Duelist League: Setsuna vs Prophylaxis

    The town of Tolbana was bustling with activity, the summer festivals were coming, the new temple and all that it brough, and now they were playing host to the duelist league. This particular duel was between two members of the Scale Emblem alliance member and was really the only reason the townspeople of Tolbana had allowed such a thing to take place. The crowd was chatting away as the first contestant made his way on to the field of battle.
    As Setsuna walks out on to the battlefield he looks at the people around him and he seems a bit nervous to say the least. Perhaps it was because his last duel didn't go so well, or perhaps it had more to do with his opponent and what may be the necromancers fate if he loses.

Setsuna should maybe be a little less nervous than he actually is, given how much sleep (or rather, lack thereof) his opponent has been getting as of late. Prophylaxis squints through the thick shadows cast by the rim of his hat as if he could try and block out the glare of the sun. He wishes he could just have more tea, or maybe a nap? But then the dreams would come again, and there's nothing he needs now less than more nightmares.

So instead, he's accepted an opportunity to take part in a spectacle of violence. If nothing else, it's entertainment for the townsfolk and a good way to inaugurate the Igneous Temple. The Burning One would certainly look favorably upon a duel taking place right on her doorstep, wouldn't she?

Nevermind that this is at least partly an excuse to have a whole bunch of interesting ailments to cure. The more exotic the better.

And if things go well... he might have a proper test subject by the end of it. That'd be nice.

"I'm ready to go when you are," Prophylaxis says to the necromancer standing across from him. "Shall we?"

    Setsuna looks at the doctor and then the crowd before he speaks up, " Well then doc. Lets get started shall we." A magic circle begins to appear under him , as he takes a knee on the ground, " Spirit of the earth, heed my call, strike out at my opponent with your pillar of might." He places his hand on the seal as a pillar shoots forth towards the doctor's face. Setsuna would likely be spending time fixing the ground after all this is over.

    Wisteria hangs out and decides she should watch fighting even if she's not really in fighting mood or shape herself. So instead she'll hang out with her tallfriend and sip tea she took out of the tavern to watch dueling.

It's definitely not a fun experience being on the receiving end of a rock pillar to the face. Prophylaxis grunts as he's sent sprawling by the impact, but not before a wreath of flame erupts around him to absorb the blow. The flame shield fractures and shatters in a cascade of sparks that rain down over Setsuna, even as another magic circle winks open underneath him...

And a flash of bright light bursts in front of the necromancer's face simultaneously. A double-stack of debuffs are applied, as Prophylaxis mutters something under his breath about concussions and the vague feeling of being hungover.

    Setsuna was seeing stars but eventually it fades to just a matter of blurred vision. The other debuff though he didn't notice though, perhaps it failed. Whatever the case it appears the doctor is taking things lightly, " Don't hold back now, else you are going to disappoint the crowd. " He shouts as he slams another hand on the ground, with the glowing magic circle, sending another pillar at the blurry figure he hoped was his opponent and not his target. "Perhaps you are holding back because of that oath of yours?" Setsuna's mouth keeps running as he begins to ready his next attack and finds them locked down, an ill omen indeed.

"I've got other things on my mind," Prophylaxis replies from just behind the spot Setsuna was aiming. The stone pillar smashes into a cage of raised granite which absorbs a majority of the impact and crumbles away, leaving the doctor flickering with fewer red damage markers than might have been expected. "But I suppose it's a poor excuse. Though regardless, you should watch your step."

Because something vaguely vine-shaped lashes out from underneath Setsuna's heel and goes to bite into his ankle like a striking rattlesnake with a mouth full of venom.

    The necromancer reacts the moment he feels the pressure of the bite but it is already to late as he can feel the effect of the poison. A wall of wind expands around him ripping the venomous vine creature from his leg and shredding it to bits as he looks at the doctor. " Don't worry about me now, its just a little bite." The wind from the shield disipates around him as he begins to draw magical particles towards him, the effect causing his eyes to glow as he stores the energy for the next attack. " Glad to see you have a little bite infact."

Prophylaxis wastes no time while his opponent is occupied. Charging up an attack is all well and good, but it does no good if it leaves you open. The doctor swiftly sweeps his hand out of his sleeve. A thin, silvery dagger-- no, a scalpel-- streaks across the gap between them at breakneck speeds. It's an opening prelude, a means to disrupt and distract before...

That... certainly is a fireball that he's got forming at the end of his staff.

"Don't discount little bites. Infection can set in from even the smallest wound if you don't take care," Prophylaxis advises as he swings his staff down like a hammer. The fireball sails forth, following shortly after in the wake of his thrown dagger...!

    A surprise occurs as the scalpel enters his personal space and a dark aura scratches his face , leaving a small trail of digital blood. The fireball takes a little extra though as Setsuna begins to chant, " Oh mother of nature, I call upon thee, lend me your breath. " As the spell finishes Setsuna is encased in a bubble of wind, and the dark aura mixing in as well as it create a dark wind around him. As he stands there with his glowing eyes and grins, "Is that all you got?"

"Nope," Prophylaxis sounds approximately unbothered as he flings yet another scalpel right into the wind-shield... And then follows up with another sweep of his staff. This time, though, there are /two/ projectiles, a pair of firebolts that sweep through the air and blast into Setsuna's barrier from oblique angles. Already, his staff is whirling, weaving another set of spells even as the previous set disperses into a haze of spent MP.

    Setsuna's bubble pops, quite literally as the scalpel pierces the bubble and hits him in the hip which breaks his concentration. "Damn." Seeing the fireballs he doesn't hesitate, to try to move out of the way, hoping to air walk out of there as quick as possible. However he was only watching the first ball of fire and gets roasted in the second one falling to the ground into a smoking ball. Gathering himself up and getting to his feet he looks at the doctor and shakes his head, " Well ok , I've faced your specialty now. Only fair you face mine." A familiar magic circle appears under him, " I call upon those who have fallen. I summon that which has made contract with me. Come forth my minions, rise." The magic in Setsuna's eye would drain away as the skeletons rise up, each of their eye sockets surrounding by fire as they charge towards Prophylaxis with their rusty swords drawn.

"I was wondering when you'd start actually living up to the title of 'Necromancer,'" Prophylaxis answers with a click of his teeth. This many soldiers... Will be difficult to defend against. Nevermind that their swords are positively filthy. Well, a wizard can only do so much against an army of undead like this one. And so he's at a crossroads.

Does he allow them to do whatever they'd like to him, stab him with their rusty blades and force him to invent a tetanus serum on the fly?

Or does he take extreme measures...?

Prophylaxis' lips tighten. Another sphere of flame ignites atop the head of his staff. "Okay," he decides, pointing the fireball... at his own feet. "Chicken it is then."

The undead legions charge.

Prophylaxis fires his fireball... at himself.

Being caught in a 30 foot burst of fire is not a pleasant sensation, he decides as the incendiary cloud fades, revealing him still standing, but smoldering amidst a ruin of shattered bones and ruined skeletal warriors. "Mm," he concludes, then taps the butt of his staff against the ground.

...And conjures a pillar of stone out of the ground, aimed right for Setsuna's jaw.

    The skeleton minions do there best to intercept the pillar heading towards Setsuna , however they fall apart on contact. However it did slow the attack enough for setsuna to raise a wall of earth infront of him. The pillar shatters the wall as the shrapnel flies back into Setsuna as he shakes off the shrapnel. " Just because I am a necromancer doesn't mean I shouldn't diversify. Sides you should watch your step. Don't want to be bit. " Underneath all the combat a skeleton of a snake would have made it way towards the good doctor and tried to sink it's fangs into the man's shin.

Yet more flame swirls around the Doctor of Tolbana, even as that skeletal snake manages to scrape his ankle with its venomous fangs. He makes a sound of mild consternation before another arc of fire sweeps down and disintegrates the bone serpent. "Well, I suppose it'll give me an opportunity to treat a poisoned wound one way or another. Still, I can't deny that this seems to be going poorly for me."

His answer is yet more firebolts. A pair of blazing projectiles dart through the air and go to slam into Setsuna's flanks!

    Setsuna attempts to use the earth itself to slide him out of the way, riding it as a skate board, before one of the bolts knocks him to the ground, his robes seared from the fire . " Elements of the earth, heed my call." Taking the moving dirt he sends it towards Prophylaxis, attempting to just hit him with the pile of dirt he had been hoping to use to avoid the attack. It wasn't really a clean move, or anything like that however its all Setsuna can think of doing at that moment.

Unfortunately for the doctor, an improvised move is just barely enough to send him into the red zone. Or rather, a combination of factors, from the creeping poison in his veins to the rapidly worsening sense of fatigue to the giant pile of earth crashing down into his face--

Is enough to see the Doctor of Tolbana struck to the ground and knocked well and thoroughly unconscious. He'll probably have to be content with just patching /himself/ up this time around...!

    The necromancer breathes a sigh of relief as he lays on the ground for a moment before he takes a deep breath and stands up brushing himself off. " I hope the league decides to comp armor repair. " He looks at his burnt and holey robes and shakes his head before he wanders over to the doc and looks at him. Taking a moment he 'tries' to rouse the doc before looking over to the judge on the sideline and shakes his head. The judge shouts to the crowd, " THE WINNER SETSUNA KIBO!" The crowd cheers and Setsuna looks at the sleeping doc, " Maybe this will snap you out of whatever has gotten in to you."