Post by Zafirah Athanasia on Jan 5, 2009 17:40:30 GMT -5
It was early afternoon.
Overhead, the sun shone brilliantly, casting waves and waves of fierce heat on the tournament audiences. But even given such conditions, the bleachers were packed. It was the final day of the New Year Tournament, and today, the champions of each rank shall be determined.
A blast of trumpets shook the Colosseum styled arena, and the roar of chatters soon faded as all lent their ears to the tournament host, a bubbly sage whose charm is as deadly as her spells.
"Welcome to the New Year Tournament, ladies and gentlemen!" Waving excitedly at the audience, she announced gaily, her voice amplified by a convenient spell.
"The Bronze Class Champion had just been determined, and you all know who!" As if on cue, a series of loud cheering set off in the audience as fans screamed their support to the winner and the fans of the defeated champion grumbled in dissolution.
"And now, the epic struggle between players of all classes and races is nearing its grand finale, only six players remain!" A louder shriek raised over the bleachers, and the six players' names are raised to the heaven, nearly indistinguishable as fans chanted them as a single unit.
"These champions among champions, having demonstrated their prowess against countless others, shall now be facing one another in the three final battles of the New Year Tournament. Elysion, a brawler of the finest caliber, shall meet a powerful match in Bethany, a follow brawler. The two will compete for the Silver Treasure Chest!" Banners were waved in the air as fans cheered loudly for their champions. The guards could scarcely keep certain excited individuals from climbing down into the arena.
Turning a deaf ear to the guards' plea for help, the announcer continued, pouring oil to the flame. "And, for the Gold rank semifinals, the champion of lance, Chou, shall take on the wielder of bone staff, the undead sovereign Asura! And in the concurrent match, the Guild Master of The Kingdom, Queen, shall take on her rival, the famed Aerith of Eternal Land, Starchilde!"
This time, it wasn't just regular fans. The two guilds erected their lavishly made banners, flags, and all sorts of other posters, and rounds of God Save the Queen were drowned out by the loud shouts of the audience. This battle wasn't merely a matter of individual pride, it concerned the long standing rivalry of the two guilds, and both sides, bristling, were glaring daggers at the other and shouting until they lost their voice. The guards glanced around nervously, praying to dear heaven that a fight would not break out.
And then, a barred gate, much like those of Ancient Rome, raised up slowly. Breath held, thousands of eyes trained on the gladiatorial entrance, as the champions themselves slowly entered...
This time, the audience should be glad that Eternal Land only boasts 99% realism, else there would have been quite a few split eardrums.
Ushering the champions onto the stage, the sage allowed them a few seconds with the fans, for even with the magnifying spell, her voice could not drown out the deafening roar of the crowd. It took nearly a minute before the arena quieted enough for her to continue.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, these gallant champions before you, each the best of their classes, shall compete in the final three battles! As chosen by random drawings, Elysion and Bethany shall compete in the Arena of Fire!" The announcer gestured to the far right portal upon the stage, where an image of a volcano can be seen. The base of a volcanic mountain served as the main stage of this arena. Coal black rocks covered the rocky terrain, and peaking between certain unstable ingenious stones are sizzling lava. More than one player had taken a wrong step and saw their HP depleting rapidly.
"Chou and Asura, the Arena of Wood!" The arena, located in the center portal, was just as its name suggested. Dense vegetation covered the stage, and flourishing trees served as natural shields and shelters.
"Queen and Starchilde, the Arena of Water!" The third arena, located in the far left portal, included a imitation beach as well as a rocky hill. Whereas the beach is open and level, the hill sees a greater variety of trees, though the vegetation is not quite as thriving as those in the Arena of Wood.
"Champions, at the sound of trumpets, please into your respective portals. Each of you would start from either ends of the arenas.
As for the audiences, they would watch the digitally rendered versions of the battles, each of which are displayed on screens easily twice the size as those found in cinemas. Fully three dimensional, and automatically altered to offer the best angles, these digital reproductions offer an experience not much different from watching the real thing.
The trumpets sounded.
Overhead, the sun shone brilliantly, casting waves and waves of fierce heat on the tournament audiences. But even given such conditions, the bleachers were packed. It was the final day of the New Year Tournament, and today, the champions of each rank shall be determined.
A blast of trumpets shook the Colosseum styled arena, and the roar of chatters soon faded as all lent their ears to the tournament host, a bubbly sage whose charm is as deadly as her spells.
"Welcome to the New Year Tournament, ladies and gentlemen!" Waving excitedly at the audience, she announced gaily, her voice amplified by a convenient spell.
"The Bronze Class Champion had just been determined, and you all know who!" As if on cue, a series of loud cheering set off in the audience as fans screamed their support to the winner and the fans of the defeated champion grumbled in dissolution.
"And now, the epic struggle between players of all classes and races is nearing its grand finale, only six players remain!" A louder shriek raised over the bleachers, and the six players' names are raised to the heaven, nearly indistinguishable as fans chanted them as a single unit.
"These champions among champions, having demonstrated their prowess against countless others, shall now be facing one another in the three final battles of the New Year Tournament. Elysion, a brawler of the finest caliber, shall meet a powerful match in Bethany, a follow brawler. The two will compete for the Silver Treasure Chest!" Banners were waved in the air as fans cheered loudly for their champions. The guards could scarcely keep certain excited individuals from climbing down into the arena.
Turning a deaf ear to the guards' plea for help, the announcer continued, pouring oil to the flame. "And, for the Gold rank semifinals, the champion of lance, Chou, shall take on the wielder of bone staff, the undead sovereign Asura! And in the concurrent match, the Guild Master of The Kingdom, Queen, shall take on her rival, the famed Aerith of Eternal Land, Starchilde!"
This time, it wasn't just regular fans. The two guilds erected their lavishly made banners, flags, and all sorts of other posters, and rounds of God Save the Queen were drowned out by the loud shouts of the audience. This battle wasn't merely a matter of individual pride, it concerned the long standing rivalry of the two guilds, and both sides, bristling, were glaring daggers at the other and shouting until they lost their voice. The guards glanced around nervously, praying to dear heaven that a fight would not break out.
And then, a barred gate, much like those of Ancient Rome, raised up slowly. Breath held, thousands of eyes trained on the gladiatorial entrance, as the champions themselves slowly entered...
This time, the audience should be glad that Eternal Land only boasts 99% realism, else there would have been quite a few split eardrums.
Ushering the champions onto the stage, the sage allowed them a few seconds with the fans, for even with the magnifying spell, her voice could not drown out the deafening roar of the crowd. It took nearly a minute before the arena quieted enough for her to continue.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, these gallant champions before you, each the best of their classes, shall compete in the final three battles! As chosen by random drawings, Elysion and Bethany shall compete in the Arena of Fire!" The announcer gestured to the far right portal upon the stage, where an image of a volcano can be seen. The base of a volcanic mountain served as the main stage of this arena. Coal black rocks covered the rocky terrain, and peaking between certain unstable ingenious stones are sizzling lava. More than one player had taken a wrong step and saw their HP depleting rapidly.
"Chou and Asura, the Arena of Wood!" The arena, located in the center portal, was just as its name suggested. Dense vegetation covered the stage, and flourishing trees served as natural shields and shelters.
"Queen and Starchilde, the Arena of Water!" The third arena, located in the far left portal, included a imitation beach as well as a rocky hill. Whereas the beach is open and level, the hill sees a greater variety of trees, though the vegetation is not quite as thriving as those in the Arena of Wood.
"Champions, at the sound of trumpets, please into your respective portals. Each of you would start from either ends of the arenas.
As for the audiences, they would watch the digitally rendered versions of the battles, each of which are displayed on screens easily twice the size as those found in cinemas. Fully three dimensional, and automatically altered to offer the best angles, these digital reproductions offer an experience not much different from watching the real thing.
The trumpets sounded.