Ezra Crane vs. Hono'o Raven

• Post: 99970479_1 created on Sun, 15 May 2016 07:33:50 +0000

Posted: Sun, 15 May 2016 07:33:50 +0000

Quote: Wrote:

> GCL Season One, Heat C > > Ezra Crane vs Hono'o Raven

Dr Queensborough Wrote:

Stage 6

SIGIL :: MARKET WARD

...brought to you by Sigil.

Sigil's Market Ward is a multiversal hub of commerce. Shoppers can hear dozens of languages, see a hundred different races and cultures selling thousands of wares. One long street in the Market Ward has been marked off for use by the GCL, its open-air shops abandoned to the fighters for the time being.

Terrain

General: The fighting area is marked off by the GCL with glowing globes of light. A stretch of road 100' long and 25' wide cuts through the marketplace. The outer edges of the road are covered with tents, pavilions, and other open air "shops", vendors, and merchant stalls. These dual lines of shops take up 7' on each side of the road, leaving the 11' in the middle as an actual path for pedestrians and vehicles.

Weapons: The stretch of the Marketplace taken over by the GCL is dominated by clothing merchants. As such, most of what can be found here is wildly colorful: clothing, materials (bolts of silk, bales of wool, piles of folded linen), and tailoring supplies such as needles, pins, shears, and the like. Clothing of all kinds, ranging from the modern and mundane to the futurist or historical, can be found. There are also jewelry shops, but none of the rings, amulets, bracelets, etc., found therein are actually magical, no matter what the merchants claim.

Bonus Features: The GCL will purchase any merchandise participants leave with, provided they can carry it under their own power. The merchants and crowds have been cleared out to avoid unintentional injury.

Ezra shuffled into the impromptu fighting arena, his eyes inspecting the various stalls and shops, although only to a point. Unlike his opponent, the treasure hunter's priorities were set on fighting all five members of his HEAT, and compiling the data necessary to complete his report. Out of the variety of ways Ezra could have taken a survey of supernatural powers, entering a fighting league and sampling the powers personally was definitely the most dangerous. Of course, at this point in the veteran's life, it was a tad late to have any qualms about the apparent dangers of fighting a host of Gaia's most competitive warriors.

In stark contrast to the woman, who looked to be dressed for adventure, Ezra was in formal attire. He sported a navy blue jacket and slacks over a white shirt and a striped tie. White tennis shoes and a trench coat (slightly lighter shade of blue than the suit) with a fur-lined hood rounded out the hunter's outfit. Watching Raven with a pensive gaze, Ezra took a drag from his filter-less cigarette, and exhaled deeply as he tossed its burnt carcass onto the street. Smoke drifted from the corners of the man's mouth, coming to a halt mid-way through the partitioned road, and lowered his military haversack to the ground.

"I hope you're my opponent," Ezra spoke up, shattering the silence that had prevailed until then. He grasped the pole of his harpoon with one calloused hand, pulling it from the confines of his bag like a man would retrieve a golf club. "And not a shopper that hasn't gotten the memo."

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HonoRaven Wrote:

The treasure hunter watched Raven carefully, perplexed by the red haired woman and her strange antics. Of course, while it did indeed confuse him, Ezra wasn't at all perturbed by the weird smile that his opponent was gracing him with. Instead, he responded with a determined look, concentrating fully on the battle ahead, and specifically on the sizable bolt of fabric that Raven held in her hands. What she was planning to do with that was beyond the hunter, but he knew that if magic was to be involved then it was unlikely to be good for his health. With a steely gaze, the man parted his legs in a stable manner, holding his harpoon with both hands in a proper spear fighting stance and waited for his opponent to get the show on the road. Fortunately, the woman had no intentions of keeping him waiting.

"Catch!?"

The winds that pulled the bolt of nylon along through the air intrigued the warrior, though elemental forces were as common as preternatural abilities went. It was still an impressive sight to behold for the occult enthusiast. Noting how polite it was of Raven to show him a sample of her powers, the hunter figured it would be only right if he displayed his own capabilities.

"Don't mind if I do!" Ezra roared in reply, advancing on Raven and her airborne projectile in an explosive dash. His movements were supernaturally quick, his entire form awash with unseen magical force as he skewered the incoming bolt with his harpoon. He struck the roll of fabric near its center, easily penetrating several inches before a quick jerk of his wrists would ensure that the barbs of the polearm kept the bolt in a fixed position. The effects were threefold. Firstly, it stopped the bolt's momentum entirely; secondly, the skewered bolt would be unable to continue unraveling.

And finally, it gave Raven an opportunity to witness Ezra's strength. Upon connecting with the bolt of nylon, the hunter immediately rotated his hips, pulling forcefully on the harpoon and by association tugged the rest of the nylon along with the woman gripping it. It was as if Raven had cast her fishing rod and found herself hooking onto an aquatic creature who was several times her size. If she held onto her end of the nylon, the pull carried enough force to throw the smaller woman off balanced, if not straight to the ground. Normally, if size were any indication, Ezra was likely significantly stronger than his opponent. Magically empowered as he was, a struggle didn't seem plausible.

Though he'd been surprised before.

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Infernal Power Wrote:

> Fiendish Force: On activation, this is a temporary buff (instant/1 post) to both strength and speed (50%). It adds explosive oomph to several of Ezra's commonly used techniques. For example, push kicks and especially throws can be empowered to knock away opponents up to 10 feet. While slams and single/double-legs are empowered to be swifter and cause more damage. > > > > Cool-down: 2

Fiendish Force CD: 0/2

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HonoRaven Wrote:

As he yanked on his harpoon, Ezra felt the sudden loss of resistance as Raven released the nylon sheet, and immediately turned to gain a visual on the redheaded woman. However, when he did so, the warrior couldn't help but be surprised when the caster's fireball began to careen towards him, riding along the tail-end of the fabric which was quickly going up in smoke.

"********!" He roared in utter bewilderment, figuring it was probably a good time to ditch his weapon and get the hell out of Dodge. Though he quickly realized that it wasn't necessary as the fireball exploded half-way to his position. Instead of rolling away as he had planned, Ezra simply held the harpoon further from the spear-tip, and kept the conflagration away as it devoured the bolt of nylon. It wasn't any longer the ideal weapon that Ezra had designed, but it wasn't wholly terrible either. A bolt of 40 yards worth of fabric wasn't the heaviest thing on the planet, but it was certainly hefty enough to deliver a wallop if swung with enough force. Fixed to the tip of his harpoon, the roll of fabric became an improvised flaming war hammer of sorts. The flames would inevitably destroy the integrity of the nylon and its spool, though fortunately 40 yards of fabric was a lot to burn through and would buy the hunter a bit of time.

Ezra watched the woman like a hawk from beyond the flames that clung to the ground between them and the smoke that seemed to saturate the area. Swiftly, the man launched himself into a sprint as Raven threw herself in a sidelong roll, leaping across the small lake of fire that partially separated the pair, and swung his makeshift hammer like his very life depended on it. With the long range of his weapon, an attack on Raven herself (at max range) wasn't entirely out of the question, though Ezra intuitively figured that it wasn't the best target to strike. Alternatively, his opponent seemed dead set on making use of the various textile materials within reach, so the hunter made it his mission to stop her.

So when Ezra's swing finally came to fruition, it zipped within feet of the woman and struck the leg of the stall (nearest to him) that the woman had retreated to. The leg splintered instantaneously, causing the entire stall to tip over from the inertia, and sending its bulk of leather working materials and equipment (along with the stall itself) tumbling onto Raven. Depending on the weight of the goods, Raven would likely find herself conked by the various falling objects if not partially buried by the debris. He didn't know whether the attack would succeed or not, but it would be an undoubtedly unexpected turn of events regardless.

Fiendish Force: 1/2

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HonoRaven Wrote:

Ezra's feet impacted the ground with a THUD, bending his knees to absorb the shock of his mighty leap. Regardless of the outcome of his attack, the hunter immediately entered a fighting stance, planting his feet firmly and pulling his weapon close so the top of the improvised hammerhead was pointed directly at his opponent. Fortunately, his opponent was currently a woman trapped underneath a market stall and other commodities. Or, as Ezra quickly realized, a perfect funeral pyre of sorts.

Suddenly, every muscle in the hunter's body began to bulge supernaturally, causing his outfit to tighten around his powerful frame. He took a long step forward and thrust his weapon towards the market stall, impacting forcefully and using the extra surface area of the quickly burning bolt of nylon as a means to pin the heavy stall against Raven. The powerful force would hopefully keep the woman in place, as the stall itself would be used to deliver crushing damage comparable to a bear hug as Ezra leaned into his weapon. Raven wasn't immediately in danger of having her bones broken; however, a certain difficulty breathing was probable along with intense pain anywhere the stall was pressed against Raven's body.

It seemed bad for the redhead. It would certainly feel bad as well. But it was worse and she wouldn't be able to readily tell. The flaming bolt attached to his harpoon, while nearly already having burnt through the majority of the rolled up fabric, was slowly but surely transferring the fire over to the stall. Wood wasn't necessarily flammable, not like the nylon was, but it was a combustible nonetheless. Unless Raven was able to escape, and soon, a fire would erupt and the woman's situation would grow even more precarious.

This was going to hurt indeed!

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Infernal Power Wrote:

> Pit Fiend's Strength: Upon activation, Ezra taps into the full strength of his diabolical nature. This buff increases his strength by 100%, and lasts for two posts or until its cancelled. > > > > Cool-down: 4

Fiendish Force CD: 2/2 Done

Pit Fiend's Strength Duration: 1/2

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