St. Andrew's Showdown

Jas

Exceptionally Common
Forum Moderator: Arena
In an opulent room, a group of men, women, and other transdimensional beings sat in chairs around a giant monitor.

A silhouette appeared on the monitor, and a modulated voice began. "As the other two fights close for the night, we have a bonus match! A grudge match!" Two muscular Greek men had bows drawn and were reaching into their quivers.

"As we know, violence is discouraged on the premises." Both Greeks lowered their weapons. "In lieu of that, another contest!"

A simulated slot machine, the three reels of which each suddenly began to spin rapidly, appeared on the screen. Despite being obscured by the slots, the modulated voice continued.

"First, the battle location!" The first reel slowed to a stop, settling on an abandoned Scottish church. "St. Andrews Cathedral!"

"We're going to move this along to keep blood off our carpets! First combatant!" The second wheel began to slow, and it was evident it was covered with all images of griffins. "Apollo's champion, Tharraleos Polemistis!"

"And now for his opponent!" The third wheel began to slow, and again it was filled with a single symbol: a cherub. "And Eros' champion, Adonis Windsor!"

"With no further ado, and hopefully no bloodshed, let us begin the match!" the announcer went on, and then the audio live from the desert battlefield was patched through the image. The gamblers knew the drill; the previous introduction was meant solely for them, but all future commentary would be audible to the champions, as well.



Overlooking the sea, the ruins of St. Andrew's chapel stood testament to medieval engineering. Some time ago, the central tower had crumbled, and the north wall opened to the sea breeze. The salty air of the North Sea permeated the setting. The old, weathered stone structures littered the area, providing ample cover opportunities.

This stage was well-curated for a battle between two skilled archers. And who should appear? A giant of a creature, bearing the head of an eagle and body of a lion appeared in the belfry of the old church. And a bow-wielding angel appeared in the nave.

A modulated voice boomed from the sky. "Lady! Gentleman! Welcome to your personal battlefield! We have hand-chosen you from your respective realms and now you will make battle for the enjoyment of our patrons. We will not force you, of course, but after one hour the battle will be over. If there is no clear victor by then, you will both be removed from existence! However, at the end of that hour, the winner will be rewarded with a trip back home!"

The announcer's voice paused for effect, then proceeded. "Let the battle begin!"
 
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Standing 6 and 3 quarters feet tall, the gold rigid eyes of Tharraleos methodically surveyed his sudden new surroundings. Even with the potent processing prowess of his vast intellect, it took him a few moments to fully comprehend the abrupt proceedings. His bright yellow beak twisted into an eager grin as it appeared he was randomly selected to provide entertainment for an audience. His irises flashed a vibrant purple color momentarily a few times as his mind couldn't help but trail to thoughts of the crowd adoring his combat capabilities. This change in hue was the essence of Pride dwelling within revealing itself and granting reserves of power to the heraldic hybrid.

"What are your thoughts on this?" He inquired with a raised brow as he turned his plumaged noggin towards his angelic adversary. In spite of his crude appearance, he spoke with eloquence and proper inflections. The sheer vigor of his vocal cords also seemed to vibrate the air in front of his rostrum. While Tharr couldn't specifically determine what this individual was; he got the sense this was no normal woman he stood before. There was something... divine about her presence. Assuming she didn't refuse to face a biological masterpiece, the Griff would find out soon enough.
 
Adonis frowned. This guy was probably a demon, and oh, God she hated demons... She drew her bow and nocked an arrow. "My thoughts are you deserve to die, demon spawn." She smiled a twisted, insane smile. She wanted to kill him, he was the cause of this mess. She let go of the bowstring, sending a golden arrow flying towards him.
 
The moment she drew her bow, Tharraleos' more casual disposition instinctively shifted to be on the defensive. Before she could send her bolt flying, the Griff's deceptive agility placed him behind a pillar the second she shot at him.

"Skipping the formalities I see." He called out from behind his cover. While this woman physically carried her weapons on her, Tharr appeared unarmed save for his natural armaments off beak and claw. Regardless, these were obviously ill equipped for dealing with ranged opponents. Fortunately for him he wasn't particularly alone and the sinful construct would show its use.

Manifesting in his right paw from internal energies was one of the many tools in his personal armory. Taking the form of a small bow with a pistol-like grip, the Complacent Crossbow excels at mid ranged pressure. Physically resembling glass, it as well as his other weapons were composed of opaque purple hardlight. With 2 reserves for the weapon itself and a 1 for the bundle of 5 rounds, its purpose was to perhaps shift the dynamic of the battle and have her on the defensive.

Still protected by the pillar, Tharr let loose 2 arrows towards the angel. The way he did so appeared aimless, but his accute senses allowed him to line his shot up with near perfection. The damage of these would be minimal with the sole reserve designated to it. Even the most frail of armor would barely get a scratch. Inflicting pain wasn't exactly the intention, however. With laser focused attentiveness, the Knight of Hubris peeked out from the corner to observe how she'd react.
 
Adonis sidestepped, dodging both arrows. She slung her bow over her shoulder and charged at the pillar with her axe. Instead of attacking Griff, however, she tore down the pillar, crumbling it to the ground. "Damn demons.." She mutters under her breath as she jumps a surprising height, swinging with brutal force towards Griff.

(Sorry for short replies, I'm not really the best at writing multi-para)
 
(No worries. I'm really only not fond of single sentences. You're giving me more than enough to work with :))

The stoic warrior would continue to analyze his opponent from the blockade. This reactive approach to things was how the avian feline would frequently begin his battles. He was gauging her strength, determining if she was even worth the effort. Weak foes did not deserve the honor of being struck down by the strength of his majesty. The sheer idea of such acted as a tasty morsel for the semi-sentient force and as such, the eyes of the beast would flash purple every now and then.

As Adonis readied her axe, Tharraleos responded accordingly and rooted his stance. To his mild surprise she went for the thing that protected him which was admittedly very tactful. She was showing some semblance of promise thus far. As the structure became a heap of debris, the surprisingly nimble behemoth leaped away from his assailant, tucking and rolling upon impact to further the gap a bit more. His sidearm was gripped tight in his paw during the maneuver, but as he turned to face the angel he attached it to his hip, where strangely it hung unsupported.

Adonis' axe was met with another of the creature's armaments. This one much more defensive in nature. Resembling a Greek Aspis with a 4 foot diameter, the Extraordinary Escutcheon has mpressive sturdiness and even with the duo of reserves used, it absorbed the blow with only minimal fragmentation.

"All this disdain for demons from what I presume is an Angel and yet you are acting rather demonic yourself ironically." The proud Metallaxi asserted as he furrowed his brows at her from above the rim of his barrier. His stance was crouched and rooted with one arm open and at the ready.. Without warning and very befitting of his robust physique, Tharr pushed his shield forward with a great deal of his strength looking to knock her off balance. Even if this did create an opening, the Griff would not capitalize. It seemed as if we wasn't all that convinced of putting any genuine effort into the fight yet.
 
Adonis laughed. Her? A demon? No. He was the demon, we was one of those selfish brutes who killed her people. Adonis powerfully threw her axe back at Griff and fired three arrows at him, rage searing in her eyes. She wanted him dead, she was the last of her kind, and this guy wasn't going to take her down.
 
Tharraleos continued to ponder about recent events as the skirmish persisted. One moment he was aimlessly wandering a grassland, the next he appears here. He was looking to stretch his limbs out anyway and there was a knot in his shoulder she could perhaps assist with. The thrown axe fared alot better as it nearly shattered the barrier before being redirected elsewhere. That shove did send her a fair distance so it had ample space to gain momentum. Her trio of arrows almost finished it and chunks of it began to break apart and wither away into nothingness.

It was essentially useless at this point and barely held together. He felt it necessary to discard the thing and reciprocate her action. With a careful twist of his body the great beast hurled the remainder of his shield at her. Even more pieces began to fall off as it sailed through the air. It even looked like it would crumble on impact and barely cause any damage. But this was a mere distraction. The moment it left his paws, Tharraleos made a beeline towards the angel with surprising speed looking to close the distance with the quickness. She'd barely have time to react to the construct before he was within striking distance. He wasn't at a severe ranged disadvantage, but he'd likely fare better getting up close and personal.
 
Adonis fell backward to avoid his attack, but it was no use. She used her bow to fend off the damned beast, using it to separate her from Griff. She attempted to reach for her axe, but it was inches away from her hand. She takes an arrow out of her quiver and stabs at him.
 
Tharraleos persisted his approach, following her movements closely. He maneuvered around her attempted stabbing and opted for a counterattack while she reeled from her movements. He was curious on the durability of this individual and sent an underhanded strike aiming for her midsection. It wasn't enough to cause any lingering damage, but she'd no doubt get the air taken from her lungs as well as becoming mome ntarily disoriented. Tharr payed close attention to her reaction anticipating either evasion or a retort of her own and readied himself for her retaliation.
 
Adonis caught the strike and threw him into the crumbling pillar. While he flew, she grabbed her axe and brutally swung it at his neck, hoping to decapitate him. She was smiling with psychotic rage. She laughed like a madman when she swung her axe over and over.
 
To Tharraleos' mild surprise, his mighty blow was absorbed by the angel. To add, he felt her grip on his paw tighten considerably before his body left the ground against his will. Her physical strength was certainly impressive to throw his near quarter ton of weight. Despite this being an unexpected turn of events, the warrior was far from a disadvantageous state. His robust body tucked inwards, facing his feet towards the oncoming pillar remnants.

Upon making contact with what little was left of the structure, Tharr planted himself against it, essentially standing sideways in a crouched position for a brief moment. Once his inertia halted, he straightened his body out to make a powerful plunge towards Adonis, reducing it to rubble and causingthe building to wane for a moment. Simultaneously, another construct materialized in both paws.

Surpassing his height by a few inches, the Partizan of Pomposity was a polearm bearing a prominent speartip and sharpened protrusions on the sides. Specializing in piercing thrusts, Tharr aimed to skewer the angel before she even had the chance to swing her axe. Either that or the weapons would clash and given the mere 2 reserves placed into it as well as the ferocity of her swings, it'd get nearly fragmented instantly.
 
Adonis felt the polearm impale her. Blood flooded her throat as the life was ripped from her body.
 
Tharraleos landed on his feet, the sheer force of the impaling stopped the momentum from his bound. He stared at the fallen angel pierced by his weapon, the crimson liquid pouring down his arm as he held her and his armament above the ground. The construct had nearly been destroyed by the impact and several deep cracks were seen along it. He gently set the corpse on the ground, his polearm remaining in his paws. A deep remorseful sigh escaped the nares of his rostrum. Taking one's life was never his preferred method of concluding a battle, but he felt like there was no other option. He looked to the heavens, imagining she was with her kind now. Taking a deep breath, Tharraleos let out a bellowing roar of triumph as he raised his weapon upwards as to entertain the audience.
 
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