Let's go for round three again. The last one vanished after all. You're on arena duty this round, unless you want to be back on the island again. :p
OOC: Heh, alrighty. For the arena, I think I'm gonna have to go with the island. Nice and simple, and it's... classic. For us, at least. Oh, and in case you've forgotten.... I suck at entrances.
IC: Echo's foot sunk a few inches into the sand as he took his first step onto the deserted island. A sligh breeze fluttered through the air, causing his shirt to wave just slightly to the left. He glanced around, noticing the sheer lack of civilization. This appeared to be one of the few un-touched places still left on the planet. Well, un-touched with the exception of a few very exceptional warriors.
The trees about 20 feet from the water's edge moved a little, creating a very calming scene. The sun was brightly baking the sand, with not a cloud in sight. The island seemed to be, for the most part, healed from previous battles here.
Echo walked to a nearby palm tree and sat beneath its shady branches. He listened to the sound of the water moving nearby. It was truely a serene place. He had been here many times before, both in combat and just to relax. He set his sword down beside him, with his hand still tightly gripping it, and shut his eyes. He was in a state of pure relaxation.
OOC: Bah, I loathe entrances. Echo isn't the talking-to-himself type, so it leaves very little for him to do. Oh well. Oh, and by the way, I'll be busy until about Sunday, so that will be my next reply if you reply between now and than.
[COLOR="PaleTurquoise"]The hammer tore through Echo with all of Thor's might, sending a surge through his body like none other. The assault ended abruptly, Echo crashing to the sand in a cloud of dust and dirt. He vanished soon after, gone for the moment but returning for another bout at some point, Crono was sure.[/COLOR]
Crono's memories drifted about as he relived the past battles over in his head, thinking of what he could have done better, and what had worked or failed. Of them all, Echo had proven to be most fierce, competing in two rounds now, one defeat and one victory each. He was nearby, probably on his island, and Crono felt his presence like no other. They were brothers in arms at some points, and at others the most fierce rivals. How many times now had Echo come to the island? Twice in search of blood, but more than that, this peaceful land served as a place of communion, a home of sorts. They had eaten together, joked of the past, battled a common enemy, and sparred for fun on occasion here, and this day was different. He had come in search of the same blood as before, thirsting for power again, and Crono planned to give him the bout he wished. His footsteps took him towards the shore, and every step brought him closer to his friend and rival, Echo. The hilt of a familiar blade was held nearby, and he knew it to be Gleamsin of course, a blade he had seen often.
So you've returned to my home again, Echo. Nice to see you of course. You've come to call me out this time though, haven't you? We'll make such a ruckus here that the island may never be the same you know, but more memories would be wonderful. For the timeless, every event is worth seeing.
Crono drew his Dark Saber smoothly, with his usual ease. A quick, fluid movement brought the sword up into a salute, which Echo stood and returned, and he sheathed it again, before unbuckling the belt and tossing it to the side for the moment. No need to start so boldly for this, because he predicted a long battle ahead, if he were to judge correctly. A simple pattern of puches and kicks went into effect, and Echo put Gleamsin back over his back quickly, blocking them effortlessly.
Now, don't joke around, Echo said, refusing to back down. He began a quick assault of his own, and Crono followed in suit, blocking and ducking under swings with practiced motions. The two stood back from each other for a moment, and Crono pulled his swordbelt off the ground.
Now that we're all warmed up...shall we dance?
Gleamsin rang forth with a loud, clean sound, and Crono left his Dark Saber and Blood Blade sheathed for once, to pull out his double edged swords instead. The Demon Edge and Chaos Crusader came forward, and Crono darted forward with his unusual speed, crashing into Echo head-on, blades coming to bear from the strange angles of attack he always used. Both parried by Echo, and he knew he would have to be inventive in this battle, with one so close to him. Green eyes clashed with red, and Crono winked at him once, before vanishing. His speed was what he had over Echo for sure, not being nearly as overpowering, and he began his sword dance in the usual method that Echo remembered, but suddenly changed it. He was using double edged swords now, and he had developed a completely new sword technique, one to match his single edged weapons but take full advantage. The blades weaved in and out of Gleamsin and Echo's blind spots as he used his speed to work his way in circles, occasionally breaking the time barrier he so easily manipulated. Between the dim blue flashes of Crono vanishing and reappearing, and the unusual sword assault by an opponent he thought he knew in and out, Echo was hard pressed to keep up with the flashing black and blue blades, and small cuts began appearing across his arms and chest, and a slightly deeper one across his right leg. Nothing serious, but some minor annoyances. He was beginning to catch the patterns and block more blows though, before the flashing suddenly stopped and he felt the rock hard hilt of Chaos Crusader drop into his back, a surge of electricity running through it. He kicked back and Crono stumbled, before rolling backwards and pushing off the ground and diving into a slash out to the side, coming across Echo's chest as he turned, before rotating on his forward left foot, bringing the heel of his more powerful right leg around in a roundhouse kick to drop a brick wall, throwing Echo sideways and into the nearest tree.
Things change, don't they?
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OoC: Ever seen the intro to Devil May Cry 3, with the fight scene between Vergil and Dante? That was always how I pictured it when the two of us came together. =P
Edit for typos
Echo grunted as he hit the ground. The shock from being thrown into the tree so hard and so fast disoriented him for a moment. He grabbed a handful of warm, coarse sand and pushed himself up as he regained his senses. A faint grin flitted across his face for a brief moment. It seemed like ages since he had been engaged in a fight worth mentioning, and even longer since he had crossed blades with his good friend. That was the part that made him smile. He and Crono, his friend, were using extraordinary power to try to hurt each other in extraordinary ways, but it was in no way an odd occurrence. It was, in fact, fairly enjoyable for both men. They were warriors. Beyond the average day-to-day hum-drum life of the other billions of people in the world, these were two of the final remaining few who lived by the sword and enjoyed every minute of it.
Gleamsin was sheathed as Echo rose, cringing just a bit as sand got into his newly made wounds. There was only about 20 feet between Crono and himself, a distance he knew could be traveled by either of them in the blink of an eye. But speed was not what would give Echo the victory, because in that he was far outmatched. Echo held his hands at chest level in loose fists, very slowly approaching Crono and being extremely defensive.
It was when the distance between the two dropped to about 15 feet that Echo
Crono's chest and neck burned severely, and he was struggling to overcome the shockwave that dazed him, the small blast jarring his body unexpectedly. He hadn't expected the blast and was not prepared for it, but he had to shake it off quickly. His blurry vision was clearing, and he saw his imminent danger clearly now; an arrow held by glass below. He wasn't one for tossing things, but at this point he had little choice, and he did the first thing that came to mind: he chucked Chaos Crusader straight to the ground, shearing the fresh rock in two. The arrow slipped further into the newly formed crack in the stone, and Crono landed on all fours, face down. The point of the arrow touched his chest, but only barely as he kept himself off the ground with a thud, landing on the sand in an uncomfortable but workable position. For him, time froze for a moment, not a spell, but just an instant where he gathered his surroundings and was totally aware of everything going on around him. He sensed Echo's leg coming up for a quick axe kick to his back, likely to crush him down onto the arrow, which was still quite a threat, not completely sunk into the earth. He relaxed completely on his left side, shoving off with all his strength on the right, rolling quickly to the left and slapping the ground with his right arm to stop his incredible momentum the instant he reached his back on the second rollover. He was now a few feet from Echo, but also a few feet from Chaos Crusader, and he lay still for another instant, planning his course of action.
Surely you weren't expecting it to be that simple. I'm rusty, but certainly haven't lost all my touch as you can tell.
Crono kicked his feet forward, bringing himself upright on the ground, still sitting on the sand. He grinned at Echo, the same irritating grin his friend remembered, and stood silently. He sprinted forward towards Echo, and spun in a quick, two kick maneuver, a quick left and then right which were both blocked quickly, and Crono kicked off with his right leg into a backflip, reaching down to grab Chaos Crusader in the apex of his flip. He yanked it free, and settled into a crouch with his back to Echo, throwing his left arm out with the blade overhead, his right hand on the flat of the blade, to block the oncoming strike of Gleamsin. The blades rang protest to the clash, and Crono hopped slightly, throwing his right leg backwards into Echo's right ankle, tripping him up. He rolled to the right, sheathing Chaos Crusader in the process, and kicked out with the left to take Echo to the ground, landing a solid blow to the inside of his left knee. A popping sound was heard as tendons and ligaments protested the strain and snapped, and Echo crumpled to the ground quickly, his knee sinking straight down onto the arrow he had intended for Crono's heart. It ripped through the meat of Echo's knee, hitting the knee cap with an agonizing pain and scraping down the length of it quickly. Echo rose at the same time as Crono, wincing slightly at the severe pain now coursing through his right knee, and he noted that Crono's hands were full of sand. The sand slowly ran through his fingers until he had the right amount, and Crono's hands assumed a slight orange glow to them, nothing more than a small aura, and he rushed forward, closing the distance between the duo in the blink of an eye. All was silent for a few seconds as his fist impacted Echo's chest square on the sternum, and time seemed frozen for an instant as Crono became accutely aware of his surroundings again; the exact location of the water, the surrounding trees, and Echo's fresh stone and arrow, now broken and covered in blood. The adrenaline in his veins had hit a temporary spike, and his time lapse was now covering the area, freezing it in small instances and skipping around. Time resumed it's normal course as his fist came back off Echo, throwing him back quickly. The force of the earth shattering blow threw Echo back further, crushing the wind from his lungs as the unexpected force hit the already off balanced man with more than he had prepared for. A burning heat rose from the ground again, and Echo witnessed yet another time lapse, skipping back a few beats to his own fire attack, and he watched the ring of fire rise forth once more, blurry visions of himself and Crono in the center of it. The firepower was harnessed into Crono's grasp, and a swift kick upwards knocked Echo into the air, a quick searing strike straight into his lower ribs and upwards. He felt the earthen ability yet again, crushing the wind from him yet again, and he gasped in the air to catch his breath as a cold chill set grasped the beach in it's entirety. The ocean nearby began to freeze, and the chill numbed his pain slightly, before it snapped back to normal once more and he felt himself start the drop. The time lapse was taking it's toll on both of their bodies; the strain of Crono's casting, whether intentional or not, and Echo's body, unused to shifting time streams, was becoming quickly exhausted. The time snapped back to normal for a moment, and Echo witnessed what Crono now held in his gloved right hand: a small sphere, the size of a softball. His mind quickly calculated the stream of time he had just witnessed, and he came to the dreadful realization of exactly what that power was that was now emanating from Crono's open palm.
You're familiar with this, no doubt, Crono said with a grin. He had switched things up a bit with simple melee and time lapse assaults, and a flash of light blinded them both as the bolt of lightning struck the sphere. Echo opened his eyes as soon as he dared, impacting the ground with a soft thump as he landed on the sand, and stood quickly, trying to figure his location. He was shaken and bruised, and his knee torn but still functioning, with an opponent now nowhere to be seen.
I call this the Manaball Adrenaline Rush.
The voice echoed through his thoughts eerily, and he tried to decipher the location, pinpointing the voice in his mind. A burst of action from behind him revealed Crono's location, only to find Crono's speed increased further still, now in front of him. He got his arms up in time to deflect Crono's sidestepping kick, only to feel the burning sensation of power crush his back and sandwich him between the powerful kick and the manaball. Crono's explosive earth infused kick was perfectly equal in power to the ball, with the other elements still a part of him also, and Echo was hit with a crushing assault from front and back, the frontal assault mostly deflected by his blocking arms. His back itched in pain suddenly, and he went numb in the legs for a moment, dropping to his knees, sand and salty water stinging his knee further. He glanced down and was finally completely aware, as Crono already was, of his surroundings. The fast paced combat had made him forget entirely that which he most wanted to avoid; the water. The searing pain that followed the crushing blow to his spine felt like nothing to him, having been burnt countless times before, and the cool water was simply a relief, and he felt his muscles tighten into spasm as the electricity flowed through his spine, shocking his nervous system horribly and sending his muscles into spasms, while continuing to flow until channeled out and dispersed in the water he was now kneeling in. Crono stepped back breathing heavily, and the burst of energy that had consumed him into a whirling vortex of casting and time manipulation started to wear off, the aftereffects leaving him drained. Echo fell forward, catching himself with his hands, and reached for Gleamsin, which had landed close to him, grasping the hilt comfortably.
OOC: Holy ****ing ****. I had a sudden urge to write something and remembered this, so I figured I would take my turn. If you're up to it, I might be able to actually finish this (I even already have my next moved basically planned). It's short and not particularly good, but it's something. Even if we don't continue this battle, it was fun to write.
IC: Echo didn't miss a beat as he did a quick forward somersault and moved back into a fighting stance. He was out of breath from the stunningly quick volley that Crono had unleashed and had to stop for just a moment to catch his breath. It was during this moment that his senses began to return to him and pain racked his body. He grunted and fell to one knee, grimacing from the both the searing pain rushing through him and the exhaustion from trying to keep up with the speed of the attack. He closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, but that was all that he needed. He used that fraction of a second to focus. He had been a warrior his whole life and had learned early on that state of mind truly influenced state of being. The fraction of a second was all that was needed for Echo to banish the pain and exhaustion, to ignore it, and to continue the fight as strongly and as fiercely as before. He was still wounded, but now he had the energy to retaliate.
Echo quickly stood fully erect again and gripped his sword tightly. He spent another fraction of a second analyzing Crono's position. Echo was very fast, but could not hold a candle to Crono's speed. With his control of time Crono could move infinitely faster than Echo. After Echo's previous attack he didn't think that Crono would let himself be pushed around again. He would need to think of something unique this time.
Crono was quite drained from his last barrage, which led to Echo's opening. Crono would still be able to maneuver around small attacks such as punches or blow from a sword, but a wider ranged attack could possibly catch him off-guard.
Echo now had his plan of action basically planned out. He kept his eye on the worn-out Crono as he sheathed his sword. He than held both hands up in front of him, palms facing upward. Two small, fist-sized fireballs spontaneously appeared in the middle of Echo's hands. A very quick glance of understanding passed between the two warriors just before Echo began to hurl the two balls in Crono's direction. After the two balls were thrown two more appeared just as quickly in their place and were again hurled towards Crono. The speed of the throws were enough that this happened about five times before any of the projectiles got near Crono. Despite his tiredness, however, Crono could still move quickly enough to dodge the fire. All of them were thrown at slightly different angles, forcing Crono to essentially burst into dance to dodge them all. As he was doing so, Echo pushed his palms together in front of his face. Just as the last of the small fireballs flew past Crono and exploded in the sand behind him Echo brought his hands down and straight out to his side, his palms now facing downward. A line of fire appeared in the trail of where his hands had been, creating a long strand of flames about four feet long floating in front of Echo. This strand immediately began shooting off about half a dozen replicas of itself towards Crono, widening as they went.
They were at about the level of Crono's chest and forced Crono to duck to dodge them. However, as Crono ducked he was immediately hit by another of the small fireballs. It had been thrown underhanded by Echo while the strands of flames were being created. The small ball packed quite a punch, exploding on contact and inflicting Crono with pretty severe burns on his chest. Crono was knocked to the sand, floundering. Echo let fly another five of the fireballs as he quickly began to move closer to his opponent. The balls all reached their briefly stunned target, exploding to cause not only painful burns but also a concussive force to keep Crono from regaining his ability to fight back. By the time these had all ignited Echo had closed the distance between the two warriors. He moved quickly to grab Crono by the throat and hold him for just a moment, tightening his grip. Echo than unleashed another explosive force directly from his hand holding Crono's throat which launched him straight into a nearby tree. The palm cracked from the force of the man's impact. Echo was next to Crono again all but immediately, again grabbing his throat with his right hand and lifting him up. This time, however, Echo brought his other hand down to Crono's stomach, placing his palm right over it. Again the fiery explosions impacted Crono, but this time Echo held on with his right hand. Crono's body flailed away from Echo but could not go anywhere because of Echo's grip. An audible crack was heard from Crono's neck due to the intense force of the explosions. Echo continued this for a few seconds until he finally let Crono go flying away from them, farther into the trees. More of the peaceful palm trees were destroyed by Crono's flying body. Echo backed up a few paces back onto the beach and looked into the new opening in the trees for his wounded opponent.