Start.

Ashura walked through the root town, an expression of deadly seriousness crossing his face. He had received a challenge from a blademaster by the name of Dien recently, and after both agreed to meet on the field, that was where he was going to now.

His cloak flapping as a highwind passed through the streets, a small party of players, more than likely noobs based on the expressions on their face, skirted around the oncoming player, all keeping close to one another as if they lived with the fear of being PK'ed.

Ashura raised an eyebrow as he walked. Why would anyone kill another player on purpose? That kinda ruined it for most people, but hell, whatever floats their boat.

Stopping in front of the Chaos Gate, Ashura looked up at the Flashmail that Dien had sent him, which listed the words he needed to get to the duel. Moments later, he was on the desert like field, watching as a high wind picked up and deposited sand in the distance. He was ready for battle.

SP: 35/35

(o.o.c: I was level four when I accepted your challenge, but my quest gave me two levels.)

(ooc: I noticed. Nice quest there)

A gentle ambience was heard through the streets of Mac Anu that could not be heard elsewhere. There were no motors, or anything artificial of any kind (outside of clinking bits of armor and other equipment). All of it contributed to an old-world metropolis of sorts, and as Dien leaned against a wall in one of the secluded alleys, he could hear it all.

Some were calling to trade items in a stock-market style manner, while others merely sat at stools around the counters of various restaurants, chattering gaily with the people they were eating with. All other sounds were that of the Chaos Gate, and the people warping in, or warping out of the water city in which he now stood.

How the Chaos Gate had gotten that name was something Dien had often wondered about. His conclusion was that originally, when the game had been founded, players had been mystified at how it moved them. He had to admit, saying words and then being transported to a random field at the Gate's discression did seem rather chaotic. So, they called it the Chaos Gate, and the name stuck.

Now, though, it was Dien's turn to watch this gate. He'd challenged a then level-four blademaster to a duel, and was now waiting for him to gate in to the field they'd chosen. Ashura was the player's name, and the blademaster had had an opportunity to research the name (he'd thought it familiar). As it turned out, Ashura was a day of mourning in some Islamic comunities. Well I hope he's not one of those melodramatic, depressing emo types I've encountered before, Dien thought.

Just before he could FM the man to remind him of what was going on, he heard the distinct sound of boots hitting the cobblestone pavement of the World. It wasn't anything to write home about, but for some reason, these footsteps stood out to him more than anything else the world was sounding to him. His eyes glanced up from the corner he'd been staring at and followed out into the square. There a man stood.

After briefly checking a flashmail, the man said the words to the field that Dien had chosen out. "Ashura," Dien muttered softly as his body was taken away. He looked a bit different than the blademaster remembered, but then he had since gained two levels (after the administration reviewed and rewarded him for a quest of his). Now the battle would find Dien at a slight disadvantage.

Two levels could add a significant amount of stats to any character. Dien himself had gained three and was now open to a new spell he'd never experienced before. Granted, Ashura probably had the Gan Zot already as well, but Dien had something that actually could even out the playing field a bit; Zenganshon. The sword was one of masterful craftsmanship--a rare item in the World. A hidden skill that it gave the user, outside of Revolver and Crack Beat, was the ability of Skill Drain.

He'd never actually used the technique before, but he imagined that if he used it correctly, the battle might actually turn around and become one based on actual skill and not just overwhelming power. Either way, Dien stepped out of his alley and into the glaring morning sunshine. Man am I gonna have it bad, he thought, if I can't stand up to this kind of sunlight, how will I be able to handle the field of battle? It was true. He'd chosen a desert field for the fight, and so he'd have to be a good deal more capable of withstanding heat than otherwise.

After stating the keywords in his approach to the Chaos Gate (merely to remind himself what they actually were), he was surprised to find himself warped to the field. After blinking for a moment, his eyes were set upon Ashura. The dark clothing he wore pulled him out of the surroundings like a candle in an unlit basement. The contrast level pointed out to Dien just how light this sand was; which meant that it was much finer than the desert fields he'd been to in the past, and fine sand meant a slippery surface--he'd encountered it before.

"Let's do this, Ashura," Dien said, drawing Zen(ganshon) and holding it diagonally in front of him in his typical defensive stance. There was no telling what this man would try, but Dien was ready.

SP: 25/25

(ooc: Ashura, please don't post in here until either the 9th or the 10th so that I don't get a time penalty

EDIT: You can't PM someone in the world, only FM...)

Ashura watched as the player by the name of Dien materialized on the field, taking off his cloak. He did not want any distractions while fighting this opponent, and wanted to give it his all.

"Let's do this, Ashura." With those words, Blademaster Dien drew his sword and held it diagonally in front of him. A defensive type stance.

Free of his cloak, Ashura brought out his sword and verted it, the blade aimed at the ground. With his other hand, he fished out a scroll and used the Speed Charm on himself, readying himself.

"Come on, Dien. Show me you strength!" With his words, Ashura darted forward, his blade held in front of his charging body horizontally.

SP: 35/35

[[OOC: My apologies on the tardiness of this post. My flight was cancelled yesterday, so I didn't end up at home until around 3:30 AM--needless to say, I was already late. I would very much apreciate it if the time penalty could be withdrawn for just this move.]]

The sword was drawn and pointed downward. It was a stance, to be sure, that Dien had never seen. It had its advantages, this much was clear to the blademaster as his foe fumbled about himself in search of something. At this point, an attack would be a fatal move for Zen's wielder.

At last a speed charm was drawn from within his garments, and as it faded into sparkling brilliance, Dien knew it had been cast upon Ashura. Under his breath he swore, and his stance shifted from one of defense to one of evasion. With two levels and a speed charm, how can I hope to keep a solid defense against his attacks? Evading would be key in this fight, and it would be something he had had practice in.

In all the freeform RPGs of his time, Dien had always been known for his ability to evade almost anything and follow it up with a vicious counter attack. While he had no fame in the World, the strategy still held true. In all his duels thus far he had been using his defense and evasion to get out of jams, and this time would be no different.

The charge by Ashura was unreal in its intensity and velocity. Even with just a two-level disadvantage, it was clear that the blademaster before him was proficient in his head-on charges (which, in general, were never the brightest ideas). It would be up to Dien to evade at the last moment, or possibly even to not evade and take the damage (the first option was the more preferable).

He couldn't see much about Ashura's stance as he ran; his speed took care of that easily, but what Dien could tell was that he held the sword pointing towards his target. Where in relation to the blademaster's body it was, Dien was unsure, but as he began to shift weight in a manner to evade, it didn't matter. His plan was simple.

With some form of agility his body skipped to the right, just barely missing the point of Ashura's blade. Nanoseconds flew by as the level-six-blademaster's body ebbed farther and farther along its projected path. Almost as though by instinct, Dien called the words, "Crack Beat!" in an effort to catch Ashura on his blade. He could feel the magic energy gather at the foremost edge of his blade as he brought his arm towards the body that now passing by his side. In truth, though, he couldn't know whether or not the blade would hit. Everything happened so fast that he'd even lost track of his opponent, which was not a good thing at all.

SP: 15/25

The power of a Speed Charm was amazing, as Ashura was well knew from numerous fights were the simple charm had saved his life. As his sword missed contact Dien, Ashura was unable to stop his charge due to the slippery surface, and he leaned forward to place a hand on the sandy surface. That may have proved to be a blessing as he heard his rival cry out "Crack Beat!"

Ashura raised his hand off the ground and used his extra speed to dive bomb the ground, feeling the sand open up and accept his weight as though it was the world's softest bed. He kicked his legs away from Dien to escape the attack, but he still received a shallow cut that was further irritated by the sand.

"Got to do better than that if you wish to win. Rue Zot!" Immediately, the sand underneath Dien began to swirl around like a whirlpool as a translucent tip began to emerge from the center. As the circle widened to a diameter of 20 feet, more ice daggers emerged, extending as they reached for the blademaster, each tip sharp as a razor.

SP: 15/35

(o.o.c: I went to level seven, but I'm gonna continue this fight as though I was level six still.)

What the... Dien thought as his blade slammed into the sand. The sands were still shifting from Ashura's wake, and as he followed up their path, his eyes, for a brief moment, caught a glimpse of Ashura's leg. No sooner had the black pant been seen than it had disappeared once more from view as the advanced blademaster scooted away.

I guess I'll have to play smarter, came the thought to completion before Ashura had even landed, and then came the realization that he had no chance of potentially winning this fight. Ashura had come better prepared than he had, and now it was showing. All he could hope for was the end of the speed charm's effects, but that wouldn't be any time soon.

But then, there was Zenganshon at his side, and as he drew the blade from the sand, he remembered the one advantage he had that Ashura didn't. Skill drain, It was a technique he'd only successfully implemented once in a quest, but never had it been used in supplement to his dueling. Still, he could only hope that it could be used. For now, his focus remained fixed on Ashura and his weapon.

The sword wielded by his opponent was a mystery to Dien. Never before had he seen such a blade, and heaven alone knew what skills came with it. One thing was sure, though, his defensive strategy would have to be put aside if he wished to come out of this duel alive; an attack had to be made.

The instant words had begun to escape from the mouth of Ashura, Dien had begun to move. Granted, he was only a level four blademaster, but he was still a pretty nimble character. His feet carried him across the slipping surface with whatever speed they could muster, propelling him toward Ashura at a speed he had previously not known. While the sand did hinder his movements slightly, what speed he had turned out to be a blessing.

"...Rue Zot!" he heard, having skipped out on the rest of Ashura's unnecessary babblings. As he ran the ground beneath him began to give way to a swirling motion much like a whirlpool of sand, however, once a spell is cast it is stationary. This turned out to be a tremendous help in his charge, as what would have left him impaled with icy spikes instead left a small, shallow wound on his leg that was further irritated by the sand. So far, he'd gone blow for blow with the man, in spite of his higher level.

The charge, however, did not end with the evasion of the spell. One minor scratch isn't enough to take down Dien, and as he drew closer and closer to his opponent, he drew his sword and held it at his side, preparing for some close combat with a higher-level blademaster.

SP: 17/25

As Dien neared where Ashura was located, Ashura sheathed his sword and concentrated. With his command, the hilt of one sword became anothers and from the sheath came Rondo, a sword that Ashura was partically fond of. True, it was two levels lower than the user, by his strength will make up for the lost of the advance skill, Vak Slash.

With new sword in hand, Ashura charged forward, determination in his eyes. As the two Blademasters neared, Ashura activated the forgotten skill that made him smile within.

"Revolver!"

SP: 7/35

A different sword... It was the first time Dien had witnessed a change of that kind in battle, but in any case it couldn't be good for him. He knew of Rondo, and that it was in fact a very strong sword. Ap Torma and Revolver came with it, and the two could be used in a devastating fashion; if the wielder knew how to do so properly. So far, Ashura had not lived up to his namesake in fighting style, but as Dien charged, he saw the man begin to do something very foolish.

The head-on charge was a tactic he's witnessed many times in battle, and with each example came the display of its futility. Granted, he was also in a charge, but his intention had never been to actually hit Ashura. Sometimes, in order to draw a weakness from an opponent, a person had to force the attack from them. So far Ashura had been using the same strategy Dien normally used; lay back and wait for your opponent to dig their own grave. It was a brilliant strategy; it usually worked on the more underexperienced fighters, but Ashura was clearly not lacking in that department.

"Broken," he muttered, drawing ever closer to the blademaster who now also charged into battle. A strategy is only as good as your ability to tear it apart, he recalled, if you know nothing of how to fight your own technique, how will you be able to win when someone else cracks it? It was true. The words from the his earliest trainings in freeform roleplay had been bouncing about his mind for a while now, and as he charged, he began to see them come to fruition.

His strategy revolved around a solid defense and a quick counter-attack to utterly devastate his opponent when they least expected it. Apparently Ashura had also picked up on this, and so Dien had instituted the breaker for his own tactic. By having charged at Ashura, he had pulled the attack out of him, and thereby his weakness. He could only imagine what would happen as he ran, but-

A mouthful of sand greeted Dien as he fell. His toes signalled the inherent collision with a rock that had caused an abrupt halt to his charge. He'd been a little over a yard away from Ashura, and had heard him shouting something. A whir of a blade overhead informed Dien that it had been the Rondo's Revolver that had been activated. Sure, Ashura, he thought, I don't mind you wasting your skill points on a missed attack.

The structure of the Revolver was a unique one. The blade's wielder held his sword out to one side and spun about once or twice, holding the blade out to inflict damage to anything within a certain radius. Anything inside that radius, if it was lucky enough not to meet up with the caster's arm, was completely untouched by the technique. As it were, Dien found himself underneath a whirling Ashura, easily within the radius of any damage and under the range of the spell by any stretch. Here, he was safe.

Then it hit him; Ashura was completely open. Time seemed to stand still as the options shot through Dien's mind. He could cast a spell of his own, but at this close a range, he would likely be hit by anything magic as well. His skills would be little use to him as well. A Revolver is best fired while upright, and the same was true of a Crack Beat. Then came the idea of a Skill Drain. Why not? he thought. At the moment there was almost nothing the revolving blademaster could do to counter such an action, being locked in his spell. The Skill Drain would also be aided by the fact that the reserves of Ashura's SP had been concentrated about a point for the completion of the Revolver.

"Skill Drain," Dien said as the body above him neared its first completed rotation. He couldn't help but figure he'd get some SP from the technique, which would be better than nothing. How much he'd get would be completely up to chance (or even the chance that he wouldn't get any). Still he could only hope for the best.

SP: 19/25 (possibly more, depending on how much SP Ashura gives me. The calculator suggests between 1 and 3 SP, but it can't factor in certain things like the likelihood of a hit or whatnot)

(edited to fix details of Rondo)

'Damn skill!'

Even as Ashura began to spin, he knew that his attack was not likely to score a hit. As the world around him spun in a high-speed vortex, the images of Dien showed, pieced together by Ashura's mind, that the other Blademaster had fell to the ground, his fall meaning that the whirlwind of blades would miss him.

'And I can't cancel it!'

"Skill Drain!"

The sound of Dien's voice rang a note of dread in Ashura's gut. A sensation of lost filled him as 2 SP points flew from Ashura's body and into the tip of Dien's Sword, giving the player a added boost.

The attack dying down, Ashura felt the world come back in place and glared down at his sword. Until the moment was right, he would not use another skill from his weapon or armor again. Then again, he had other surprises up his sleeve, waiting to be revealed.

"Nice move with the tripping and getting away from my attack, Dien," Ashura said, fishing in his pack for his desired items. "But block these! Nightblight! Dark Knight!"

SP: 7+1=8/35 - 2(Skill Drain)=6/35

As soon as the swirling skill above him had stopped, Dien had begun to move. He knew Ashura wouldn't waste a moment in trying to deal yet another attack, and so had to keep himself moving whenever possible. He'd scrambled to his feet and into a light jog (or whatever form of a light jog could be achieved on the sky-scraping dunes on which they fought). A multitude of options presented themselves to him as he turned to face the blademaster while keeping his feet in a consistent bounce, but first, he had an attack to deal with.

"Nice move with the tripping and getting away from my attack, Dien," he said, and the options began presenting themselves to Dien. From this distance he couldn't possibly hope to use one of his sword's skills again. A magic attack would be the only way for Ashura to make his fight, and from what Zen's wielder could tell he was limited to two Rue attacks and a Juk Rom.

"But block these! Nightblight! Dark Knight!" The words pierced the dry desert air like a falling icicle, cutting anything in its path until they reached their intended target. How could I forget scrolls? he asked himself silently, taking the next bounce to get away from his last position. It wouldn't be enough, though. His foot pushed off the sand only to find it more slippery than he'd anticipated. His body took to the air, but it was not fast enough. Globs of dark energy surrounded him as the sands began to swirl, and a panic covered his face.

He was on his way out of the worst of it, the eye of the storm, but he would still receive considerable damage to his mid-section and lower half as a result of his foot's slip. It's not over, he thought, I can still get him. His body cleared the radius, however bruised and deadened it might have been by the dark spells Ashura had cast.

The other blademaster was still a good distance away, but if it was scrolls he was using, Dien could very easily play that game. His hand reached into his inventory, quickly withdrawing two items as he pulled himself to his feet. He could feel the blood swelling in his lower half, and knew the first item would be necessary. Single-handedly the cork was popped from the small jar and the Health Drink made its way into his system. Its effects weren't quite immediate, but he didn't have time to worry about that now. He still had the other item in his hand to worry about.

Unless Ashura had incredible eyesight, there was no way he would know the effect the next scroll would have. As Dien unwrapped the device, he held his hand discretely toward Ashura and let the word quietly and furtively escape his lips;
"Stonebane." His speech had been whispered near the point of silence and his lips had barely moved with its casting. All he could hope for as he stood was that Ashura wouldn't figure out the effect his now vanished scroll had. Whatever the case, Zenganshon was held up in front of him defensively once more as he prepared to bolt in the case of another scroll or defend in the case of a physical attack.

SP: 20 + 2 (Skill Drain) + 1 (Turn point) = 23/25

Ashura felt the a small tingle fill his body as a small item in Dien's hand vanished in a wink of light. Glancing over himself, he could find no traces of damage, but something still did not seem right...

*Ring!*

His ears catching the barely audible buzz of his phone, Ashura switched back over to DeOndre and activated his computer phone, thanking himself that he had installed the program.

"Hey, this is DeOndre...What? But I'm bus...fine, then...I'll be right over..."

Hanging up and deactivating the program, DeOndre placed the VR goggles over his head and looked out of the eyes of his alter ego.

"Sorry, Dien, but this fight is gonna have to be cut short. Later!" Sheathing his sword as he said his goodbye, Ashura bowed slightly before gating out from the field, arriving at the Root Town Mac Anu only to completely log off.

SP: 8/35

"Sorry, Dien, but this fight is gonna have to be cut short. Later!" came the shout from his opponent. Within a moment he'd gated out of the field, and Dien swore to himself. Dammit, he thought, what a waste of a Stonebane. His plan had been to lower the earth attribute of the fighter, and then command him into a Gan Zot, which would have played certain doom. However, now it was over. Zenganshon had served its purpose, and now sat idly in his hands as the Health Drink finished its healing effects.

His legs crossed as he sat on the sand, allowing the last rays of the sun to hit him. He'd really been hoping to get a KO with this duel, but now there was no chance of that. Until next time, he thought, I promise I will kill you, Ashura. The cut from before would have been crying out in agony as it rubbed in the sand, but at the moment, nothing came to him from those legs.

He stood, sliding the rare sword back into its sheath. The field was very similar to one he'd dueled on before, and then it came to him as he reminisced; he had better things to do than just sit there.
"Goodbye," he said, calling for the yellow rings to surround his body and transport him back to the River City of Mac Anu. It had been a good duel; if only it had lasted a little while longer.

SP: 25/25