[hr][hr][center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0198ca19-f2b8-77c0-b44d-bca7878f0337.webp[/img][hr][@Morose][@Achronum][@Blizz][@Forsythe][@Kirah][@PatientBean][@Trainerblue192][hr][h3][color=AC3EFF][b]2:00 PM - Wednesday. December 15th, 2038 - New Orleans, Louisiana[/b][/color][/h3][/center][hr] The Contest had begun. It was more challenging than the new teams anticipated. Victory was everything and fighting a little dirty wasn’t against the rules. Very few applied once they were on the field, but breaking those that did were grounds for immediate disqualification of the entire team: No items permitted beyond those declared. No enhancement drugs. No killing. Beyond that, everything was allowed. Contestants rendered unconscious, or forced to concede, would be magically teleported off the field and out of the line of fire. The first few rounds in the Contest were grueling and long, teams playing safe to keep trump cards hidden as their adversaries sat in the stands to watch. But as the Contestants thinned match by match, everyone was pushed to their limits, until finally only three remained: Excelsior, The Hex Girls, and the Young Avengers. The Young Avengers buried their opponents in the morning with a brutal and mind bending victory, the power of the Demiurge on full display. Now, Excelsior and The Hex Girls would face off against each other for the opportunity to break the reigning Champions’s streak. [hider=Perception and Analysis Roll for Excelsior] Result: 17 The Hex Girls from Strange Academy commanded a variety of magic that defended and supported each other. Their team work was phenomenal, with little need to speak in a fight beyond teasing or taunting, and their ability to anticipate and bolster each other’s abilities was their greatest strength. However, it was clear that two of them were in a class of their own. [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/e83a102c-1f0e-4a4a-bd43-d7615f009639.jpg]Thelma Thule[/url] was indisputably the team’s leader. Her bolstering magic was typically only used on one of her teammates at a time, but the difference in strength was night and day when she did. She would always set up a powerful ward in the team’s opening strategy that only protected herself and it was rare that something would penetrate it once the ward was established. Otherwise, her skill with chaos magic kept the true breadth of her abilities hidden because what could ever be a limit to someone who could do anything? [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/cddabffa-6a55-421e-b57d-ad3d9bc9123f.jpg]Thuy Anh[/url] was the hardest hitter on their team. Her power demonic in nature, Thuy was capable of commanding a nefarious resource: Hellfire. Although regular fire burned the body, Hellfire would also burn the soul and break the mind of her victims. Thuy typically fought at mid range until Thelma bolstered her - once that happened, Thuy became a demon herself and her hellfire began binding, paralyzing, and torturing her victims as she drained the will from them to fuel her own needs. The others were strong in their own right, but they worked together to ensure their strongest stayed standing: [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/9e58edd1-7918-4386-a5c5-e84c31853ee4.jpg] Sklyer Ravenloch[/url] dabbled in illusions, reducing his enemies field of view and creating duplicates of his allies while firing magical shots into their midst. [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/9666c786-17a5-4437-a75e-89b8f4a25afd.jpg] Wilhelmina “Wil” Desandra[/url] conjured and wielded a pair of spell shields and stayed front and center trading blows while manipulating her shields to protect far away allies. [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/74acfab6-f58a-4d6b-8fe6-6c0785031a8d.jpg] Tatiana Akinyemi[/url] is both fast [i]and[/i] furious. Her magic makes her fast as lightning and hits twice as hard and she uses this to her advantage as she pushes past her enemy’s front lines and takes down their weaker supports. [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/56355c62-9b42-4f7d-9f3c-2b0ec0a56e1a.jpg]Prudence Synder[/url] command mental magics, striking the minds of her enemies and erecting psychic barriers to protect her allies. [url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0198bd70-91f3-763e-8ee0-172f57decf0e.webp]Ava Anderson[/url], a Majesdanian whose magic was not fuel by dimensional energy but by the solar radiation her own body collected, wielded a conjured mace and inspired her allies while her alien composition made her as tough as steel.[/hider] The Hex Girls sauntered out across the field, Thuy and Thelma a few paces behind as they spoke softly to each other. Prudence eyed the Excelsior team nervously, wringing her hands as her eyes darted between them. Tatiana and Wil smirked at them, oozing confidence as Wil stepped just in front of Tatiana. Skylar gave Percy a slow, heated look over and bit his lip, winking with a grin. Ava laughed, head thrown back and joyful, and ignited, rainbow light shimmering over her skin. She carved runes with the same light and a heavy mace materialized in her hands, tossing it up on one shoulder like it weighed nothing. The stadium went quiet as the two teams eyed each other across the field, barely thirty paces from each other. Everything the Avenger Academy team had been working on was in preparation for this moment, for this chance to prove to the world they were ready, that Arcade was just the first in a long line of victories these promising heroes would achieve. Both sides were willing and ready to do what it took to win. The tension could be cut with a knife . [Color=E610B8]”IS THAT BOY A GIRL TOO?!”[/color] Back in the stands sat most of the parents and family of the Excelsior team. Amongst them was the world renowned Popstar Harry Simmons, who at this very moment was heckling a group of teens. His “Boys” sat elsewhere, all who stated they wanted to see the contest with their own eyes. [u][b]Group Initiative Check - Group Vigilance[/b][/u] [center]Excelsior: 11 (roll) + 11 (Vig.) = 22 vs. Hex Girls: 12 (roll) + 17 (Vig.) = 29 Hex Girls go First[/center] [hider=Round 0 Stats]Thelma:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 150 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Protection Hex [*]Enemies have trouble on Ego checks to control Thelma, Thelma has edge on Ego checks to break free [*]Thelma has an edge on all checks regarding fear[/list][/list] Thuy:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 120 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Hellfire Chains[/list][/list] Skyler:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 60 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Suppressive Fire[/list][/list] Wil:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 90 [*]Karma: 2 [*]Notes:[list][*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn [*]Regains 3 HP at the end of their turn.[/list][/list] Tatiana:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 60 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Leech Life [*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn[/list][/list] Pridence:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 90 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Telekinetic Barrier[/list][/list] Ava:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 60 [*]Karma: 2 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge when attacking with her Mace.[/list][/list][/hider] “Yes!” Ava shouted at the stands as she sketched a quick drawn glyph that surrounded Thelma in rainbow lights, shrieking with laughter as she then charged down the center field. Her hair snapped behind her, still covered in dancing lights, and she barely seemed phased that they were in a fight. Wil swore under their breath and matched pace with Ava, shields up in front of her as they did. “Diving right in. Fuck, thought the boss wanted to draw them in. When we change the plan?!” Wil snapped. Ava didn’t bother responding, too focused on just running. Wil let loose a stream of curses that would make a sailor blanch. Prudence eyed Thelma nervously but steeled herself. Leah was firmly in her sight as she wove the spell circle. It pulsed with a strange, dark energy, and vanished just as the light around Leah hardened into a box and caught her inside. Skyler held up his middle finger at the audience even as Ava shouted back at them. Amber light, forming panels within, flowed within his hands as he chanted. It expanded into shattered glass and whirled around Tatiana, where two duplicates appeared. The three passed through each other several times before she bolted parallel to Excelisor, hugging the far right of the field. Thelma watched, seemingly disinterested, with cold, calculating eyes before settling where she stood. Red and purple magic crackled in her hand, consuming the rainbow lights that Ava had shrouded her in and panels of magic fused themselves around her. Thuy finally pulled her hands from her pocket and dark red fire danced between her fingers. She looked at Sabine, smiled, and licked some off her fingers. “Still lookin’ forward to kicking my ass, pretty girl?” Thuy called across the field, uncaring of the audience. “That drink offer’s still on the table - you and your girlfriend, wrapped up pretty in my chains, still crying after we beat you.” This time, Thuy flicked her fingers at Sabine and a bolt of Hellfire arc’d at her. [hider=Round 1 Stats]Thelma:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 140 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Protection Hex [*]Enemies have trouble on Ego checks to control Thelma, Thelma has edge on Ego checks to break free [*]Thelma has an edge on all checks regarding fear [*]Concentrating on Protection Hex[/list] [*]Action: [List]Casts Protection Hex, costing 10 focus. [*]Rolls 3 + 2 + 1 = 6, but has two edges on this. [*]Rerolls the 1 and gets 3. Rerolls the 2 and gets 6. [*]3 + 6 + 3 = 12 + 5 (Ego) = 17, which is Thelma’s defense score for all abilities.[/list][/list] Thuy:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 120 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Hellfire Chains[/list] [*]Action:[list] Attacks Sabine with Elemental Burst (Hellfire). [*]Rolls a 6 + 5 + 3 = 14 + 3 = 17 vs Sabine’s Agility defense 10, a hit. [*]Damage is 5 * 3 + 3 = 18, dealing 18 fire damage to Sabine’s health.[/list][/list] Skyler:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 55 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Suppressive Fire [*]Concentrating on Images of Ikkron.[/list] [*]Action:[list] Uses Images of Ikkron on Tatiana. Costs 5 Focus.[/list][/list] Wil:[list][*]Health: 90 [*]Focus: 85 [*]Karma: 2 [*]Notes:[list][*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn [*]Regains 3 HP at the end of their turn. [*]Concentrating on Shield 2.[/list] [*]Action:[list] Wil uses Shield 2, gaining DR 2. Costs 5 Focus[/list][/list] Tatiana:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 60 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Leech Life [*]One Additional Reaction Each Turn[/list] [*]Action: [List]Runs to side of the field.[/list][/list] Pridence:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 90 [*]Karma: 0 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge on Telekinetic Barrier[/list] [*]Action: [List]Cast Telekinetic Barrier on Leah. [*]Rolls 6 + 4 + 3 = 13 + 2 (Logic) = 15 [*]Reroll the 4 with edge and get a six. No fantastic success but still hits Leah’s Agility AC of 14. [*]Leah is contained in a telekinetic box that has a Defense of 12.[/list][/list] Ava:[list][*]Health: 60 [*]Focus: 60 [*]Karma: 2 [*]Notes:[list][*]Edge when attacking with her mace.[/list] [*]Action:[list] Ava used Inspiration on Thelma, giving her an edge.[/list][/list][/hider]