Нэйко
05.03.297 — a brawl in honor of Deus Mariarnelia's birthday
Participants:
1. Milord Axel Von Himmel, Knight of the Gloomy Sky
2. Milady Chonchonlia Quintea, Knight of Milk Chocolate
3. Milady Alsira Vecchi d'Arcrede, Knight of the Moon Shadow
4. Milord Ambrose Turbon, Knight of Hegemony
5. Milady Nelia Vesta, Knight of Joy
6. Milord Lester Vargas, Knight of Dawn Steel
7. "Milord" Galaharadron, Knight of the Golden Coin
8. Sir Orvald de Martelam, Knight of the Golden Tower
9. Milady Alaria Doran, Knight of Catharsis from Lamento
10. Milord Yin, Knight of Serene Bliss from Kamkam
11. Milady Stefania Valentine, Knight of the Wind from Nevikata
12. Milord Avesom de Superior, Knight of Virtuosity
13. Milord Ferlyuts Secretgarten, Knight of Flawlessness
14. Milady Ninahisami Amanatenka, Knight of Truth
15. Milady Anastasia Frizmist, Knight of Cold
16. Milord Bigchad Goldenkreutz, Knight of Coveted Tremor
17. Milord Tarantos Radiaal, Knight of Valor
18. Milord Duncan Drozzdrang, Knight of Long Patience
19. Milord Candle Lanterna, Knight of the Swift Arrow
20. Milady Darkrushsh, Knight of Destructive Might
21. Milord Jason Whitecalm, Knight of Composure
22. Milady Rezara Sanjore, Knight of the Scarlet Blade
23. Milord Lorican Daleosid, Knight of Perfection
24. Milord Gingkink Ardelisot, Knight of the Crushing Blow
Since the knights of Albus openly declared that they intended to fight in an organized manner until only they remained, some knights, myself included, had to unite in order to eliminate the team that had formed.
My team included the knights Deus, Alaria, Orvald, Galaharadron, Nelia, and Alsira, whom we unanimously chose as our commander. The knights of Albus were led by Drozzdrang. Standing apart were the three knights of Swordgard who signed up right before the brawl began, with Rezara as their leader. Darkrushsh and Whitecalm formed a separate pair. And only the archers Candle and Chonchonlia decided to act in complete solitude, unwilling to cover anyone's back.
Judge — Milady Emilia Lane, Knight of Justice
As in previous mass battles, Lady Emilia decided to divide the event into rounds. At least until only two participants remain in the arena.
Round 1
Thanks to her agility, Chonchonlia seized the initiative. The Knight of Milk Chocolate shot at Drozzdrang, after which an explosive pumpkin materialized from her bow beside her, capable of setting anyone who dared approach on fire. Drozzdrang, in turn, struck Alaria. Presumably, the Knight of Catharsis had impressed the knights of Albus in the previous two battles, and the opponents decided to deprive us of one of our advantages.
Alsira soared aloft on her Moon and delivered a short inspiring speech that every member of the organized group heard. To an outside observer, it might have seemed strange how a group of people gazed spellbound at a beautiful woman, not riding a pegasus, saying something about "team spirit," "shared goals," and the like. But at that moment, we all felt a special solidarity.
Some of us, such as myself and Lester, shed a sparing tear, so heartfelt were the words of the Knight of the Moon Shadow. It seemed that every member of our team was ready to perform feats of valor! To some extent, it even affected the other participants. For instance, my keen ear managed to catch a short phrase from Rezara, who was looking at Alsira: "If only she were naked..."
As soon as Alsira finished, Axel grabbed his sword and, mounted on a wyvern, attacked Drozzdrang. And although the beast in no way pierced the defense of the Knight of Long Patience, the Knight of the Gloomy Sky, aiming at the head, dealt considerable damage, slightly blinding his opponent. After that, he immediately took up his bow and shot at Candle, whom he easily hit thanks to the element of surprise.
While Axel was pulling off his maneuvers, Lester hid in the shadows and, acting cautiously, attacked the Knight of the Swift Arrow. Two attacks missed, but one struck the hand with which Candle was drawing the bowstring. The Knight of Dawn Steel made another lunge, which led to an unexpected result. Candle dodged very nimbly and even managed to spray medusa venom into his attacker's face, but in the end he still fell, albeit on his own cruel terms. The visibly weakening tournament champion was forced to hide in the shadows.
Orvald attacked Avesom twice, landing only one hit, after which he retreated on the Bastion before the enemy could recover and strike back. Ferlyuts, in the meantime, successfully hurled a nail at Alsira's pegasus. What a brute!
Anastasia summoned an ice tiger as reinforcement, which managed to slightly demoralize Chonchonlia, Nelia, Alsira, Galaharadron, Yin, Ambrose, Whitecalm, Darkrushsh, Gingkink, Rezara, Lorican, Alaria, and Lester.
As for me, I decided not to put off a very dangerous opponent "for later." After Chonchonlia first agreed to join our coalition and then abruptly changed her mind without saying a word, I had no choice but to unleash a volley of two lightning bolts at her.
It is by no means about any grudge over "betrayal," nothing of the sort. It's simply that tournament experience showed that her endless pumpkins combined with her agility could at any moment play a most vicious trick on me. Moreover, while with the knights of Albus and some other fighters it was clear what to expect, she seemed the most unpredictable and therefore extremely dangerous. And so the Knight of Milk Chocolate left the battlefield, and I, having done the deed, flew closer to Axel.
He, meanwhile, twice attempted to strike Drozzdrang but did not succeed. The Knight of Joy proved equally unlucky. Nelia ran up to Avesom, assumed a defensive stance, and tried to hit him with her axe, but missed.
Alaria did not tarry either and attacked Drozzdrang, who had struck her earlier. Unlike the Knight of Hegemony, she landed a sword hit on him. She did not wait for a counterattack or try to continue fighting in melee. Instead, the Knight of Catharsis retreated, unsuccessfully hurling a knife as a parting gift.
Bigchad, who, as it turned out, knows the Tenerezza Con Forza technique, decided to destroy the pumpkin that was in his way. One vegetable was destroyed, but the second managed to do its dirty work — the Knight of Coveted Tremor caught fire.
The knights of Swordgard were not idle either. While Lorican assumed his now customary defensive stance, Rezara rushed forward but never attempted an attack before the gong. Gingkink, however, proved the most prompt. With a single blow, he knocked Yin off his horse, depriving our temporary alliance of an ally.
Galaharadron, instead of attacking, decided to strew the battlefield with pumpkins. Unfortunately, he paid dearly for it — the nimble Ninahisami, who first demolished the vegetable blocking her path, pounced on the Knight of the Golden Coin and disposed of him with a single sword stroke. After that, she struck Gingkink's horse twice. And once she had gotten rid of the Steed, she attacked Rezara. With her first blow she nearly overcame the Knight of the Scarlet Blade, but the second one Rezara managed to dodge in time.
Darkrushsh and Tarantos decided to take positions instead of attacking. Whitecalm, however, feeling comfortable in his spot, followed his partner and attacked Rezara, who nimbly dodged the arrow flying past as well.
Nothing more managed to happen after that — Lady Emilia struck the gong and announced a break.
