Rules: No healing items.
Field: A huge snow-covered plain, covered in a storm of epic proportions. Lightning rains down every few seconds, and if it hits, it deals around 30 HP damage and causes Paralysis. In other words, avoid them. The rain comes down so hard that it makes sight difficult beyond ten feet. The entire field is surrounded with a frozen river, but the ice is so thin that walking upon it would cause you to fall through.
Go.

Oh, and I'm taking this as an excuse to close your last duel...

((OCC: Thanks Jpec. SOMEONE had to withdraw from the last one, but there isn't any backing down here.))

Three golden rings appeared on the far side of the field as Baron teleported into the area chosen for his duel with Shenmock. The rain was pouring down hard, reminding the Twin Blade of his last quest with his opponent. Lightning boomed across the sky, making Baron jump for a moment, but he relaxed quickly. He couldn't afford to psyche himself out before his big duel- after all, he wasn't going to lose to his rival, no matter what. This was for more than orders- this was to settle their feud.

Baron quickly assessed the field in a glance, knowing that one of the keys to victory was a good strategy. One of the aspects of strategy was to know one's field, and use it to one's advantage. The field itself was pretty large, reaching nearly one hundred meters in radius, but it was completely flat. Not a single tree or hill marred the smooth snow of the area, leaving the field seem bare and lifeless. A frozen river surrounded everything. Perfect for Shenmock's corpse when he was defeated.

Drawing his blades from their sheathes, Baron set about making his plans. He had to get a good strategy set up before Shenmock got here, so that the battle would be short and quick. If the Long Arm managed to find a way to use his level advantage against Baron before the Twin Blade could finish the fight, there might be trouble. True, it was only one level, but even that could make a difference. Baron's one advantage was the Long Arm's lack of skills. They stopped at Repulse Cage, Repth, and Juk Kruz- not really much to be afraid of. The Skill Drain ability on his Spear of Spell might get annoying though- Baron actually had moves he used his SP on. The fight would definitely have to be a quick one.

After a few minutes of preparation, Baron stood waiting, flipping his blades around to test their heft and weight. The Cat's Blades were a little new to him, but he'd adjust eventually. He slashed a few times at the air, getting used to the weapons before anything happened. Finally, satisfied of his skill with the Cat's Blades, the Twin Blade waited for Shenmock to appear, his blades at ready. He started tapping his foot impatiently.

"Come on already..."

EDIT: I forgot to list my equipment and such; sorry!

Weapons
Cat's Blades (Tiger Claws, Twin Dragons)
Lath Blades (Orchid Dance)

Armor
Steel Cap (Repth)
Leather Coat (Vak Kruz)
Wristbands (Juk Rom)
Safety Shoes

Accessories
Swift Book (+1 Physical Evasion)

Three golden rings descended upon the field, revealing the Long Arm known as Shenmock, Shenmock being ready for his second duel with Shenmock, Shenmock having pulled out of the last one. He was slightly bored so he had decided to agree, but Baron. This wouldn't be easy, but Shenmock knew he had his speed and strength on his side, him being one level higher than Baron. It was an advantage alright, but Shenmock knew for one thing that strength didn't count. It was the skill that you used that counted, especially when you knew the full pottential of your PC. Shenmock hadn't quite figured the whole Long Arm thing out yet, but he knew for one thing that he had been through tougher situations than Baron had. And this time, he would let out all of his skill, or so he hoped he would actually get into the battle and pummel him until he got stuffed into a tree for some food for the owls. Shenmock imagined the scene in his head and shook his head slowly, the happy thoughts crossing over his mind. Now that was something to think about.

Shenmock took in his surroundings, the field seeming to be like their last. Powdered snow surrounded them, Shenmock's toes wiggling, frost bite threatening to come and threaten him in the battle. But Shenmock knew for one thing that he would hold out until the end of the battle. Shenmock pulled out his spear, tapping it on the ground and giving it a quick glance. The Spear of Spell, 'eh? It was a nice spear. That was for sure. The point was sharpened enough to look like the best smiths in the world had carved it professionally. Now that was something that CC Corp. had done right. Give some detail and effort into the weapons. He poked the side of it with his finger, feeling that dust had converged, coming up on one spot. Well, CC Corp. hadn't truly realized the dust particles in this game, but he knew for one thing that they had put a thorough effort into it. He looked up at the sky, fully realizing the difference of this field from their last field. A storm raged on, thunder crackling from above, lightning striking down to bring down a tree. Well, that was reassuring.

Shenmock looked up, then realized rain was pouring down, making his character's vision fade a little, not being able to see ten feet from above the ground, but being able to see around him fine. Shenmock took a step forward, knowing that if he stayed in that position any longer, he would seriously not be able to use one of his feet in this duel. He darted forward, his spear behind him, pointing to the right, a usual Long Arm stance when running as he learned in the instruction manual. He jumped over a root sticking out of the ground, not wanting to trip and fall, seeing that he was the complete joker of this duel. A figure could be seen in the distance, his features clearing as Shenmock got closer. Right as he could see his whole body, Shenmock slid to a halt.

Crouching down, he put one hand forward, his hand opened, his palm showing. His spear was behind him, Shenmock in the basic Long Arm position, both being for offense and defense. He glared at Baron, already imagining his glowing corpse, Twin Blades that were stained with blood on it. Already knowing that he was going too far into day dreaming, he made a stern face at Baron, trying to have confident thoughts pop into his head, Shenmock's face glowing with determination, excitement, and something else. A face that looked like he wanted to have fun in this duel, not fight to the death and laugh like an evil maniac.

"So, are you going to make a move Baron?" he challenged, Shenmock's spear tightening in his grip. "Or are we going to play hit-and-run like last time?" Hit-and-run was always the stupid thing about the duels. You could always run away. Yet Baron wasn't going to run away from him. That would give him a loss of pride. And he knew Baron wouldn't leave this one.

Weapons and Armor:

Spear of Spell (Repulse Cage, Skill Drain)
Head – Guard Cap (Repth)
Arm – Silver Gloves (None)
Body – Ring Mail (Juk Kruz)
Feet – Jungle Boots (None)

"So, are you going to make a move Baron? Or are we going to play hit-and-run like last time?"

Baron grinned at Shenmock's words, his face contorting almost maliciously as the Long Arm tried to provoke him. The fool didn't know what he was in for- Baron's plans would have him defeated soon. That, backed with his pent-up fury, would easily be enough to take down the cocky player. Of course, the battle had to be fought with skill and finesse, so Baron would make the kill nice and slow for his opponent. He had a fond image of seeing Shenmock thrown into the ice river, but stifled it and prepared for the fight.

His opponent was already in the typical Long Arm stance, thinking that there was no openings in the position. What he didn't realize was that the position was more vulnerable than he thought. Baron held his own blades before him in his defensive stance as well, crossing them before his body. A lightning bolt crashed down nearby, about twenty feet away, and blinded the left half of Baron's vision for a brief moment. But it wasn't crippling- the blinding white vanished in a few moments. Waiting a moment, Baron watched Shenmock for any sign of action, before retaliating with a taunt of his own.

"I don't need to- after all, with your inconsistancy, you'll leave this duel partway through as well! So, are you going to fight, or run home with your spear dragging behind?"

Baron waited for a moment longer, before starting the battle himself. He reached into his item pouch as he ran forward, and pulled out-- a snowball. The Twin Blade threw it quickly, with a second to aim for the Long Arm's face. Hopefully, it would foul him up quite a bit. If not, then Baron had other plans. As he ran forward, only a few paces behind his snowy projectile, he stabbed forward violently with his Cat's Blades, the strikes blurring with incredible speed. He struck as many times as he could within a short period of time, aiming at random points on Shenmock's body so that there wouldn't be a pattern to follow and block. It was likely that at least two or three of those attacks got through, but Baron was too busy attacking in his berserk rage to notice. After a few shots at this, he disengaged and danced back, his blades held before him defensively again.

"C'mon... is that all you've got? I can take you with my hands tied behind my back. Bring it on!"

((OCC: No- that wasn't a Stacatto attack. It was simply a rage of attacks moving incredibly fast. No SP loss. ^_^

SP: 45/45))

All the player did was grin. Grinning meant confidence in a battle. That was what bad guys did when they were about to win, about to stab and kill someone. But instead, they would mess up and make fools out of themselves, and sometimes mess up. This was what Baron's smile meant to Shenmock. And Shenmock was going to believe what he was thinking this time. He seemed to know what Baron's thoughts were through that smile. I am so going to beat Shenmock and light a bonfire with him in the middle. Shenmock's eyes flared like a bull's when it got extremely angry. Shenmock knew that Baron didn't have a chance at beating someone like him. The might Shenmock- Well, he wasn't mighty or anything, but he knew for one thing that Baron couldn't win. All he had to do was hold his own and attack basically, then use a magic attack or skill to do some extra damage. Preparing his spear, he knew for one thing that Baron was trying to penetrate his defenses. That was so not going to happen on his watch.

Baron, as of now, looked like a n00b who never read the instruction manuals, rushed into battle, and got himself almost killed. Then, when he was with him and he did literally the same thing, he yelled at him for his stupidity. Well, this time, he would show Baron that getting your opponent's HP lower was everything. Skill, tactics, and especially some good combos could let him pull off this match. Shenmock leveled his spear a bit and pointed it at Baron's head. It was so silent in this place. A cracking sound brought Shenmock to his senses, a tree falling down after a bolt struck it, flames burning out in the snow. He looked back at Baron, his attention turned and aimed on him, not locking off. Who was going to make their move first?

"I don't need to- after all, with your inconsistancy, you'll leave this duel partway through as well! So, are you going to fight, or run home with your spear dragging behind?"

Shenmock's eyes flared, flames seeming to sprout out of his eyes. Too bad he wasn't the fire element. He would've done so good with it. He just crossed the line and that was a huge mistake on Baron's part, especially huge actually. Actually, it was life threatening because Shenmock never took an insult. NEVER!

Baron readied himself, already starting to dart towards him, his hand digging inside one pocket. Coming out of it came...a snowball? Instantly, Baron threw it like they were playing a little game for kids. Shenmock, seeing as snowballs couldn't go super fast, ducked, the snowball grazing off his hair and impacting on a tree. He looked over at Baron, who now was pulling out his blades. Baron just had to play some childish games.

Brace yourself, Shenmock thought, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, in a flash, he brought his spear up right as Baron swung down, another session of moves to follow. The blur of blades caught his eye, the blades already having driven into three spots in his body. It was like Neji fighting Naruto. So unfair! Shenmock, after another blow, brought his spear up and started sliding back, Baron seeming to be a bad germ following him. Get away you stupid fly! Shenmock leaped back and prepared his spear again, Baron standing there, his blades ready for another session of attacks.

"C'mon... is that all you've got? I can take you with my hands tied behind my back. Bring it on!"

Shenmock pointed his spear at Baron. "From an experienced player like you, I expected better words than a n00bish response," Shenmock shot back. Shenmock knew that he was the stronger player here, yet he had to use his speed to his advantage. Without question, Shenmock switched tossed his spear up, catching it with his left hand. He held up his right hand, his palm pointed toward the lightning up in the sky.

"Juk Kruz!"

He had never used the spell, yet he did know what to see in this kind of thing. A green aura swirled around him, his hair already starting to brush back, a gust of wind coming up in his puny area of space where the aura was. He expected Baron to use 'Vak Kruz' on him, yet he didn't know what he was going to use. Baron knew to make a comeback at times like this, but Shenmock didn't think you could block a spell. Or could you? It was almost like watching tumbleweed, only much sharper, converge and smash into a PC. Well, seeing the converge part and blood spilling out was cool. Especially with Baron.

"So, come on Baron," Shenmock said in a challenging voice as the spell ended. "Come at me." Shenmock knew this was a mistake, but he could block with a skill. He had plenty of SP left. This match would come easily to him. Or so he hoped.

((SP: 45-10=35+1=36))

Baron winced as he saw the Juk Kruz spell form around him. Normal attacks were easy enough to dodge, but spells were another matter. Vines, thorns, and leaves all formed around him, ready to crush him in their embrace. He had a moment to think, and then they closed in. The Twin Blade reacted instantly, using a move that he had recently obtained to escape from the cluster.

"Rai Rom!"

A tornado of lightning arose from Baron's outstretched hands, bursting forwards through the line of greenery before him. The Twin Blade couldn't avoid the entire attack, but he ran behind the tornado, reducing the amount of damage he took from the overall strike. Scratches and cuts appeared over his exposed flesh, and pieces of his vest and sleeves were torn out by the sharp attack. He winced at the cuts, but knew that it could be much worse.

Emerging from the vicinity of the attack, Baron stopped for a moment to take stock of the situation. Apparently, Shenmock didn't think much of him suddenly, but this duel would make him think differently. Baron was sure of it as he prepared his next strategy. He sheathed his Cat's Blades, and with a flash of light, switched them out with the Lath Blades that he had taken back from the AoD armory just for the occasion. Holding them out, Baron took careful aim as he moved forward, his attack already beginning. His first step was to pull another snowball from his pouch (it was a good thing those pouches were temperature-immune) and tossed it forward at a faster pace than the first. It still wasn't as good as he could throw it, but he had other plans.

As soon as the snowball left his hand, Baron threw his two Lath Blades at full speed, hurtling past the snowball to fly towards Shenmock's arms. Once the blades were launched, Baron re-drew his Cat's Blades, knowing that they would serve him better now that his Lath Blades had served their purpose. He lunged forward behind the flying weapons, all of these actions happening within a few seconds. The Twin Blade's attack was quickly followed by another technique.

"Tiger Claws!"

Baron launched fowards, spinning rapidly as he struck, so that his blades struck multiple times. The first two struck Shenmock's spear, including the hand holding it, so that the weapon was knocked in the air. The remaining four strikes were aimed for the unprotected Long Arm's body. After the attack, Baron jumped back again, and held his blades in defensive positions again. He grinned at the injured Shenmock.

"So, care to throw in the towel now? Do so and you can leave without dying."

EDIT(s):
I put in the wrong attack- I was thinking Tiger Claws, but I typed Staccatto. My bad! I also forgot the SP count:

SP: 45-10 = 35+1 = 36 total.

"Rai Rom!"

Shenmock thought swiftly, already holding his spear up, but it wasn't for him. It was for Baron's protection. The spell formed in Baron's hand, unleashing lightning, Baron attempting to hide himself behind all of it. But still, he couldn't avoid the whole attack. But he was creative, that was one of his ups. Shenmock watched as the debris closed in, converging and hitting Baron with a few of the leaves, branches, and all. Yet Baron's HP meter hadn't decreased too much. Well, in his opinion. But he knew for one thing that this could last out, but he knew for one thing that he would finish this battle with him standing. Shenmock looked at the cuts and bruises from the debris that lay there, blood spilling out to fall on the snow and make it seem like a cherry snow cone, well, more like black cherry, but yeah, it would've been delicious to eat. Well, in Faust's opinion as he saw it.

Shenmock and Baron seemed to look at each other, but avoid each other's gaze. He knew that Baron was probably thinking about how to defeat him and how Shenmock will respect him, but Shenmock knew for one thing that he would pay attention. As a superior in the ranks of the AoD, he had a bit more power over Baron. And that was always a good thing. Baron dug in his inventory, a flash of light coming as he switched his blades to the Lath Blades. Wow, he had more weapons in his arsenal than he did. Well, it was his loss, yet Shenmock had the idea that it wouldn't make much difference.

A plan was forming in Shenmock's mind as Baron met his gaze, his Lath Blades out and ready. He had an idea he would take the same approach at last time. Distraction, attack, then run away and let Shenmock use a spell. Well, somewhere along the lines of that. Shenmock prepared his spear as Baron dug into his pocket. Obviously it was a snowball. Baron took it out, the snowball being a blur, the white ball leaving his hands right as Baron prepared an attack. Shenmock decided to try fancy style. Bending back as far as he could (which was a little bit farther then an average person could), he saw the snowball skim across his chest, his hands on the ground and ready to do a back flip. Instead, he rolled back, getting up to watch Baron's fireworks. He watched dully as the blades went into action, Shenmock not even getting a chance to block.

"Tiger Claws!"

Out of all the hits he had ever taken, this was by far the worst. Getting hit by Baron, the Twin Blade that had joined your clan in the same month, a level lower than you, and someone Shenmock wasn't fond of. It was pretty bad. Surprisingly enough, he aimed for his hands, attempting to take his spear out of it. Yeah sure, in a million- The spear was sent flying in the air like someone chucked it up. Shenmock looked at his open body, four strikes already being planted on there. How dull.

"So, care to throw in the towel now? Do so and you can leave without dying."

Shenmock's eyes flared, but his gaze wandered down to his chest. Blood streaked out as Baron jumped back, giving him a two second breather as the spear came down. Shenmock took a step back, ignoring the scarlet blood and the bruises that hit him. Now was the time to strike back! Taking a step back, he looked up, making the calculations in a brief second. Wow, school did work sometimes. Sprinting forward, Shenmock grabbed the spear in mid-air, his eyes still locked onto his opponent's figure. Shenmock leaped into the air and raised his spear up, Baron probably not having enough time to strike upon him due to his quick decent.

"Repulse Cage!"

Shenmock swung with all his might into those three swings, attempting to hit Baron with full force. He wasn't holding back on this skill. The white aura surrounded him, his hair being flung back like a hurricane was going on. It felt so good, yet it didn't last long.

Shenmock jumped back, watching Baron's figure closely, unaware if he had done some damage or not. Shenmock finally realized that he had to make a comeback, being silent being a little lame to do. But that was him, silent as can be. Yet he would use his insult magic to put some pressure on him. Well, maybe not pressure, but just a good insult.

"Wow, Baron. And you really thought I'd quit this match? Wow..." he said, trying to sound annoying. Not childish, but just annoying and obvious. He truly didn't realize that someone like him didn't run away like some crybaby. Never. Over his dead body! Well, Baron would take that seriously, but right now he just kept it to a figure of speech.

((SP: 36+2-10=28 SP))

As the Repulse Cage came at him, Baron only knew one thing- he had to block or dodge this attack. Shenmock wasn't holding back anymore- this was bound to be a powerful hit if it connected. Baron brought up his blades to block the first strike, getting thrown back a bit in the process. As a result, the second attack was barely met by the Cat's Blades, throwing Baron off balance. The third and final strike caught Baron directly in his middle, sending him flying upwards. His eyes widened with a combination of pain and shock as he was sent skywards, only to crash to the ground a few seconds later. A large chunk of his HP vanished with that move, but Baron knew that put him about par with Shenmock. He struggled to his feet, trying not to let the pain show on his face. That last attack hurt!

"Wow, Baron. And you really thought I'd quit this match? Wow..."

Baron grinned at Shenmock's late response, knowing that in the categories of taunting and good humor, he had won. Now it was all about the fight. Baron returned the quip with an almost friendly retaliation.

"Of course- after all, we both know that I'm gonna win. But hey, if you just want to get kicked around, be my guest!"

Baron lunged forwards again, his Cat's Blades flashing in the lightning. But he paused as a lightning bolt struck nearby, cautiously moving to avoid the area of the strike. He had forgotten about that aspect of the field- any of those electric bolts would not only deal damage, but paralyze the body as well, making one unable to move. Of course, the nearby lightning strike gave the Twin Blade an idea. He waited carefully until the next close bolt of lightning appeared, (which didn't take more than two seconds) and cast his prepared spell.

"Rai Rom!"

Arcing the electrical hurricane so that it touched the lightning before turning towards Shenmock, Baron channeled the power of the lightning bolt, as well as its paralysis effect, directly at the Long Arm. The area of the tornado was enormous, taller and wider than Shenmock was tall. It swept mercilessly across the field, ripping up snow and earth alike as it covered the short distance. It wouldn't be easy to dodge, if it was possible at all...

EDIT: I need to stop forgetting the confounded SP Gauge.

SP: 36 - 10 = 26 + 1 = 27 total SP.

Locke:
Quality - 7.0
SP Regulation - 7.0
Fairness - 6.0
Tactics - 7.0
Technicality - 6.0
OVERALL: 6.6

Shenmock:
Quality - 0.0
SP Regulation - 6.5
Fairness - 8.0
Tactics - 7.0
Technicality - 6.5
OVERALL: 5.6

Locke wins.

Okay, so both of you have some work to do if you want to improve. First and foremost, work on perfecting your grammar and spelling. This applies more to Shenmock, as there were times when I absolutely couldn't understand a thing you were trying to say (hence the score of 0 in quality). Also, be realistic with your characters. At levels six and seven, you're not going to be able to make non-skilled attacks blur, and you're not going to be able to do a lot of complex actions in a short period of time. Locke, after you unequip a weapon to equip another one, the unequipped one is no longer capable of dealing damage. Shenmock, you need to come up with some way of distinguishing between which words are thought and which ones aren't (because I got very confused). You are also guilty of trying to write very purple prose at times, though I didn't count that into your grade. Also, you both need to make sure you have the right SP amounts listed, and that you include them from the first post onward (Shenmock, you have 50 SP, not 45, and you also neglected to count one of the skills you did in your SP count). Also, you both need to work on your technical accuracy. It's not something that's easy to pick up, but with one level of difference, a longarm is not going to have a speed advantage over a twinblade (because at the same level a twinblade moves faster, and so one level up makes them about even). Oh, and Rai Rom + lightning bolt = no go. In terms of fairness, you should also both learn the strengths and weaknesses of your classes. You're both medium classes, which means that you both have higher capabilities and defenses for magic, but your real differences come in with your weapons - Shenmock, as a longarm you should play more on your weapon's long reach, and Locke, you should play up on your ability to lay in a lot of short, quick hits.

That's my explanation of the grades. PM me with questions.