Spring Tournament, Round 1

by **Magpie** on April 12th, 2013, 2:20 am

It was a bright, sunny day, without a single cloud marring the sky. The air was warm and humid, but not oppressingly so. The perfect day for a fight.

Gideon Area was packed with spectators, some young, some old, some women, some young Akalak men too injured to participate. Word had spread like wildfire around the city, to the point that Gilaman had Kuvay’nas stationed around him at all times, despite his protests, to keep every other man on the street from jumping on him.

As the contestants entered the preparation chamber on their respective sides of the arena, they found a sturdy wooden replica of their stated weapon of choice. Picking it up, they would find it heavier than expected – each had a steel core to give it a realistic weight.

Out on the arena floor, in the center viewing box on one side of the arena were tournament judges: Nevar Chivan and Commander Nodorus, head of the Kuvay'nas. Gilaman the Jaw Crusher was not a judge, but sat at Nevar’s right. On the other side of the arena were the other judges, Ismail Bahram and Mizra Aqdas, Grand Masters of the Tuvya Sasaran and Kendoka Sasaran, respectively.

As the contestants neared the center of the ring, the crowd cheered for their favorite, creating an undulating roar until Nevar stood and cast up his hands for silence. After a moment, he raised his deep voice to echo throughout the stadium.

“Welcome Rivarians. Kuvan and visitors, friends all. Our esteemed guest, Gilaman the Jaw Crusher, has called this tournament to test the mettle of Riverfall’s warriors. Are we able to meet this challenge?”

The crowd’s deafening assertion echoed from the stadium to the entire city.

“Combatants!” Nevar lowered his hands to indicate the pair at the center of the ring. “Without further ado – Begin!” A shrill bell sounded once, and the battle was begun.

by **Riaris Dovukalis** on April 14th, 2013, 3:02 am

The day was finally upon him and Riaris was more than ready. Gilaman the Jaw Crusher had been boasting about his talents for long enough in the Akalak's mind and he was more than happy to shut him up. It was a warrior's challenge and Riaris could never turn down such a chance to duel, a chance to prove himself, a chance to cause pain.

Already Krysus was calling to the warrior, her curse urging him to cause pain and misery to others. Riaris was happy to do so and in this tournament, he could hurt as many people as he liked, and while it might be frowned upon no one would stop him. The bulky Akalak paced back and forth across the entrance way as he stared out at the man on the other side.

His opponent was a younger man, a skinny little Akalak, who didn't even look as if he were an Adult. But there he was in the tournament and Riaris would not go easy on him. His plan was simple, hurt the boy and hurt him bad. If the young Akalak hoped to be a real warrior one day then the beating he was about to take should give him a lesson in what it takes to make one.

Riaris retrieved the wooden lakan from it's perch and gave it a few viscous swings out in front of him to test it's weight and swiftness. He turned around then, taking another swing with his lakan and following it up with a hooked punch from his free hand. The warrior bounced in place for a tick, making sure that his limbs were loose and ready for quick action.

"Watch me on this day my Goddess, for I will make you proud."

Once they were called to the center of the ring, Riaris strutted forward, shoulders back and chest high. He clenched the lakan tightly, his pale eyes staring hard at his opponent. He drowned out the sound of the crowd, the others close by and even the judges who were keeping score. There was one thing on his mind now and that was causing the other man as much pain as his scrawny body could handle. The young Akalak belonged to the son of Krysus now, and win or lose, he would never forget Riaris....Ever.

The moment that the bell was sounded, Riaris sprung into action. The massive Akalak sent a fierce punch towards the man's jaw with his unarmed hand, then quickly jumped back. He had hoped that the sudden and quick attack would catch the younger Akalak off guard. Riaris moved about, lightly rocking on his feet to stay at the ready. He darted quickly towards the young Akalak's unarmed side and jerked his leg up to slam a wicked kick towards the man's knee. He finished the attack with a viscous, sweeping action with his lakan towards the man's chest.

by **Nivrexis** on April 25th, 2013, 7:42 am

Nivrexis
The day Nivrexis had been waiting and practising for had finally arrived. While the young teal skinned Akalak was filled with excitement, he couldn't help feel that butterflies had taken up residence in his chest. Nivrexis wasn't on the best terms with his family at the moment and needed to prove his worth. What better way for an Akalak to prove himself to his family but to win a test of fighting prowess.

Weeks before the tournament Nivrexis had easily convinced his eldest sister Rika to be his sparing partner as she would not pass up an opportunity to take out her frustrations with her younger brother by beating him senseless. His twin sister Zoma being the first of his family to reconcile with him offered her "moral support" with a strict diet of kontinese dishes said to promote "good heath". They tasted terrible but he was just happy she wasn't upset with him anymore, hopefully after this tournament he could get some real food.

In the preparation chamber, Nivrexis could see the opponent he was about to face through the metal bars of the door way. His opponent was an Akalak with purple skin, who looked like a massive beast in a cage, glaring at Nivrexis like he was his next meal. The man was much taller and had a far more muscular build than Nivrexis. At the very least Nivrexis could claim he was prettier than the scowling brute not that that would really help his chances.

The butterflies that were in Nivrexis's stomach earlier must have multiplied or increased in size because he was feeling a lot worse. He would hate for anyone to know that he was actually afraid and forced himself to look at the wooden Lakan on the table next to him instead of needlessly worrying. The wooden Lakan was surprisingly heavy, being about the same weight as a real Lakan. He practised a few techniques that he knew with the lakan but he wasn't really familiar with a lakan as he was to unarmed combat.

"wow are you actually nervous? and what is with those techniques? I can't believe I share a body with you" said a familiar voice to Nivrexis. It was his dark self Zomel and Nivrexis knew what he wanted. "I'll let you take over for half the fight, just let me start it okay?" Snaped Nivrexis.
"okay..deal" Zomel said reluctantly "just don't embarrass us out there"
"I'll try not too.." Nivrexis with a bit of irritation, he usually had more patience for his other self but today he had very little.

The gates opened and Nivrexis and his opponent slowly closed the distance between each other as they walked to the referee. The very instant the bell sounded Nivrexis was caught of guard by brutal punch that connected with his jaw. Nivrexis felt as if his his jaw were about to come free of it's hinges, but this was no time to let pain get him down. He spit a bloody tooth of his mouth, just in time for his opponents second attack.

This time how ever Nivrexis was prepared and gracefully jumped backward to avoid the other Akalak's second assault. Landing back into a fighting stance he let out a vicious roundhouse kick aiming at his opponents unpleasant face and then aiming a second kick at the mans chest hoping to set him of balance. When the leg he used to administer the kicks landed on the ground, Nivrexis used the momentum to propel his arm holding the lakan forward aiming a quick but powerful slash of his wooden blade across other mans chest and arm. The move was meant to look like a slash to the chest but was really intended to disable the mans arm.

by **Riaris Dovukalis** on April 29th, 2013, 9:31 pm

Riaris was able to get his arms up to block his head from the vicious roundhouse kick, but the force of it still caused him to stumble a bit, which also left him open for the next kick that slammed into his chest and sent him backwards a few steps. He breathed a bit deeper, the force of the kick taking a bit of the air from his lungs. His opponent was skilled in his legs and the violet Akalak was sure to make a note of this. The slash that came next across his chest was spotted, and Riaris quickly jumped back to avoid it.

With his limbs loose, adrenaline pumping through his body, the Akalak darted back towards his opponent, lifting his leg and sending a fierce kick towards the man's knee. Riaris kept his balance, his arms already cocked and fist raised for the next attack. The moment that his foot touched the ground, he curled his arm and sent a viscous hooked punch towards the man's jaw in the same spot that he had aimed for the first time.

Again he stepped back, trying to stay light on his feet and keep his opponent from settling in on and attack to any one part of his body. "Bring it on!" he demanded as he gripped his lakan firmly and advanced another slash of his wooden lakan at the Akalak before him. The quick slash of the lakan was only a decoy however, and the moment that his arm extended and finished the swing, Riaris allowed his body to follow through and turned himself around as he attempted his own wicked roundhouse kick aimed towards his opponent's face.

"Is this the extent of your power? Come at me!"

Riaris steadied his breathing, eyes focused on his target and his limbs ready to strike. He kept his back to Syna's light, wanting to eliminate a possible blind spot, while leaving the other Akalak directly in her brightness. This was another reason that the Akalak stayed loose and continued to move about. If he could capitalize on this advantage then he surely would.

by **Magpie** on May 13th, 2013, 1:27 am

Abruptly, a bell sounded twice, stopping the combatants in their tracks. Nevar stood once more and held up his hands for silence in the cheering stadium. "Combatants, the round is over. You've both fought bravely and with great skill, but there can only be one champion." As he spoke, an Akalak youth sprinted across the arena floor, from the second judging table to Nevar's. Commander Nodorus took a slip of paper from the child, nodding slowly at its contents. He slipped the paper in front of him to Nevar. Nevar held up the paper, Gilaman craning his neck to see it as well, and set it back down again. "By the judges' decree," his voice filled the stadium as the crowd held its breath. "Riaris Dovukalis is the winner! Nivrexis, you have the city of Riverfall's gratitude for participating in this tournament. Riaris, take rest and prepare; your next competitor will meet you in short time."

Only the closest observer would have noticed the way Gilaman swallowed anxiously as he watched the two Akalaks leave the arena floor.

by **Magpie** on May 13th, 2013, 1:40 am

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Riaris :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, please don't hesitate to PM me.
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Closed Spring Tournament, Round 1