MTG Salvation

**In a stone and steel walled off corner of the arena, eight men faces off.

Doggett, Sherwood, Dirk, and Quinn stood at one end.

Cebar, Puma, Astroso and Cadena stood at the other.

A gong echoes throughout the coliseum.

Cebar walked forward, whistling and twirling his sticks idly.

Puma charged in with a mighty battle cry.

Astroso drew his daggers and waited.

Cadena moved forward beside Cebar, a meteor hammer spinning vertically from his right hand, a chain dart from the left.

Sherwood raised his hands to the sky and....nothing happened..**

Sherwood - ....I think this place is warded against summoning.

On hearing that, Dirk immediately ran for his life, physically scouring the back walls for a way out.

**Doggett charged forward to meet puma. Suddenly shadows poured from a small black sword tattoo on the back of Doggett's hand and formed a blade and transformed into a crystal studded sword moments before they met, catching on of the oscaran's axes in a flash of light and crackle of thunder. Electricity surged into the blinded Puma through his axe for an instant before the axe and its owner were thrown back by rebounding force.**

Sherwood - What the hell Sin! Why don't may magics work?!

**From up in the stands, Sin shrugged.**

Sin - This is a fight of man on beast, we can't have people creating proxy fighters or taking control of the beasts.

**Sherwood hissed and turned to see Cadena approaching, and hissed.**

Sherwood - Damnit Mulciber! If you ever find out I actually did need this I'll never hear the end of it.

**Sherwood pulled out a small hammer pendant from beneath his shirt and pulls it from his neck with a brisk snapping gesture. As the chain breaks the pendant glows and forms into in incredibly massive sledge in his hands.

Cebar casually strides after Dirk, who was making no headway trying to scale the walls.

Quinn approached Astroso, water and mind daggers in hand **

Quinn - You good with those things?

Astroso - Quickest hands in the Alogeans.

Quinn - Somehow I doubt it.

Astroso - How about once we finish you lot off I'll go find that tasty piece in the armor. Show her just how fast they are.

Quinn - I doubt she's interested.

Astroso - If I cared what slatterns wanted I wouldn't be here.

**Quinns eyes narrowed.**

Quinn - Okay, lets dance.

Dirk exclaimed to cebar in panic, "Please don't hurt me!! I have kids!!" He continued to throw himself at the wall in vain until cebar was just outside striking distance, at which point he turned around and flattened his back against the wall, arms outstretched in a helpless gesture.

**Doggett and Puma clashed again and again, the school guard seeming to get the better of most of the encounters, his bleed weeping fire, electric and poison into Puma with every glancing blow.

Astroso and Quinn slowly circling around each other for a moment, then went in close, blade meeting blade in a blinding fast flurry of slashes, feints, stabs and dodges.

Sherwood, not sure what else to do, charged Cadena, hammer raised. The oscaran, with a quick jerk of his hand, sunk the chain dart into Sherwood's shoulder before he realized what was happening.

Cebar stopped and stared at Dirk.**

Cebar - ...Seriously?

Dirk committed to the act, by wetting himself.

**Sherwood grabbed the chain of the dart that had sunk into his shoulder and yanked on it with great force, pulling a surprised Cadena forward as the giant summoner tried to plow straight into him.

Quinn and Astroso kept dancing, until Quinn's eyes gleamed and suddenly Astroso found himself with an ice sword buried in his shoulder.

Doggett and Puma kept at it, a flurry of furious hacking and slashing that was hard to make out for all the imbue magics pouring off Dogget's sword.

Cebar turned away from Dirk and towards Sin.**

Cebar - Hey! It still counts if the one I kill doesn't fight back or anything right?

Sin - Um....yes?

Dirk cast Tip, creating tiny spikes on the ends of each of his fingers. He pressed his fingers together to make his hand a blade. He pushed off the wall with his left foot and threw his right hand forward, knife-like, into Cebars back. Above the hips, but below the ribs, to the right of the spine.

**Cebar was blindsided, and only save from being taken out by his leather armor. Dirk's tactic did pierce, wounding him and drawing blood. Cebar staggered forward, letting out a curse in what Dirk could only assume was Oscaran.

Quinn pulled his watermage sword from Astroso who fell to his knees limply. We prepared for a killing stroke, looking down on Astroso, who looked up at him...then grinned. As their eyes locked, Quinn suddenly froze as still as a statue, nearly vibrating as he struggled to move. Astroso began to rise.

There was a cracking down as Doggett's blade shattered one of Puma's axes. The oscaran staggered away, bruised, bloody, burned and...be-poisoned. Doggett gave no quarter and followed up with a slash at the oscaran's knee.

Cadena managed to swing his meteor hammer up and around, catching Sherwood in the chin with it moments before the two collided. This did not really go as Cadena planned however, as it resulted in a stunned and possibly unconscious Sherwood falling atop him.**

Dirk doesn't hesitate to take the advantage, this time using Tip to go for the back of Cebars right knee, and following it up by throwing a fireball at his left ankle.

**Cebar went to his knees, then pushed off and spun onto his ass, swinging backhandedly at Dirk as he did so, the sticks gaining a grey aura.

Cadena shoved the massive Sherwood off of on top of him, rose to his feet, and began winding up his meteor hammer again.

Doggett parried an awkward blow of the remaining axe as Puma fell to one knee, then in one smooth motion beheaded the oscaran cleanly.

Astroso moved towards Quinn slowly, one hand clutching his wound, other holding a wicked knife. **

Atroso - Little trick I learned from an atarin lass before I dealt with her, called it the Eyes of Stone. Helps make people more....accepting. Can't move, can't break eye contact, can't even blink. All you can do is-

**Suddenly Quinn's eyes went completely red and Astroso's knife hand was laying on the ground. Atroso looked in shock at the red, watery eyed Quinn. **

Quinn - Blur your vision.

Dirk moved the appropriate side forward, so that his tensed up arm would take the blow rather than any vital organs. Barring unusual effects from the Gray aura, he double cast Fireball modified by his Cultist Dagger, and threw them at Cebar, and stepped forward to continue to loom over his opponent.

**The gray aura did indeed have an effect, but it was of little difference if one actually intended to take the hit. The stricken arm screamed with pain and went momentarily dead from the impact, but the Halos Fireballs slammed into the oscaran's back and sent him flying forward onto his face.

Stunned, Astroso swung a wild punch with his bad, but still handed, arm. Quinn ducked under and stepped into it, catching it with his far arm as he stepped behind him. With a quick, brutal move, Quinn slammed his free arm and all his weight into Astroso's back, breaking the caught arm.

As Cadena went to bring the hammer down on Sherwood's head, Doggett slammed into him, tackling him to the ground.**

Dirk grimaced as his arm went dead, his eyes blurring from the pain, but he stayed standing. He stepped forward and stomped on cebars right hand, and threw another halos fireball at cebars head using his good arm.

**By the time Dirk got close enough to step on Cebar's hand, he managed to spin onto his back. Bad news was the stomp missed, good news it the Halos Fire slammed into his face, knocking him silly.

Quinn shoved Astroso to the ground, disarmed and beaten, and turned to survey the others.

On the ground atop Cadena, Doggett went to run him through, only for the chain that was wrapped about his foes chest to become animate, coil around his neck from behind and yank him back.**

Dirk quickly surveyed the situation. Quinn was still standing, his opponent not really struggling. Sherwood was Down, Doggetts opponent was still moving. So Dirk ran over to Doggett and tried to restrain the animated chain.

**By the time Dirk reached Doggett, the chain had separated from Cadena and looped around his ankles as well and as tightening at both ends.

Cadena got to his feet and moved to intercept Dirk, only for Quinn's force boomerang to fly past and cause him to go face first into the force field.**

Nervada - HEY! This fights almost over! This way people!

NtoO - About to get a bunch more for 'ya bro. You're holding out fine.

Nervada dashes into the fight, running up to Cadena from behind and chucking the 'rang into his leg. If it works, Nervada has Cadena try to trip himself while the Half-Garr sends a buffed flying kick into his back. [43]

**Pulled in by Nervada's call, Dany dropped down and rushed to Dogget to attempt to pull the chains off of him.**

**The trip maneuver works and Cadena goes down...meaning Nervada's flying goes flying right over him and the both hit the ground awkwardly.**

As Heulen entered this part of the arena, he ran to Cadena and attempted to crush his throat with his hands.
(BP: 20)

Nervada wastes no time homeguiding the 'rang back into his hand after it pops out. He then buff throws it at Cadena's head without getting up. [44]

Dany - "Doggett, are you okay? What happened to Sherwood?!"

**Cadena's throat gets crushed and the chain holding Doggett goes slack. Quinn joins the group as Doggett gasps and struggles to regain his breath and his feet. Sherwood lays moaning face down several feet away.**

Nervada pulls the 'rang back to his hand and gets up. That's when he sees it.

Nervada - That would do it! Mind if I borrow your hammer Sherwood?