As Nix made her way towards the forest, she seemed more determined than usual. She was out on a mission once again, but one was different. Jiemma himself had put in this request and asked her, specifically, to complete it. Well, to say he "asked" would be an understatement, he had outright demanded she do it and that she succeed. Nix cast a brief glance down at the request sheet then balled her fist, crumpling the sheet in her hand. The sheet began to freeze and crumble away as her hand fully closed.
"Master Jiemma....I won't fail you." She whispered as she continued on her way. Moving through the forest, she finally began to hear the rowdy cheering she assumed was associated with the tournament. Moving into the clearing, she arrived in time to see an unfortunate challenger collapse to the ground writhing and screaming in agony from the flames that consumed him. So there was a fire mage present....a minor annoyance, but nothing she couldn't handle. Indifferently stepping over the poor soul at her feet, she ignored the obnoxious whistles and lewd comments directed at her as she made her way to the registration table. Behind it sat a stout, ill-disposed man. Not only that....he smelled terrible. Nix' face turned up in a disgusted scowl then she addressed him. "I've come to enter the tournament on behalf of Sabertooth." She informed. The registrar grunted and looked up at her, perhaps expecting the person Nix' cool and sultry voice belonged to to be a small and delicate female unfit for fighting. However upon seeing Nix, a lecherous gleam flashed in his eyes and his lips spread open in a equally unsettling smile, exposing his yellowed and unclean teeth.
"Well, what's a beautiful thing like you doing at this kind of place? Say, why not forget about the tournament and let's you and me have some fun, eh?" He proposed, his discolored tongue sliding out from between his teeth and passing over his cracked and whitened lips. What little patience Nix had was instantly gone when this gesture was made. Nix slammed her hand down on the table, causing violet ice to begin spreading out from her hand and move towards the registrar.
"Listen and listen well, you disgusting excuse for a human, I am not here to indulge any fantasies you may think you have. I'm here to enter the tournament. You'd do well to keep any further comments to yourself, I've already made the decision that your life is meaningless, any further transgressions and I will end it. Is...that....understood?" She warned. Although her voice was calm, there was a sinister anger and evil intent behind it. The registrar cowered away from her, tumbling backwards and out of his chair before stumbling to his feet.
"Alright, alright! Name?" He asked. Nix' eyes narrowed as she pulled her hand away from the table. It seemed that was the only thing still holding it together, because as soon as her hand left the table, it crumbled away.
"Nix." She replied simply then walked away.
"Your first opponent is "Inferno!" He called after her. Nix seemed to completely disregard him as she stood in the center of the fighting ring. As she stood waiting, she began to notice that the air was beginning to grow hotter. The look of determination never left her face as the mage known as "Inferno" stepped into the ring.
"So....you're my opponent? You don't look like much of a fighter, but I suppose looks can be deceiving..." He paused as he gave her a cursory glance, flicking a lighter open and closed. He ceased this action and flicked the lighter on, producing a small flame. The flame trailed towards his free hand, where it gathered into a small orb. He then tossed the lighter away. Inferno spread the fingers of the hand cradling the orb, causing the orb to grow larger. "Shall we begin?" He offered then waved his hand outward and pointed it towards Nix. At once, a magic seal appeared and a bit of fire broke away from the orb, expanding into a wall of fire that rushed towards Nix. Nix narrowed her eyes briefly, but otherwise gave no motion that she intended to avoid the oncoming fire. Nix could feel the imposing heat of the fire wave as it scorched the earth on its path towards her. When the wave was almost upon her, she slammed her hands to the ground. At once, a magic circle flared up beneath her as a vortex of icy mist and large ice shards formed around her. When the burning wave made contact with Nix' barrier, the immediate area was engulfed in steam. A majority of the onlookers shielded their eyes and backed away from the ring. There was another violet flash from within the steam then several barbs of ice rushed forward from Nix' position. Across from her, there was a bright orange flash and a trail of light rushed forward to meet the barbs of ice. The attacks met at the center of the ring, once again causing a plume of steam, thereby thickening the cloud of steam already present. Another bright orange flash gleamed from Inferno's side of the ring followed by a steady orange glow. Another flash then the steam was cleared away as a massive wave of fire surged towards Nix. The wave collided with her barrier, dispelling it and sending Nix sliding back. She clasped her hands together, gathering her magic as she slid backwards. Her hands began encased in thick violet ice then she shifted her footing, stopping instantly then slammed her hands to the ground. A violet-colored magic circle flashed out beneath Inferno then pillars of ice rose up around him. He let out a disinterested scoff then dodged to the side and pointed his hand towards Nix. An orange magic circle appeared in front of his hand then a small bit of fire broke away from the orb in his hand and rush at Nix. The small spark grew to a large fireball as it flew towards her. Nix narrowed her eyes then shifted her hands, causing the spires to lower down into the ground then sprout up around Inferno's current position. She pulled her hands away from the ground, causing the spires to close in on Inferno then held her hand up towards the fireball. A violet magic circle appeared in front of her hand then icy mist began to condense and form into the three shards.
"Perish!" Her voice was cruel and unforgiving as the pillars smashed into Inferno. As the remains crumbled away, Inferno stood hunched over, visibly pained from the recent attack. Nix waved her hand outward, sending the shards out to meet the fireball. Two of the shards were melted midflight while the third managed to slow the fireball enough Nix to shift her body down and forward to dodge it. She couldn't dodge it completely, and as a result suffered a series of minor burns along her arm and shoulder. She uttered a low moan at the pain then stood upright and gazed at her arm. She rolled her wrist briefly then inspected the burns. Her eyes glazed over slightly and a hungry expression spread across her face. She turned her gaze on Inferno then suddenly rushed at him. The sudden change in her demeanor unsettled him and he began to rapidly launch fireballs and waves of fire at Nix in an attempt to keep her at bay. Nix proceeded to maneuver around the spells, suffering more minor burns and causing her eyes to glaze over more with each one.
"Stay away, you unholy woman!" He exclaimed as he continued to cast spells. Nix jumped over the final wave of fire, landing directly in front of him. As she stood up and locked eyes with him, he could see how truly crazed her expression was.
"You've caught my interest....this is what you wanted, isn't it?" She asked in a low, enticing voice, though there was a deep madness behind it. She reached towards him, placing a hand against the back of his neck and the other around his waist and began to pull him towards her. Her touch was cold, to the point where it almost burned. "All I want....is a kiss." She whispered, icy mist trailing from her mouth as she spoke. Try as he might, he could not pull free from her surprisingly strong grip. Their lips locked and Inferno immediately began to feel cold as the heat was drained from his body. His joints began to stiffen and it became difficult for him to move. Nix pulled away and looked him in the eyes, the same expression still present on her face. The burns on her body gave off a faint hiss as they cooled and began to slow process of healing. "I should thank you....you've put me in the mood to kill. As a reward, I will let you live...however...." She paused then delivered a forceful backhand, nearly breaking Inferno's neck and knocking him unconscious. "....I did not say I would allow you to remain conscious." She said quietly then turned away, returning to her previous place in the ring as two servants dragged Inferno's body away.
"Nix has won the first round! Her next opponent...."Dusk!" The registrar announced. Nix turned halfway and looked behind her, specifically at her shadow on the ground.
"How long do you plan on playing hide and seek, boy? Show yourself so that we can get this over with, I have better things to do than wait for you." She said, seemingly to no one. Her shadow suddenly darkened then a cloaked figure slowly rose from it. The figure's face was partially covered by their scarf, and a dark colored hat was tilted down over their eyes. Dusk raised his head slightly to look at her, revealing a pair of bespectacled and observant eyes.
"Yes...of course. We will begin now, forgive my hesita...."[/color] His sentence was cut short when he quickly moved away from Nix' barrier as it formed around her.
"Enough words, boy, just fight." She demanded coldly then pointed her hand at him. A magic circle appeared in front of her hand then three shards of ice formed from the icy mist swirling around her. She waved her hand towards him and sent the shards streaking through the barrier towards him. Dusk adjusted his glasses slightly, a black magic seal appearing in front of him. His shadow beneath him wavered then expanded up into several tendrils of shadow magic that lashed out at the shards. The shards and tendrils collided midair, the tendrils being encased in thick ice then crumbling away. Nix' barrier began to grow thicker then she pointed her hands towards Dusk. The barrier pulsed then rushed towards him. Barbs of ice jutted up from the ground towards Dusk, tearing apart the ground violently. Dusk held his hand out to his side, a black magic seal appearing in front of it. He then pointed his hand forward, causing his shadow to expand in front of him in a wave of shadow magic. Nix' spell was more than he bargained for, however, as the barbs easily broke through the wave and struck him, piercing through him and encasing him in thick violet ice. She turned away from him, walking to the edge of the ring before turning towards the registrar's table. "Is this really the tournament that challenged the might of Sabertooth? These mages are amateurs! Where is my next opponent?" She demanded. The registrar let out a defiant grunt, but nonetheless complied.
"Nix has defeated Dusk! Her next opponent is "Ronin!" He announced. There was a low chuckle from the opposite side of the arena. Nix turned her attention in the direction of the chuckle, seeing an armor-clad woman sitting on the ground, a smoking pipe hanging from her mouth. Smoke wafted into the air as she lowered the pipe and looked at Nix intently. The two of them stood silently staring at each other, waiting for the first move to be made. Ronin slowly reached for the sword handle at her side, loosely wrapping her hand around it. In the next moment, she had drawn the blade and slashed it outward. There was a rush of wind then Nix felt a warm liquid trailing down her arm. She looked down and saw that there was a deep gash in her arm. She then looked over her shoulder, seeing that a great number of trees had been cut down in a horizontal line. Nix looked back at Ronin while trailing her hand along the cut, covering it with a thin layer of ice.
"So you are a swordsman....interesting." She said simply. Most likely, had it not been for her barrier, the slash would have cut her in half as well. She would have to be careful with this opponent. Ronin stood up, her sword held down at her side as she continued to stare at Nix. She then resheathed her sword and crouched down, preparing to attack again. Nix held her hands up in front of her as a magic seal appeared. Icy mist gathered and condensed into three shards but suddenly began to crack. The shards then shattered, forming into eight throwing needles. She grabbed four in each hand then threw them at Ronin. Ronin lowered her head while slowly drawing her sword. She then thrusted the blade at Nix, the force so great that a funnel of wind was formed. The funnel cut across the ground, leaving a deep groove as it rushed at Nix. A magic seal flashed out beneath Nix as her barrier reformed in time to block the funnel, though the barrier's effectiveness was clearly lowered. Ronin then skillfully deflected a majority of the needles....or so she thought. Thick ice began to spread like a plague across her blade. Three of the needles managed to find their mark and embed themselves into her armor, beginning to freeze it over quickly. Ronin let out a low grunt then sheathed her sword and once again crouched down in preparation to strike. Even as she readied herself, the ice continued to spread across her body. It would seem that she intended to take Nix down with her with one final attack. Nix had no intention of allowing her to do so, however, as she began gathering her magic once again and pointed her hands at Ronin. A magic seal flashed out in front of her hands then more barbs of ice rushed across the ring towards Ronin. Suprisingly, Ronin simply returned to her seated position, placing her pipe back in her mouth as the ice finally encased her completely. The barbs of ice suddenly burst into a fine ice powder and a slash split open on across Nix' stomach. Nix coughed up a mouthful of blood and stumbled slightly. She smirked slightly then licked away the blood and trailed her hand across the gash, covering it in ice. "A true swordsman, indeed." She said quietly. More servants came to carry away Ronin's frozen body as Nix stood patiently waiting for her next opponent.
"Nix has defeated Ronin! Her next opponent is "Gambler!" The registrar announced. A young man in a white overcoat stepped into the ring while shuffling a deck of cards. He then stopped his shuffling and held the cards facedown towards Nix in a fanned position.
"Pick a card, try you luck with...." Before he could even finish his sentence, Nix assaulted him with a barrage of both ice needles and ice shards, completely encasing him in ice.
"After fighting such worthy opponents during my first three matches, I have very little patience for the games of a boy." Nix said coldly as the servants came to drag Gambler's frozen body away. The registrar, as well as a great number of onlookers, looked in wide-eyed disbelief at how quickly and easily she had defeated Gambler.
"N-Nix has defeated Gambler! She has advanced to the final round against Paradox!" The registrar announced. Nix glanced around the ring, no one seemed to be entering to fight. It would seem that her opponent had not shown up. She suddenly became alert and looked behind her. Just as she turned around, a man was standing with his hands in his pockets looking her over.
"Well, well! Are you a pretty little thing! Looks like you got pretty banged up in this tournament, eh? Well, at least your face is still...." He stopped as Nix suddenly pressed her hands to his chest. Her magic seal appeared then a large barb of ice suddenly engulfed him.
"Your compliments are unwanted and dull, begone worm." She said coldly. She then smashed her hand into the barb. Upon pulling it out, she could be seen holding a ice-covered pocket watch. "This should serve as suitable proof for your defeat. Now, for the other four...." She whispered quietly as she made her way in the direction the losers had been carried off.
"Nix has done it! Nix has won the tournament! She is now the reigning champion!" The registrar yelled, causing the onlookers to erupt into wild cheers. Nix seemed to ignore the cheers as she made her way first over to Inferno. Rifling through his pockets, she found what she sought: his now unusable lighter. She then moved on to Dusk. She lightly chipped away the ice on his face enough so that she could retrieve his glasses. Her next target was Ronin, who's keepsake was obvious: her pipe. Lastly she moved to Gambler, taking one of the cards from his deck. She stood up, casting a brief glance at the registrar before leaving the forest. She made her way back to the Sabertooth guild and immediately headed to Jiemma's quarters. She knocked briefly on the door then stepped in.
"Master Jiemma....I have returned victorious. I have also brought proof of my opponents' defeats. I trust they are to your liking?" She asked, her head lowered as she presented the items to him.
Tue Apr 05, 2016 4:10 am by 
