heavy impact, a loud sound, and fairly well sized cloud, good enough to distort the above average fighter’s vision. With any luck, it would hide the second ball long enough for it to strike. Regardless, Hedeon moved swiftly to his right, not bothering to assume the attack would hit; assuming had been the ruin of his Kingdom after all. He was hoping that if his opponent escaped, he would instinctively go to the left side, of course, this was only guess work. But if he did, Hedeon would be ready, his fist balled, and the force of his body in motion behind it, aiming to punch the head off anything that moved.

Kimicho's eyes focused on the knife as it flew, his fingers idling out of custom, set to draw another weapon from his concealed myriad. In that case... There was no disappointment when it did not strike its mark. On the contrary... He smiled, though it went unseen due to the handkerchief covering his lower face. The foe's armored arms were taken into account, as well as the cannon protruding from one. Instinctively he jumped back from his position when the first shot was fired, hitting the tree with his soles for a second jump as the dust cloud rose. It was thick, though rather low as the grass covered much of the battlefield.

By the time the second round was fired, the man of broken eyes had grasped a pair of thick branches, and was pulling himself up to the treetop. The ground had shaken subtly with the blows, yet not enough to maim his balance on the way up. Without the possible cover of the dust cloud, he was susceptible to ranged attacks; not that he feared one. Shadows began to cover the ground as the sun grew ever dimmer, he'd soon grow nigh invisible within the branches' confinement. For the time being, he'd suffice with stalling out the opponent. A tiny movement of his legs and two knives seemingly materialized into his hands. He touched them together, then began sharpening them in a noisy fashion.

CLASHH! CLASH!

Their sound was loud enough for anyone close by to localize him fairly well (his charcoal robes were starting to blend in with the treetop now).

CLasshh... Cl-CLASH!

The sound now lingered and resonated in the air after only a second of it, growing ever louder with each strike of the knives. Louder, louder still. Not annoying nor penetrating, but definitely something to raise a red flag. Kimicho withdrew the knives and began counting in his mind. Turning to the left, he set to jump to the next tree. A lunge, then a glide, then a second, equal sequence of moves. He did it casually, as he was used to being in midair so long. Now concealed in the left tree's canopy, his hands released a peculiar position they'd taken: Kimicho had performed sound magic and was sustaining a constant sound of knives sharpening atop the other tree. In actuality, he wielded the two knives and was suppressing his own sound.

CLASH! CLASH!

The knives' music played.

Seconds past as Hedeon rushed towards the thick smoke, hoping to find an unsuspecting victim at the end of his fist; no such luck. In fact, he now found himself shrouded, for better or worse, in the mildly suffocating cloud. The ground was a bit softer here than he had imagined; he could probably use that to his advantage. Regardless, it would appear that the tricky bastard had escaped. Surely now was the time to take action; still, there was naught but pointless waiting. Perhaps his opponent was stalling in preparation for something, but what? If darkness came, surely Hedeon would have the advantage, after all his armor was a stark forest green, so dark it would be near impossible to discern his location, at least amidst the shadows. Then again, if memory served, his opponent too had dark clothes, potentially darker. It was probably dangerous to drag this fight out.

CLASH! CLASH!

What's this? There was suddenly a subtle but taunting sound coming from above; the trees maybe?

Claaaaaaash...Cl-clash!

Above, definitely above. "He's looking down on me," Hedeon uttered under his breath, "literally." It was a mite infuriating, being beneath a man he couldn't see and that sound was so constant, it was driving him insane. It didn't make sense; why would his opponent willingly give away his position? The guy seemed too intelligent for that, and should know by now that Hedeon couldn't be taken lightly. Or perhaps he was over confident? It didn't matter, Hedeon might not know where he was, but he couldn't see Hedeon amidst the smoke either; they were on equal footing. "Well, if he's in the trees, I'll just have to remove them."

Grinning, Hedeon slid the shield from his right shoulder down the side of his arm and placed his hand in the latch; it was time to show this fool what he was dealing with. If Hedeon remembered correctly, there were three trees behind his opponent before he moved, and more than likely, it was down to two, because if he had missed, which apparently he had, the tree that stood directly behind the guy would have been demolished. With a low but swift draw, he brought the shield behind his back at arm’s length. And Heave! Running to the left, out of the smoke cloud, he arrived on the far side of the trees. It would seem he had missed the tree as well; just his luck. Smirking, he thrust his shield in the direction of the foliage. It spun smoothly and rushed forward, hitting the first tree and circling for the second. As it hit, he turned to his left side, forming a near perfect barrier, between his body angle and his armor.

Clash! Clash!

The sound kept coming, even as the shield pierced through the third tree, forcing it to fall forward. As annoyed as he had become, he hadn’t lost his composure and from what he could see, this situation was perfect. The first tree fell towards the second, the second fell forward and third did the same; with this, they would collide and anything in the top of the second tree would be crushed by the first tree if they didn't escape, but would be struck by the falling third if they did. Excellent. The dark smile hidden beneath his helm only grew darker as he saw his shield loop back around. If he was in the top of the third, he would have a hard time dodging the boomeranging shield a second time.

For the first time in the match, Kimicho grew truly alert: his pupils dilated as a glance rightwards showed the tree stumbling out of place. A creak, similar to a door's then the sound of -a huge- twig snapping. With a booming thud, the tree, which resembled a eucalyptus somewhat, struck the ground, its trunk splitting into two. The trees are not sturdy, AND the projectiles are deadly upon contact. I must assume he can fire several without loading ammunition. Hopefully it is not the case.

The sounds of the clashing knives died down. With a tactical advantage in mind, his knives were withdrawn and both hands formed yet another hand position. "GAH!" With sound magic, the yell was suppressed, then quickly released at the height of the previous sound, moving downward with the tree. As it plummeted backwards, Kimicho took the opportunity to climb down his own tree, though before he did, the shield that had become stuck on the canopy was taken. Taking cover behind the tree, he peered discreetly to find his foe turned to his left, looking at the tree to his right. With a swift motion, a small vial was produced, its contents poured on the shield's inside, sizzling for no more than a second, then quickly drying, leaving no evidence of its existence.

Being careful not to touch the inner side, the man of broken eyes managed to throw the shield at his enemy. From its direction, it'd knock the man's upper back, perhaps his neck. The reasoning behind it however, was for him to put it on. Being near the shield would have him breathe its debilitating toxins, slowing his response time and overall movement speed. If he were to wield it again, the poison's effect would be vastly increased until he could rid himself of it. Twenty... To avoid straining, Kimicho counted as his mind cooled down to use his sound magic once more.