Kindling

Watching, waiting. The time passed, the hot sun moved. Kindling shifting only to occasionally wipe the beads of sweat that formed just past his hairline and trailed their way down. Keeping them from interfering with his focus, and his vision. Keeping count of every single one that went in, or came out and joined the rest by the campsites to drink, and cook up the various versions of sea creatures that swam in the sand as opposed to any water. Some drank from flasks or waterskins. Meaning they had a source of something in there. Be it alcohol, or perhaps a well in there. It could easily be both

Good Morning Challengers! Your weekly matches have been drawn up, and then separated between Hosts @Minako and I, @Kindling. Your host will be the one who posts the thread to introduce your fight, and give some flavor casting throughout the combat. With the drawn up matches, your Weekly Clash Shop has been rolled and assigned. Use this opportunity to understand who your opponent is, and plan accordingly either through your own build, and through consumables purchasable in the Weekly Shop. Remember! No outside consumables are allowed in these fights. Only those purchased at the Weekly Shop.

Bubbling seas of magma, pockets where it jetted out sometimes fifteen feet into the air, the entire ground clinging to the feet of those who walked onto it from the tar-like crust that formed atop the streams and rivers of the molten material below. What was not to love about the wonderful stretches of Floor Nine? This was a destination hot spot, a place of fiery passion just outside the reaches of Yalon Village on this floor. Well, okay. Maybe the heat wasn't to die for. Or the Fauna, made of twisting pillars of fire or having backs of dark rock that ebbed with the life blood of the earth bel

Bubbling seas of magma, pockets where it jetted out sometimes fifteen feet into the air, the entire ground clinging to the feet of those who walked onto it from the tar-like crust that formed atop the streams and rivers of the molten material below. What was not to love about the wonderful stretches of Floor Nine? This was a destination hot spot, a place of fiery passion just outside the reaches of Yalon Village on this floor. Well, okay. Maybe the heat wasn't to die for. Or the Fauna, made of twisting pillars of fire or having backs of dark rock that ebbed with the life blood of the earth bel

Bubbling seas of magma, pockets where it jetted out sometimes fifteen feet into the air, the entire ground clinging to the feet of those who walked onto it from the tar-like crust that formed atop the streams and rivers of the molten material below. What was not to love about the wonderful stretches of Floor Nine? This was a destination hot spot, a place of fiery passion just outside the reaches of Yalon Village on this floor. Well, okay. Maybe the heat wasn't to die for. Or the Fauna, made of twisting pillars of fire or having backs of dark rock that ebbed with the life blood of the earth bel

Bubbling seas of magma, pockets where it jetted out sometimes fifteen feet into the air, the entire ground clinging to the feet of those who walked onto it from the tar-like crust that formed atop the streams and rivers of the molten material below. What was not to love about the wonderful stretches of Floor Nine? This was a destination hot spot, a place of fiery passion just outside the reaches of Yalon Village on this floor. Well, okay. Maybe the heat wasn't to die for. Or the Fauna, made of twisting pillars of fire or having backs of dark rock that ebbed with the life blood of the earth bel

Trading to @Hakai Rare Armor/Shield (2) Uncommon Consumable (1) Uncommon Weapon (1) Rare Trinket (1) Rare Consumable (1) + 3000 COL, it is what I can spare.

@Boreas has been determined to take over Tricolor_Mina's spot in Clash Of Blades Special thanks to Ciela for showing interest and being willing to put her name in the hat. She will be the first consideration in another extreme circumstance!

It is with a heavy heart that I deliver the unfortunate news that one of our combatants - @tricolor_mina - Will be tagging out of the competition under concerns of being able to keep up, and give her opponents the time and attention they deserve. I have spoken with her about it, and she has come to the conclusion that she can no longer give the competition a fair shake. We, the hosts, greatly appreciate her participation up to this point, and the effort dedicated to those she has fought thus far. We hope that all participants and viewers will extend to her the same gratitude and appreciation.

The thoughts of grandeur were once more interrupted, their cacophony of calling voices, imagined chanting of his name, and echoes off of stone walls that were distant in time all coming to a halt when he heard a voice reach out to him. It's best description was that of eager awkwardness. He raised an eyebrow somewhat at the way the woman said her greetings. Letting that moment sit for a second, unsure of exactly what it was she meant, only to come to the conclusion that she was probably just being polite. It was true; they hadn't interacted outside of Kindling's showings as her host for a comb

A splash of cold water was always a nice way to wake up to reality. Now for the second time here, though with much more poise. Kindling was knelt down, one knee just above the hardened sand and red rocks, cupping his hands together to bring the clear, unimpeached water of this oasis to his face once more. A brief respite from the warmth of the sun on his skin. Wiping any of the stray sand that danced in the wind from his eyes and face, as well as disspelling any of the adventurous water droplets that trailed down his face now as a result of that splash. When his eyes opened again, hands parted

It came at the exact moment Kindling knew it would. Subconsciously counting the tempo beat by beat, and no sooner had his inner voice said 'now.' Than the Lizard flexed itself, and began once more to torpedo it's body straight at Kindling. Generating itself an immense amount of force to almost literally fly across the arena, and become a buzzsaw. Moving forward wasn't an option, lest one get hit by the veritable fan-blade that the crescent axe in the monster's hand had become. It didn't matter, that wasn't what he had in mind. Instead, he had disappeared from that spot as quickly as he could,

Back on his feet, Kindling repoised his spear, thankful that he hadn't let it go in the midst of all of that and been disarmed. He could feel the aching surge with each heartbeat from that point of contact. Was just trying to et the field from moving around wildly within his vision, and his lungs to take in air again. Given none of the time to do any of those things except for suck in a sharp breath past his squeezed throat. Able to more like jog away from the new point of contact the monster was after. Kindling's HP was fine. He wasn't in danger there. Soon, the aching pain would subside, wit

He was starting to get the hang of it. Mostly it meant closing the gap between them, and ducking or moving below the blade for it's point of contact. Though the monster wasn't a completely mindless machine. It seemed to learn that alongside him, beginning to pull back on it's blade as he tried to one again find that spot to it's exposed abdomen. The first two attempts of that meant that he had to just move back through the opening beneath it's open arm, and out of the way. That was no good, however impressive it was that the enemies here adapted, and seemed to be given some level of intelligen

It was Kindling's turn to take the initiative. Now from behind him. Kindling moved forward, stabbing first into it's leg, then dashing, getting it's other knee. Then going for the hook of it's arm holding it's weapon. Then for it's unarmed side. Then trying to get underneath the plating in it's shoulder, just to test if there was a critical spot there, or a weak point. Which he didn't find, the damage of each strike was expected. A proportional amount of it's health. And less of that per a strike than that of his first set of hits. He had technically taken out more health than before, but it t

A brief moment of silence, his blue eyes picked up. As though descending from the sky, a very loud, booming thump sounded throughout the enclosure. A perfect landing for his enemy, that barely even caused him to brace his knees. The newcomer stood up straight slowly. Revealing it crocodilian form. A massive body, around nine foot tall when standing bipedal as it was now. It's green scales were washed out with the color of sand, body riddled with cracks and dry skin from lack of hydration. It's yellow eyes had no whites in it, simply desert colored glows that peered at the red haired man. Takin

There was a movement of something in the corner of the man's vision. His eyes clicked immediately to catch it, finding the swift motion of a marked red dot descending from the top left corner, down the side of the minimap, an indication that only meant one thing. His head now turned to his left, being met once more with sand to the horizon. Though there was something else, sticking out sorely from the backdrop of beige and yellow grains. A dark circle, from this distance that looked like a monster at first glance. Covered in spines and errant pieces, with something on top catching the soft win

A Mountaintop so far in the sky, that it's upper reaches and summit are permanently shrouded in thick, white clouds, obscuring the home of the gods from view. Olympia. Reminiscent of it's real life counterpart, Olympus, the grey rocks of granite, marble, and unquarried stone stand all as a stark reminder of the divinity of it's inhabitants. It was difficult to describe, something about the face of that natural structure screamed perfection. As though Cardinal itself injected the word into the mind of any who gazed upon it. Though, in effect, it was much like a museum artifact; you could look,

A Mountaintop so far in the sky, that it's upper reaches and summit are permanently shrouded in thick, white clouds, obscuring the home of the gods from view. Olympia. Reminiscent of it's real life counterpart, Olympus, the grey rocks of granite, marble, and unquarried stone stand all as a stark reminder of the divinity of it's inhabitants. It was difficult to describe, something about the face of that natural structure screamed perfection. As though Cardinal itself injected the word into the mind of any who gazed upon it. Though, in effect, it was much like a museum artifact; you could look,

A Mountaintop so far in the sky, that it's upper reaches and summit are permanently shrouded in thick, white clouds, obscuring the home of the gods from view. Olympia. Reminiscent of it's real life counterpart, Olympus, the grey rocks of granite, marble, and unquarried stone stand all as a stark reminder of the divinity of it's inhabitants. It was difficult to describe, something about the face of that natural structure screamed perfection. As though Cardinal itself injected the word into the mind of any who gazed upon it. Though, in effect, it was much like a museum artifact; you could look,

A Mountaintop so far in the sky, that it's upper reaches and summit are permanently shrouded in thick, white clouds, obscuring the home of the gods from view. Olympia. Reminiscent of it's real life counterpart, Olympus, the grey rocks of granite, marble, and unquarried stone stand all as a stark reminder of the divinity of it's inhabitants. It was difficult to describe, something about the face of that natural structure screamed perfection. As though Cardinal itself injected the word into the mind of any who gazed upon it. Though, in effect, it was much like a museum artifact; you could look,

Good Morning Challengers! Your weekly matches have been drawn up, and then separated between Hosts @Minako and I, @Kindling. Your host will be the one who posts the thread to introduce your fight, and give some flavor casting throughout the combat. With the drawn up matches, your Weekly Clash Shop has been rolled and assigned. Use this opportunity to understand who your opponent is, and plan accordingly either through your own build, and through consumables purchasable in the Weekly Shop. Remember! No outside consumables are allowed in these fights. Only those purchased at the Weekly Shop.

This was beyond just that of curious travelers, as the rumors and quest prompts had said. For someone to have gone out this far couldn't have been purely by accident. Then again, that undermines the diligence of the ten thousand some odd players that were still alive. Or at least, maybe closer to that number when they had unlocked this floor, likely it was far less by now. Those who didn't make it. Who didn't have the luck, or the smarts, or the sheer skill to be able to defeat boars, or skeletons, or floor bosses. Their names and stories were little more than a UI element carved into a piece

Those were the names that stuck out in his mind for one reason or another. At least, from the competition. Sure, he could name the others, and give them thought, but why? Wulfrin, Lessa, Kiru, Mina, Katoka, Vigilon, Hirru, Oscar, Morningstar, Kiyabu... There was maybe some talent among those. Kiyabu was working to have his own star rise, though the others either shared the same issue with Acanthus, or weren't worth giving much thought to. His head raised up sharply, the last name coming to him. 'NIGHT.' Another woman that shared one of Yue Hua's trait of being impossible to read. She w

Going down the list of those who stuck out to him during the tournament he was hosting. Just thinking about the façade made Kindling feel somewhat tired. He was able to be more of himself, though it was a part that was slowly growing to be despised. Dancing around, moving his arms out, making dramatic gestures. All his days in the drama department, on the stage playing side roles. Those days had drilled in him a flair for the spotlight, for the theatrics. But that was not how a man acted. That was how a child acted. His fist balled at the thought, mentally cursing himself for being unable to l