Tuesday, January 16, 2007
A fireball sizzled past Baraka's running image as a bright flash dissapated from a portion of Ketarye's lightning shield enchantment. His shield shimmered lightly at where the katana struck, indictating a forceful, but controlled blow. His fiery reply, had missed yet again.
The illusionist had scored two hits before Ketarye brought up his defense. His hit-and-run style of fighting had initially rendered the elemental mage confused, as he threw a litany of flames and cones of ice at Baraka's images, each time hitting air, and at one time, singeing the lining of his opponent's cuirass.
Baraka circled the arena, half invisible, each turn leaving an illusion image of himself running the other direction. The mastery of his individual "splits" had recently perfected so well that he required little mana and no concentration to psychically control each image. Some rushed Ketarye, as others kept running around him, faking a pass, or magically appearing behind him with sword raised, before disappearing with a faint poof, as the illusion's katana hit the target.
Baraka's tactics had worked on lessers opponents. Their despair allowing the illusionary swords to draw very real blood. Ketarye had been confused by Baraka's initial assault, but knowing that all it took was an Spell of Iron Will, countered other superficial injuries that the illusions might have cause. But even after weaving his Iron Will spell, Ketarye winced against the barrage of mind energy as he realized that Baraka's illusions had psychic resonance of their own. Though Baraka's images could not hurt him anymore, he could not further detect the illusionist's prescence. The rest of the battle had to be a risky mix of guesswork and luck.
Sensing that his illusions had lost their worth as attacking threats, Baraka swiftly changed tactics, sending more of his illusions running helter-skelter, none of them charging Ketarye directly.
Ketarye pointed to the sky with Velos, and brought it's tip down to the ground in a fast jerk. Spikes of fire materialized at the ceiling of the arena and fell toward the grass, incinerating most of the battlefield completely and throwing many images to the ground. Baraka cringed as he struggled to put out the flames that caught his boots.
"Flamespikes. I never knew Ketarye mastered flamespikes."
"You'll be amazed, Baraka." came a voice that was suddenly behind him.
Baraka dropped to the ground just before an giant blunted icicle flew at where his head was. He conjured a mist of invisibilty and got to his feet. Ketarye's eyes widened as he hurriedly started recasting his lightning shield, a spell he dropped when he raised Velos for his Flamespike spell.
Baraka dove forward, intent on a pass, but decided to play further, as he turned his katana aside, and smacked Ketarye across his buttocks with the flat of the blade.
Ketarye turned, in his frustration and ultimate regret, threw a cone of frost at where he thought Baraka was at. He hit nothing, save his own leg. The mage cried out in pain, as the frost bit hard into his flesh, and fused his leg to the ground.
-To Be Continued. Tired, lah.-
Morningstar wrote this
at around.. 1:44 PM
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