Drifting Pollen

AACM: Twilight Arena

AKIVA

He was clever, the dragon man. Clever enough to know that little Akiva was much scarier than she seemed, and that he should keep his eyes right on her, to make sure she didn't creep up when he wasn't looking and tear him to pieces!

But if he was looking at her, that meant he wasn't looking other places. Wasn't looking at the mixed-blood warrior who readied a strike from beneath his cloak, wasn't looking at the powerful Oro perched atop a pillar, wasn't looking at the chatty Sol who'd already drawn his sword...

...and, most importantly, he wasn't looking behind his head, where a four-inch portal was silently sliding open.

Or behind Akiva's wing, which concealed not only her musket but another portal of similar size.

From the way her emotions were bubbling up, he'd know she was about to attack. When the attack came, however, she didn't lunge, or shoot, or even leap into the air.

Instead, she jabbed. Jabbed the butt of her musket through the portal behind her wing, to slam it with all her strength into the back of his skull.

Armor could keep him from being cut or shot, but it couldn't entirely stop blunt force. Wouldn't be able to stop Akiva from knocking him off balance, nor stop her concussive blow from bouncing his skull off the inside of his helmet, bouncing his brain off the inside of his skull and leaving him stunned, reeling, ever so vulnerable...

Status

Injuries: none at present
Abilities: 2x portal = 4 soul spent

16 Soul / 20 Stamina remaining

AACM: Twilight Arena

AKIVA

Who had put all this rock up in the sky?

That was Akiva's first thought as she appeared in the arena. It seemed very silly to her; rocks belonged on the ground, not in the air!

It must have taken a lot of magic to lift it all up here, and Akiva couldn't imagine why, but right now there were more important things for her to worry about. Her prey was here, five beasts each stronger than the last, and the strongest of them all stood right in the middle. He had a hard shell, that one, covering up his whole body. Akiva would need to crack it open, expose the vulnerable meat inside.

Even as she made these observations, Akiva curled her left wing protectively in front of her, holding her weapon behind it so that the others wouldn't see. Her eyes peeked out over the top of her wing, and her knees bent, ready to jump into the air if she needed to.

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

I'm....uh..... a little concerned our flighty seraph friend might on the off chance be a cannibal.....just a little.

@Jollan

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

AKIVA

IT WAS TIME.

She saw the doorway appear from her high perch, a gateway made of magic and mystery and stranger things still. Her eyes went wide, pupils narrowing, fixed on the portal as she unslung her musket from her back, already loaded. Through there lay the hunt. The hunt! The stalking and fighting and cutting and tearing and eating! Akiva wanted it, wanted it all!

She leaped off the rooftop, and her wings spread wide, stark red and white against the open sky. For a moment, she hung in the air...

Then, like a hawk swooping in for the kill, she dove down towards the portal and sailed straight on through, a wild smile slashed across her face as she plunged into its waiting maw.

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

AKIVA

She crouched on a high rooftop, watching.

This place was the wrong kind of quiet. Not the silence of an empty wasteland, not the stillness of an empty sky, nor even the hush of wild creatures when they knew Akiva was stalking. This was... empty. Eerie. This was a place of buildings and windows and doors, a hive that should be full and bustling with men and women and sweet tiny children. But from her perch, all Akiva could see were three tall warriors, chattering amongst themselves. One, a female, spoke harshly to the others, and then left.

Are these my prey? Akiva wondered. They all looked big, and strong, and fast. Lots of muscle, which meant lots of meat, but also a long chase. But it didn't feel like it was the right time yet. These hunts had rules, and Akiva didn't think she was supposed to be stalking them just yet.

She could watch, though. There were no rules about watching.

Her eyes drifted to the notices, posted in loud, clear letters. She could see them well even from all the way up here; Akiva had good eyes, but all the same the letters were finnicky and weird, unfamiliar. She'd never quite gotten used to all those squiggly lines, those foreign words.

Slowly, slowly, she read through the letters one by one, her lips forming the words as she began to comprehend. "Twi... Lite... Dra... Gun..." The Champion, which was another word for Alpha. The biggest and strongest of the pack.

Akiva ran her tongue over her teeth. I want to meet him...

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

Akiva

Name: Akiva Roe
Appearance: Height 4'6'', Wingspan 9', Weight 67lbs



Bloodline: 100% Seraph

Seraph abilities

100%+: Choose an element. You can become that element entirely and manipulate it freely up to ten meters around for thirty seconds. Immune to physical strikes while in this form. Has a ten minute cooldown. (Element chosen: METAL) 2 Soul cost each manipulation
90%+: Choose an element. You are entirely immune to it. (Element chosen: METAL)
80%+: Can absorb soul from those you touch. Recovering wounds, and stamina as well. Can conjure steel armor or weapons. Can only conjure and use only one piece of armor or weapon. When one is destroyed then another can be summoned. 2 Soul cost +1 Stamina or Soul per second.
70%+: Can form small portals down to the size of a fist.
60%+: Can create a person sized portal up to twenty meters away within sight. If two are made can move between the two. Can only have two portals active at once. When a third is made the last two disappear. 2 Soul cost
50%+: Can sense when a portal is being formed nearby up to five meters.
40%+: Large angelic wings allowing flight.
30%+: Small wings on the back to allow even swifter movements x2 speed.
20%+: Can see the souls of those before them.
10%+: Naturally lighter and a bit swifter.

Items: 0 gold, 1 Musket Rifle, 4 bullets.
Special abilities: Nothing.
S/S: 20 Soul / 20 Stamina

Background: Akiva is a hunter, a Seraph of the wild forests far beyond the reach of civilization. For years upon years, she ate only what she could forage or kill, slept only under the open sky, and fought to survive on a daily basis. There were other Seraphs like her in the jungles, remnants of a long-fallen tribe who competed with her for territory. Whenever she killed one of her brethren, Akiva would pluck the feathers from their wings, weaving them into her clothes to serve as warning to her challengers.
However, this savage existence could not continue forever. Gradually, lone explorers found their way into the forests, followed by woodcutters, slavers, and finally settlers. As many of the other hunter-gatherers were killed or enslaved, Akiva realized that her only chance of surviving would be to integrate with civilization.
She started out as a guide, leading explorers through the forest and learning their language. Then she became a trader, selling parts of the beasts she killed, and learned to use the more advanced weaponry of the colonists who had invaded her home. Even as the wilderness was conquered, she adapted, and survived.
All the same, she could never quite become accustomed to civilized society. Akiva was a natural-born killer, but her talents were hardly appreciated in her new surroundings, especially once the game in the forests was replaced by tamed, grazing animals. So when word reached her ears of gladiatorial contests being held further inland, she knew she'd found her calling. If the wilderness was gone, then let her hunt in the arena, pushing her skills to their limit against the most deadly prey of all...

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

Everything is excellent except for the immunity to an element has to align with the element chosen to become. So she essentially will be immune to metal.

@Rai

Aight, fixed that.

Am I good to post her in the char tab?

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

@Rai

Character sheet!

Name: Akiva Roe
Appearance: Height 4'6'', Wingspan 9', Weight 67lbs



Bloodline: 100% Seraph

Seraph abilities

100%+: Choose an element. You can become that element entirely and manipulate it freely up to ten meters around for thirty seconds. Immune to physical strikes while in this form. Has a ten minute cooldown. (Element chosen: METAL) 2 Soul cost each manipulation
90%+: Choose an element. You are entirely immune to it. (Element chosen: METAL)
80%+: Can absorb soul from those you touch. Recovering wounds, and stamina as well. Can conjure steel armor or weapons. Can only conjure and use only one piece of armor or weapon. When one is destroyed then another can be summoned. 2 Soul cost +1 Stamina or Soul per second.
70%+: Can form small portals down to the size of a fist.
60%+: Can create a person sized portal up to twenty meters away within sight. If two are made can move between the two. Can only have two portals active at once. When a third is made the last two disappear. 2 Soul cost
50%+: Can sense when a portal is being formed nearby up to five meters.
40%+: Large angelic wings allowing flight.
30%+: Small wings on the back to allow even swifter movements x2 speed.
20%+: Can see the souls of those before them.
10%+: Naturally lighter and a bit swifter.

Items: 0 gold, 1 Musket Rifle, 4 bullets.
Special abilities: Nothing.
S/S: 20 Soul / 20 Stamina

Background: Akiva is a hunter, a Seraph of the wild forests far beyond the reach of civilization. For years upon years, she ate only what she could forage or kill, slept only under the open sky, and fought to survive on a daily basis. There were other Seraphs like her in the jungles, remnants of a long-fallen tribe who competed with her for territory. Whenever she killed one of her brethren, Akiva would pluck the feathers from their wings, weaving them into her clothes to serve as warning to her challengers.
However, this savage existence could not continue forever. Gradually, lone explorers found their way into the forests, followed by woodcutters, slavers, and finally settlers. As many of the other hunter-gatherers were killed or enslaved, Akiva realized that her only chance of surviving would be to integrate with civilization.
She started out as a guide, leading explorers through the forest and learning their language. Then she became a trader, selling parts of the beasts she killed, and learned to use the more advanced weaponry of the colonists who had invaded her home. Even as the wilderness was conquered, she adapted, and survived.
All the same, she could never quite become accustomed to civilized society. Akiva was a natural-born killer, but her talents were hardly appreciated in her new surroundings, especially once the game in the forests was replaced by tamed, grazing animals. So when word reached her ears of gladiatorial contests being held further inland, she knew she'd found her calling. If the wilderness was gone, then let her hunt in the arena, pushing her skills to their limit against the most deadly prey of all...

Ascension Arena: Champion Maker

@Rai Quick question:

I noticed some of the Bloodlines let you 'choose an element' for certain abilities. And I'm wondering what qualifies as an 'element' here. Is it just the basic four elements (Fire, Water, Earth, Air) or would things like Shadow or Ice be selectable?

SLAM - Pollen Vs. Doc

There! Tekla #2 spied an opening as Catskull dodged to her right. He hadn’t been entirely ready for her attack, and while it wasn’t enough to make him lose his balance, it was a sign that he was cracking. Her retreat was slightly slower than his advance, putting them at a little less than her maximum range, and that would close more if she wasn’t careful. She needed to hit him now, before he could recover his focus.

She guided her weapon even as it swung down where Catskull had been, controlling its descent. When the falling weight bounced violently off the road, she immediately flicked the chain rightwards, so that the rebound swung towards her opponent's legs to entangle him. With the attack coming so soon after her previous one, and from a likely unexpected angle, she’d have a better shot at snagging him this time.

In an adjacent timeline, however, there was no opening.

Any good fighter could try and anticipate their enemy’s moves, to some extent, but Catskull seemed to have predictive abilities Tekla #4 could only dream of. Could this be sorcery? Or was he just a prodigy? What little she’d heard about him suggested the former, but right now she didn’t have time to ponder- he was closing too fast, her attacks barely slowing him down as he sprinted forwards.

The sight filled her with a mixture of excitement and fear, and she let it show. Her eyes narrowed, worry flickering across her features, and her right hand fumbled and dropped the chain before she could fully draw it in.

He predicted correctly: she did try and take him by surprise as he came within two meters of her arm’s reach. Her retreat suddenly stopped, her back leg bent and her right arm hanging low near her side while her left hand swung upwards, throwing the weight she’d held and a few loops of chain at his head. Abandoning her weapon entirely, in a wild act of desperation.

Emphasis on ‘act.’

Tekla #3 frowned at Catskull’s strange use of the rapier and started retreating - but more slowly than the others had, letting him come closer without quite giving him full control over their distance. Rather than immediately striking again with her chain, she began to loop it loosely around her left arm. For some reason this one had changed tactics, though what her plan might be now remained to be seen.

Tekla #1, however, was feeling less patient. With her first strike missing him just barely, she whipped her chain efficiently back and stepped forwards with her left foot. “Why do you even carry a sword-" She swung it overhead, slamming it down at him from above as she stepped forwards with her right. “-if you only fight with your tongue?”