A buzz of excited voices fills the stadium as the doors open down below.
Leafsnail strides in from the North once again. His golden blade held high above him and trailing blazing Blue runes. When he reaches his circle his drags the tip of the blade around the edges, blue sparks flying upwards. When he is done he stomps a foot and raises the blade upwards. Sheets of brilliant blue fire explode around him and fold up into floating orbs of flame.
JanusTwoFace walks calmly in from the South, his black and white wizard’s robes barely moving as he makes his way to his starting circle. Once there he pulls out his wand and gestures. Black and White runes shimmer along the ground around him. Soon the ground creaks and groans as strange figures of stone rise up from the ground.
At the marshal’s signal the duelists strike!
Janus points his wand at Leafsnail and the figures rush the blue mage. Leaping and dodging around them he hurls bolt after bolt of flame at Janus. Black and White runes crackle and spark, but his defenses remain strong.
With a slash of his blade Leafsnail cuts down several of the golems. Then, blade crackling with blue fire, he thrusts it into the ground. Janus is sent reeling backwards as a gout of blue fire erupts from the ground underneath him. Magic surges and crackles around him, but his defenses are no match for the onslaught of the blue mage.
Burned and angry, Janus sends spikes of stone shooting at his opponent. The blue wizard vanishes behind a curtain of flame, however, and the spikes disintegrate before reaching him.
The curtain then becomes a wave, rushing towards Janus. The Black and White mage simply slams his hand to the ground, however, and the fires are swallowed in a crack in the earth.
Straighting up, the healing magic he was given working wonders, he then makes a claw guesture. A giant hand of stone reaches out from the earth and grasps at the blue mage. But leafnsail simply hacks off the thumb and rolls to the side. As Janus tries to redirect the stone hand Leafsnail makes a slashing motion with his sword and sends an arc of blue fire slicing into his opponent. Janus doubles over, straining to control the stone fist. But it is no use, and the hand crumbles back into the floor.
Another arc of fire slashes through the arena, but Janus manages to deflect this one. Black and white runes explode around him and more stone figures rise up. One by one leafsnail cuts them down, but they keep him busy as Janus lets the healing magic do it’s work.
Time flys by for the onlookers as they watch the two mages struggle. Blow after blow is blocked and deflected. Time and again Leafsnail sneaks in an attack, blue fires exploding around his opponent. But Janus shrugs them off, defensive wards and healing magic combining to keep him strong even as his opponent slows.
Exhaustion begins to tell, and Janus begins to get hits in on the blue mage. Golems that couldn’t even get close to him now send him reeling before he can destroy them, and Leafsnail’s clothing is in tatters. Dark splotches show where stone spikes and rock claws have left their mark in blood.
As the two duelists struggle for dominance in the arena you become aware of a disturbance up in the contestants area. Solifuge, it seems, is the latest to need aid from the Healers. But questions about that are blown from your minds as the Marshal does something not seen in ages. Brilliant runes of Gold explode around the arena as he activates the Magic Amplifier to help bring the match to a close.
With a roar of defiance Leafsnail sends an explosion of fire and shattered stone in all directions. Janus staggers, arm above his eyes to shield them from the glare as shards of stone rip into him. Noticing his opponent’s distraction the blue mage sends out another arc from his blade. The blue fires stream downwards and drive the Black and White mage to his knees. His focus costs him, however, as one of the few remaining golems rakes a claw along his back.
With a cry of pain Leafsnail turns.The golem strikes again, slamming a fist into his shoulder. With a grimace Leafsnail puts out his hand. A blindingly bright blue rune explodes before him. The golem, shrouded in flame, hurtles skyward and lands with a deafening explosion upon its conjuror.
When the dust settles Leafsnail is standing, barely. JanusTwoFace lies unconscious and bleeding in a crater on the arena floor. The Marshal calls the duel complete, and the Healers rush out to tend to the fallen Duelist.
Looking up at the Floating Announcement Board you see the following:
JanusTwoFace, Archivist of Earth has lost a duel and is removed from the Tournament!
Solifuge, War Mage of Air is suffering from a tainted drink and is removed from the Tournament!
Sorry about the wait.
Duel 5 vote phase has started. Since I'll be out of town for the next few days, it will go until ~10am Pacific Monday