Kyte vs Kiara

Setting: The contestants were transported to what seemed to be an 18th Century ship that was in the middle of sinking. However, close attention revealed that the ship had stopped sinking. It was perpetually afloat in that decrepid way. The bow was submerged, and some of the lower decks were leaking, but the rest of the ship was dry.

First Blood: Kiara

The shaman arrived somewhere aft in the lower cabins. The tilt of the deck caused her to slide forwards until she caught herself with levitation. She thought she had arrived in some house. That was until she smelt the sea. A house on water then. Extracting herself from an entrance-way, she found a few steps to lead her out into the open air.

She was not overly burdened with the need to know who her foe was and what they were doing. On her head was an elaborate mask and in her hand an ordinary wooden staff. She walked barefoot along the upper deck until she could grab hold of the taffrail. Then she looked over at the waters beyond. Nothing untoward there, and yet the ship was at a perilous angle. So her battleground was to be the cusp of cataclysm. Trapped within a moment of impending doom until one of their number perished. Fitting.

She may even consider this weird and wonderful world home-court advantage. She had, after all, spent a year of her life as a castaway. Kiara hoped her foe showed themselves soon so they could complete the proper introductions. It seemed appropriate to her, given the officialness of the venue and such.

Kiara smiled unseen at the greeting. Just because they must fight to the death, it did not follow they must show vitriol. Manners were important, "Very good! It is nice to see you again so soon. Please, call me Benighted." She could observe in him, thanks to her astral eyes, his magical potential. Lovely. Maybe they shared interests. The mask stared back.

"This battlefield is not as ridiculous as it first appears. I have seen many things in my time, and with my eyes, but never this." She pointed into a pocket of empty space, "There is the point of no return. And above it, the flight of hope. Nearby is the death of potential and the air of defeat. Behind us, no not behind you, behind us both simultaneously, is the moment of silence as caused by its remembrance. All of that and more trapped within a second. It is magnificent and beautiful."

Kiara moved unsteadily down the cant of the deck, one arm against the taffrail, "I can show you. I can allow you to see the things I see, with your permission." And with his permission would come a myriad of other unwanted things. She would have a connection to his spiritual energy. Not many creatures could fend off attacks directed at their very soul. Benighted had made up her observations solely to get the man's acquiescence. She was polite, not naive. This was battle.

A failure. Kiara tried not to feel too disheartened. It was a long shot after all. To get access to someone's soul was never easy. She would have to fight the hard way, a back and forth of blows to wear her foe down. She was in for the long slog. A more daunting a prospect now that her opponent was right in front of her. Still, he didn't seem the bloodthirsty typ- OHMYGOSHAGUNIDON'TEVEN!

Using her astral ability she propelled herself sharply sideways at sight of the firearm. The wooden rail broke like dampened wood was wont to do. She went sailing over the side of the ship. There was a pain in her left hip as she went but the fall quickly put her out of reach of any more bullets. In mid-air she inverted herself thanks to her levitation. A hand fell to her hip and came back with blood. Had she been putting any weight on it she'd be in agony.

Kiara reverse her momentum and flew back the way she'd come. She anticipated her foe would now loom over the side in search of her fallen and prone form. If he did it nearby she would be in a position to lunge for the weapon, maybe grab it and fuse a portion of her soul to it. That would make it impossible for anyone but her to touch and eliminate its danger. If, however, the opponent appeared too far away she would have to waylay him with her astral blast and then return to falling. Only the sea could provide her adequate cover.

And the question? It loomed.