NationStates Jolt Archive

IC: A tall, menacing figure with long blond hair, wearing a business suit, sat in his chair, in his spacious, luxurious office. As he looked out the window, he sees the heart of Atros from high up......for he was in his gigantic airship, the Executioner. This man was Raven Vandell, founder and CEO of the Vandell Corporation. For some reason, he was keeping his right arm hidden under the table.......

A secretary walked in, with a file in her hand. Raven asked her, "Have the invites been sent out?"

"Yes sir. The preliminaries have started already. Our quarterfinalists will be chosen in a matter of days, and they will be coming down to Atros soon."

"Good, good.......", Raven looked up and down at the secretary. She had a nice figure....... "Very well, get ready for the Tournament. Our main sponsor, Michiko Hikoori, contact her to finalize the plans."

"Yes sir." With that, the secretary walked out, as Raven admired her bum once more........once she was gone, Raven stood, covering his right arm in a cloak of sorts, and went to the back of his office, where there was a private lift ready for his own use. He went in, and pushed the button.......

The lift doors close, and sent him down to a dark chamber. Raven got out, and entered the chamber he had entered many times in the past. The only things lighting the place, were eerie-looking stasis capsule, which emitted a sickly green light, but were empty. However, at the end of the corridor, there was one stasis capsule that held a person. A teenaged girl, 16 years old, floating and unconscious in the icy fluids of the capsule that kept her cyrogenically frozen.....and alive. She was slender, pale from lack of sunlight and her condition, and totally naked, save for some pieces of tape strategically placed.

"Sarah......." Raven muttered. "My daughter......wait. Wait a while. Soon, you will be here with me again. As you used to. You'll play again. You'll go to school again. You'll......", at this, he choked, and a tear fell to the floor. "You'll.....you'll call me.....papa, again, won't you, my dear sweet Sarah?"

Choking, Raven walked away from the girl, who floated, unknowing that anyone has talked to her.........

OOC: As you can see, something evil is afoot here, but i won't tell you guys anything yet. Ok, RPers, RP your characters arriving at the City of Darkness, which is the capital of Atros, and checking in at the local Hilton, which will be where the characters will live throughout the Tournament. Judges, RP some VIPs to the same place. Let's get this show on the road. The schedule will come in a few days, after everyone has arrived.

OOC: So do I just make up a random character to be the judge?

OOC: Yes. However, your character cannot be your sub-boss, just so you know.

OOC: Alrighty...

IC: Alex Hydros sat within his modest limo as it moved through the streets of City of Darkness, making its way toward the designated hotel for judges and other VIP guests of the Battle Arena Tournament. Just last week he had been contacted about a position on a panel of judges in a combat tournament.

Being one of the so called greatest martial arts instructors in Assington, he had been offered such an oppurtunity. Alex wasn't a particularly large man, standing at 5'8" he didn't strike fear on first appearance to others, but that was always their undoing. Years of combat practice and other exercises left Alex coated in a hard layer of muscle that could be used to kill or injure effectively.

Soon he would arrive and meet the other judges...

Sadi, Zil, and Neral, fresh from their battles in the preliminary rounds, were invigorated for the quarterfinal matches.

Neral had found that her training with the Nakayama Master had proved quite useful indeed and the improved Secret attack had proven to be a great asset to her fighting ability. The shadow effect was a great touch, and it still amazed her that she hadn't figured out how to do it already. It was so simple after all... Regardless, she knew the secrets of the attack now and it had proven a match winner in quite a few fights prior to this when she had been matched against some worthy opponents. They were no match for her improved skills however, and the battles were easily won when she got her head in the match.

Zil had used her innate magickal abilities to totally destroy any opponent who tried to get near her. No one could match the power of the wild, and Zil knew it. The earth always triumphs over all. Zil had learned that at an early age, when she finally began to master her magickal abilities and use them in combat. She was excited to be entering the quarterfinals with Sadi there to watch her continue to win. She knew that she would win his favor by the end of the tournament... or else...

Sadi meanwhile was just glad that his immense strength had managed to get him this far. Many of his opponents had been simply overwhelmed by his height combined with his innate abilities for fighting. Fear was such an interesting weapon to use in a match. By itself it was useless, but when used in combination with other strategies, it won matches in the blink of an eye. He was looking forward to some real competitors in the upcoming quarterfinals matches.

Keeping all their personal thoughts amongst themselves, the trip to the assigned hotel for those in the tournaments was a rather quiet one. Absorbing the sights and sounds of the City of Darkness, as it was so aptly named, the three grew anxious as they awaited their next match. Soon things would get very challenging, they all knew that well, but despite that fact, they all sensed that something was strange about this place. Something seemed unnatural about it, and anything not natural brought a great deal of caution to every Manean. Time would tell, and the three continued towards the hotel, to meet the other quarterfinalists and possibly a few of the judges...

IC: It was 5 A.M. in the City of Darkness. Just about the only time that the City ever seemd to live up to its name, but the real reason why it is called that is because the city only truly comes alive at night, with all sorts of denizens, human and otherwise. Now is the time when the famous nightlive starts going to sleep for real. Michiko Hikoori yawned, at the lobby of the Atros Hilton. She would have been sleeping, after all her sponsor/organzier duties don't start until 8 A.M., but she wanted to personally greet those coming for the Tournament. And some of them just had to touch down at the Atros International Airport at such an ungodly hour.

Michiko yawned again. After this, she would have to go supervise the setting up of the banners, posters, and other advertisements for the Tournament......why does she always keep doing this, Michiko wondered.

Then a limo pulled up to the front porch of the Hilton, and out stepped a muscular athlete. Walking up to him, Michiko greeted him with a traditional Atrosian-type curtsy, and said:

"Welcome to Atros, Mr Hydros. I am Michiko Hikoori, the organizer and sponsor for the Tournament. Let me show you up to your hotel room, and I'll brief you on your next few days as judge for the Tournament."

Alex Hydros nodded, and said, "It would be my pleasure." So they went up and concluded their business quickly (OOC: No funny thoughts here :p). After that, Michiko went back down to the lobby, just in time for Team Manea's arrival.

"Welcome to Atros, Team Manea. Let me show you to your hotel room. I hope you will have a pleasant day."

When she was done with them, Michiko went out of the Hilton. She was feeling weary, but knew there was yet a long day ahead.......

IC: Tournament fever was heating up in the City of Darkness. Everywhere, there were banners, posters, blimps, balloons, all shouting out that the Tournament, one of the greatest fighting events ever to happen, was going to happen, and it's about to land right on them. Many companies and organzations have taken advantage of this event to throw in their lot, and now everywhere a citizen of Atros goes in the City, he can see many advertisements, including from the 3 Prime Clans of Hiyuuki, Hikurai, and Hikoori, whose combined logo of a triple helix of red, black, and cyan are well known in Atros but have now multiplied in numbers. Others include the Cala Electronics Corporation from Five Civilized Nations, Starblaydia Armaments Corporation from Starblaydia, and there was talk that the infamous Ciceroni logo of the mafia family was even present. Above all, the Vandell Corporation Logo, a stylized V set in concentric circles, was standing out. Indeed, Tournament fever is hitting the City, and hitting it hard.

Alex took in the finely decorated hotel lobby before being greeted by Michiko, who quickly filled him in about the judge responsibilities and the sort. Nothing he hadn't really anticipated.

Within minutes Michiko disappeared agian to greet some other arrivals and left Alex to the peave and quiet of his room. First thing on his agenda was to rest up and recover from his jetlag.

IC: Meanwhile, Raven Vandell himself was sitting in his office at the Vandell HQ, the Sky Needle building that is the hallmark of the City's skyline. A secretary entered.

"Have you finished the analysis of the participating teams in the Tournament?" asked Vandell. "Yes, sir" was the reply, as the secretary put down a file on Raven's desk, and with Raven's beckoning, left his office. Raven picked up the file, which comprised of the analysis of many martial arts experts on the chances of the teams to win the Tournament. As he read on, he grinned.

Analysis of the Tournament

Quarterfinalist Teams:
1. Team Starblaydia
2. Team Mercenary Soldiers
3. Team Babes (Atros)
4. Team Amandathegreat
5. Team Fetid Fens
6. Team Manea
7. Team Gronde
8. Team Wandering Argonians

Analysis 1: Starblaydia
Consisting of 3 of the best fighters from Starblaydia, the team consists of Brad Hunter, Armando "Annihilator" Gomez, and Robby Diaz. The team specializes in physical attacks, and can be said to be one of the more techically proficient teams in terms of martial artistry.
Strengths: This team has an advantage in hand-to-hand combat, and is probably very tough, one of the toughest teams Atros has ever seen.
Weaknesses: A lack of Firepower may mean that the team will struggle against teams using more esoteric fighting styles.

Analysis 2: Amandathegreat
Combining advanced martial arts with great magical powers, this all-female team from Amandathegreat consists of Jade, Phoenix, and Destani, representative Amazons from a famous female-empowered country. The team focuses on magic and fighting arts in varying degrees, and it is generally a well-balanced team.
Strengths: Has many options in battle, depending on respective fighters.
Weaknesses: The team generally lacks Speed and Strength, and so may have to watch out if opposing teams decide to play rough and dirty.

Analysis 3: Mercenary Soldiers
Bringing together military fighting skills from around the world, the team of Mercenary Soldiers include Mercutio "Merc" Stillwater, Junge "Iwo" Iwasaka, and Alexandru "Xander" Pushneli, 3 accomplished soldiers toughened up by years of military training. The team has in its arsenal Army-based fighting tactics like Krav Maga, the Russian Sambo, and Tae Kwon Do.
Strengths: Like Team Starblaydia, the focus is on hand to hand combat, and military toughness helps too.
Weaknesses: Like Starblaydia, may have difficulty contending with teams that uses magical and ki skills.

Analysis 4: Wandering Argonians
From the famous nomadic folk of lizardlike Argonians, a team with a difference comes up to the fore to fight with skills no human can achieve. The team consists of Ket Keltin, Hammer-Claw Morkath, and Pentel Feather-Foot. The team mainly specializes in physical attacks, with Pentel being the extreme exception probably entered to ensure diversity in skills.
Strengths: A resistance to poisons and fire, and natural Argonian Strength and Constitution makes them a force to be contended with.
Weakness: Argonians are affected by flashing lights, and this team is no different. May be easily distracted, and highly varying skills mean that options might be reduced whenever a team member falls.

Analysis 5: Fetid Fens
From the marshlands of Fetid Fens comes a team full of great magic, combined with a anchor in Strength from a Yeti. This team consists of Dar' Emboula, Den' Zarkath, and Grrrth Arrck, is magic heavy, with the Yeti being the sole physical fighter in the team.
Strengths: A specialization in Firepower through magical means spells trouble for teams with no magical resistance.
Weakness: Not exactly the best of magic users, the team may face a problem both against higher-level Firepower teams, and one Yeti may not be enough against a team with good fighting Skill.

Analysis 6: Manea
The bearlike Manean race sends 3 of their best to the Tournament, and with great diversity in skills amongst their members, are considered as having a very good chance to go far. Consisting of Warrior Chieftain Sadi Montumen, Chief Magess Zil Kashnodel, and Specialty Warrior Neral Zelashnodel, who had just recently mastered theNakayama Secret from the House of Nakayama, the team's many choices in battle make them a team dangerous to any who cross their path.
Strengths: Great diversity gives the team many choices when battling, allowing them a distinct advantage.
Weaknesses: What is their strength is also their weakness. Should they come up against a highly specialized team, Team Manea may have problems if their representative warrior with the same skills as the opposing team falls.

Analysis 7: Gronde
Consisting of Lord Drazzar, who specializes in ninjutsu and the dark arts, and Master Kalgar, a sword fighting master, this team is unique in that it trusts in only 2 fighters with varying tactics. Relying much on Skill to win the Tournament, the chances for this team is sadly not hopeful, as their original 3rd member Seer Princess Verianna had quit the team out of fear, denying them much needed numbers and diversity in tactics. Nevertheless, this team should not be underestimated, as they are dangerous in their own right, and can be counted on to give other teams a headache.
Strengths: Heavy reliance on weaponry may give them an edge over other teams relying on hand to hand combat skills.
Weaknesses: Basically outnumbered whatever they do, Team Gronde may have to consider radically unique techniques to stay in contention.

Analysis 8: Atros
Finally, the main host nation of the Tournament sends their own team into the fray and competing for the prize. However, instead of the Legends Team of Arashi Hiyuuki, Shinji Hikurai, and Michiko Hikoori, who are said to be preoccupied with other matters related to the Tournament, and heroes in their own right, Atros is represented by Arashi's sister Reiko Hiyuuki, Shinji's sister Naomi Hikurai, and Hana Nakayama of the assassination House of Nakayama in the Babes Team. Bringing the fires of Hiyuuki and Hikurai into the fight, as well as the assassination arts of Nakayama, this team is a force to be contended with, although they may not be as powerful as their legendary counterparts in the Legends Team.
Strengths: Although the fires of Hiyuuki and Hikurai as well as the skill of Nakayama brings great weight to the team, the team is largely Speed-based, and the ability to bring great damage fast is an asset no other team boasts.
Weaknesses: A general lack of Constitution means the girls will have to finish their fights fast, or risk being overwhelmed too easily by opponents with Strength and equal Speed.

OOC:
BUMP

I really hope no one drops out at this point, since i've invested a lot of blood in this as it is. If i get any more trouble, i'll just drop the whole damned thing.

OOC: As the team's taxi hasn't arrived yet, Team Starblaydia are lacking an entrance RP, or in fact an RP of any sort. One to come ASAP.

ooc> i'm still here. Unfortunatly, I am waaaaay too tired to make a good entrance RP post right now. However, I do have a trivial question. What tech level is this city? I am trying to figure out if it would be appropriate to have my team fly down on a thunderhawk gunship.

Dar' Emboula and Den' Zarkath with Grrrth Arrck in tow arrive in the City of Darkness. They are late as usual having to travel the last 300 miles in a cattle car as no airline, charter plane nor limo would take them. Dar' Emboula and Den' Zarkath look normal albeit oddly out of place with their flowing capes, the strange glow in their eyes and streaks of white mixed in with the rest of their jet black hair.

The Yeti was yet another story. Grrrth Arrck, stood just over eight feet tall, was covered with thick matted white fur/hair, he had huge teeth with enormous canines. The common belief that Yetis were gentle beasts who avoid human contact was nowhere near the mark. Mountain Yetis were agressive and normally seek out humans to do battle with to prove their superiority.

Den' Zarkath liked this city, it had an air of evil, of dark magic, it was a place he could enjoy.

The travelers found a farmer that would take them to the Hilton to check in.
The desk clerk was not going to let them stay, blaming the smell of the Yeti among other things. Dar' Emboula told Grrrth to bring the reservation computer up to the top of the counter so she could show the snot-nosed little twerp their reservations. Grrrth ripped the monitor right out of the counter top it was bolted to and placed upon the granite top of the registration desk.

Dar' Emboula pointed out their reservations on the screen and leaned over to the desk clerk whispering in his ear "Grrrth likes to eat skinny little human arms as an afternoon snack, if you don't check us in I will tell him it is snack time." The puny quaking clerk checked them in.

OOC: Gronde, the City of Darkness is modern/near-future tech.

FF, there is no air of evil in the City as such, although vampires are counted as part of its denizens. It's a bustling city that's a cross between New York and Gotham.

IC: It was 10 am the same day that Michiko greeted Team Manea and the representative from Asssington, Alex Hydros, and meanwhile, she had been busy overseeing the administrative requirements of the Tournament. Suddenly her handphone (cellphone to some) rang, and as she answered it, her face paled, and she rushed for a taxi. She had missed the arrival of Team Fetid Fens, that's how busy she was, and now she was too late to prevent the rustic Team terrorizing the Hilton staff.......

15 minutes later.......

Michiko was giving Team Fetid Fens a piece of her mind for the unruly behaviour of their Yeti, and worse, their encouragement for such behaviour. While the humans were silent, the Yeti growled, and made as if about to attack the Hikoori Heiress for what it perceived to be a threat to its masters, but Michiko turned, and with light blue fire forming the Wisdom Aura around her, extended her palm to the Yeti, and suddenly the room got so cold, the humans of the Team almost buckled under the sheer force of the Glacial fire, and even the Yeti, more used to cold than the humans, retreated. Seeing that she had made her point, Michiko stopped her demonstration of power, and informed the Team that from now on, Clan Hikoori will sponsor the Team for basic needs, including food, transportation, and lodging in the Hilton, but warned that any more infractions would cause withdrawal of support. Then, having done what she had to do, she turned and left......

Meanwhile.....
A limo pulled up to the Atros Hilton, and out stepped 3 young women. The first, with light brown hair and eyes, wearing a figure hugging red dress, and a vivacious personality to boot, was Reiko Hiyuuki, the leader for the Team during the Tournament. The next one had short, black hair, cold eyes, and wearing a black sleeveless top and dark pants, with a jacket tied around her waist, and she was Naomi Hikurai, the sister of the Legend Shinji Hikurai. Most people thought of her as cold, but around Reiko, she was warmer, as if Reiko released all of her pent up emotions. The last was a long haired girl, wearing a purple and black jumpsuit, and wielding a vicious-looking serrated-edged hoop, and she was Hana Nakayama. This was the team that is to represent Atros, the Babes Team.

Seeing a tall shapely figure wearing a sky-blue evening gown approaching, Reiko called out, "Miss Michiko! Had a long day?"

Michiko responded tiredly, "Yeah. First Team Manea and the judge from Assington had to come at 5 am, and you know how that's like for people in the City. Then i had to deal with some administrative stuff until now, and now Team Fetid Fens had to give some trouble." She sighed. "And i've not eaten since last night."

That was the cue. Reiko immediately took Michiko's arm, and said, "C'mon, Miss Michiko! Let's have breakfast together! Me and Naomi's got so much to tell you......." As they prepared to go to the cafe, Hana told them, "I won't be joining you. I've got a friend to meet." "Okay, Hana, we'll meet up later then. See ya", Reiko said.

As Michiko, Reiko and Naomi went off gossiping, Hana smiled, and went her way. She's dying to know just how much Neral had improved since their last battle under the Master, and now she knows Neral is here........

OOC: C'mon people, respond! I don't have all year.

Armando fielded yet more questions outside the Atros Hilton, mostly from the travelling Starbladyi press. The flashbulbs went crazy once more as a streched white Humvee pulled up at the plush red carpet that lined the pavement. The media were having a field day now that he, Armando 'Annihilator' Gomez, was coming back to fight and compete in a tournament.

He took a sideways glance at the garish symbols plastered down the side. 'Double Perfect Gym' was prevailent among them. Brad, he thought, Could it be anyone else? Armando sighed inwardly and watched as Brad Hunter, self-proclaimed man-of-the-hour, leapt out of the gential-compensation-sized Limo and performed some 'flashy' moves for the cameras, all with that trademark perfect-teeth smile.

Armando moved through the crowd. He didn't have to push, as when you're seven feet four and built like a aircraft carrier, people tend to move out of the way instinctively. He went over to Brad and they clasped hands, with big smiles for the cameras.

"Where's Robby?" Brad asked through the teeth of his smile

"Taxi's late." Came the equally ventriloquistic response.

"Well," Brad was speaking to the press now, "A Team Captain's gotta look after his men, hasn't he boys?"

Armando just smiled with the politician's 'I'm glad you asked me that' look on his face. Brad had just declared himself Team Leader, as per usual. Behind them a screech of tyres from a yellow cab signalled Robby Diaz's arrival. The press pack rushed across to ask him all manner of questions, none of which he answered. As the cabbie had unpacked the few battered bags that Robby carried, he gesticulated for a tip. Robby just snarled and the cabbie left with a curse on his lips, racing away to find a more friendly passenger.

"Tip." Was all Robby said, as he rolled his eyes.

"Nice speech, pal" Brad said, patting him on the back, "now, where's my room?"

"C'mon guys, let's go." 'The Annihilator' always liked to get the final word as Team Starblaydia entered the Hilton.

ic> A black thunderhawk was decending uppon the city. It was conveniently not stripped of its weapons. It was Kalgar's personal transport.

"Damn you, Kalgar!" Drazzar hissed. "You always make us late! If you hadn't wasted all that time searching for Verianna, we wouldn't be behind."
"What are you worried about?" Kalgar asked. "Just think, all the other teams will be arriving some fancy limo or something. But we will show them up on that."
While most teams were pulling up to the designated location, Kalgar landed his thunderhawk on top of one of the adjecent buildings. Drazzar's mood had not changed as they walked out.
"You know," Kalgar said as he took in the view of the city from atop the tall building, "If you hadn't scared her off, we would still have three team members."
"She was weak!" Drazzar growled. "...to be so easily disturbed by my power." They both jumped down from the building, both making a perfect landing despite the long drop.
"Well, let us hope that you are stronger than she was," Kalgar said frankly as he landed on the concrete. "Because we will have our work cut out for us."
"We will see. . ." Drazzar hissed.

Team Gronde has arrived.

IC: It was a hell of a long day for Michiko Hikoori. As expected, the Babes Team was the one team that gave her the least bit of trouble, but only because, through their more famous brothers, Reiko and Naomi are familiarly acquainted with Michiko, indeed having treated her as the 'big sis'. After their luncheon, the Babes Team had went up to their hotel room without much fuss, and promptly left it unused, as Reiko and Naomi went straight back to their Dojos to 'pick up stuff', as Reiko said, while there was never any telling where Hana was up to.

Afterwards, she had a rough day with some of the contractors whom she had hired to oversee the preparations for the Tournament, and at 5 pm, she had to be present at the Atros Hilton yet again for a PR session with Team Starblaydia. That wasn't so bad, except for the fact that the leader Brad Hunter had to make a pass at her, forcing her to give him her version of a cold shower. (OOC: Starblaydia, i hope you don't mind me using your character like that, maybe you can tell me which of the 3 is more likely to make a pass?)

However, even the commotion Team Fetid Fens caused earlier, was nothing compared to what Team Gronde managed to achieve, when Kalgar managed to alarm the entire Atrosian Air Force by flying in a fully-armed Thunderhawk, and getting past the first defenses, forcing a major sortie by the local City air base of ASF-10 Peregrine fighters. This sounds like a major achievement, as the Atrosian Air Force is the largest and most well-equipped section of the military, but the Air Force was fooled by virtue of having been informed of Team Gronde's arrival beforehand, and merely failing to anticipate their mode of transport.

Whatever it is, Michiko had a tough time and all, what with Kalgar insisting on his mode of transport (guns and all), the Air Force shining a spotlight on the parked Thunderhawk and insisting on the confiscation of the Thunderhawk, and the proprietor of the adjacent building, whose helipad was taken up by the Thunderhawk, insisting on its removal. Finally, after much negotiation, along with Michiko shouting her head off at Kalgar, a deal was made where the Thunderhawk was to be parked by Kalgar himself at the City's airbase, and taxi to be provided between the airbase and the Hilton, and moreover, Kalgar may use his Thunderhawk anywhere he flies in Atrosian space, but only with a squadron of Peregrines on his tail in case he does anything funny.

With a long day concluded, Michiko trudged back to the Hikoori Dojo, where she saw that Reiko was nice enough to provide a hot meal for her, and after her meal, chilled out in her bath. Tomorrow would be another day.........

That wasn't so bad, except for the fact that the leader Brad Hunter had to make a pass at her, forcing her to give him her version of a cold shower. (OOC: Starblaydia, i hope you don't mind me using your character like that, maybe you can tell me which of the 3 is more likely to make a pass?)

OOC: Brad is exactly that kind of a character, feel free (so to speak).

However, even the commotion Team Fetid Fens caused earlier, was nothing compared to what Team Gronde managed to achieve, when Kalgar managed to alarm the entire Atrosian Air Force by flying in a fully-armed Thunderhawk, and getting past the first defenses, forcing a major sortie by the local City air base of ASF-10 Peregrine fighters. This sounds like a major achievement, as the Atrosian Air Force is the largest and most well-equipped section of the military, but the Air Force was fooled by virtue of having been informed of Team Gronde's arrival beforehand, and merely failing to anticipate their mode of transport.

Whatever it is, Michiko had a tough time and all, what with Kalgar insisting on his mode of transport (guns and all), the Air Force shining a spotlight on the parked Thunderhawk and insisting on the confiscation of the Thunderhawk, and the proprietor of the adjacent building, whose helipad was taken up by the Thunderhawk, insisting on its removal. Finally, after much negotiation, along with Michiko shouting her head off at Kalgar, a deal was made where the Thunderhawk was to be parked by Kalgar himself at the City's airbase, and taxi to be provided between the airbase and the Hilton, and moreover, Kalgar may use his Thunderhawk anywhere he flies in Atrosian space, but only with a squadron of Peregrines on his tail in case he does anything funny.

With a long day concluded, Michiko trudged back to the Hikoori Dojo, where she saw that Reiko was nice enough to provide a hot meal for her, and after her meal, chilled out in her bath. Tomorrow would be another day.........

ooc> Mission accomplished! I had to make my impression. :p
But darn...there goes my plan for having a 150 mm cannon and 6 missile launchers worth of firepower right next to the Hilton... your no fun at all. lol.

ic> Kalgar exited the taxi with a sly expression.
"Why do you look so damn proud of yourself?" a fammiliar voice hissed. It was Drazzar. "All you managed to accomplish was to put the entire local military on high alert and you probobly pissed off the entire tournament committy."
"And. . .?" Kalgar responded.
"There may be hope for you yet," Drazzar finnally admitted. "But I told you that parking that thing ON TOP OF A BUILDING was a bad idea." Kalgar mearly let out an ammused laugh as he headed for the Hilton.

OOC: Well, quite interesting entrances thus far... let's see here... If Hana wants to speak to Neral, Hana will speak to Neral...

IC: While Sadi and Zil were resting up for the tournament, Neral had continued her training in the Nakayama arts. Such an interesting style of combat it was, the way of the Nakayama. It had only served to strengthen her already formidable fighting techniques and given her a very powerful new weapon with the Secret at her disposal. While she had had no use for it in the earlier rounds of the tournament, preferring to use her downgraded Blinding Flash technique so as to conserve her energy for later rounds, she knew that that it's power would soon be utilized in combat.

Hearing the racket from the arrival of Team Gronde, as the helicopter landed on the hotel, prompted Neral to go check things out a bit while the others slept. Getting a look around the place wouldn't be such a bad idea either. Who knows, perhaps she might run into Hana in her travels, then she could have a little chat with her prior to the tournament...

OOC: There, if you have anything planned feel free to do that now that I had a reason to walk Neral around for a little bit. We'll see where this goes...

OOC: I'm glad to see Manea has not forgotten this Tournament totally. People, even if you have already made your RP entrance, try to RP a few more events to make this more interesting. It also helps to assure me that you're still here too.

IC: Neral went to the place where the commotion between the Hikoori Heiress and Team Gronde was happening. Apparently, Team Gronde somehow managed to alarm the local military with their entrance, and it shows on Miss Hikoori's face. Deciding that there was nothing really interesting, Neral walked off, to a darker, quieter corner of the Hilton.

Soon, she found her near the swimming pool area of the Hilton, which although there were still a few swimmers present, was sufficient for her thoughts to roam. She walked, and walked, and thought, about the days ahead.

Then, something happen. None of the few swimmers that were there seemed to notice anything, and Neral herself thought for a moment that she was being paranoid, before confirming with herself that there was something there. But what......?

Suddenly instinct kicked in, and Neral dodged, just in time to avoid a death-from-above manuveur from a shadowy figure wielding a disc-like thing. She jumped, and hopped out of the way, just enough for her to regain her bearings, even taken by surprise like that. Then she smelt a whiff of jasmine. And she laughed.

Hana. Who else could move THAT fast? Neral faced her recently-acquainted rival from the assassination House, and saw that Hana was grinning too. Interestingly enough, instead of the Flower Hoop, which was secure on Hana's back, Hana herself wielded......a normal frisbee. Neral laughed again. Just a friendly, safe challenge, and one that was irresistable to her.

Leaping at each other, the daughter of House Nakayama and the Specialty Warrior from Manea came together, and there ensued a fierce but ineffectual fistfight that had the swimmers hooked at the spectacle. Breaking apart, Hana threw the frisbee at Neral, who promptly replied by punching the frisbee back at Hana. Once the teenage assassin had retrieved her training weapon, she and Neral leapt in the direction of the pool, and instead of falling into the water, both fighters leapt forward so fast and far, that they seemed almost to be RUNNING on the surface of the water, continuing the fistfight all the while, and thus cleared the entire length of the pool, landing on the far side, to applause from the swimmers, who had just got lucky enough to glimpse a preview of what was to come in the Tournament.

Neral grinned at the exercise, and Hana, throwing the frisbee back to a hunk from whom she had borrowed the toy, walked to Neral and shook her hand.

"Warrior Neral. It's been a while. I trust the Nakayama Arts have helped you much?"

ic> After being yelled at by a few more people, Kalgar and Drazzar were finnally able to enter the Hitlton, after being checked to make sure that they were not hiding any more military grade weapondry. Kalgar checked his team in, and immediatly headed for the pool area, much to the descust of Drazzar. They arrived at the pool just as the brief spar between Hana and Neral. Kalgar tried to hide his true reason for paying such close attention to the fighters by commenting to Drazzar on their fighting styles. Drazzar, seeing right through it, mearly shook his head in disiproval as Kalgar sat down in one of the pool side chairs with a sigh, after bowing respectfully at the two fighters.
"We should be training," Drazzar hissed. "Not lounging by the pool!"
"You need to chill out once in a while!" kalgar said scoldingly. "All this stress will kill you before any opponant will."
"I came here to win! Not to. . ." Drazzar began.
"What's this? Are you losing your cocky attidude?" kalgar asked. "You could always see if one of those two girls will fight you." Much to Kalgar's supprise, Drazzar actually considered it.
"Perhaps," he hissed, "It would be better than sitting here." Drazzar set off in the two fighter's direction.
"But try to show a little respect, this time."
Drazzar grumbled something as he walked away from Kalgar. Kalgar sighed again and closed is eyes.

OOC: I think i'll let Manea handle this. I've already got a mouthful of Drazzar enough to last me a while yet.

ooc> :p

The provided hotel room was a curiosity in itself to the Argonian team. Ket was the only one who had left the Marsh before, hunting alongside Arakesh Quickclaw on one of his incursions into vampiric society. As such, their communication skills where limited to Ket's basic understanding of the English language.

For one, Hammer-Claw had some difficulty fitting through the door. When he finally managed to enter, there was some greater difficulty: Only two beds. Ket resolved the ensuing arguement before it started by stating he'd sleep on the floor. He left the others to their own devices... He would swim laps in the hotel's pool for a bit. Clad only in a pair of loose-fitting gi-like pants, Ket cut something of an imposing figure, with his toned, scaly physique & large, reptillian feet. Perhaps he would meet other competitors on his way to the swimming area...

OOC: MS seems to be neglecting this thread for some reason. I will check with him.

Team MS, or 'Bad News' as they where known, arrived without the fanfare of the other teams. For them, this was just another contest to showcase what you supposedly could learn in the MS Basic Training program. Stillwater was an assistant instructor, filling in for Dekker Bray when he was out on assignment.

The ex-NSA agent carried a Glock 17 under his left arm, opposite a pentagon knife. He was a quiet sort, if he said something it was usually a stinging insult or something everyone else had neglected to realize.

Xander Pushneli entered behind Stillwater, his larger frame having some difficulty getting out of the revolving doors... His CZ75 plinked as it smacked a passing luggage dolly...

"Move it you slack-jawed steroid-popping fuck..."

Stillwater growled, turning around again to see Iwo standing next to him. He was a sneaky little bastard, Stillwater would give him that...

Iwo simply carried the standard issue Mk 23 SOCOM handgun of the MS forces, nothing more. The team wouldn't use them in the contest, they where mainly to ensure they could deal with any situation that greeted them when they where abroad...

"MS Fight Team... Where have ya'll put us up at?"

Stillwater inquired at the front desk...

OOC: Well, that's good, now we have Starblaydia, Manea, Gronde, Atros, Fetid Fens, MS, and WA. Who else is left? Oh yeah, Amandathegreat.......can anyone tell me where the hell she is? And where are the other judges?

IC: It was the second day. Michiko was again busy as a bee organizing the Tournament. No stunts equalling that of Team FF's or Team Gronde's happened today, and indeed, Team MS gave very little trouble, although they did seem a little wide-eyed at the luxury the Hilton provided. Michiko herself had to stifle a laugh, when "Xander" started ranting about "the bourgeosie excesses of the capitalist pigs". (OOC: MS, from the bio of Xander, i noticed he had some Soviet-inspired moves, so if you don't mind, that's how i'll portray him until you say otherwise)

Team WA, on the other hand, did provide some trouble, although it was mainly not their fault, as an administrative screwup had sent Team WA to a room which was not fitted out for them. After Michiko came in to settle the matter, Team WA was shifted to another room of the Hilton which catered to non-humans like the Argonians, and indeed was outfitted to make them feel more at home, including the correct number of beds this time. (OOC: WA, i'll leave it to you to describe what feels homelike to Argonians)

Afterwards, she checked her schedule, and frowned. Team Amandathegreat still wasn't here for some reason, and the judges from the Five Civilized Nations and Valient was also late. Frowning, she went to attend to her duties, hoping against hope that the Tournament would go on smoothly......

(OOC: This is 5CN, I'm on vacation right now and will return next week... I'll post something then... *edit* nevermind BTW, Lance Crusade has nothing to do with my country except being the direct ancestor of my emperor. And Gothic Underworld, you're supposed to resurrect my character....)

Lance Crusade existed, it could be said. But his existence was unlike any other living being in the world. His existence was one of ethereal longevity. Existing on a plane between that of the living and that of the dead, Lance Crusade lived a timeless life, if it could be called such a thing. In reality, Lance Crusade had died, twice. Now, without a tangible, earthly body to utilize as his own, Lance Crusade flowed freely throughout an endless plane, waiting for his time to return to earth, waiting for his next task for the gods above...

Alex Hydros hadn't left his room since his arrival, the previous day. He had spent almost every waking hour in deep meditation or going over tournament rules and the sort. He intended to be a fair judge in this tournament, yet he wasn't going to let anything slip.

OOC: Sorry, I've been pretty busy and didn't post. I have been reading though...

OOC: Oh man, this has to be delayed ANOTHER WEEK? Damned.......i don't have that kind of time to spare, you know.

(OOC: You don't have to... I'm at my uncle's house in Shanghai, so I have access to a computer... I'll be able to post for the next two days, so this should be able to continue. Anyways, my character is mainly a background one, as he is dead and requires one of your characters to resurrect him... Anyways, I'll try to post as much as possible. You don't need to wait for me.)

OOC: Well, sorry about the downtime... I've been busy as all hell and I just got on this now after a while. So I see you've left Drazzar for Neral to handle have you? Well... I'll see what might interest him...

IC: Neral was pleasantly surprised to have run into Hana so soon.

"Though you could get the jump on me did you Hana? Well, I've still got the reflexes you know from our last match..."

Both Neral and Hana laughed at the comment. Neral always considered it a pleasure to associate with worthy fighters, and Hana had proven herself most worthy. Still, a little humor before the tournament would never hurt her... She could use the rest from the seriousness of the tournament.

"Well, at least we didn't scare the swimmers too much. And to answer your question, your Nakayama Arts have indeed proven useful to my fighting prowess. Your way of fighting is indeed a great complement to my own. Although I still have had no use for the Secret ... Although soon enough it will be necessary."

Hana smirked at the mention of Secret . Just as she was about to respond, another fighter appeared before them. Neral turned to look at the dark figure in front of her. After brief contemplation, she recognized him as the other fighter back when she was at the practice matches. He had also made it this far? Interesting indeed. While this foe would prove a better match for Zil, as she had fought against the dark forces of the Daemon Lord Necrolm, back in their homeworld, the possibility of fighting this warrior was an interesting option for herself. Perhaps a little friendly match prior to continuing the tournament would do her well. Besides, Hana wanted to see how she had improved since their last meeting, and what better way to show it then to fight another warrior? Perhaps if he was interested... Neral turned to face the dark figure. Only way to find out would be to ask...

"What do you want?"

She stood and awaited his response.

OOC: Well, there's a bit for now. Keep things interesting. Do what you want from here Gronde. I'll play along with whatever you want to do with this...

ooc> Can't really post right now. I will post first thing tommorow morning. (Unless I am called into work early or something)

OOC: Fine & dandy, TGU... Xander & Iwo don't have much of a backstory, so there personalities are still pretty much undefined. Stillwater's got an upcoming RP, by the way.

IC:

Stillwater wasn't much impressed, but it was a significant step up from his officer's quarters at the RDMA headquarters. The NSA had set him up in some nicer places, but he didn't work for them anymore.

Xander wouldn't quit pointing out examples of American excess, until Stillwater reminded him they weren't in America. He was silent for a few hours afterwards, but Stillwater caught the 'Fuck You' vibe coming from him pretty strongly.

Iwo suggested they hit the gym for some sparring practice. Stillwater agreed. Xander declined, he decided to hit the bar for a bit...

OOC: 5CN, Lance will not be resurrected, or rather "summoned", until we get near to the semi-final round. BTW, would you mind Lance's Sword of Cala end up in the possession of Michiko (for whatever reason)? It would be most interesting if she could use it as the precursor for the spell needed to summon Lance, along with the Crystal of Light, and it could be a convenient way of explaining away why Lance still gets to fight with the Sword. Another thing, i still require a judge from your nation.......maybe not. Some matches are gonna take place in your homeland anyway.

Where the hell is Amandathegreat and Valient? I'm so desperate i could start without them......

IC: Hana watched as Drazzar came along, and Neral went to face him. In her heart, she was troubled, for she knew that Drazzar was a better ninja than her by far, and his weapons surpassed anything she had. Granted, Master Arashi defeated him easily, and thus Master Shinji could probably do the same, but they were Legends, and Hana bore no illusion about the status of her skill level.

As she took a chair for herself to watch the impending spar, she had another thought. Having witnessed the match between Drazzar and Rico, and later Arashi, she had concentrated all her knowledge into 1 thing: defeating the Archangel of Pain. She saw how it even had to take the full force of the Hiyuuki Clan to defeat the daemon, and she knew the Nakayama House did not have the resources of the Legend Clans to deal with such an abomination.

Still......with Reiko and Naomi as her teammates, Hana finally had a plan. It may not work, since the Clan girls had not the raw power of their more illustrious elder brothers, but it was her only plan, and who knows, it might just work out......she would have to see at the Tournament itself. Sitting down, she braced herself for the spar.........

(OOC: Um... Since you're having fights in my country, then I'll have my government deliever the sword, since it is a family heirloom...)

OOC: I will be IC posting Michiko travelling to your country to obtain the Sword soon, since i'm also thinking of getting Michiko to summon Lance now, explain why he was summoned, ask him whether he'll accept his role, and then get his spirit to reside within the Crystal, ready for summoning to fight. You decide how his reaction is gonna be like, 5CN, then i'll post it. For now, i have to go.

ooc> hehe, and Drazzar is even more powerfull now. (I will go into exactly what he did to gain the extra stats that I gave him due to the 2-man team later. I intend on explaining how he increased in power by adding some story in, instead of saying "uh, he just got stronger. . .somehow")

ic> Drazzar approched and offered a challenge, a friendly spar. He had no sinister plot, especially when is team-mate, honorable samurai kalgar was watching. Though Drazzar was rathar evil, he was not unsophisticated. He bowed to the girls as he proposed a spar. He needed to test his new power.

IC: It was another tiring day, as usual, although it was not as bad as the first day. As she was going to her customary bath, Michiko remembered something, and she groaned. It meant that she'll have to put off her bath for another hour, but this must be done.

Sitting down at her computer, Michiko quickly typed out a PRIORITY message to the government of the Five Civilized Nations. After the usual diplomatic language (OOC: I wouldn't know how to write a diplomatic letter to a government i don't even know), she got to the point. In the letter, she requested that,

".....in the interests of the smooth progress of the Tournament, Clan Hikoori of the Gothic Underworld of Atros request the delivery of the Sword of Cala into the temporary possession of the Heiress Hikoori. If possible, the Heiress will make a trip to the Five Civilized Nations, to collect the heirloom from the government. The Sword of Cala will be returned to the government of the Five Civilized Nations immediately after usage, by the hand most worthy of wielding the weapon.

Signed,
Michiko Hikoori
Heiress of Clan Hikoori"

Once that was done, Michiko went to her bath to relax......

Bump

(OOC: It would be best to send an emissary, as my ruling family will not deign to respond to such a message from a relatively unknown clan...)

OOC: The Clans of Atros may be relatively unknown in the world, but the Prime Clans are prominent in Atrosian society, and the Heirs are important enough to be considered by my government as an emissary to other nations at times. So you can consider Michiko an emissary, and reply as such, since i have no idea how to write an actual governmental formal letter.......maybe you can make up one for me?

OOC: Gronde, the City of Darkness is modern/near-future tech.

FF, there is no air of evil in the City as such, although vampires are counted as part of its denizens. It's a bustling city that's a cross between New York and Gotham.

The slums, the barrio, the chance to get mugged all contribute to the wonderful air he was referring to.

IC:
Michiko was giving Team Fetid Fens a piece of her mind for the unruly behaviour of their Yeti, and worse, their encouragement for such behaviour. While the humans were silent, the Yeti growled, and made as if about to attack the Hikoori Heiress for what it perceived to be a threat to its masters, but Michiko turned, and with light blue fire forming the Wisdom Aura around her, extended her palm to the Yeti, and suddenly the room got so cold, the humans of the Team almost buckled under the sheer force of the Glacial fire, and even the Yeti, more used to cold than the humans, retreated. Seeing that she had made her point, Michiko stopped her demonstration of power, and informed the Team that from now on, Clan Hikoori will sponsor the Team for basic needs, including food, transportation, and lodging in the Hilton, but warned that any more infractions would cause withdrawal of support. Then, having done what she had to do, she turned and left......

Dar' Emboula and Den' Zarkath were truly amazed at the prowess of Michiko. Dar' Emboula studied the way the Wisdom Aura was created and vowed to learn it. Grrrth Arrck was impressed with the cold. He could easily tolerate much colder but he didn't want Michiko to hurt the others so he backed off.

Dar' Emboula and Den' Zarkath quickly understood the offer from Clan Hikoori and Dar' Emboula cast a sanitation spell onto Grrrth, which abated the odor somewhat. Then they went into the Hilton resturant and ordered a steamboat round (nearly 42 pounds of roast beef) for Grrrth and pasta for themselves. All-in-all a good day for the crew from the swamps.

OOC: C'mon people......i don't have all day. Where's Amandathegreat and Valient?

ooc> Start without them, people are losing interest.

OOC: Indeed i shall. I've had enough. Valient and Amandathegreat are now kicked out of the Tournament, and to ensure an even number, i hereby also withdraw the Babes Team from the Tournament. The Tournament will start within 48 hours, in new threads.

IC: Michiko, upon waking up on the third day, received an email message on her computer. As she looked at the message, a sense of dread overwhelmed her. The Team from Amandathegreat had withdrawn from the Tournament, as well as the nation of Valient. Now what was she supposed to do......?

"Miss Michiko! Are you in there? Answer me!"

Hasting herself in her nightclothes, Michiko opened the front gate of her Dojo, and saw Reiko Hiyuuki. Inviting her in, she soon got the news that the Babes Team, for unforeseen circumstances, also had to withdraw from the Tournament.

After sending Reiko out, Michiko sat down, and put her head in her hands in despair. She didn't need any more administrative trouble, and now how are the Tournament finals going to be played out?

She moped, if only for a while. Then, she galvanized herself into action. A new plan will have to be drawn out. Setting herself to work, and sending a message to the Sinsei of Clan Hiyuuki to help her pick up the slack of her job, she quickly set about drawing up a new schedule. Very soon, she was done, and this she sent to the remaining participating teams.

Schedule of matches

The Tournament will now be conducted in a specially created schedule, to facilitate the smooth progression of the matches to be played. All teams will now be grouped together in 1 league table, where a win is worth 3 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss 0 points. In addition, the 6 teams are to be seperated into 2 groups of 3, which will determine the teams they will have to fight in the quarterfinal rounds.



Group A:
Manea
Wandering Argonians
Starblaydia

Group B:
Mercenary Soldiers
Gronde
Fetid Fens



A team in group A will have to fight all 3 teams in group B in progression, and vice versa. Once all teams have fought the 3 teams from the opposing group, the total scores for all teams will be calculated, and the leading 3 teams wil progress into the semifinals to pit their skills against the sub-bosses. If there is a tie for 3rd place between 2 teams, the team with the most wins will prevail. The schedule is as follows for the Quarterfinals:

Day 1:
Manea vs MS
WA vs Gronde
Starblaydia vs FF

Day 2:
Manea vs FF
WA vs MS
Starblaydia vs Gronde

Day 3:
Manea vs Gronde
WA vs FF
Starblaydia vs MS

The schedule for the Tournament will be as follows, until further notice.

Signed,
Michiko Hikoori
Heiress of Clan Hikoori
Organizer and Main Sponsor of the Battle Arena Tournament

OOC: Well then... Nice schedule there, glad this thing is FINALLY going to get started!... School's going to start soon for me, which may cut back on my response time, depends on the workload this year, not sure. But I assure you that I WILL be responding on schedule, because I've been looking forward to this for a VERY long time now... Alright I'll have the rest of my team respond to this since Neral is busy with Drazzar...

IC: Zil had awoken to realize that Neral had left once again, no doubt to train more. She never quit training this close to a tournament, and Zil thought that it was bad to do such a thing because she had a much different philosophy on training, which included a lot of rest prior to fighting. Of course, she required the strength of her mind to fight, whereas Neral depended on her body. Two different styles, two different ways of training for a fight... Regardless, the schedule was posted now, and Zil was dying to know who she was going to fight first so as to prepare herself. Drazzar was the one that she truly wanted to fight, after seeing the source of his power, the Darkness. Zil hated no other warrior more than the one that drew his strength from the Daemons. She had killed a few in her time, fighting against the Daemonlord Necrolm's minions, and she was dying to challenge Drazzar in a fight. Looking at the schedule, she was somewhat disappointed however, she would not fight him until the third and final day. Well, she could warm up her skills against these other opponents. But where was Neral? Thinking intently, curiosity overtook her and she went off searching for her teammate...

ooc> I'll let you RP their spar if you wish.
IC post comming soon.

OOC: I think i shall rewrite the schedule again, this time to ensure the judges will know which matches they are supposed to be judging. This thread will serve as reference from now on.

IC: Soon after the first message, a second message arived to the teams.

Revised schedule

Day 1:
Manea vs MS, judge=>Atros
WA vs Gronde, judge=>Assington
Starblaydia vs FF, judge=>5CN

Day 2:
Manea vs FF, judge=>Assington
WA vs MS, judge=>5CN
Starblaydia vs Gronde, judge=>Atros

Day 3:
Manea vs Gronde, judge=>5CN
WA vs FF, judge=>Atros
Starblaydia vs MS, judge=>Assington
The schedule for the Tournament will be as follows, until further notice.

Signed,
Michiko Hikoori
Heiress of Clan Hikoori
Organizer and Main Sponsor of the Battle Arena Tournament

OOC: Ok, let's start this.

IC: The first day of the Tournament has arrived. The Teams are busy getting ready for their matches, and after a quick breakfast, all the Teams assembled at the lobby of the Hilton, and found a limo for each Team. With no small amount of trepidation, they climbed aboard thier limos, wondering where they will be taken.......

OOC:

Manea vs. MS => http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=354567

WA vs. Gronde (attn Assington) =>http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=354569

Starblaydia vs. FF (attn 5CN)=> http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=354571

My opponant isn't responding, Menea's opponant isn't responding. Want to knock it down to 4 and have me go against Menea?

I give up on this thing. It's over now.

You know, this kind of upsets me that we went so far an now it's over because of people's lack of apparent interest... I was looking forward to this thing all summer!!... ah whatever, perhaps I can arrange it to work out another time, we'll have to see. Gothic, keep in touch with me, through telegram if you have to, because I like your RP's... If you start anything new let me know and I'll be glad to be a part of it. Perhaps we can get this thing going another time because it's such a great concept... I may even write a short story on it considering how useful the plot background is, nobody knows... But anyways, keep in touch!

Same here. . . :(
Maybe we could just skip to the end of the tournament or something. ?

Same here. . . :(
Maybe we could just skip to the end of the tournament or something. ?

That depends on if I win or not :D

OOC: Forget it. The Tournament is now dead. However, I have signed up for a thread by the Resi Corporation, named "OOC: Superheroes Wanted!", and i'm deciding whether i can slot my original story into this. If you guys want, join me there.