Tantalum

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

Sorry for the long wait Melon, had a few priorities to juggle.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Mikael's first hit barely granted him time to generate a second sphere, of a size identical to the last. However, his once-arrogant grin was waning, as a problem surfaced at the back of his mind.
Mikael's bio-enhancements could let him outlast any opponent, methodically breaking down their combat style before flawlessly ensnaring them. For a well-concealed foe, this would be the most certain way to break them apart; but if he was fully aware of this, why had he seen it fit to stay within aggressive distance, even going as far as to corner himself?

The younger man shrugged off the thought as quickly as it occurred. He would not have chosen this at all unless he knew full well he could pull it off, and having doubts would only get him killed sooner. He was perfectly aware what he was trying to bait -- even with the mere half-dozen yards between them -- and there was but one thing to be expected when The Weeper was seen retreating a hand into his inner coat pocket.
In nothing short of brazen recklessness, Mikael lunged straight at his foe, leaning in with with his explosive reaching in front. He could be glad that his enemy had good aim, as the first shot ricocheted cleanly from his Energy Sphere's surface, rebounding away from his vitals. A second shot clipped past, scraping deep along his right shoulder blade, and a third breached his inner left bicep.

Pain ran profoundly through Mikael's expression, but adrenaline muted his cries. Interestingly, the shoulder bullet landed a mere ten feet away after cutting against him, and the one in his arm left no exit wound. At a size of two feet, the sphere he held stopped its swelling abruptly, and a large glass-like crack vividly marked where the first bullet had made contact. Still, his movement remained mostly unphased; In two uneasy, zig-zagging paces he would overstep The Weeper's current position, unless his foe had other plans.

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

MelonHead said
Tantalum's character

Yup. Figured I wouldn't bring her back this iteration. Maybe later on though, now that there's a handful more mid-tier characters among us.

Northwestern Ash Valley

"Not as broken as I thought..." The Weeper was smart enough to come at his blind side, and fast enough to get there before he was fully prepared. Until he could do something about that sword, he could not afford to stay within reach for too long.
Thinking fast, the Plasma Sphere was slammed down ahead of him, in the fashion of a smoke grenade. Its glass-like shell fractured upon the terrain -- and burst apart with a violent flash of light, releasing its charge within a 4-foot radius. Being a smaller sphere, its inflicted heat and knockback would be painful, but ultimately superficial.

Mikael himself was caught within the explosion -- but unlike his masked opponent, he had nothing to fear. As a living anomaly of science, his body's altered genes held the effect of converting plasma energy into raw momentum. In sync with his natural agility, the blast swiftly accelerated him out of The Weeper's reach, avoiding the blade while retreating five yards from the swordsman's left.
Even on poor ground, Mikael's prior observation made his landing trivial. A low cliff face spanned a fair distance behind him; short enough to climb atop, but too tall for him to jump. A second retreat would be made difficult here, but if it stopped his foe from flying past him again, it was all he needed.

The Weeper had scored one mistake past him already, but Mikael's pride dictated that it would be his last. Using the little time he had, his own weapon was drawn in a reverse grip, brandishing the 5-inch knife in his left hand. His other arm was held out in front, and already a second Plasma Sphere had begun to materialise.

Northwestern Ash Valley

"Oi, now." Mikael released his blade, to point an accusing finger at the man belittling his personal value. "Big words, coming from a man with no face. If lives weren't worth anything, why else would we consider taking them?"

All the while, his child-like grin only widened after The Weeper had spoken his query. His voice held more certainty than before, but his irksome mask made it just as difficult to be sure. Still, the very mention of death was enough to make Mikael's heart thunder, and his entire frame quivered by the beat.
"Idiot," the young man scoffed, "Only the broken can have thoughts like that." In time with his opposition, he boldly advanced a pace forward, but saw no need to approach further.
"We only fear death if we fear fighting. If you're telling me you're afraid to fight, then you're wasting my air."

Upon these words, a series of sparks scattered from Mikael's right palm, circling beneath with an unnatural magenta hue. A split second later, and the sparks conjoined and swelled, forming a sphere of pulsing energy within his grasp. It looked incredibly volatile, the way its luminance shifted and flickered with total irregularity. In no time at all, the sphere had reached two feet in diameter, and appeared to be growing still. Mikael himself made no sudden motions, but the clear emergence of his power would surely broadcast his intents.

Northwestern Ash Valley

Mikael's sights did not change, but his direction veered slightly, letting himself be guided by that which broke the valley's silence. Having chosen his paths earlier, his agility carried him over steep slopes and crevasses without needing to hesitate. Hopping up and over a ledge, he quite abruptly found himself within speaking distance of his first encounter.

The other individual appeared distracted, entranced even, as he motionlessly watched the clouds in passing. Mikael found himself pause as well, but felt no inclination to mimic the gesture. Rather, his dilated eyes observed the man's figure, noting his long trench coat and unrecognisable mask. If all else, it appeared he was a man who concealed things -- a lone trait which made him the opposite of Mikael's ideal opponent.

Having judged his sort of character, it came to little surprise that his words were ridden with double-meanings; but while most fighters would intend such as a threat, his voice and mannerisms suggested otherwise. The almost involuntary nature of it was found especially discomforting, and little was done to hide this from his expression.

"...Wouldn't be an ideal place to kill." Mikael said bluntly after a pause, finally breaking a smile and shaking his head. His stance was more rigid than his voice suggested, and his left hand rested upon the sheathed knife at his side.
"No-one would notice it here." With another shrug, his reasoning was given with complete nonchalance. "Isn't much of an accomplishment, y'know?"

Northwestern Ash Valley

Sitting atop one of the higher ledges within the valley, Mikael idly studied the treacherous paths that swept and turned below. It gave him a sense of discontentment, watching over the smeared history of destruction laid before him; the barren and tarnished earth felt vaguely reminiscent to his home town, if given another century's weathering. A more complete town, perhaps, but a decidedly less intriguing one. The stains of recent battles crossed with the old, leaving no distinct spectacle to be found; a land which once held many battles, now told the stories of none. All that remained was the clouded air, the aged chills of battle that no longer held to their meaning.

"Ah..." the young man merely smirked to himself, almost pitying the souls that were surely long forgotten before his arrival. Wrapped in a brown bomber jacket, the icy atmosphere phased his temperature no more than his emotions. It was not that he was apathetic, but rather that he did not care for what no longer stood before him; his business only concerned the living, for the dead were no longer able to entertain. With this mindset, he had perhaps situated himself in the wrong place -- but Mikael did not expect to leave without finding something of worth.

He raised to his feet instantly, and his body shivered in alertness. He was going on a hunch, but he could tell he was not alone here. Sitting beside him, half of a canned beverage was snatched into his coat pocket, and seven emptied cans were kicked out of his way.
In no time at all, hastened strides carried Mikael further down the uneven valley, in search of someone who may share his abstract appreciations.

"It's time that I left my own mark."

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

@Melon. Might be a little bit of a wait though, got a couple things to deal with.

And yeah, I'm also a little concerned with how that cluster's gonna work out. Anything with more than four characters tends to get really hard to coordinate, even outside of combat RPs.

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

About time I situated my character somewhere, now that the site's back up. Awesome that Mahz sorted that so quickly.
Seems like the easiest spot to enter would be versus The Weeper (what with the main thread being stuffed right now), though that power of his makes me a little hesitant. Mikael's mood already swings by the second, and I'm unsure how clearly I would be able to exaggerate that in writing. If you're okay with that, Melon, then I'm game -- else I'll be glad to fight any other <T5 character in the Swamps.

The Everlasting Arena: Main Thread

A few people here might be reading too much into those numbers. At most, they serve as a way of gauging how strong a character is at a glance. In-character, they aren't going to do anything.

If you're looking for proper rationalisation, LeeRoy might be able to give you that -- but as they're used solely for guidelines, I personally don't think the rationalisation matters (so long as the actual characters aren't as vague). I guess it should also be said that the tier system being referenced in (most) other threads was from before the new Guild, and wasn't tiered by stats and numbers in the way that this system is.

All in all, I'd really hope that this isn't what's turning yourself (and possibly others) away from this tiny corner of RPG, we're a small enough group as it is =S.