"And now my friends," Tarlen cries out into the crowd after the victor of Sovelis and Link's fight is announced, "It's finally time for us to witness the last match of this first round!" The stands almost seem to shake as the crowd erupts once more.

This time, the Rito wastes no time - this crowd is anxious to see another good fight, and it's not in his nature to keep people waiting for such a thing. One wing rises. "Now to introduce the final two competitors of the tournament! It is my pleasure to call forth the first of our two warriors: Pyralin the Hylian Ranger!

"And now, our second fighter of the day: the Sheikah Scholar Xokorn!" Flying up, he wonders if part of the reason why he is so anxious to keep these opening comments short is because he's running out of things to say (OOC: like I am ). With a shrug, he once again calls out, "Warriors, you may start when ready!"

~Pyre looked at his first opponent with apprehension. He hadn't had the time to scout the sheikah out and find out what he was capable of. The ranger sighed and drew his scimitar, waving it around in front of him. Eventually he settled into a defensive croutch.

His plan for the beginning of the battle was to be tricky. In a one on one fight, it was widely accepted that one should not be the first to attack, but wait for an oppurtunity. The hylian planned to strike right away and probe his adversary's defenses. That would be the best way to gauge his ability and might do some damage at the same time.

Though it was tempting to introduce himself first and use talk to try to dishearten Xokorn, he didn't want to give him any time to prepare himself. As soon as he had settled into position, he sprung, racing towards the sheikah at top speed.

The first part of his plan that he was worried about was his adversary's inate abilities. A sheikah's incredible agility could make his entire plan useless. The hylian could only pray to the goddesses that his training as a ranger would give him the edge when comparing their speeds.

He decided to launch his first attack in three parts. The first a bluff and the other two a skilled attack that would hopefully leave Xokorn defenseless. When he had closed around half the short distance between them, he leapt into the air, blade raised high.

Normally, one could defend against such a jumping attack with a high block, pushing upwards with their weapon held horizontal. Due to its vertical nature, one could also sidestep to avoid it. The ranger had made sure that the second part of his attack would cover these possible parries.

When Pyre came to the critical point of the jumping attack, the axis at which point the attack would usually begin his swing, he let himself drop, condensing his body size into a compact form to create maximum spring in the second attack phase which was now at hand.

The hylian lunged forward at the sheikah, scimitar leading, the point aimed at the mage's lower torso. As soon as he began this new attack, he also began to gather magical energies within himself. Mentally, even as he struck, he began to shape these energies into a spell, the real focus of his multi-step attack.

At the last moment, where the sheikah would either have to react or be struck, Pyre stole the desicion from him, whirling away and releasing his spell. An elemental burst exploded above his opponent's head, shooting in all directions. To avoid backlash, the ranger had to roll away, not allowing him to see if his spell had been successful or not. At the same time, it also robbed him of the chance to follow up the magical attack with another sword strike. Not dwelling on the weak points of his plan, he rose to his feet, coming out of the tumble with hylian grace, and turning a'bout to see what havoc his magic had wrought.

(((OOC: Sorry if this was a little late. I was grounded, and still am, but I'm doing my best. Don't expect me to be inactive giving you a free win Xokorn )))

Pyralin:
STR – 3; DEF – 15; AGI – 5; INT – 7; SPI – 1; SPL – 15; HP – 61
Xokorn:
STR – 1; DEF – 12; AGI – 4; INT – 3; SPI – 3; SPL – 12; HP – 53

The crowd screams out in delight as the battle erupts suddenly and without warning, a marked change from the previous 'fight', and certainly a change for the best. Pyre's quick movements and ever-alternating strategies are more than enough to disorient even the toughest of warriors, and Xokorn is not at all able to keep up with the sudden shift from physical to magical attacks. The Elemental Burst forms in Pyralin's hands without warning, quickly morphing into the namesake element the caster's nickname: the raging element of Fire. And as destructive as flames can be, they make no exception as they plow into the Sheikah full force (2+3[Roll+SPI] vs. 15).

As Xokorn is thrown back by the attack, having suffered a mighty 16 DMG from the Ranger's sudden barrage, Tarlen almost stops flapping his wings from the unrivaled force found within Pyralin. "That was simply amazing!" he cries out before realizing that the ground is getting ever closer. His wings beat into overdrive, and he barely manages to get his descent under control in time to save himself from a beating of his own. "What an incredibly way to start this fight! The moves - the changes - the fluidity - this!" he cries out. "My friends, this is fighting at its finest right here!"

Judging by the eruption of noise from the crowd, they couldn't agree more with their announcer's report.

Pyralin: 61 HP, 9 SPL
Xokorn: 37 HP, 12 SPL

OOC: I am looking forward to our match, Pabru.

IC: The fight indeed seemed to go off without a gunshot, so to speak. As soon as Xokorn walked onto the field, the fight began. The crowd was pretty loud before he entered, so perhaps he was late for it? At least he didn't completely miss it.

He got ready for the impact of his adversary's attack--so graceful, yet unreadable. He looked at the incoming strike like a regular melee attack, but he was thrown off track (almost literally) when it turned out to be an Elemental Burst. There were many prayers of thanks to the goddesses that day, if most of them weren't from Xokorn himself, that it wasn't light-based.

The attack indeed shook him up, but he wasn't going to hold back and heal himself; he had at least another attack before he had the necessity to. However, he wasn't that very good at melee combat either, as proven in his battles in the woods and Ruto Town. He could probably nab a hit on him if he were to cast Fire, but that would leave a large hole in his proverbial magical lake inside his body, thereby not letting him heal himself when the time came.

Whatever the case may be, he still needed to land an attack if he wanted a chance of winning. He raised his staff and dashed toward the ranger at full speed. The distance was nearly closed between the two combatants, and with all his might, he swung his staff all of which he could muster thus far, which no doubt had been reduced from that Elemental Burst.

Alpha hasn't said much since his fight against Saber, simply content to observe the fight and its participants in the hopes of gaining new insight into his competition. His mind is tempted to hearken back to another tournament that he had participated in years ago, during his time as Wraith, but he avoids such memories and the terrible recollections that come along with it . . . though his hand does subconsciously rise upwards to stroke the scar that mars his face.

But now an eyebrow rises as Pyralin starts off the match with a sudden swiftness that apparently no one had been expecting. His fluid motions, moving directly from one form of attack unexpectedly into another one, and then shifting styles completely, without any loss of grace, and striking out with a magical technique. A very impressive display of magical fortitude and skilled deception. After the brevity and lack of excitement that the Sheikah had felt during Sovelis' disappointing 'victory' against that Link kid, this catches and holds his attention quite firmly.

"A very impressive start," the Sheikah Mage mutters, more to himself than to those around him. It's a shame that, even should Pyre win this fight, the chance of Alpha facing him in the tournament is slim. They exist on almost completely opposite sides of the tournament bracket, so they would both have to make it to the final round of the tournament before they could fight here - and while Pyralin is certainly showing the skill to make it that far, his competition will undoubtedly do everything in their equally impressive power to stop him. 'Perhaps I'll have to ask to spar him sometime,' he finally thinks to himself.

And with that, Alpha sits back to watch as Xokorn charges forward, ready to see how well his fellow Sheikah and fellow Scholar will fare against his adversary.

Edit OOC: I was referring to the fight - or rather, the lack of one - as disappointing, Sovelis; sorry if you took offense.

OoC: Hey Alpha! gimme a break! Its not like I sent the mob after Link909...

IC: "I've never seen either Xorkorn or Pyre fight before. They both are unknown to me, so I can't say who will win, and who will loose. All I know is that Pyre's a ranger, so he has strength and speed on Xokorn, who is a mage. I wonder what spells he has at his disposal. I doubt he has had enough training to know as much as either you, Azador, or myself." Sovelis said to Alpha, while keeping his eyes on the match at hand. " Both of them are young, so this might not take long, although Pyre seems to be quiet skilled with his blades." he said as he sat back in his chair on the sidelines. "One good thing about me not fighting Link. No one got to see my skills, so my next opponent will be somewhat off-guard agianst what I can do." Sovelis said as he looked at Alpha.

Edit OoC: I know. I was being sarcastic.

Kasei appeared to the other side of Sovelis. "Well, now, my freinds. This is the last fight of the first round. Who do you personally think will win, Sovelis, Alpha? I personally think Pyre has the upper hand. Sure, Xokorn has magic, but it will run out eventually, leaving him open for an attack. Speaking of magic, i've decided to learn that elemental burst spell, I think it might help a bit, don't you?" Kasei spoke his opinions regarding the match, then closed his mouth.

Xokorn's surprising choice to avoid magic catches almost everyone in the stadium offguard...though Pyre is not one of those people, and easily manages to avoid the staff as it attempts to crush the Ranger (12+4[Roll+AGI] vs. 15+5[DEF+AGI]). "Well isn't this an interesting sight!" Tarlen calls out. "We've got the Scholar attacking physically, and the Vagabond going after his opponent with magic! Seems the normally strategies have been flipped for this fight!"

Pyralin: 61 HP, 9 SPL
Xokorn: 37 HP, 12 SPL

~When Pyre saw waves of flame descend upon his opponent, a smile came to his face. There was always a chance for things to go wrong, but he was relieved that his attack not only hit home, but also packed quite a bit of punch. Even while he was thinking about this, he was settling into another croutch. If anything was going to cost him the battle, it would be being caught off guard. Who knew what tricks this mage had up his sleeve.

Instead of pulling a magical trick though, the sheikah had charged forward staff raised high. Subconsiously, Pyre was glad he had moved into a defensive position because the attack would have certainly took him off guard. As it was though, his every thought was concentrated on the charging Xokorn. He let him come closer and closer, but when his calfs tightened for the final spring, the hylian spun 270 degrees to his left, putting him just off to the side of his adversary, and giving him the perfect opportunity to counter attack. He planned to make full use of this opportunity.

As soon as the scholar's swing ended, the ranger once again sprang into action. There were two problems with his current attack position. One, Xokorn had momentum and could shift it to move out of the way. That was a technique usually used by skilled warriors, but the hylian couldn't assumed distribution of kienetic energy during a fight was beyond his opponent. Secondly, the mage still had his staff ready to block with. Both of these things needed to be taken care of, and he only had a window of a split second to whip up an idea, so he didn't.

Acting on instinct, his boot shot forward to strike his foe's staff and try to pin it to the ground. This took care of both problems, the first by creating an obstacle, the second by pinning the staff. Now there was only one thing left to do, strike true.

His scimitar shot forward to do just that. It was more complicated than just a single thrust though. Instead, he used the momentum of the kick to bring him to stand in front of Xokorn, and in this new position, reached for his second weapon. A dagger came flying out of a concealed sheath, and both weapons shot forward, each aiming at the crux between lung and shoulder, the most effective spot to strike with out being fatal, or, on the other side of the spectrum, weak. There was no way to be abosolutely sure of the accuracy of his attack, for it had been made in the spur of the moment, but he trusted his own training and abilities to pull through.~

Pyralin's skill and maneuverability are once again put to the test as he weaves directly through his opponent's stance, doing his best to block any attempts of Xokorn's to evade or block his next attack. And in the split second it takes for his blades to leave their sheathes and lash out at the Sheikah, it should be obvious to Pyre that he has once again succeeded in his goal (16+5[Roll+AGI] vs. 12+4[DEF+AGI]), and taken another large chunk of Xokorn's health. The Sheikah is forced backwards as he takes a large 12 DMG by the Dual Wielded daggers.

"And Pyralin once again puts on an incredible display of agility and quick strategizing!" Tarlen calls out. "Can Xokorn possibly get back in this fight, or is it already over?!"

Pyralin: 61 HP, 9 SPL
Xokorn: 25 HP, 12 SPL

Compared to the last attack he had to deal with, Xokorn thought that this attack wasn't too bad. Then again, it was a physical attack, so it was only natural he felt that way. Pyralin was a very powerful opponent, to be sure; from what he could see, it would be nigh on impossible to take him out with the scholar's power level alone. That didn't mean that he wouldn't try, however.

It would be merely two or three more strikes before he would be incapacitated completely. Xokorn needed all the time he could muster in order to wear out Pyralin as much as he could to make it a little easier on him. To do that, he would need to make use of his precious magic power, the spell in mind being his only trump card.

He raised his staff into the air with both hands and yelled, "Aelhi!" The magical energy inside his chest moved right through his arms and up the staff like electricity. He had to keep an eye on Pyralin as he used his Life spell, as using it made him a sitting duck for another attack, so he had no idea as to whether the spell would succeed or fail. All that could be done from then and there would be to just hope for the former. [L1 Life]

Energy surges outward from Xokorn as he utters the magical word. With healing power coursing through his veins, arteries, heart, capillaries, and any other part of the circulatory system that you can think of, the mage feels his energy being revitalized from within, returning a massive chunk of his life force to him. "And that's the customary Life Spell for which Scholars are known!" Tarlen calls out. "Pyralin might as well have not done anything thus far after a spell like that!"

Pyralin: 61 HP, 9 SPL
Xokorn: 52 HP, 4 SPL

Sovelis was watching the fight as Xokorn as he healed himsellf. Sure, his physical condition improved, but Sovelis could feel that the mage had drained his energy in useing his healing spell. "That spell may have saved Xokorn, but it could alo be his undoing..." Sovelis said to Kasei, who was sitting next to him. "I can feel that he used most of his energies in that spell, so now all Pyre has to do is keep swinging and hacking at that mage, and Xokorn wil be done for in no time!" Sovelis said as he watched the match between the combatants.

~Pyre watched as Xokorn healed himself, a grim smile on his face. Sovelis's analysis was quite right, and the hylian had been waiting for this. Now, with the shiekah's magic drained, he would be able to put his blades against his opponent's staff, and he even thought he had one spell left in him for healing.

Not wanting to waste anytime, he darted forward, this time sacrificing techinique and grace for speed, slashing out in a long horizontal stroke, aimed at his opponents stomach. He hoped that this would catch him off guard, and the attack would penetrate his enemy's defenses.~

(((OOC: Late... <.< >.> Nothing happened this was posted yesterday...)))

OOC: Well, I didn't catch the fact, so I guess this match goes on regardless, Pabru. Please do, though, try to make your posts within the three days alloted.

IC: Pyralin's wishes are indeed granted, as the speed with which he strikes is far too great for Xokorn to even prepare a minimal defense. The blades slash straight into the Mage's stomach (19+5[Roll+AGI]), hurling him back with great force as another 12 DMG is dealt to the Sheikah. "No mercy at all!" Tarlen cries. "Pyre's determination and single-mindedness are astounding! Can Xokorn even get in a strike before this match ends?!"

Pyralin: 61 HP, 9 SPL
Xokorn: 40 HP, 4 SPL