The Watchers Challenge

[ringmasterrob]

*Rob is unable to respond to Midnight's greeting as the two men with planks of wood take poorly thought out dives at him, far from needed to use magic or force on them he simply ducks and the men smash into each other, the resultant smash causing them to plough through a fish stall.*

"I trout they'll be repeating their behaviour in a plaice like this"

*Rob groans at his own pun, smiles at Midnight and then heads towards a larger group of brawling villagers, intent on stopping this brawl peacefully. There's been enough murder and needless death here already, without adding to it.*

[Coriolis]

*The sound of splintering wood and tons of stinking fish hitting the floor in a hurry are enough to distract Coriolis for a moment. In his heady rage at meeting the Atlantean from old, he had completely forgotten that Rhiannon was somewhere amongst the milling crowd of punches, Pikes....... And a few Guardsmen helmets. Strangely none of them carrying rank insignia...*

[Leytan]

*Leytan see's his chance and quickly unsheves The Atlantian seramonial Dagger he had bought from Ah Wok. Then it two quick flashes of the blade he carved a letter L in Coriolis arm, this time unlike Midnight the wound was deep enought to scare and draw blood, but there was something else the wound had a greenish tint to it.*

[ringmasterrob]

*RMR decides that, rather than deep freezing a huge crowd another method of detaining the few that are causing the most trouble would come in useful, using his command of the elements he manipulates the thick and ancient vines growing up some of the shops to shoot out and entangle the unlucky villagers. With loud protests the more violent few are plucked from the combat ground and held tightly above the shops, if they did break free a sharp drop would greet them. Sadly this does not have the desired effect of halting the riot, in fact with the stronger few stopped then some weaker people hiding join in full force without fear of being badly hammered.*

"Sometimes you just cannot win *shouts* YOU INGRATES!"

*Some people look round at the Ringmaster, taking him in. One guy whispers to his friend something about rushing him, the other man is set against it.*

Villager: "Rush HIM? he's an archmage!"

"Well actually that no longer fits my job description, I WAS an archmage but now elementalist is the word for it. Not perhaps as powerful in all areas of magic but the elements and gaia are my specialities."

*The first man decides this announcement proves Rob is an easy target and rushes him. Rob decides to make some weeds growing out of the cracked old paving stones rise up like a sharp nettle cage.*

"Yeah, good idea there smart alec, Elementalists are sooo weak. So weak in fact they can only trap you in a cage of nettles, like that's going to stop a criminal mastermind like yourself."

*Most of the villagers who saw this spectacle decide to cease rioting and quickly leave the marketplace, sadly a large proption of people are still going at it. Rob fits on a bench not yet broken by the conflict, takes a filled waterskin from a fallen market stall and sips it, watching the riot go on.*

[Midnight]

*Midnight has her face away from the magic of RMR and does not see the growing weeds but her 'chain friend' is distracted by it all. Midnight being the meek female she is stamps on his foot causing him to realise his mistake again someone lets go of their weapon. With speed Midnight wrap's the chain around his neck, bringing him to his knees.When he turns red she let's him go.He looks up to her and then makes a wise decision....and runs out of the market place at high speed.*

[Coriolis]

[Back across the Market place again]

*He jumps back reflexively from the pain of the impromptu tattoo on his arm. His right hand travels gingerely up to the distinctive cuts and wipes away what it can of the blood oosing out.*

*His head spinning like a waltzer, Coriolis crouches defensively and reaches for the Tiger that has so often given him the upper hand in the past... His necklace gives of it's familiar jade fire... and then suddenly winks out.*

*Coriolis the Watcher.... Janis - Keeper of the Night and Watcher of the endless Realms........ Remains Human....*

What....... did you do to me?!?

[Leytan]

*With a sinister smile Leyton replies as he slowly vanishes.*

Just giving myself a helping hand and you a little disadvantage.

*Mysteriouly as the voice also starts to fade as Leytan departs*

See you soon...tiger....

[ModNote: Continued in Open Shop.]

[Midnight]

*Midnight comes back into the ring. Her strength was wilting though her spirit strong.. She slowly approaches the still crouched Janis. As she get's closer she aim's her stave at his back at mid-swing she realises something is a miss and her aim goes off course missing him by centimetres...but close enough to let him know he's no longer alone...*

[Sylvester Hands]

* Hands is most annoyed - the wizard could ruin everything. He takes careful aim at Rob's head with his catapault and looses a stone and immediately runs away through the streets to another hiding place leading onto the market square so that they won't find him by seeing whence the stone came. *

[Coriolis]

*... and surprising him that he hadn't sensed her approach at all...
His staff cleaving a Midnight-free arc through the air, He hurriedly returns to some sembalance of a defensive posture.*

*And then the realisation hits... He can see her right there in front of him... but his senses detect nothing but the bottomless void.*

*The link, the precious mental link that both have been aware of since the beginning.... has simply vanished without trace.*

*Not wanting to risk losing yet more by losing the challenge, Coriolis starts whirling the staff at break-neck speed. He relies on instinct and guesswork as much as any true perception that he can muster. His years of training desperately trying to keep up in their weakened state...*

[Midnight]

*Though Midnight knows theres something amiss she can't quite put her finger on it and then when Janis starts to fight with new fire her mind places it at the back for it to be thought of later. Seconds pass by and Midnight suddenly notes that depite his speed his aim is off and many hit's miss her. Not that that's a bad thing...but it worried her...and that was her mistake.....*

[ringmasterrob]

*A stone hurls itself toward Rob, from the trajectory it was fired from he catches sight of it mere seconds before it impacts, just enough time to activate his power. Rob decides a second knock to the head in as many hours won't do his possible concussion any good. The stone hovers uselessly in the air, as if the laws of gravity had given it a direct order. In fact it was a direct order from an elementalist, mere stones cannot even disobey these. Then the stone plops down lifelessly to the floor. Rob frowns at it, it's shape and weight are perfect for a missile from a sling. He sighs a deep sigh and waves a hand, a sharp and uninviting nettle barrier rises up around the bench.*

[Phinehas]

*Phinehas calmly walks out of the shop and realizes that the riot is still going on.*

Do these people never tire?

*He leaps up in the air, grabs onto the jutting roof and swings himself up. He then jumps across the alleyway and lands on another roof. After picking a nice shadowed gable he crouches in the shadow and removes his bow from his back.... Time to finish this riot. He looks down at the two more skilled combatants in the middle of the marketplace and decides to let them fight it out. He then sees a couple of burly young men running up to take part in the brawling. He quick aim and quickly sends an arrow through the leg of the foremost, causing him to fall screaming and the other lad to topple over him.*

Maybe that'll give 'em something to think about.

[ModNote: Phinehas is next seen here.]

[Coriolis]

*...as one of the almost random shots strikes her a nasty ding across the back of her neck. Almost, but not quite, drawing blood.*

*The first is followed by a second and a third and fourth. The flailing Watcher giving the effect of an enraged threshing machine...*

*It only takes a few moments before the combined effects of the mercenarys blade and the dwervish attack take their toll before he slumps to the ground, breathing heavily from the intense exertion he has made in the last hour....*

[Midnight]

*but it is too late for Midnight. The several strikes had finished her off...her body had taken too much and she fell to the ground...her energy seeping away into the ground. Midnight looks over to Janis...though the body is to tired and beat..there is still defiance in her eyes.....but also the truth....she lost...*