Division 2 - Round 2: Sinthe vs Duvainel

’Now that is a proper, polite introduction. A pleasure to meet you Duvainel Xana, my name is Sinthe. Lord Sinthe in fact, currently and rather begrudgingly also of earth I suppose.’ A playful smirk danced across the Anubian’s face as he spoke. He was coming round to the idea of staying at least a while longer on Earth, due in no small part to events like this which seemed to draw in the weird and wonderful from across the stars. That the cooking was to die for of course.

’You said that you were a hybrid, if it’s not too great of an imposition might I ask, of which races? So much of this world is strange to me still, I like to have a rough idea of who’s worth fighting and you seem like you might be quite enjoyable.’ From what he had gathered Hybrids were often able to draw out the inherent powers of their respective species’ with more ease, probably down to an accidental triggering of common genetic markers but then it wasn’t really his area. That of course was to say nothing of the unpredictable and dangerous combinations of innate traits which could result. He’d very nearly fallen foul of both when he had fought Suusao in the last round. Were it not for his rapid movement technique then he likely would have taken on a greater deal of damage.

The universe during his era had seemed a great deal bigger only for the fact of lacking very many space faring races and as such this sort of thing was still new to him. Change wasn’t always a bad thing it seemed though, if it could deliver an adversary such as this in to his hands. Not only did Duvainel appear stronger than his last opponent to begin with, if she had any of the same kinds of tricks he might actually end up in more of a bind than he anticipated. Now wouldn’t that be fun? He couldn’t help but smile at the prospect, this tournament was really bringing out the worst, most impetuous part of him.

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WC:352

Hm, something rare and rarer still, Sinthe pondered as Duvainel expounded on her origins. Brenchians were still a race unknown to him and he paid special attention to the name so that he might divine more about the race itself later. As for Elemi and Humans he had met a couple while he’d been on Earth and as for Demons, well he’d had more than his fair share of experience even before he’d woken up. All of those different traits coming together, all of that power, this was turning out to be a most interesting venture. There were certain advantages it seemed which came with being so far diminished from his prime.

Normally he would be very much circumspect as to his own nature, dropping hints here and there but never really saying much, though in this case his opponent had shown him something so interesting by the mere fact of her existence that he felt inclined to similarly broaden her horizons. As it was he didn’t get all that much of a chance since when she had finished she was as good as on him already. Having only just begun to raise his power he was caught rather unawares, taking several shots which made him reel back before he was able to move at any kind of speed which would allow him to cover up. They progressed from there, going back and forth over the ring as Sinthe steadily raised his ki, first deflecting and then properly parrying or blocking Duvainel’s blows. Finally he managed to seize hold of her fists one and then the other so that they could continue their talk.

’My people are called Anubians, though we’re known most often to the Universe at large as Gods of Destruction. Nobody really knows where we came from, not even us but I’ve heard a couple dozen theories over the last few thousand years.’ Stepping in towards her Sinthe twisted his waist looking to heft her over him and off towards the stands. He didn’t expect to get the ring out since he’d observed most martial artists worth their salt hereabouts could fly, but he wasn’t really ready to up his game by that much just yet.

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WC:369
Trans: Ten Percent Power {x3} - 35,034
Blocking for 1,751 PL and attempting to throw Duvainel for the same.

’It would have had to have been either very recent or a long, LONG time ago for us to have met, I think. I flatter myself that I’d remember you were it the former.’ Despite Sinthe’s apparent confidence that they hadn’t crossed paths there was something altogether… familiar wasn’t the word. It wasn’t like recognizing a person, more like noticing a common theme, something which was shared beyond the bounds of the purely physical. As much as the conundrum ticked over behind his eyes he couldn’t place the feeling either. Maybe there was nothing to it after all.

He’d be better off focusing on the fight anyway, seeing as how splitting his attention had just let his enemy break free of his grasp. Not bad, not bad at all, being able to force her way out of his grip like that. Admittedly only having a hold of her fists had made it tenuous but he expected even if he had better leverage she might have powered her way out of whatever hold he’d established.

’ Well naturally,’ he replied to he remark about holding back, confirming her suspicion without much needling at all. They did say if you’ve got it, flaunt it, but in this case it was likely to go over more than a few heads. As far as this tournament went he didn’t think he’d unleash that much more power unless he came up against a legitimate threat.

Not that Duvainel was a slouch when it came to it, which led him on to his next point. ’But not by as much as you might—‘ Whatever he’d been meaning to say was washed away in the tides of battle. Seeing her try to work around behind in order to grab him Sinthe reacted quickly to keep out of her grasp. This trading blows and grappling was getting them nowhere, if it was a test of physicality it appeared that the contest was a dead heat. That left them but one way to go. He flipped forward, tucking and rolling through the air before stopping, upside down so that he was now face to face with the Hybrid again. His arm already set into a firing position he opened his hand and let loose his ki in a short but intense burst, likely taking some of the ring with it but as Duvainel had made a point of, none of the appreciative crowd.

He’d started to like the crowd, it was neat to have someone cheering FOR him for a change. Although quite a few of them seemed to have come down for the much more familiar looking pink haired girl, that was understandable given how well balanced their powers were with one another. At this point Sinthe wasn’t actually sure if he’d be happier in this fight as much as he might have been spectating it.

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WC:479
[OT-1] Wave of Destruction

A short range energy wave in which the user holds out one hand towards the target’s face or chest before bombarding them with their ki.

[25% Damage] {8,758 Damage}

Duvainel’s snark was met quickly with his attack, something he hadn’t quite expected but was glad to see. They could trade blows and feints all day at this rate, one of them had to make the first push whether for better or worse, he was not inclined to spend his whole day in a dead heat. Notch one for him it seemed as the smoke cleared, she had indeed taken the brunt of his energy wave and though she was still standing it was clear she was not entirely unscathed.

’It would seem you’re not. Not at all.’ With anyone else that attack might indeed have been a finisher, but here? It was barely more significant than what taps and holds they had offered one another thus far. An escalation by degrees… which Duvainel, as it turned out, was not willing to wait through. He’d wanted his attack to set off something more and here it seemed he had been successful. Intrigued by what power she wpuld bring to bear against him, the Anubian watched.

Well that didn’t feel normal. In his rather limited experience Elemi as a general rule didn’t feel normal, their ki was difficult to pin down even to a ballpark figure and seemed to fluctuate depending, but to describe what he was seeing and feeling as “not normal” would be something of an understatement. When two bodies or energies of diametrically opposed but equal strength were to meet the result was what most mortal scientists call an annihilation event, but it wasn’t the case that the two… whatevers blinked out of existence, their disappearance was the result of a catastrophic outpouring of potential energy. In short, the two energies which Duvainel appeared to be drawing on could really mess this place up.

Probably better if her attack doesn’t go off down here.’ Probably better it didn’t hit him either, but he wasn’t about to start thinking about that lest he jinx it.

Lifting off the ground he rocketed up into the sky, his own energy blazing around him as he opened up the last reserves of his current power, something which not more than a few minuted prior he’d not thought would be required. Hybrids it seemed, were well and truly a force to be reckoned with and now… no, that wasn’t the way to think. Slapping his hands to either side of his face he snapped himself back into the moment, thinking about what came next was a mistake.He had to remain present and react to things as they happened. First though, he needed to ready up.

Drawing a hand back across his body, towards his head he held up a single finger whose tip burst to life with a small orb of fiery yellow ki, his aura flared again as he began to throw everything he had left in to this next one, but trying it so soon after he’d just fired proved taxing. He took another moment aside to damn the restrictions of his current body before he redoubled his efforts, plunging his power to the lees rather than giving his opponent any less than his best.

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WC: 524
Transformation: 75% Power [x10] {116,780 PL}
Charging [OT-2] Eradicator Beam, 50%, 100% next turn.
Stamina: 2/3

Looking down on Duvainel as she had apparently burned herself out, Sinthe didn’t quite know what to think. It stood to reason that if a mortal body were to draw on two opposite powers it would suffer damage, but that wasn’t it, it wasn’t the mechanics of the situation that concerned him at all. No, rather there was something nostalgic about this predicament that they found themselves in which he couldn’t quite fathom. Duvainel had mentioned something similar but it was only now that he got a much more palpable sense of it. Was it possible then that this Hybrid girl was the reincarnation of someone he’d known? It was indeed possible, but whoever they were they did not feel overly familiar, it were as though the feeling was only something small or that it was far removed from him but it was there. An implicit sense of déjà vu to use the vernacular of the day.

Whatever it was the feeling faded away almost completely as Duvainel’s ki exploded outwards again, doubling and doubling again this time, growing ever higher and higher until… until…

Without even finishing that thought Sinthe thrust his finger down at the oncoming assailant, discharging the full brunt of his attack into her but it seemed to no avail as she just kept on coming at him, not just that she was already on him! Gritting his teeth he moved backwards backwards trying to weave around the side of one attack only to be caught by another. With a sickening hiss Duvainel’s energy cut into his flesh, singing a mark right across his body that was soon to become only one of many, but more than that the energy made something inside of him tense and knot up like all of a sudden he couldn’t quite reach his own.

Whatever it was, he knew that it wasn’t natural. Duvainel it seemed might not have been completely honest with him.

Try as he might there was little enough he could do to dodge or deflect each singing strike after the other and as another carved into him his back arched involuntarily, something like a scream catching in his throat before it could get any air and he fell backwards towards the ring. Crashing down into the solid slabs, his body was obscured by the debris kicked up in the impact but what it hid was clear enough to anyone that had been paying attention. Clear enough anyway that the official had already begun to count.

“One… Two… Three…!”

I really found something interesting here after all… Earth is a fun place… but I’m not sure that I can fight anymore.

“Four… Five…!”

At this rate I’ll be counted out… but even if I move it hurts… Ah, but so what!? Weren’t we supposed to be giving our all just now!?[/color

“Six!’

Nothing for it… Though it hurt to move, even to twitch one limb, Sinthe began to rally, to stand. It was slow going and his whole body burned as he rose to one knee, still shrouded in the shower of stone chips and dust that he’d kicked up. He didn’t know where Duvainel was, he couldn’t see her and his senses had shrunk to the point he couldn’t even feel the crowd around him or the announcer standing some place close by. He touched a hand to his brow as his head spun and felt the telltale trickle of his own blood from some wound he’d received above his eye, with pain blooming across his skin he couldn’t tell where.

“Seven… Eight…!’

But for the count, the arena had grown deathly silent waiting for him to respond. Such stock these Earthlings put in this circus, he liked them more and more all the time. Not that he’d ever let any of them know. Except maybe, by giving them one last thing to applaud. Bracing his hand on his knee he strained to push himself up out of the debris, becoming visible for the first time now as a shadowy silhouette within before he took his first altering steps back into the clear air.

His muscles ached, his chest was clearly heaving, blood ran in rivulets down his fur which showed the charring of energy wherever it had touched those blades. His clothes hadn’t fared much better, if possible they were in a more sorry state than their owner. Even the golden bracers he wore had started to melt on contact when he’d tried to bat Duavinel’s onslaught away and it was with no small measure of disdain he threw them off. Bleeding, battered, but unbowed in his pride, he was still standing.

Only, then he wasn’t. The last thing that Sinthe remembered of the fight was not the cool embrace of the untroubled stone that he fell upon, not the mixed cheers and shocked gasps of the audience, not even the announce3r shouting Duvainel’s name. It was one thought that occurred to him right before blacking out. Honestly… I thought I’d be able to do much better…

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WC: 842
Fired an [OT-2] Eradicator Beam to try and halt Duvainel's attack. Woefully underpowered at 100% {116,780 PL} got bull rushed, Duvainel wins!