Anticipation hangs in the air as the audience fills the stands to bursting for the second time. It has been a month since the last round; partly so that the warriors could heal their wounds from the first round, and partly because of the hectic goings-on in Castle Town as of late. However, now things were set for the first match of the new round, and the first match didn't seem as though it were going to disappoint.

Tarlen hovered above the battleground anxiously, flapping his wings furiously to stay afloat in his constricting suit. "And welcome back to the Arena!" He shouts out to the crowd, who responds with a hearty cheer. "A month ago, we saw some of the most fantastic displays of fighting prowess in Hyrule--and it only gets better, people! The weak have been weeded out, and from now on only the strong remain! This will be a tournament to remember!" The crowd's noise increased even more, and the Rito found it hard to keep his voice heard above the din. "I know you aren't here to see a handsome young bird like me, so let's cut to the chase!" He jokes, his eyes darting back and forth between the two contestants. "On one side, we have the Sheikan Mage, Alpha, who emerged victorious over the mercenary Sabertache in a fantastical show of magic and agility!" Several young children jumped up and down in their seats, waving banners with Alpha's name strewn across them--clearly, the enigma was a favorite with the crowd.

"And in the other corner, the dual-wielding General Rose Hillmound, who vanquished Azador to make it here today!" Several women showed raucous support--clearly, Rose was a symbol of pride for the fairer sex.

"AND LET THE BATTLE--BEGIN!"

His head held high, the black robed Sheikah emerges from the shadows which his race is known for inhabiting, stepping out into the sunlight once more. A full month . . . that is how long it's been since he had fought Sabertache, and while the mercenary had performed beyond expectations, he could say pridelessly that the battle had been rather one sided. Whether or not today's fight against Rose will be the same . . . that remains to be seen.

He glances off to the side for a moment, wondering if Saber is in fact in the crowd watching even now . . . only to find himself nearly tripping as a result of his shock and horror at what he's seeing. 'They . . . they're not . . . there is NO way they're holding . . .'

Signs. With his name on them.

He glances over towards the opposite side of the arena, a disgusted look covering his features, looking as though he's about to throw up as a result of what he's seen. "Sorry, Rose," he calls out, expecting for her to step out any second; hopefully she'll be able to hear him, "but there's something that needs taking care of first." He raises his hand, sweeps it out towards the crowd -

And the first attack of the second round ends up being a simple Fire spell that engulfs those idiotic posters.

OOC:
Alpha
STR-1; DEF-12; AGI-7; INT-3; SPI-4; SPL-43; HP-54

Rose
STR-3; DEF-21; AGI-5; INT-3; SPI-2; SPL-20; HP-62;

IC: The children shriek with joy as the mage turns in their direction--and then in fear as he casts his spell. As they dive to the sides, the banner ignites, and quickly begins to disintegrate. The children stare, dumbfounded, before jumping up and down filled with glee. "We actually had a spell cast on us by the Alpha!"

"Well, folks, that's certainly an interesting start to the match! It seems our mage has decided to fight another enemy!" Tarlen jokes above the crowd, trying not to inhale the smoke rising from the smoldering banner.

OOC:
Alpha-54 HP, 38 SPL
Rose-62 HP, 20 SPL

(Yes, I actually deducted the fire spell from your SPL. That okay? It's 5 SPL to cast it, right?)

Sabertache was not enjoying the battle so far. Mostly because he hadn't been able to see any of it.

The mercenary did indeed come to watch Alpha, even though he felt slightly ashamed of how he had performed a month ago. Still, he had to support Rose, and he didn't harbor any ill will towards the mage--it was friendly competition, after all. However, there was still a problem--his seat. He had gotten put between two overexcited children, who had decided to bring, of all things, a banner! Add to that the fact that they were screaming like madmen, and he could not see nor hear the match before him. However, that would change soon enough. All of a sudden, fire filled his vision, the banner before him ignited. It fell onto his lap when the children dropped it, and he yelled as it began to burn his flesh. Using his own fire prowess, he lifted the flames off him, and leapt up in his seat, blowing on his knees as hard as he could and trying not to cry.

Saber was having a bad day.

It was up to debate on how much worse Saber's day was going to get. For Rose didn't enter the ring. Instead, Sheila Rantil timidly walked up to it and carefully poked Alpha's ankle to get his attention. "Um, Mr. Alpha, sir?" she said, afraid to anger the mage; she had heard tales of his power from her Tarm friend. She gulped and continued to give her message. "Rose is really sorry, but she's fallen ill. It's nothing life-threatening, but she is bed-ridden. She's going to forfeit the match, but she said to feel free to spar with her when she gets better."

OOC: How ironic that I've been asking for the Grand Tourney to continue, and then I forfeit. >>

The truth is, I have lost all motivation to RP. I don't think a break from HA2 will fix it; my posts are so far in between that they might as well be breaks. For your benefit, I'm sorry.

My plan is to finish out all topics I'm currently in and not to get involved in any new ones (sorry, Saber, but this does include Ritoball). Once I'm done with FoG IX, StS, and JaR, I'll be focusing solely on my moderating duties. So I'll still be here; I'll just be behind the scenes helping run the place.

OOC: Awww... but I had such a nice picture prepared for later in the fight, Alpha's specialty:

OOC: You think of me as a cat, Kasei? Well. I can't begin to describe how offended I am. It's just that the offense is so small, I'm not sure how to put it . . . minuscule? Microscopic? Infinitesimal?

Bah, let's just go with DOOMED.

Anywho, first to alter the first post to make it more in line with this new turn of events, and then . . .

IC:
Alpha can only grin in a sly fashion as he watches the crowd scatter as a result of his attack. And oh, look! There's Saber right there, hidden behind one of the posters. Why he was up there, and not in the special row up front reserved for tournament participants is beyond the Sheikah -

And then the kids start jumping up and down all excitedly. 'Hmph,' the mage thinks, aggravated, and his face sours alongside his mood. 'I guess I'll have to burn one of them next time they try something like that. A good singe on the back of one of their hands ought to do nicely -'

And then he feels a soft, timid prodding of his ankle. His crimson eyes, still hardened by his annoyance at the children, fall upon the figure of a young woman, obviously afraid of something . . . oh, right. Her words and the way she speaks them makes it quite clear that she's scared of him. Fine by him, though this new turn of events is not so enjoyable. 'Rose sick, hm? Well . . . at least she hasn't been connected to the Guardians and imprisoned yet; it wouldn't do for us to loose another member.' Dogura's never around anymore, Tayro and Alex are always busy, and Blank has all but disappeared from the face of the planet; he and Rose are the only ones normally present these days . . . Well, he can't speak about such things here, so in the end he looks back at Sheila, finding he only has one thing to say:

"Don't ever call me 'Mister'."

He nods to Tarlen, silently requesting that the Rito take care of making the announcement to the crowd. His cape twirls behind him as he turns and walks back the way he has just come from; hopefully the next fighters are already ready. 'Who is it that's fighting next -'

And then he passes a sign with the current order of fights, and spots the next two: Orpheous vs. Dogura.

Dogura.

He groans. That Hylian's never around anymore . . .

OOC: Sorry for spam, but I just gotta say; a cat's better than a mouse, ain't it?

Tarlen cocked his head to the side as he groaned. "This is not how I wanted to start off the day..." The bird grumbles before going back into announcer mode. "Well, it appears that Miss Hillmound has come down with an illness, and is therefore unable to fight today. That makes Alpha the winner by default!" While most of the stadium was still, sorrowed by the sudden end of the match before it had even started, the young boys were going ecstatic with the news of their hero's uncontested triumph. Tarlen glanced among the stands as he flapped, anxiety showing in his face. "But don't worry! We have three matches left for today, and the next contestants are both accounted for and ready to go!" He pleaded with the crowd as he motioned to security to bring out the next contestants.