| G BRACKET Match 1 - Aaron Bartholomew Gandalf vs. Kid Icarus Gandalf the White meandered through the forested glades of Rivendell, hidden valley of Elrond Half-Elven. The elves had already located his opponent, near the river's ford, but there was much to consider as he headed in that general direction. With his gnarled thorny staff, and Glamdring, the Foe-Hammer at his side, he had little to fear from a small winged cherub, even if he had powerful arrows. Drawing near to the ford, Gandalf noticed a small form on the opposite side of the river. From its cries, it was definitely agitated. Kid Icarus had finally sighted his opponent, after being hounded and taunted by elven voices from the tree branches above him. Loosing arrow after arrow at the tall white-cloaked figure on the opposite bank, Kid Icarus was astonished to see his arrows slow, and fall into the river. Furious he flew towards the wizard, only to see a bit of fire leave Gandalf's hand. Trying to avoid the fire-spark, Kid Icarus dipped, and dodged, only to have the spark follow him. When he reached the middle of the river, the spark caught him, and exploded in a big BANG. As he fell into the deeper wilder rapids of the normally calm river, he couldn't help but noticing the lovely blue fire-rose that the firework had left as it exploded. Quickly crossing the ford, and following the river to a nearby bend, Gandalf was able to fish the unconscious cherubim out of the water before he drowned. Battered, bruised, with one leg and a wing broken, Kid Icarus was clearly out of the fight. Calling over the watching elves, Gandalf had them carry the small body off to Elrond, to keep entertained and immobile until his wounds healed. The judges allowed Gandalf's win, as his opponent was out of the fight, and would not be able to continue in the tournament. However they also advised strengthening the kill compulsion on such a powerful wizard. [Note: Kid Icarus is actually the 3rd warrior to 'lose' without actually losing his life. Xena is still alive, though 8 of 12 (Borg) advanced. Granted that is a different situation, but I believe Frankenstein is still falling in an endless hole in 'the ways,' and Jackie Chan advanced. So Gandalf's victory is complete.] Winner: Gandalf Match 2 - Brian Ailshie MacBeth vs Aramis Again the elvish singing is interrupted by two flashes f light. This time two men with swords face each other. One is dressed in a great cloak, tunic, and kilt. His head is a shaggy mass of hair and sits atop a thickly muscled body. His stance is that of one very familiar with brawling. He is MacBeth, the celtic duke. His opponent, aside from the similar weapon, could not be more different. He wears a frilly shirt, short pants and hose, covered by a bright blue surcoat. His thin face matches his sleek, but not weak body. His stance is almost that of a dancer. He is Aramis, the last of the musketeers. The two face each other and begin circling, slowly closing the gap. MacBeth takes a step forward and slashes a heavy blow at Aramis. But the musketeer is much two fast for him. Dodging aside he stabs his rapier into the Celt's thigh. Macbeth grunts and steps back, bringing his broadsword in front of him again. A thin trail of blood trickled down MacBeth's giant leg. Again the two circled. Aramis stepped forward, then jumped back as MacBeth's blade leaps over his head and crashes into the ground where Aramis had been. Lunging in again Aramis pins another hole in MacBeth's shoulder. This time as MacBeth steps back, he twists his arm, the heavy muscles of the Celt's shoulder rips the blade from Aramis' hand. Another stream of blood issued out from MacBeth's shoulder. Grunting in pain, he pulls the rapier from his shoulder and shakes himself to clear the pain from his head. However, Aramis didn't wait for all this. Seeing that he was now unarmed, he ran for a nearby house. MacBeth sees him step inside and follows him, both swords in front of him. As Macbeth enters the elvish dwelling, the lights go out. In the seconds that it takes to adjust to the darkness, Aramis rushes forward and plants his foot in the great Celt's crotch. MacBeth lets loose a high pitched grunt and Aramis drives his knees into MacBeth's chest, knocking them both to the ground. However it doesn't take long for MacBeth to recover, and brawling is definitely Macbeth's advantage. In a matter of moments MacBeth has wrapped his hands around Aramis' neck and is squeezing the life from him. As darkness starts to close in, Aramis grips his rapier, dropped on the ground when MacBeth's groin was hit. Quickly he thrusts it deep into MacBeth's ribcage. The thin blade pierced the giant Celt's heart, and blood instantly started pouring out on the floor. MacBeth's tremendous mass crushed down on Aramis' winded body. After a few moments, Aramis managed to pull himself out from under the bulky body, bruised and battered, but nonetheless victorious. Winner: Aramis Match 3--Mark Ailshie Kurgan vs. Harry Potter "Hey, look! It's Harry Potter, from Hogwarts' school!" "Wow! Here in the valley. Who would have expected it?" Harry waved uneasily. All he needed was an entire valley full of elves. He hoped they wouldn't all start banging their heads on the trees. But then, these elves seemed very free. Hermione would be so pleased. "Oh, Mr. Potter?" called one of the elves. "Be careful with the Kurgan. He considers himself a very tough man." They knew about his enemy? "Can you tell me what kind of wizard he is? What does he look like?" "Oh, I think you'll know him when you see him. But he's not a wizard. He's an immortal. To kill him, you'll have to strike off his head." Harry was appalled. "Cut off his head? I can't do that; that would definitely require dark magic. Besides, I'd offend my whole fan base." "Then what do you have a sword for?" Harry looked at his belt, and sure enough, hanging right beside his wand was the Sword of Gryffindor. He had used it once, but killing a Basilisk was quite a different matter than killing a human being. Maybe he could pretend it was Dudley Dursley. "But how can I . . ." but when Harry looked up, the elves were gone. In fact, the woods had gone quite silent. "So then," said a grating voice. "Are you the one? This shouldn't take long." Harry turned around and saw a tall man with a shaved head, wearing a leather jacket and a collar of chain mail. In his hand, he held a broadsword, and on his face was a large grin. "Run if you want to, boy. But your head is mine." The Kurgan raised his sword and attacked. Harry tucked his Firebolt broomstick under him and shot into the air. The Kurgan cursed and swung his sword at him. Harry grimaced. He could avoid him without much trouble, but how could he kill a human being? He couldn't use his wand for it--that was a good way to end up in Akbazan. The Kurgan roared in frustration as his prey flew away. One pf the elves, hiding in a tree, couldn't help laughing. The Kurgan hated to be laughed at. In a few seconds, the elf's head sailed across the valley, as its body slumped to the ground. That was enough for Harry. This monster had to be stopped. Harry whirled around and flew right at the immortal. The Kurgan raised his sword, and Potter drew his wand. "Reducio!" he shouted, and instantly, the sword was no bigger than a pencil. The Kurgan's mouth opened in dismay, and he threw the sword aside, and dived at the Broomstick. Potter sailed into the air, and waved his wand again. "Stupify!" he commanded, and the Kurgan stopped moving. Harry flew at him, drawing the sword of Gryffindor. He hesitated. Could he really cut someone's head off? Anybody's head? He hesitated too long. The Kurgan reached out and snatched away the sword of Gryffindor, and kicked Harry off his broomstick. The immortal laughed, and sliced the air menacingly. Harry tried to think quickly, but all he could think to do was to run and hide. He whipped out his father's invisibility cloak, and disappeared. The Kurgan cried in dismay, and swung where Potter had been only moments before. Of course, he was long gone. As the Kurgan cursed, Potter tried to figure out what he could do. He would have to find the Kurgan's sword and fight him with it. He hoped the Kurgan's reflexes were still Stupified enough to make it a fair fight. He picked up the tiny sword. "Well, this won't do," he whispered. "Engorgio!" With a suddenness that surprised him, the sword swelled to it's normal size, then twice it's size, then four times! "Oh no!" said Harry, as he dropped the now-too-heavy sword. Such a display would surely have told the Kurgan where he was. But the Kurgan didn't attack. Potter looked up at him smiling at him. And suddenly his head fell off. It seems that when the sword grew, it sliced right through the uncut part of Kurgan's neck. The battle was over. But not quite. Suddenly, a blue mist crept out of the Kurgan's body, and lightning struck the ground. Harry screamed and tried to run, but the "quickening" hit him, and he writhed in agony. But when it was over, he was still alive, and none the worse for wear (in fact, a much better swordsman, if that skill ever becomes necessary). Winner: Harry Potter Match 4 - Brian Ailshie Headless Horseman vs. Mufasa A flash of light and a lion's roar breaks the quiet of the valley of Rivendell. A greatly muscled, tawny colored lion with a bright red mane leaps from the underbrush. He is the King of beasts, master of Pride Rock, the great Mufasa. He strides along a thin path searching for his adversary. A short distance away, another flash of light appears and a voice calls out, take the head of the great lion! A small object flies out and lands on a rock in the midst of the ford of Rivendell. Then suddenly a massive jet-black stallion leaps from the portal of light, carrying a tall warrior cloaked in black as well. A lantern is in one hand and strapped to his waist, a long sword. But the most frightening aspect of him is above his shoulders, for he rides with NO HEAD!! He is the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow, and fear rides in his wake. The voice and the bright light, attract the mighty hunting lion, and Mufasa races along the path to the outskirts of Rivendell. Shortly the path he is following joins with another broader road. Mufasa circles once sniffing the air and the trodden dirt. His head lifts and he darts down the road toward the sound of water. He slows when he hears the sound of approaching hoofs. Mufasa crouches low and slips into the underbrush. Before long, the rider draws near. As soon as he begins to pass, Mufasa leaps out with a deep basso "RRRROOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!!!" A swipe of his mighty paw and the horse tumbles down, Mufasa takes little time to tear into the steeds soft underbelly, ripping chunks away, blood dripping from his fang filled maw. He looks up from his meal nearly too late as the horseman's sword cleaves across Mufasa's chest. The Lion King yelps in pain, and leaps back, but only for a moment. Again he dives at his foe swiping with his sharp claws. However, the Headless Horseman's sword is much longer and his reflexes are superb. He chops off the lion's paw and takes his head on the return swing. The King of beasts falls to the ground next to the dead horse. The Headless Horseman has lost his mount, but the match is over. Winner: Headless Horseman. Match 5 - Cindy Witmer Bavmorda vs Toad Residents of Rivendell looked up uneasily at the approach of a tall figure in black robes. It was a woman, but the ugliest woman they had ever seen. Furthermore, her crazed muttering and twisted smile hinted of black magic that had heretofore never entered the haven of Rivendell. Though she seemed fairly oblivious to their presence, the elves hurried away from her as fast as possible. Bavmorda cackled. So she had been placed in an unfamiliar location with no instructions other than to kill someone. This place was no problem for an enchantress of her powers, and killing was what she did best particularly helpless, defenseless, fawning creatures. This toad-man, no doubt, would be no more difficult than any of the others. She clutched the black folds of her robe pleasurably at the thought of yet another victim falling to her superior powers. Toad was watching the old crone curiously from his perch in a tree, where he had immediately hopped up as soon as he arrived in this peculiar place. He had long since discovered the advantage of high places, where he could better see his opponent without being spotted himself. So far, the only thing the crazy lady had done was dodder about the field and cackle to herself; some opponent. Just as he was about to jump down and finish her off with a spray of slime in the face, the nutty woman halted in her tracks, sniffed the air, and shrieked, "Where are you, toad-man? You're lurking around here somewhere; don't think you can hide from me!" She peered around the field with wild eyes. Toad considered his choices. If the old loon was bluffing, he had best stay hidden until she calmed down, and then he could surprise her. If she really did sense him, however that could be, he would not stay hidden long anyway. Meanwhile, the shrieking continued, and Toad winced. He'd like to see her suffocated this instant, just so she would stop that horrid noise. "Come here, fool!" Bavmorda cried. "I will kill you!" Toad reasoned that whether the woman was bluffing or not, he might as well just take care of her now. He waited until she wandered just below the branch where he was perched, then hopped to the ground in front of her. Before she had a chance to react, he spat on her face. Slime covered her eyes, nose and mouth, thick, sticky and deadly. Toad grinned and watched her struggle. It had been almost too easy. Then, suddenly, the slime was gone. Toad stared in astonishment and dismay as the old crone wiped her mouth in disgust and resumed her shrieking. "Fool! Did you think something like that could stop me?" Toad could only gap and wonder what had happened. Was this nut a mutant as well? He couldn't imagine what sort of powers would allow her to completely obliterate material like that. Whatever it was, she was far more powerful than he had imagined. And before he had a chance to reconsider his choices, he had been blasted against the trunk of the tree by an invisible force stronger than Magneto's power over metal. The wind knocked out of him, Toad collected his thoughts. Never mind how the witch could do anything of this; the most important thing was to avoid any future blows. His tongue wouldn't be of much use, unfortunately, but that wasn't important. Dodging, at least, was something he was very good at. Bavmorda hissed with frustration. The toad-man was very quick, she had to grant him that. She could see where he had gotten his name, judging from the lightening quick jumps and hops he negotiated to dodge her blows. She would have to try something more insidious. Pondering for a moment as the toad-man continued to leap and dart about, Bavmorda smiled and spread out her hands, muttering a charm in an unspeakable tongue. The toad-man began to twitch and writhe, for this kind of charm was something he could not dodge. Bavmorda let out a triumphant cackle. Then she stopped. The toad-man had ceased his twitching and rose from the ground. "Trying to turn me into something, are you?" Toad grinned. "Guess being a mutant won't allow that. See, I'm already a freak, so what can you do?" The old witch gasped and began fumbling at her cloak. "The spell backfired somehow," she muttered. "The toad-man, he resists my transformation charms. It's not right!" she moaned, sensing a great injustice in all this, but helpless to fight it. "Backfired, you said?" Toad looked at her with interest. "You mean whatever you tried to do to me is going to happen to you?" Bavmorda ignored the taunts of the toad-man and tried to ward off the spell, but it was useless. She was powerless against her own powers. She could feel her strength waning, her body shrinking. Toad, seeing she was defenseless, came closer and watched with interest as she slunk to the ground, growing smaller and smaller, her skin turning an odd shade of green. "What were you going to do to me?" he demanded, but the witch could no longer speak. Her body was shrinking, changing shape. And Toad stared in a combination of wonder and amusement as his opponent transformed into a fat, warty toad. "Well, hello there," he grinned. "You're a lot less annoying now that you can't make noise." A loud, indignant �ribbit� emerged from the former enchantress. "I take it back," Toad amended. "Still," he mused, "I just don't feel right destroying you. I'm sure you'll find a nice home in the river back there." Frantic noises emerged from the toad, but Toad ignored them as he picked the animal up. He soon discovered the river he had hoped to find and plopped the toad in it. Unaccustomed to her new form, however, Bavmorda quickly drowned. Winner: Toad Match 6 - Robert Newell The Mask vs. Two-Face Two-Face was becoming very irritated. Those annoying creatures were chattering and laughing and generally getting on his nerves. He pulled out him tommygun and sprayed a few dozen rounds into the crowd of elves. A few were injured but none were killed. They all scurried away from this crazy and powerful human. Much better, Two-Face thought, now all was quiet. Now he was ready to find his opponent. All of a sudden, there was more laughing. Two-Face turned around to see what elf dared to return. It was not an elf, but a man with a green mask on. This must be him Two-Face thought. The Mask was laughing hysterically at the elves. He did not think that he had ever seen anything as funny as those elves in all of his life. He was totally unprepared as Two-face plunged a dagger into his back. Unfortunately for Two-Face, the dagger did nothing. Two-Face was surprised that the Mask was unfazed by a knife probing his left kidney, but he was not surprised enough to stop attacking. He got the Mask in a full-nelson and tried to knock him out. The Mask laughed and did a somersault with Two-Face on his back. Two-Face roared in pain as the Mask rolled over him. The Mask then jumped up quickly trying to shake off his assailant. He threw off Two face, but Two-Face was holding on firmly to what he thought was the Mask's head, but what was actually the mask itself. As Two-Face was thrown, he ripped the mask away. The dagger started to do its work as the mask was torn off of Stanley's face. He crumpled to the ground bleeding and died a few minutes later. Two-Face was thrown quite a ways. As he smacked into the ground the mask was thrown straight up. The capricious magic of the mask made it land right on the back of the unconscious Two-face's head. The crazy magic of the mask warped Two-Face's already insane mind. He came to as the mask finished melding with his head. The merging insanities greeted each other and Two-Face yelled his new name to the startled watching elves. "Here's Three-Face!" Winner: Three-Face Match 7 - Aaron Bartholomew Leonardo vs. Wolverine Leonardo, leader of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ran along he trees' limbs, moving stealthily, showing his mastery of the ninja skills of prowess. Only rarely could the pointy-eared inhabitants of this peaceful river valley catch a glimpse of the green-shelled amphibian prowling through their forest. He was listening, ever listening, the few times he had been sighted, these "elves" had burst out in song. It stood to reason that any that spotted his opponent would do the same. He wondered briefly if elves were any relation of the Neutrinos, some of his friends who also liked fun, music, and were of the pointy-eared variety. Continuing his search of the forested river town, Leonardo heard from far away the singing of more elves, accompanied by harp music. It continued and he headed in the direction of the music. Drawing nearer, still hidden amongst the trees' foliage, he was able to hear the elves' song. More importantly, he overheard a low growling, "Keep it quiet, up there". Moving cautiously, he positioned himself behind the short man dressed in black and yellow spandex (but hey, a turtle can't comment about fashion). Silently dropping down behind Wolverine, Leonardo dealt what should have been a killing blow. Wolverine was already out of sorts from arguing with the elves when he was thrown to the ground by a heavy blow to his back. It felt like he had been, well, skewered from behind. Fortunately it appeared to him that the skewer had been unable to penetrate the bones in his back, which meant it was just a flesh wound...it should heal quickly. It was a good thing, perhaps, that Wolverine didn't actively think any of this. He felt the blow, smelt his own blood, and became more than slightly enraged. Six adamantium claws quietly rasped as they flashed in the low light. Now far from rational, Wolverine rolled over and leapt at his assailant, "GraaaaaAAAA". Leonardo was, to say the least, surprised. Not only had his blow failed to kill his oddly attired opponent, but the man hadn't even acted wounded. Then there was the issue of the claws coming out of the man's hands. Which were coming straight at his head. For a brief moment, turtle nature overtook ninja mastery, and Leonardo withdrew his head back into his shell just in time to hear the claws thunk into the tree behind him. Directly where his head would have been. Losing no time, Leonardo rolled out of range of the claws, only to be attacked again. Parrying skillfully he managed to catch the other's claws a glancing blow with one of his katana, deflecting them. And screamed when one of the claws notched his blade. Those claws were made of something sharper than a katana's blade!! Dodging, jumping, and attacking, Leonardo tried to use every move he could think of to evade those claws. Wolverine had seen the turtle's reaction to his claws, and their effects upon the other's swords. In his enraged frenzy of attack, this took a while to sink in, but when it did he gave a rough bark of laughter. While blocking one deadly strike from the turtle's kantanas, he caught it a blow from his mighty claws, cutting through the blade, and leaving the turtle with just a hilt and the stump of a blade. Leonardo promptly threw it at him, but Wolverine managed to deflect the projectile. Leonardo took advantage of this to strike a blow at the other's calf, piercing it slightly before he had to withdraw to defend himself. Now it was his katana against the other's six deadly claws. A few seconds later, his other katana was sundered as well, protecting the turtle's head from a fierce blow. The next blow left gouges in Leonardo's shell, and soon Wolverine's claws tore a gaping hole in Leonardo's shell and stomach. As Wolverine staggered away from the Turtle's corpse, he again felt the slash on his back, and the slight pain in his leg. Almost healed, the wounds only bled slightly as he slowly walked away. Soon they would be completely healed. Winner: Wolverine Match 8 - Mark Ailshie Khabarakh vs. Tendril "Why, it's Khabarakh the Noghri, here to fight in the tournament!" "Well, I'll be! He's a short little guy, isn't he!" Khabarakh was really starting to dislike these elves. They seemed to know everything about him, and Noghri still lived by their secrecy, although not as much as when they were the Emperor's hidden death commandos. Khabarakh inhaled deeply. With all the strange smells here, he was having difficulty sorting out this "Tendril" character, and the Elves were not being helpful. He loosened his blades in their hidden sheaths, and walked on, trying to avoid the elves. Suddenly he realized that the elves had stopped talking. He looked up to the trees, and suddenly a thick green tentacle whipped down at him. Khabarakh sprang aside, narrowly evading it. The tentacle shot back into the trees, and Tendril leapt to the grassy ground. Khabarakh wrinkled his nose. How could he have missed that? Tendril is about five feet tall, a green mound of vaguely vegetable matter with black eyes and a huge mouth that goes quite literally from ear to ear. His long green arms end in greasy tentacles that drag for a foot on the ground behind him. With a guttural snarl, Tendril whipped his right arm forward. As he did so, the arm extended some ten feet, narrowly missing the Noghri's eyes. Khabarakh growled. This shouldn't be too hard. He advanced with a feral roar, slashing with his claws at the whip-like arms. He missed one in his fury, and it shot like lightning around his middle. URK! Those thin little arms were strong! Khabarakh struggled to get breath back in his body, and found himself hovering some six feet in the air. The other tentacle latched around his left arm and tried to tear it off. Khabarakh fought back and struggled to get free. Finally, he reached the knife hidden in his sleeve and slashed viciously at the thick cords around his body. They fell away, and a high-pitched shout came from Tendril's direction. Khabarakh dropped to the ground and landed on his feet. Not bothering to catch his breath, he leapt at his opponent and struck with a flying kick between his eyes. Tendril fell backward, stunned. Khabarakh slashed him across the throat and rolled away to catch his breath. As he watched Tendril's arms flailing madly, the Noghri couldn't help but notice that they were healing themselves. Tendril was still gurgling on the ground, but he was plainly still alive. Khabarakh leapt to his feet, and whipped out his blaster. He usually preferred to kill with his own hands, but a plant-based life form ought to have trouble healing a blaster-bolt. The elves covered their ears at the sound. Winner: Khabarakh ROUND 2 Match 1 - Alexander Strub Gandalf the White vs. Aramis the Musketeer Gandalf felt right at home in Rivendell. It was always peaceful here, well up until recently at least. Gandalf did not really feel comfortable with the senseless killings taking place, but knew he had no choice but to at least defend himself. At least he could make his opponent's defeat and potential death as painless as possible -- unless of course, the opponent was of Sauron�s caliber. Aramis walked along the narrow streets in the Elven city. The tall blond, pointy-eared individuals looked at him cockeyed. Most humans they saw were arrayed in crude armor with scruffy hair and beards. Aramis, with his flowery plumed hat and fanciful doublet and neatly trimmed Van Dyke style mustache and beard looked quite out of place. And that odd rapier of his was certainly no match for the enormous broadswords and battleaxes wielded by the men of Gondor. Still, it was standard uniform for a musketeer of his majesty, King Louis XIII of France, and Aramis was satisfied with it. He strolled along, gradually ignoring the oddly clothed elves. He neglected to watch where he was going, and bumped right into a tall, white bearded, white robed man in a wide-brimmed white hat. "How dare you bump into me! Insolent dog! I challenge you to a duel!" Aramis obtusely proclaimed. "An unwise move, my friend." the wizard Gandalf responded. "I pick my friends carefully, you churl, and you are certainly not amongst them!" was Aramis' reply. "Are you certain you are making the right decision, young man. You are still young and inexperienced." said Gandalf wisely. This seemed to anger the Frenchman even more. "INEXPERIENCED?! I have fought in the Royal Musketeers for nigh onto two decades! I'll not stand for more of this, ruffian! EN GARDE!" Aramis drew his sword. "I am older than you can possibly imagine." replied Gandalf. "You would do well to put that blade away-" The wizard was interrupted as Aramis waved his rapier around. "You leave me no choice, I am afraid." Gandalf said regretfully as he raised his staff. Strange bolts of white lightning shot out of the wand, freezing Aramis where he stood. "Touche," said Gandalf before vanishing. The judges declare that since Aramis is indefinitely incapacitated, he is out of the tournament. The victor is Gandalf the White Wizard! Winner: Gandalf the White Match 2 � Brian Ailshie Harry Potter vs The Headless Horseman (minus the horse) Harry was still shocked that he had killed someone. Sure it had been an accident really, and the guy had been trying to kill Harry, and he had also killed that elf, but still . . . Suddenly a fearsome cackle of laughter echoed out from the trees behind him. He swung around, the sword of Gryffindor in his hand. A monstrous being in a black cloak loomed out of the shadows and swung his sword menacingly. The Headless Horseless-man laughed again. He would destroy this boy with ease. No one could stop him. Except who ever held his head. The Curse was strong now for him to take this little boy's head and separate it from his shoulders. "This should only take a minute" the phantom thought. Charging ahead he attacked with a side swipe. The boy half parried, half ducked, and fell to the ground. Stabbing at the ground The headless one followed as Harry rolled away. Suddenly the ground gave way beneath the boy and he fell into a river below. Harry stumbled to his feet as quickly as possible. The man picked his way carefully down the slope and Harry backed away more. His feet slipped a bit and he looked down into a pool in the river. "YUCK!" Harry grunted and moved away from that too. Attacking again the Headless one swung and battled mercilessly. Amazingly the boy managed to block every swing and slice! Oddly the boy seemed to be as stunned by this fact as did the Headless Horseman. He was backing him up though. With a kick the Headless one sent the boy tumbling over a short fall. Unfortunately the boy missed the sharp rocks at the bottom of the fall and the fast current dragged him away. The Horseman would have to follow as best he could. Harry struggled to get to shore. Finally, pulling himself up with both hands and kicking for all he was worth, Harry pulled himself up to see and elf waiting for him. "I think I'm a goner this time. You better split before that headless guy hurts you too." "The Headless Horsman? Oh, I wouldn't worry about him. He's all wet. To beat him all you have to do is give him back what he has lost. Here, you'll want this." With that the elf handed him his broom. As Harry stared at it in shock, the elf disappeared. Harry thought and thought. Then when he heard that cackle again, he suddenly yelled "I know what to do!" and leaped on his Nimbus 2000. As the headless horseman howled in rage, Harry rocket to the air. However he was back in less than two minutes. A small round shape fell from his hand toward the evil one. "Here you go sir." Replacing his head, the horseman leaped into a tree and vanished forever. Winner: Harry Potter Match 3 � Robert Newell Toad vs. Three-face (Two-Face + the Mask) Three-Face was a mess. He had several insane personalities running around in his head. None of them were really in charge, so he was really just wandering aimlessly. He didn't even notice when Toad came hurtling through the sky to land on his head. Three-Face crumpled to the ground. Toad leaped away, amazed at how easy that was. Three-Face was only stunned however, and he got up. Toad proceeded to beat mercilessly on his irrational and nearly incapacitated opponent. Eventually, Toad spat his mucus/venom in Three-Face's face. Struggling for breath, he tugged at his face. His hands met the Mask and it came off easily. Without the power of the Mask, Two-Face quickly succumbed to the beating that Toad was administering to him. Toad did not see the Mask as it was covered in slime. He passed by looking for his next opponent. A passing elf did see the mask though. He sensed the great magic in it, and the Mask called out to his soul. After he wiped it off, he placed the Mask on his head. Winner: Toad Match 4 � Brian Ailshie Wolverine vs. Khabarakh Wolverine grunted at his opponent. He must be some kind of mutant. An odd one though, he really didn't look human. His skin was a grayish color and his mouth was full of needle-like teeth. He was a little guy though, so this shouldn't be too tough. Khabarakh grunted at his opponent. The human was obviously a fighter. His stance and the look in his eyes proved that beyond any doubt. However, Khabarakh had yet to meet his match in hand-to-hand combat. Circling he closed in on the man. When his opponent began circling, Wolverine followed suit. After half a circle, Wolverine leaped at his opponent his right hand held over his head as if to swing it down on the little guy's noggin'. Instead, he extended his claws in his left hand, which was held forward, to pin the alien's shoulder to the tree behind him. At least that had been the plan. Instead the alien moved aside so quickly that Wolverine's claws stuck into the tree limb, effectively pinning him there! Khabarakh dodged aside easily, though the claws extending from the man's fists had been a surprise. Jabbing the man in the kidneys, he brought his arm down on the man's elbow with force enough to break the arm. Or it should have broke. Instead Khabarakh's arm tingled like he had karate chopped a parasteel beam! Whatever this guy was, he wasn't human! Wolverine pulled his claws from the tree and smiled at his opponent. The guy may be fast, but no one enjoys karate chopping Adamantium! The little guy held his arm loosely. Most likely it was broken. Stepping to his left, Wolverine swiped with his right claw hoping to gut the little guy and get this over with. Instead, grey-skinned mutant grabbed him with his good arm and actually tossed Wolverine over his shoulder! Man, this little guy was fast and strong! "What are you?" Wolverine gasped as he leaped to his feet. "Noghri. You will die!" Khabarakh snarled back. Jumping at the Noghri again, Wolverine kicked at his head. Again the little beast snatched him out of the air. This time he tossed him straight down and leaped on his chest. He grabbed both of Wolverine's arms and started forcing them to point at his own chest. Wolverine retracted his claws before he hurt himself. He may have unbreakable bones, but his muscles were still human and this guy was stronger, much stronger. Getting desperate, Wolverine swung his foot up at the back of the Noghri's head. Even if he had connected, he didn't have the leverage to do much damage, but that wasn't the point. Just as the guy crouched forward to miss the kick, Wolverine pulled him forward and smashed his head into the guy's face. He felt some of the teeth pierce his skin, but that would heal in time. Quickly, Wolverine pivoted on his shoulders and rolled so that he was now on top of his opponent. A second later and his claws extended out again and stabbed through the beast's chest. The creature's eyes bulged and a gurgle escaped his lips before he went limp. Standing up, Wolverine hoped his next fight wouldn't be this hard. Winner: Wolverine ROUND 3 Match 1 � Mark Ailshie Gandalf vs. Harry Potter Harry soared through the air on his broomstick. Suddenly, he spotted a tall old man in a white robe with a long grey beard. The man was watching him. "Dumbledore?" thought Harry, and circled to land in front of him. Once he had a good look, though, he realized his mistake. "You're not Dumbledore!" Gandalf shook his head. "I'm afraid not, young wizard. As much as the truth will pain you, Dumbledore is only a pale imitaion of me. I am Gandalf the White." Harry leaped on his broomstick, and Gandalf gestured with his staff. The Broomstick jumped forward, pitching the boy into a tree. The broom sailed off into the sky, leaving Harry dangling from a branch. Harry drew his wand. "Windgardium Leviosah!" Harry floated gently to the ground. Gandalf drew Glamdring and advanced. "Expeliarmus!" Glamdring sprang from the surprised wizard's hand and sailed across the clearing. But Gandalf gestured with one hand, and Harry's wand leaped into the elder wizard's hand. Harry gaped. "Sorry about this, son." Gandalf pointed his staff, and Harry fell to the ground, paralyzed like Neville Longbottom after the Full Body-Bind spell. But Gandalf hadn't said a word. He leaned over Harry's prostrate form. "One day, my boy, you too won't need words to do your magic for you." The old wizard smiled, dropped Harry's wand at his feet, and strode off to retrieve Glamdring. As usual, Gandalf refused to kill an innocent opponent, but the judges rule that he has won anyway. Winner: Gandalf the White Match 2 � Brian Ailshie Toad vs. Wolverine Wolverine had been busy fighting Mystique when Toad had showed up back at the Statue of Liberty. But Cyclops, Jean and Storm had told him about the guy. They made him seem real tough, taking on all three of them before Storm put him out with a lightning bolt. But Wolverine knew no fear. He would dispatch the Tadpole as easily as all the rest. Toad knew his best chance was to sneak up on his opponent and blindside him. The guy was made of adamantium, so he knew he couldn't beat him straight out, no matter how good Toad's martial arts skills were. Then, he saw him, the fool wasn't even looking upward. With any luck, he would pass directly under the tree Toad was in any moment now. Gurgling softly, Toad began coating his tongue in his special mucus. When Wolverine was directly below him, he lashed it out. In seconds it had wrapped itself around the stupid X-Man's entire body. Dropping down on him, Toad used the force of his drop and weight of his body to knock Wolverine to the ground. Toad spit a few more times to make sure the guy was covered and immobile. "You may be able to regenerate any wound, but anyone who drowns is dead and regeneration won't fix that," Toad cackled as he pushed he lump into the river. He hoped he was right. Wolverine knew he would have to act fast. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he extended his claws against each other. The force pushed them apart enough that he could move his arms and he set to scraping the rest of the mucus from his body. He ignored the pain when chunks of flesh tore free with it. Leaping from the river he had just enough power to skewer the completely surprised Toad sitting on the bank. Nearly lifeless he slumped to he ground. It would take some serious time to regenerate all of that back. Winner: a very scraped up Wolverine ROUND 4 Match � Aaron Bartholomew Gandalf vs. Wolverine Hidden in the branches of Rivendell's many trees, Wolverine spotted a lone man wearing grey walking along the path. As the grey wanderer passed beneath the limb, Wolverine dropped on his back... or tried to. The wizard had already been warned by the elves of the valley of the lurking X-man, and blocked the claws with Glamdring. Fencing, glancing blows one off the other, the two dueled across the path, and into the forest. Fighting ferociously, Wolverine managed to score Gandalf several times, but never severely. For such an aged man, the wizard fought with summary skill, and while he also marked Wolverine, the mutant healed all to quickly for it to matter. Suddenly bows twanged, and elvish cries filled the air. Several arrows slammed into Wolverine, and while he was distracted, Glamdring found his heart. In the split second it would take for the astonishing healing abilities of Wolverine to repair that damage, lightning flew from the wizard's hands, down the sword, and through Wolverine's metallic skeleton. As his body absorbed more damage than it could possibly heal, Wolverine slumped to the ground. Winner of Bracket G: Gandalf the White |