The stadium was filled to bursting with roaring fans; the tournament was finally nearing a conclusion, with three fights remaining until the best fighter in Hyrule was declared. Tarlen stood in the middle of the arena, going through a few vocal warmups to prepare for another day of commentating. Once he felt his throat was ready to go, he hollered to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, are you ready for the Semifinals?" The eager audience bellowed in response, everyone on their feet. "The first match in today's battles pits two powerful mages against each other; they have both triumphed over two opponents each, and there's no doubt they are among the elite in Hyrule! First off, we have the Sheikahn Mage Alpha, who--" His next words were cut off among the throng of admirers, including several children who had cut a likeness of the Sheikah out of a large sheet of metal, and painted his name underneath. The whole mob of them held the sign upright, obstructing the view of many. (OOC: You asked for it ) The Rito waited patiently for the roar to die down before introducing the next fighter. "And here we have Orpheous, the only Scribe known in these lands, and what a Scribe at that!" The crowd roared again, and Tarlen realized further banter was pointless--they were here to see the fight, after all. He flapped his wings and soared into the sky, calling out below him to the participants. "Whenever you're ready, you may start!"

OOC: I believe Alpha posts first.

OOC: Draug, I hope you didn't post this one. Cause you're the RG I have the most regrets about ANNIHILATING FOR THAT.

IC:
'I am going to kill those children.'

Those are the thoughts going through the Sheikah's head as he steps out from the shadows . . . and all the telepaths in the stadium would likely be able to pick up on the fact that he is dead serious about that statement. A burning rage pumps through his veins as the accursed metal figure of himself - he nearly throws up at the idiotic thought - reflects the sunlight into his eyes. 'As if I needed another idiotic distraction . . . hm, I wonder how the kids would like being burned alive by having a melted sign poured on their flesh?'

He instantly turns and looks as though he's ready to cast his best and hottest Fire spell at the kids, even going so far as to raise his hand in their direction and press his fingers together to snap them and start the spell off. But he stops as the name of his opponent rings through his head once again: Orpheous. He doesn't know the Scribe all that well . . . but he remembers another Scribe, Darilan. Though his old ally has been gone from Hyrule for a good long time, he still remembers the aura of power that his friend had held about his form. An aura that Orpheous shares . . . only this Scribe has an even greater aura about him. The wordmancer has tricks that should be banned by the rules of the tournament . . . but he'd be a fool to think that Orpheous' power came solely from inkweaving.

Whatever that is. He's only heard the term in passing while preparing for this match and studying up on his opponent, but doesn't have any details about the skill.

Well, at least this match won't be like the last one. How disappointing it had been, walking onto the stage only to discover that Rose was unable to make it. That was a fight he'd been looking forward to, if for no other reason then because it would give him a chance to reconnect with his fellow Twilight Guardian. No, Orpheous promises to be quite a good competitor, as he has witnessed in the man's fights against both Kasei and Worru.

"Well, Orpheous," he calls out to his opponent in this match, "shall we begin?"

He spins from his prior pose, the one with arm raised to cast a molten-hot Fire spell at the kids, to face the Scribe. At the instant his arm is pointing at Orpheous he snaps his fingers, and from them sprouts the raging red flame, gushing outwards like a river to engulf the man and all his parchments. The only word that escapes the Sheikah's lips directly contrasts his attack, in that it is cold and calculating, perfectly content with standing off at a distance and letting the burning, raging blaze rush in, a flame unsatisfied until it has consumed flesh itself and torn it completely apart.

"Fire."

OOC: Alright, let's do some stats:

Alpha:
STR-1; DEF-12; AGI-7; INT-3; SPI-6; SPL-46; HP-54

Orpheous:
STR-3, DEF-13, AGI-1, INT-5, SPI-3, SPL-39, HP-53

IC: The children whimper as Alpha turns their direction, remembering what happened last time. However, when he turns instead to his opponent, their cheers become all the more raucous--the great mage had looked at them! Tarlen soared higher into the air to escape the heat, and everyone in the stands was sweating at the energy given off by Alpha's quick attack.

[3+14(SPI+Roll)] It's no surprise to anyone that Orpheous finds himself unable to avoid taking the raging inferno head-on, the flames not quite getting their fill of flesh-eating, however. Orpheous is dealt a fairly large 19 DMG, but remains standing to retaliate. "Looks like the Sheikah's been raring to fight ever since his last opponent was a no-show!" Tarlen shouts.

Alpha: 54 HP, 41 SPL
Orpheous: 34 HP, 39 SPL

He isn't a mortal being.

He transcended from the time of heroes.

He once killed an entire swarm of Darknuts.

He is more powerful that he wants us to believe he is.

All Orpheous could dig up on the fabled Sheikahn mage was most likely rumors. Separating man from myth was impossible. He had met with a reporter who was studying his secrets and form in battle, hoping to uncover something brilliant. However, even he had no valuable information on Alpha, or, at least, not yet.

Orpheous was going to be one of the few people to see Alpha in battle, watch his brilliant tactics, and live to tell about the ordeal, or so he hoped. His friends warned him, "You might not walk out of this alive. Perhaps if you don't tick him off, you should live to fight another day." Even they had no faith in him. However, he couldn't blame them.

Alpha was one of the best warriors he ever saw. Alongside Bou, Vilk, Kasei, Gregory, and a select few others. Alpha was not one to be underestimated. Too top it off, he was impervious to physical attacks because of his high speeds. Orpheous would have to rely on magic, but Alpha had him beat in that field as well. It would take a miracle to win.

As Orpheous entered the arena, he was all too open to this view. Even his beloved and apprentice, despite their extreme loyalty to him, realized that victory would never occur against Alpha.

"Well, Orpheous," he calls out to his opponent in this match, "shall we begin?"

Orpheous simply replied, "I suppose," but as he said this, the fire spell was already rushing at him. "Damnit." The attack hit him full on, and he had no doubt it would. Recovering from the blast swiftly, Orpheous dusted off himself. His cloak concealing his right arm, as his left hand wiped off his cloak.

Then, out of the blue, he looked from the crowd to Alpha, and said two simple words, "Think fast." His right arm swished out from underneath his cloak, revealing a built up fire spell as well. Then, another word followed, "Fire," he stated briskly, releasing the searing blast direct at the center of Alpha's body mass, his chest. To be more precise, his upper chest.

[6+1(SPI+Roll)] Orpheous' retaliation hit Alpha full on as well, the flames consuming the Sheikahn Mage, dealing 20 DMG.

"And right from the get-go, they're going toe-to-toe!" Tarlen shouted, the crowd silenced and awed by the display of magical finesse shown in just the first few moments of the fight.

Alpha: 34 HP, 41 SPL
Orpheous: 34 HP, 34 SPL

'Not a bad shot . . .' Alpha congratulates himself as he watches the Scribe become engulfed in flame. It dies down soon enough - after all, a quick, clean death is not necessarily the goal in this venture - and Orpheous tries to clean himself off from the strike. 'I wonder if he was ready to begin? Probably not; oh well, such is the price one pays for entering the battlefield unpre -'

The retaliatory spell catches him right in the chest, engulfing him in a similar manner to the way it had his opponent mere moments before. '- pared. Dang it, Alpha, quit acting prideful. He's made it this far in the tournament for a reason - he's no weakling. He's a skilled and veteran warrior, just like everyone else in these fights . . . well, except maybe Victor. He's just lucky.' Even in the midst of the heat, he can smile at the thought of how far the bard has made it - he'd hates to say he doubted his friend, but he had.

'But I refuse to rely on luck.'

With a sudden burst of aggravated power the Fire's attack on him ceases - but the flames themselves do not die down. Instead the Sheikah rips into the magical aura surrounding the blaze, the essence imbued within them which allows Orpheous to control the fire, and completely shatters it. The Fire spell, now no longer under the Scribe's control, gathers itself around Alpha's hands before spewing outward towards their originator. It's the same effect as another Fire spell . . . but the mage likes this better. More demoralizing to see your attack be taken over and shot right back at you.

[3+19(SPI+Roll)] The reversed fire spell engulfs Orpheous, but this time he is able to shake some of it off, and it only deals 10 DMG. The crowd's eyes have been following the spells back and forth like a tennis match. The fight was still a close one--it could go either way, it all depended on who succumbed to the magical frenzy first.

Alpha: 34 HP, 36 SPL
Orpheous: 24 HP, 34 SPL

Orpheous was a little shocked to see that his attacked had succeeded so easily. Alpha didn't seem like the kind of person who could be that distracted to be hit by such a quick retaliation. Then he noticed something. The fire around Alpha should have gone out by now.

Wait a second, he was harvesting Orpheous' magic and was going to shoot the spell back at him. Orpheous never realized Alpha was that skilled. The effort to reflect a spell is roughly the same as casting a similar spell, so it would be just as if Alpha had used his own fire spell. However, Alpha was probably doing it to make him look awesome and to make Orpheous feel like a fool.

Luckily, Orpheous avoided the center of the attack, and it barely hit him. However, it still did some decent damage. Recovering briskly, he realized that he would probably be able to take another complete attack before he would be forced to heal himself. Using his time wisely, he figured that there was only one thing to do.

He whipped out ... a scroll. Then, he began to take notes on Alpha's figure, abilities, and strength. Most importantly, this should allow him to find a weakness. [The Quill is Mightier than the Sword]

OOC: Two questions for RG: Does this occur before Sts and will you actually state what Alpha's weak point is, like state a body part, like the Achilles heel?

OOC: This is still the same timeframe as when the tournament start, so pre-StS.

IC: "It looks like Orpheous is trying to make this match a repeat of the last!" Tarlen observed. The crowd nodded in unison--they had all seen the devastating strike Orpheous had dealt Worru in the last round.

As the Scribe analyzed Alpha, one thing should have become clear--the Mage relied a great deal on his agility. As long as his legs were able to propel him around the arena, the fight would be difficult indeed. So perhaps, if he were able to find a way to keep Alpha in place, Orpheous may very well come out of this match victorious.

Alpha: 34 HP, 36 SPL
Orpheous: 24 HP, 24 SPL

Alpha's grimace at his attack being proven only slightly useful is compounded when he spots the Scribe beginning to employ what is perhaps one of the most powerful techniques he could possibly bring to bear at this moment. The crimson glare narrows for a second before his eyelids shut completely, followed by a long exhaling of breath.

'Right . . . calm down, and focus. Analyze everything that has occurred and contemplate the best way to continue on towards victory.' Well, there are really only two things for him to consider: his last technique, and Orpheous' last technique, and he decides to take the first one first.

For starters, it probably hadn't been the best idea to try and redirect the Fire spell that the Scribe had shot off. To be sure, the maneuver had had its desired affect on everyone involved - Orpheous had been made to look inferior to Alpha because his own magic had been forced back upon him. 'But I should have known that in the transition the spell would undoubtedly loose some of its power. Converting it from Orpheous' control to my own took only a second, but that second was enough to make it lacking compared to the original force.' Too, it had been quite a prideful choice of actions, as if he himself thought himself better than the Scribe. In truth, it had not been his desire to fuel his own pride but rather to demoralize his foe, but that had obviously failed too. 'Yes . . . he won't loose his confidence unless and until he is defeated . . . maybe not even then. Difficult to say, really.'

Had he been fighting an amateur, the ploy would doubtlessly have wreaked havoc with the man's spirit . . . but he had already determined that Orpheous was a skilled opponent. 'Right then, I must make sure to take him seriously throughout the rest of this match.'

And that seriousness is only enforced by the way he feels the man's penetrating skill of observation washing over him. 'The Quill is Mightier than the Sword' . . . a power that would allow the Scribe to deal a massive amount of damage in a single shot. The only real drawback to the ability is the magic power that must be consumed in order to use it - that and the fact that it can only be used once in a given battle. So, if he can survive the blast that utilizes this, then he won't have to worry about it again. Still, Alpha grimaces; he had hoped to be able to drain the Scribe's power a bit more before Orpheous would attempt to use this . . . and with the way his luck has been going in this match, it would be no surprise if the attack hit him with its full force. 'Have to focus on how to keep that from happening . . .'

Well, time to be getting rid of whatever weaknesses Orpheous may be taking note of.

His staff whips around his body in a long arc as he transfers it from his right hand to his left, getting it out of the way of his line of sight. Positioning it behind his frame at an angle, the Sheikah lets his cape flutter about his form as the right hand is held outwards before him, covering him from that direction. While his staff could cover a much better direction, it could also be considered something of a hindrance - on an impulse, he might try to use it to deflect a magical attack, whereas with his hand covering his defenses to the front he would not attempt something so risky. He completes this defensive posture by hoping back a full stride's length, granting a bit more distance between the two opponents - this will allow him more time to react to the attacks that Orpheous might make. And, though it shouldn't be noticeable to most, he also drops in height by about an inch - by bending his knees slightly more, he allows for his ability to dodge and react to Orpheous to speed up significantly.

Finally, his right palm opens up as he unleashes his attack for this round. "Fire!"

[3+15(SPI+Roll)] As the flames rush over Orpheous, dealing 19 DMG once again. Thankfully, the Scribe is able to keep the parchment he had been writing on safe. "It doesn't look like Orpheous is doing too well out there!" Tarlen screeches, his feathers bristling. "I'm completely on edge! It could all come down to this, people! It all comes down to the next two attacks!"

Alpha: 34 HP, 31 SPL
Orpheous: 5 HP, 24 SPL

Everything had been set in motion. The events leading the match to come to a close. Orpheous would draw magic from his inner pool thrice more this battle. If his tactics worked, it would be enough. The first of those times was about to occur.

Once again, he found himself consumed by flames. After recovering from the blow, he made sure the scroll was fine. It was; thus, he began the next phase. It appeared as though his wounds began to heal. He was casting life [Life L2].

OOC: Sorry, couldn't think of much else to say, but my next post should be better.

OOC: Orpheous, you only have Life L1, so I'll count your move as that instead.

IC: "Well, maybe this fight will go on a bit longer!" Tarlen says in a somewhat quieter voice as the Scribe recovers 27 HP. There was no doubt the audience was caught off guard by the cautious move--they had been so caught up in the fight, a non-aggressive action had been out of the question.

Alpha: 34 HP, 31 SPL
Orpheous: 32 HP, 16 SPL

Alpha can only nod in admiration as the Scribe, rather than charging in to finish him off, also opts for a defensive skill that could very well save his life. 'Always nice to go up against an opponent who knows what he's doing . . . I've been fighting Ganon's minions too much lately . . .' True, Orpheous could have gone in for a massively damaging attack, but if the Sheikah had managed to survive it there would have been no doubt that he would have fallen, and fast. Choosing instead to heal himself is, strategically speaking, likely the most reasonable move he could have made there.

However, in choosing that course of action, he has unwittingly given over control of the fight to Alpha, and the Sheikah is not the kind of person to give up such power without good reason.

Still keeping his distance from the Scribe, the scarred man's crimson eyes survey the area around him, making sure that Orpheous is always at least in his peripheral vision as he looks for anything he might be able to use to his advantage. Of course, he doesn't expect to find anything - in a real battle things would be different and he could use the terrain to aid him, but in a tournament fight everything is made so that each fighter has an equal opportunity to win. No, there is nothing in his surroundings to help him; he would need to rely solely on his own strength. He grins. 'As if I need help - okay, shut up, pride.'

Alpha forces the smile into submission and swiftly rechecks his stance. Good, in that few moments of distracting observation, he had not let his guard down or faltered in his position. Well, time to stay on top of the situation - his hand once again opens up and unleashes a furious "Fire!" spell.

[3+5(SPI+Roll)] "Alpha's starting to sound like a broken record, folks!" The birdlike announcer shouts as the flames rush forth once more, charring Orpheous for 19 DMG once again. "It doesn't seem like much has changed from the last round, except that both contestants are undoubtedly a bit more tired than they were before!"

Alpha: 34 HP, 26 SPL
Orpheous: 13 HP, 16 SPL