Competitors: Shenmock, Locke
Rules:

1. No rare equipment for either side. That includes both armor and weaponry, but not accessories.
2. No quitting this time, since the last two duels have ended such.
3. Two sets of weaponry, one piece of each armor type is allowed.
4. We'll be posting all of our equipment here before the match. We're not playing surprises- this is gonna be all about skill.
5. No items whatsoever will be used in this match. HP restores, SP restores, status healing/inflicting, scrolls, none of it.

Field Description:

FIGHT!!

His opponent was the infamous Baron. He wasn’t exactly known by a lot of people after losing in the tournament, but then again, neither was he. He was a Twin Blade, level twenty, the first person he had met in ‘The World’, though now, they weren’t all flowers and cupcakes, but rather enemies, foes, adversaries, or rivals. Yes, his last duel had been months ago, but he had grown much stronger since then. Looking at the last battle, he had been level…five or something, and had lost to Baron. He wasn’t a Long Arm, but rather a brand new class that Baron would recognize as the Fist Fighter. They were right at the same level, though not for long. He knew that Baron would be stronger before he knew it, but for now, he could relax at where he was. Both were level twenty, both were close range combatants, and both would be facing off in their own specific area. Hopefully this would be the most memorable match.

The new Fist Fighter watched from his perch in Mac Anu. He rarely hung out in the theta server, but rather enjoyed the sunset and bustling streets of Mac Anu. Yes, he’d be shoved around by the numerous players, but besides that, he was fine with the surrounding area. He wrapped his arms around his legs and watched the clouds as they floated by, a bit worried about his upcoming match. His last match hadn’t been too entertaining, but this time, it was close combat, no hit and run, but pure close combat. His previous duel, the one with Centrus, had taught him a few new tricks…well, more or less, Centrus was the trick master and he was the person to carry on those tricks. He didn’t know what to think as he leaned back and watched the sky, one eye cracked open, the other closed.

In the Juk Prison field, he had seen a few of his skills, but they were regular Twin Blade stuff besides his level two Rue spell that he had achieved. There were no rare items permitted in this match, so he wouldn’t be able to use his strongest spells. It didn’t matter; he could do without them. He let his legs hang over for a second and then he plunged into the ground, chuckling a bit as he landed in between two Wavemasters. Each looked new to the game, so obviously, they scrambled away to their destination. He shuffled through the crowds, pushed a few people aside, and moved up the stairs to the Chaos Gate. Shenmock looked at the golden outline before turning his gaze to the ocean blue that rested inside of it. He stepped forward and sifted through the lists of duel arenas. Once he found the right one, he clicked on it, agreed to the set of rules, chose his armor and two weapons, then was off. Golden rings enveloped his character and let his character fade away into the sky to the duel arena.

The former Long Arm was teleported to the destination that he had chosen: a platform rising high up in the sky. There was no barrier around it, making it all the more harder. It was like a death match, but he was sure that neither of them would be able to wrestle enough to throw them off the platform. The boy stuffed two hands into his pockets, then pulled them out as a click resonated from the pocket. The blue-haired Long Arm leaned back for a second and stared up the starry night, then up to where his opponent would be arriving. Soon enough, he’d get his match. He turned, his cloak billowing around in the wind that bit at his character. His cloak and resistance to ice helped his character with the cold, but other than that, it was nothing.

He muttered two words under his breath as golden rings fell on the other side. ”Ap Vorv,” he muttered under his breath, his Brass Knuckles gleaming in the starlight. He relaxed his shoulders and took a deep breath, watching the form shape up into the treasure hunter extraordinaire. He didn’t do anything more. He waited for Baron to make his own move, whether it be physical or something that would increase his status.

He raised one hand and pressed his pointer finger and his thumb together. He pressed them together, making a snap echo around the platform. ”Let the games begin,” he said with a half-smile.

SP: 101/115
Defense raised

Baron’s eyes roamed over the streets of Mac Anu as he strode along, nothing registering in his gaze. He looked into shop windows with apparent disinterest, not really caring what was on display or the various prices scattered behind the thin pane of glass. It was obvious from his expression that he was trying to be semi-casual, yet was deep in thought at the same time. The Twin Blade, normally more cheery and upbeat, was oddly quiet as he contemplated the match before him. However, unlike most people in a duel, he wasn’t thinking of how to win or how hard his opponent would be. No, Baron was thinking of one thing and one thing alone, the things he had to say to Shenmock when the two met. Just the thought of the boy’s name somehow made the Twin Blade angry. There were several reasons, of course, and while they weren’t all rational, they were still reasons, after all was said and done.

Kicking a loose stone as he strolled through the streets, Baron’s eyes finally fell to the ground as he considered how his opponent had simply left in the middle of the Juk Prison, leaving them with one less person to fight Saol. Sure, Gyl said that the boy’s internet connection had simply crashed from the strain, but still it annoyed the Twin Blade no less. Even that one person could have been more useful, and yet Shenmock was gone right as they had finally starting turning things in their favor. Baron knew that he was being unreasonable, but he didn’t care as he sent the rock flying and nearly hit someone. Grimacing in annoyance, the Twin Blade shoved his hands in his pockets and started on his way to the Chaos Gate so that he could get the duel over with.

That was another thing that annoyed Baron- Shenmock had challenged him to a duel twice now, and yet both times he had dropped out partway, not willing to stick around for the entire thing. That was the sort of attitude that really got under the Twin Blade’s skin and once more made him clench his teeth in frustration. Well, at least he had managed to maneuver things around in this duel so that Shenmock couldn’t quit. This time, they’d finish their duel. Baron didn’t care if he won or lost, though he would try to win, but he was just happy to have a chance to let his frustration out. Between all that had happened at the Juk Prison and his own personal issues, the Twin Blade wanted to slam his fist into the wall over and over again. But no, he’d wait until he got to a more appropriate place to unleash it.

The plaza with the Chaos Gate wasn’t far off from Baron’s position, and the Twin Blade soon found himself standing before the floating portal. It didn’t take long to select the proper arena, and Baron only paused momentarily as he found it. It made sense that Shenmock, having switched to the Fist Fighter class, would want a hand-to-hand type of arena, too. The floating platform was only fifty feet, after all, which would make close combat a necessity, lest one risk the chance of falling to a quick disqualification. So Baron would have a slight disadvantage there, due to the fact that the Fist Fighter class was slightly more adept at that range. They also had a small advantage in speed, too, but on the other hand, Baron had more of a magical advantage, both in attack and defense. In essence, it was a fair battle.

Activating the portal, Baron found himself at the arena in no time, his black jacket fluttering around him in the crosswinds in the air. Shenmock was already standing on the other side of the arena, his hands raised and the weapons gleaming upon them shimmering in the bright sunlight. Baron’s own weapons jumped to his hands quickly as he pulled his Slayers from their sheaths, holding them at ready as he targeted Shenmock, examining his opponent’s status bar and checking for any signs of status boosts. It seemed he had an Ap Vorv already set up, raising his physical defense a bit higher than the usual. Again, the whole close-quarters thing made that move effective, but it still left his magical defense where it was, so there was still an option if the situation required it. However, as a slight reassurance, Baron cast his own spell, an Ap Corv to counter Shenmock’s own defense, putting them right back at square one again.

Of course, tactically, Baron had also added one more trick up his sleeve, especially when he had put up the rule stating that they’d display their armor in advance. His usual setup consisted of a wide variety of moves, which made him decent in any situation, but Shenmock’s was designed entirely around his Rue element. All of his armor put together didn’t add a thing to the Fist Fighter’s Vak element, meaning that there was another chink in the armor. A below-average magic defense mixed with a below-average Vak element was fortuitous for Baron, since he had multiple options. He didn’t have any armor with Vak spells on them, true, but he had the Twin Dragon skill on his Slayers. Sure, they’d hit for physical damage, but between the Ap Corv and the Vak element, they’d do some nice damage in the end. All Baron had to watch out for was the Rue spells, even though he had some decent defense against them. He just hoped it was enough.

“Alright, Shenmock. This is our last fight as rivals. Everything ends here today. I hope you’re ready.”

((OOC:
SP: 101/115
Physical Attack increased))

The boy hung back at Baron’s remark. No, it was obviously not their last battle. He didn’t think so, at least. Yes, he had ended up dropping out of all their battles, but now he seemed confident that he would win, he would pull out in the end with his first win. He didn’t really count the fact of winning by default. It annoyed him that he had lost the last few times, but now…now they were the same level, the same kind of class… He only chuckled at Baron. He didn’t look to be in such a good mood. He wasn’t exactly in the greatest mood either, but getting him angry would put the odds on his side. It seemed he had countered with an ‘Ap Corv’, one that put the odds on his side again. It was like nothing had ever happened, that they had only used some spell points for nothing.

He put his hands on his hips and started to walk forward, his cloak billowing in the cold wind that rushed out above the clouds. He stopped once he had gone a few feet and continued to give Baron his dull look. ”Should be fun, me thinks… Ready to dance?” he asked with a laugh. The Fist Fighter pulled one arm back, stretched, and let a blue aura come around him. He closed his eyes, holding his stance and closing his eyes, letting it come, letting it take him for another ride. He stretched again and watched as the tornado formed in front of him. ”Rue Rom,” he muttered coolly under his breath. It was one of the simple spells, but it was one that was hard to dodge. Maybe he could cancel it somehow or use his own spell, but he didn’t know.

The tornado sped forward in the direction of the Twin Blade. He took a deep breath and waited for Baron’s reaction to it. If he was caught in the tornado, he’d have a chance to run forward and get a hit in. His fingers twitched at the thought of some damage with the combo. If the Rue Rom so much as distracted him, he could run and tackle him with a good skill or two. He took a deep breath, let it out, and watched as the white air passed through the air. He pulled a foot back, held it there for a second, and then charged forward at his opponent, his cloak billowing back behind him. It slid off a second later, revealing his shiny blue jacket and the weapons attached to his knuckles.

He pulled his fist back and called, ”Fist Slam!” His fist glowed and a white aura replaced the ocean blue aura that had once surrounded him. He could only hope his simple plan would work. ”Hold still,” he said with a laugh as he pulled his fist forward. Whether he met flesh and bone or air was the mystery in his plan.

He could only hope.

SP: 83/115
Defense Increased.

Edit: Crap, I did my SP count wrong...sorry!

Baron watched with a bored expression as Shenmock began spouting out his usual nonsense, slaughtering words and using cliché phrases. The Fist Fighter clearly knew nothing of the art of mocking his opponent. The treasure hunter would have been more than happy to instruct the boy with a few choice words, but he wasn’t in the mood to play nice. The Twin Blade had a duel to fight, and between the annoyance and the fact that his opponent was someone whose face needed to be caved in once or twice (though Liam had certainly accomplished that once in the Juk Prison), he was definitely not in bantering mood. That was why he said nothing as he simply raised both of his weapons into a defensive stance, watching carefully to determine Shenmock’s first move. He wanted to avoid the opening strike, as that was the point where counterattacks and such were most present.

Sure enough, though, Shenmock took the initiative, sending a swirling Rue Rom around Baron’s position. The Twin Blade simply stepped back about five paces, removing himself from the tornado with only a small piece of his HP vanishing in the process. That placed the spell between Baron and Shenmock, obscuring their views of each other through the ice and sleet, and left the Twin Blade with a temporary shield that soon faded out of existence as the magic ended. Baron saw Shenmock come racing at him even as the last of the ice vanished, his fist glowing bright as some skill his new class provided him with came into effect. The Twin Blade hadn’t had time to research the Fist Fighter skill list, so he didn’t know exactly what was coming, but by the look of it, it was a simple punch, only powered up. Easy to predict, easy to dodge, and it would leave an opening wide enough for an easy strike, if Baron was lucky.

Sidestepping a few paces, Baron let Shenmock’s punch go directly past him, the air humming slightly from the force of the blow. The Twin Blade was suddenly glad at his decision to move so quickly- if that attack had landed, it could have done some damage! However, while the outstretched arm was before him, even for a moment, Baron grabbed, aiming to catch hold of the limb and pull the move Slicer had shown him during the recent tournament. The Twin Blade had lost his match due to the judge’s score, true, but it had been a learning experience and had taught him tricks he could use that didn’t require his weapons. The shoulder throw, the one that almost had ghosted him near the end of the fight, was one such move.

If Baron could grasp his opponent’s arm, like he hoped to, then he would pull Shenmock forward, turning at the same time so that his back was to the Fist Fighter, holding him in place by pulling the arm from behind him forward. Then, bending forward, he would lift Shenmock’s feet off of the ground and leave him with no traction. From there, the Twin Blade would simply continue leaning forward while pulling at the same time, finishing the shoulder throw and slamming Shenmock to the ground. It was a pity that the two weren’t near an edge, or Baron would have taken advantage of the position to get an easy ring out, but he had to live with life’s little disappointments.

After all, what fun was there in an easy win?

((OOC:
SP: 103/115
Physical Attack Increased))

To Baron, it seemed as if Shenmock was his play toy, something that was used for merely beating up. Yes, he usually fell for his tricks and always was bashed in the head in a manner, but still, he wanted to prove that in this fight, he wasn’t some idiot that would fall for every trick. His own tactic seemed to be pretty pointless, as Baron merely took a few quick steps back and avoided any major damage. It was frustrating, seeing as the Twin Blade acted as if it was so effortless, with that boring expression on his face. He had seen it on many of his classmates, those that didn’t like the usual lectures, the usual homework, and all the rest of the usual stuff that everybody gave them in school. It was that bored expression that he had seen a lot, one that he despised.

He came forward and swung with his mightiest strike, only to punch into the air in front of him. He got a glimpse as he did so, at the plains below them, gulped, and turned his attention to where Baron was. He had sidestepped his attack and was now preparing a maneuver that he didn’t recognize. His outstretched hand was grabbed by Baron, who spun around and grabbed the other hand without a second glance at his face. Yes, Baron was obviously good with tactics, but he had never seen the Twin Blade go this far for anything like that. The Twin Blade pulled him over onto his back, as if he was trying to carry him. He was hoping that his weight would pull him down, pull him down to the ground so he could sit on him and smack his behind, but then that was just too good to be true.

He couldn’t do any actions, as he was lifted off the ground, suspended over his back for a few seconds as Baron pulled him over. As he saw it, he’d be landing directly on his head, leaving Baron with an open spot and him with another bump on his head. With a yelp, he was forced to the ground, all with one quick motion, one that had been with expertise by his opponent. It pained him to see a chunk of his hit points fall, but then again, it happened in every major duel that he was ever in. He faintly remembered how Hacorie had tackled him with magic and then ripped him apart with his blade. It was not a pretty sequence for him and he had no chance to dodge…it was as if in duels, he had all the bad luck…

Despite him having the urge to get up, he didn’t. Instead, he sat there for a second, trying to play out an act for Baron to fall for. It was a simple trick, one that anybody could easily dodge, but it was something. A second passed, another second, and then his fingers grabbed at the ground and he spun around in a quick motion, pulling his feet up so they would hit his shins. If that wasn’t enough to pull him down, he’d try to knee him. If he was down on the ground, he’d lift his foot up and bring it down. The pictures in his head gave him a surprisingly good feeling, but then again, this wasn’t an idea, and he never knew what that Twin Blade would do. If he jumped back, that was bad, but if the former Long Arm could land a blow, he’d be a happy camper…at least for the seconds he would get.

SP: 85/115
Defense Increased

Edit: I was adding the defense increased, but it really doesn't make a difference. @_@;

Things were off to a good start, it seemed, as Shenmock was sent tumbling head-over-heels, slamming into the ground with a loud thud. The sight of the Fist Fighter was almost too much for Baron, and he cracked a small smile, and though he wanted to laugh aloud, the Twin Blade kept his face mostly composed. He wasn’t here to have fun, no- he was here to finish this, to metaphorically step on Shenmock’s neck and say “I’ve won.” Baron’s competitive spirit was starting to kick in, and the anger, the frustration he was feeling at the beginning of the duel was starting to fade away. Now all that was left was a burning desire to win, and the Twin Blade thought of nothing more than that. It was with that in mind that he bore down on his fallen opponent, his blades posed as he did so, his mind visualizing the weapons sinking into the Fist Fighter’s body and ghosting him completely. Oh well, one could dream.

As Baron approached, Shenmock surprised him with a quick kick from his fallen position on the ground. The Twin Blade, rather than jump aside and risk being caught at an angle that could compromise the duel, took the hit full-on, wincing at the loss to his HP and stumbling, managing to maintain his footing by some degree of luck. Fortunately, he had lost his balance while his back was facing the center of the arena, so he had the chance to recover his footing without falling off of the edge. Still, Shenmock had made a good move, there, taking advantage of Baron’s drive to win in order to surprise him with a sneak attack. The Twin Blade’s irritation returned slightly, but was slammed down without a second thought before Baron’s mind went back on how he could return the favor. After all, a good move deserved one just as well-executed.

Most of the issue with the Twin Blade’s need to get an eye-for-an-eye was planning it properly, so that the whole combination would connect and not just one part. For example, the first idea leaping into his mind was a Rai Rom thrown behind Shenmock as a distraction while he suddenly attacked from the front. It was a decent idea, except for the chance that the Fist Fighter would simply ignore the spell if it didn’t hit him directly, which would ruin the whole plan. That was why the idea was simply crumpled up and thrown away, replaced by a new one again and again as Baron kept his distance, watching his opponent warily as he tried to come up with an effective combat strategy, analyzing his opponent’s advantages and disadvantages. Finally, something clicked, and the Twin Blade decided that it was worth a try if anything.

Running forward with his arms at his sides to reduce air resistance and add the slightest of boosts to his speed, Baron sent a Rai Rom coiling around Shenmock’s position. The Fist Fighter, if he remained put, would end up a bit toasty if he remained in his current position and didn’t avoid any part of the spell. While he was still in place, though, Baron had targeted him, so the Twin Blade knew exactly where Shenmock was, at least for now. He approached the electric tornado as it started to fade, having timed his attack almost perfectly with his knowledge of the spell’s duration and range, and, as it vanished completely, leapt directly at Shenmock, a spinning kick aimed to smash the boy’s grin to pieces like a piece of porcelain. If not, well, Baron would leave a small opening, but that was why he had a plan B, in case of trouble.

Always good to have a plan B…

((OOC:
SP: 95/115
Physical Attack increased))

Baron’s idea of tactics was something different to Shenmock. His way of thinking of things was a mystery to him, but the Twin Blade always seemed to come on top of things no matter what the situation, whether it be a riddle or a special monster inching forward and trying to wreck havoc on a group of people working to help ‘The World’. In the end, though, he was able to make him stagger back, though kneeing him in the chin to knock that frowning expression off his face was out of the question at that point. He really didn’t like the dull expression on his face. Wasn’t that his dull expression that he wore whenever Baron had that happy-go-lucky expression on?

The two stood away for a few seconds, though it seemed that the Fist Fighter was the one who was watching his opponent’s movements. It was a dull process, though, as the Twin Blade wasn’t moving, but rather thinking of a plan. The former Long Arm didn’t take this time to switch out weapons, but rather prepared his Brass Knuckles for what was to come. If Baron came in with a skill head on, it would definitely give him away, meaning that Shenmock could escape. If he threw out a decoy spell and came at him, he’d have to do his best to guard both of them, as he didn’t have the best magical defense with his armor. Now it seemed that his opponent had a plan, as he was already preparing to launch a spell at him. Whether it was a decoy or the real thing was a mystery to him, but he’d have to do his best to dodge it.

His spell was Rai Rom, one that he had seen the Twin Blade use multiple times. It looked to be the real only Rom spell that he had on his armor. Then again, he only had one too. The Fist Fighter danced to the side, doing his best to dodge the electricity. The boy was still moderately injured, as the electricity lashed out at him and cut at his open arm. He winced at the spell, but rather knew that the decoy had done its purpose. Yeah, it was a decoy. He looked up at Baron, who was coming forward with his foot. You’re not a Fist Fighter. was his only thought. The thing about this situation was that Baron left himself wide open for any oncoming attack. If he connected with his face, yes, he might have the advantage of knocking him off the end, but if he didn’t, the advantage would go to the Fist Fighter. Hopefully, at least.

Instead of aiming for his chest or something for an attack, he rather went for the leg, as that was what would throw him off balance. If he hit him in the chest, he’d be able to spin back and recover, unless Baron really wanted to try and do a sneak attack. The boy, instead of pulling his arm back, ducked forward, aiming the punch at Baron’s leg. Yes, the foot was able to connect with his cheek, but then again, it really didn’t throw off the oncoming grin. It was a hard situation to get out of unless he had a spell to throw his hand away or maybe do some other thing that the boy didn’t know of. Of course, if this didn’t hit…well, he’d get to that point later, because right now, he was in for kicking this treasure hunter bad.

Really bad.

SP: 87/115
Physical Defense Increased (if you really want to know...)

((OOC: Edit: Forgot the 115, ehehehehe.))

Baron’s foot connected in mid-air just as he had expected, the sole of his boot slamming into Shenmock’s cheek. It was a satisfying feeling, the thought of finally smashing the Fist Fighter with an actual attack. The Twin Blade had ached to do that for a long time, back when the two were rivals and the boy had gotten on his nerves. All of that annoyance was let out in that one smash, the air echoing with the sound of cracking bone. In that one, solid hit, the pressures of irritation and anger vanished, and Baron could finally completely concentrate on the duel, his emotions neutral once more, unlike when he started the duel. It was a good feeling, getting it off his chest, and the Twin Blade made a note that if he ever had any reason to be angry, he should find Shenmock and hit him once or twice. Oddly, the idea made him feel that much better. Well, sort of, anyway.

Shenmock’s simple counter to Baron’s attack was a punch, a punch aimed at the Twin Blade’s leg. Unbelievable! Would he really be so moronic to assume that he could hit a smaller target with something like that, while the target was moving? The idea was ludicrous, and Baron wanted to laugh at the simplicity with which Shenmock’s brain seemed to work. Still, if he was going to make such a bad move, the Twin Blade had no choice but to exploit it for his own ends, and that’s exactly what he did. Pushing off from Shenmock’s face (hopefully shoving it in that much further), Baron sprang backwards, a small backflip getting him above the Fist Fighter’s punch. Landing on his feet, the Twin Blade sprang backwards, getting his distance from his opponent. Baron had simply used the opening given to him so that he could get a safe distance away. Shenmock had to stay close to attack, but when he charged, he was all the more predictable. That was what Baron was aiming for.

Taking a quick check over his inventory, Baron made sure of what options he had, just in case Shenmock decided to surprise him. The Twin Blade’s weapons were fairly standard, but leaned slightly towards the Ani wave, since he had all three level two Ani skills that the Twin Blade class could use. However, since they were his most powerful weapons, there wasn’t much else to be done. In a few levels, he’d have access to much more, but he had to work his way there first. Other than that, most of his equipment was of varying levels, selected for their abilities rather than their parameters. A thought at the back of Baron’s mind told him that he would have been better off having paid attention to those, but he hadn’t been shopping in a bit, and without the rare rule, he couldn’t use some of his better equipment. Still, his best weapon was his mind- all he had to do was keep stringing Shenmock along as he had done so far, and the fight would be a piece of cake. He just had to keep alert, and things would be easy. Or so he hoped.

((OOC:
SP: 97/115
Physical Attack Increased))

EDIT: Woops, got mixed up between posts and accidentally replaced one "Shenmock" with "Teishu." Fixed now.

Trying to hit Baron was like trying to hit a roadrunner with a stick. It would never happen, even when he tried so hard. Sure, he thought his ideas were great, but Baron would always do some amazing thing to get out of it. It was either Baron was insanely fast or his own ideas were insanely horrid. The boy didn’t know which one was right, but he knew that Baron would keep dodging around these attacks. He was the man for tactics, after all, as he had learned in the Juk Prison field, but… He chose not to think of that and only focused on the foot that was continuously being pressed into his cheek. Why had he kicked him? Why hadn’t he used his blades to slice him in half? It was so strange that he’d just kick him and jump back like that…

The Twin Blade managed to somehow propel himself off of his own kick, pressing his cheek in a bit more. The boy stumbled back a little bit at the strength that he was putting into it, but otherwise, he just had a dull expression plastered on his face. Baron, out of all people in the world, just had to press his stinking boot into his cheek! Just for acrobatics sake, his opponent did a mini back flip (what’s the difference?) and came back to a place far away from where the Fist Fighter stood. The boy watched with a close eye for any moves that came from Baron, but none came. This guy wanted him to come to him? Wow, he was going to fall for that trick. He was going to wait for him to come. As people always said, never make the first move, as the opponent always had a way to manipulate it to their own advantage.

The boy crossed his arms and stared at the Baron. ”Baron, you’re not seriously going to wait for me to come at you, are you?” he said, giving him one of his original dull glares that the Twin Blade had gotten in their first quest together. The look on his face, the look of thinking, was the thing he didn’t enjoy watching, but there was nothing to look at other than distant clouds and a plain far below them. There wasn’t much he could do, unless he really wanted to waste his spell points. Then again, he could always just do that in hopes of making him come. Standing here wasn’t going to do anything to the match.

”Rue Kruz,” he murmured, but he was sure that his opponent had heard the spell being muttered under his breath. A cold wind came up and brushed his cloak to the side. He buried his hands into his pockets as he watched the ice fizzle, then materialize around Baron. He could only hope he didn’t have a counterattack for such a simple spell. If only he had permitted rares; that Kagayuzen from Kiwi would’ve helped a mother load in performing some of these magical attacks. It might not have boosted them up, but it sure would’ve hit the target every time.

He could only watch…for now.

SP: 78/115
Physical Defense worn off!

Edit: SP...again. @_@; Sorry people, just not thinking straight.

“Baron, you’re not seriously waiting for me to come at you, are you?”

Baron couldn’t help but assume his most sarcastic voice then, a tad bit annoyed as his Ap Corv decided to go poof on him. “Oh, it seems you’ve caught me. I should just throw myself off the platform in shame… not!”

Returning Shenmock’s stare with a cocky “think you can really win” raise of the eyebrow, Baron simply crossed his arms, knowing that his opponent would probably lose patience soon. And it seemed he did, as a Rue Kruz exploded from every direction. Ice shards, smaller than the ones from the spell Baron used, but still impressive, appeared in a roughly-spaced sphere around the Twin Blade. He rolled his eyes at the spell, knowing it’d do a small bit of damage (though nothing to sneeze at, due to the even level of the two combatants), and waited for it to start closing in. At that moment, he broke free of his immobile stance, moving quickly forward with his Slayers held in front of him, his wrists and blades crossed in a defensive posture as he charged. Sure, his HP took a small dip from the attack, as was to be expected, since he had hit a good portion of the oncoming ice spears, but that was nothing compared to what he had in mind for Shenmock.

Once he was within ten feet of Shenmock, Baron dropped into a slide tackle, similar to one anyone would see in a soccer game. He aimed for Shenmock’s heels, hoping to trip the boy up. However, his hand would be planted into the ground just at the point when he was about to hit the Fist Fighter, so that he could pull his body backwards and use his own momentum to lift his lower body into the air, an upward kick that would, if aimed properly, connect beneath Shenmock’s chin. Then, using his centripetal force, Baron would end up standing about two feet back from the attacking point, and if everything worked as planned, he’d have plenty of time to retreat and keep his distance. Though his health was at about two-thirds from the spell combos that had hit him so far, he didn’t want to waste even a single HP that could be avoided. Hit-and-run would be the best option for now.

Of course, not everything always went according to plan, but there was always a chance, right?

((OOC:
SP: 99/115
Physical Attack returns to normal))

He was so confused at what Baron was trying to get to by using all these kung fu moves on him. He was a twin blade, not a kung fu master, and if he had any hopes of winning the match, he’d have to use his blades to slash up his costume in some weird way. It was so stupid in his mind to find his rival using the same moves he was trying to use. He could obviously execute them with ease and do some damage with them, but Baron would only do minimal damage with that stuff. The man seemed to ignore his Rue Kruz as something of a burden for him. The ice bullets sunk into him, sure, but he didn’t seem to take any mind to what he did. It was like he was doing nothing while Baron was all high and mighty every day, just shining higher than any other person in the world, or better yet, ‘The World’.

The treasure hunter came at him and at ten feet, he slid forward. If he had had the Gan Zot ability, he would’ve gone flying right there and then, but he didn’t, so all he could do was have his hopes in dodging the attack. He was a bit close to the edge; he couldn’t manage falling off yet. Something so simple as a slide tackle was a good move, sure, and he’d be able to do some good damage, sure, but if the other opponent had seen the move and actually used it before to know it wasn’t that great of a move, it was a pretty bad thing. The boy leapt to the right, rolled forward, and started to dance away, doing his best to try and stay away from the edge.

The boy really couldn’t do anything at the moment. If he came at Baron, he’d just counter it with his own attack. If he waited for Baron to come and found a flaw in his attack (which was quite hard, surprisingly enough), he’d be able to tackle him and make a dent in that face. He started to move to the side a bit, trying to make it look so they were opposite again. He didn’t have any need for healing spells yet, so he’d just have to watch and wait. If he was down on hit points, he’d notice, but for now, he could only watch and analyze his opponent’s move. He wasn’t going to throw a spell at him from afar; that was pointless. He just…waited.

Waited.

SP: 80/115

Baron was starting to get tired of the duel. It wasn’t like he couldn’t go on and continue, to endure it until either he or Shenmock fell (the latter being more likely, in his mind), but he was just fed up with it. What had been another clash of rivals (likely what Shenmock was thinking, much as Baron had pretty much severed their rivalry) was just another irritating reiteration that seemed to go on and on. This was their… what, fourth duel now? Didn’t the Fist Fighter ever get tired of trying to go head-to-head with him? And in the end, he had always quit, simply because things were going bad. It was a childish approach, one that Baron had finally grown weary of, and he decided one thing right then and there- he was done with duels, at least for the time being. They were just simply a pain, something he didn’t really feel like participating in, and yet he had always been roped in by an event or a challenge. Well, that was going to stop. This would probably be the Twin Blade’s last duel for a while, his very last duel against Shenmock, for sure. It was about time to make that clear.

Stepping back a few feet to keep a small distance between himself and the Fist Figher, Baron spoke. “Look, Shenmock… I’m fed up with this. I really am. Stop challenging me to duels, stop trying to compete with me. It’s irritating. I don’t care how strong you are in comparison to me, how much you want to fight me- I’ve had enough. After this duel, I’d like to make two things clear- one, we’re no longer rivals. I’ve got my path, and you’ve got yours. Two- I’m never dueling again, at least not against you. I’m sick of these repeated challenges. So, in honor of our last duel, how about we bring it to a close all at once, one final attack to end things, shall we?

With that, the Twin Blade held his blades so that the hilt of each was clutched in between two fingers, forming a rough claw of sorts that he held in his hand. At that point, he called forth a Rue Kruz spell, allowing the ice to slam into the fist that held both weapons. It was another trick he had picked up in his duel against Slicer, giving him a little more oomph to his punch, but it was also modified to fit his class. Soon, the entire hand was covered in a layer of heavy ice with two claw-like blades sticking out of it. Once they were all set, Baron ran forward, his feet moving with the usual Twin Blade lightness as he shot towards Shenmock. Raising his fist in the air for one last powerful punch, the treasure hunter quickly closed the gap and swung.

“Take this!”

((OOC:
SP: 101/115))

EDIT: Forgot my SP count. ^_^;;

Baron’s speech was a bit pretty in Shenmock’s opinion. He was just stating all these things and he was sure that the Twin Blade had been thinking about that kind of thing for a while. The statement ‘we’re no longer rivals!’ didn’t exactly surprise him. It had never been much of anything, except working on their rival. It was clear to see that Baron was the better fighter of the two and that Shenmock was the person who fell behind and tended not to give it his all. He was dull, Baron was happy, he was weak, Baron was strong. They were nothing alike, and thus why Baron was obviously saying that they weren’t rivals anymore! It had hardly been anything and it had started when they were little new players, but now it was serious and they were going their separate paths. He had his own path, the one as a fist fighter, and he was sure Baron had met enough people to invent his own.

It was over.

Baron prepared his blades and charged forward at him. What he did was extremely interesting to him. He actually cast a Rue Kruz spell on his hands. He didn’t throw the spell at him, but rather let it come and envelope his hands. He wasn’t sure if they were depleting any hit points, but they definitely toughened up his hands. Shenmock could only smile coldly at what he was doing before coming forward. He expected that this wasn’t the last attack, but who knew? Baron could just punch him in the face and send him off the cliff and into the field blow.

”Fist Slam,” he called in a horribly deep voice. He pulled his fist back that was already starting to glow and let it come forward. He wasn’t sure if it would connect with Baron’s cheek or anything, but he had his hopes. The ice-coated hand, on the other hand, pressed into his chest, knocking the breath out of him and making him fly back and roll on the bare, smooth surface of the platform. Then, for a second, he was there, on the smooth surface, staring in the direction of Baron with his eyes a bit blurred, and then, the platform disappeared and his character data was sent into the clouds.

His cloak billowed behind him and he couldn’t help but laugh at what was happening to him. He had just lost the duel against his eternal rival, and this time, he hadn’t quit either. He had lost a fair duel for once in his life! Water splashed at him as he went through the clouds and the GAME OVER screen came up before he could hit the ground with a ker-splat! The duel was over.

Had he won…

…or had he lost?

SP: 72/115

Baron's approach was quickly met by Shenmock's own as the two came quickly together for their last clash. The Twin Blade’s ice-shrouded claw shot forward, aimed for a quick stab-and-smash combination that the mixture allowed for. It was an on-the-spot tactic, using Slicer’s own technique mixed with his own, but in all honestly, Baron was a bit proud of it. The move gave him a free hand in battle while still allowing him to easily use his weapons and even add a bit of power to his attacks. Sure, there was a small HP cost involved in it, as he had to cast a spell on himself, but due to the low level of the attack, it was a worthwhile sacrifice. And the gains were greater than the small loss. It was with those thoughts in mind that he memorized that technique for later use.

Putting that aside, Baron thrust his fist forward, the weight of the ice adding momentum to his swing and thus a bit of well-needed force to increase the damage dealt, even slightly. The Twin Blade slammed his fist forward, aiming for his final blow, one that he hoped would knock Shenmock off of the platform. He knew it couldn’t win with just the damage from the attack, but both combatants were near an edge, so there was a chance that he could win with a Ring Out. In fact, it was his hope, and that feeling increased as his blades, sticking out of the ice, sank into Shenmock’s chest before the icy fist slammed into the Fist Fighter. However, just as the blow connected, a similar one hit Baron in the stomach as Shenmock’s Fist Slam caught him simultaneously. From the two opposing forces, both players were launched backwards, and since they were near one of the curves, they were hit just hard enough to both go sailing over the edge, and it was over.

Baron sighed as he fell. He had gambled for a Ring Out and gotten it- but at the price of his own defeat. It seemed that they would never settle who was the stronger of them, but at least the Twin Blade knew one thing for sure- he had at least settled things, and now was walking his own path, not someone else’s. And it felt good. Closing his eyes and letting the rush of air assault his ears, the Twin Blade slowly vanished and logged out, leaving the skies empty.

It was done.

((OOC:
SP: 103/115))

EDIT: Tag error on the SP count- forgot the [/B] tag.

-Locke-
Tactics: 7.0
Fairness: 7.0
SP Reg: 9.5
Quality: 8.5
Technicality: 10.0
OVERALL - 8.4

-Shenmock-
Tactics: 7.0
Fairness: 8.5
SP Reg: 8.5
Quality: 7.5
Technicality: 10.0
OVERALL - 8.3

WINNER: Locke! [+Ice Floe]